So I cheated a bit this time. Well maybe not cheated, but I went ahead and picked a place that many of you are probably not familiar with: Dillon, Mont. Then again, when one is trying to find a town for a completely one-sided, subjective competition that has the same winner every week, picking small, obscure towns that can’t be found on most maps will always fare well.
Dillon is a very small cowboy/college town with what seems like little to offer. Although most of its attributes are frail in comparison to the robust Fort Collins (i.e. its college and its bar scene), it actually comes in as a worthy contender when considering their clean air and amazing landscapes. This battle will pit Fort Collins' progressive and innovative open space program with Dillon’s natural beauty and landscapes.
For someone looking to get away from the busy life and settle into the countryside, Dillon may be your town. With beautiful mountain scenery, amazing outdoor opportunities and affordable living, Dillon can win over most people in a heartbeat. However, this beauty is only momentary. Because of Montana’s relaxed development laws and environmental stance, the countryside can quickly disappear to mass-housing developments, as Bozeman, Mont. is rapidly experiencing.
Fort Collins, along with Larimer County, combines to make one of the most environmentally friendly areas in the country. Sitting just outside of Fort Collins to the north is the Rural Land Use Planning Center (RLUP). One of the main goals of the RLUP is to give tax and land incentives to developers for building with great consideration to wildlife habitat and corridors as well as minimizing their impacts on the land. The RLUP has been wildly successful inside Fort Collins and is catching on all around Larimer County.
Because of the conscious efforts that Larimer County and RLUP have taken to conserve the beautiful natural landscapes of the area, Fort Collins has hope for a preserved ecosystem. Dillon’s destiny, however, is simply routed in a grim path toward a spoiled beauty.
Round goes to the natural environment that will remain 50 years from now: Fort Collins.
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