What To Expect From Longmont
A Local’s Perspective
We love Longmont. That’s no secret. There’s so much available to our community and our neighbors are simply the best! If you’re considering moving to Longmont, here’s a locals perspective to help you understand a little bit more about our great town.
Weather
Longmont, and Colorado in general, has some of the best weather in the United States. Sunshine is expected almost all year round, with only a few months expecting heavy rains. When those rains come, they bring a sense of freshness and revitalization that’s always appreciated. Summers can get hot, with high temperatures reaching the low 100’s for a week or so in August or early September. This trend in recent years has been hard pressed to sustain itself for the same duration at the peak of heat. Winters in Longmont are very nice. Longs Peak tends to direct the heavier snows either north or south of town, hitting Boulder or Fort Collins with more intensity. Longmont does get its fair share of snow, though, and it melts quickly with the bright winter sun. Spring and fall are gorgeous, perfect for cycling and outdoor activities with the family.
Activities
There is a lot to do around Longmont throughout the year. Events and activities can be found all around town, but most heavily around Downtown Longmont. The library hosts various events for kids and adults. During the summer, Downtown Longmont hosts concerts and art walks, local business events and pub crawls. Keep an eye on Roosevelt Park for concerts and other events from summer through the fall. You can also go ice-skating during the winter at the park.
Community
One of my favorite aspects of Longmont is its community. In general, Longmont is a quiet, bedroom community with a great family atmosphere, wherever you go. It’s also a community that focuses on local issues: sustaining local businesses, keeping nature and open spaces close at hand, and helping each other out. Frequenting a favorite coffee shop, restaurant, or brewery will introduce you to your neighbors and new friends.
Amenities
With such a great community around, Longmont has established amazing amenities. One of the best is our free public transportation. Longmont has a contract with RTD to provide a few free local routes around town, allowing locals to travel to and from home at no cost! The vast number of open spaces helps keep our community connected to the outdoors. Longmont’s public library offers innumerable events throughout the year. We’ve also established a local high-speed internet provider at lower cost than its competitors.
Politics
Longmont grew from a small farming community into a large town mixed with commuters, blue-collar workers, farmers, and local business owners. With such diversity in ideology, experience, and lifestyle, Longmont has evolved into a very balanced political atmosphere. Longmont’s City Council is also very clear about when their meetings take place, the subjects they are discussing, and their community outreach and involvement. It is easy to get involved, as well, with events around town that support candidates, benefits, and charities.
Schools & Education
Longmont is part of the Saint Vrain Valley School District and borders Boulder Valley School District. This allows parents, especially on the west side of town, several options for their children’s education. Both of these school districts are amazing, and our kids have grown from them with great accomplishments and accolades. There are also a vast number of colleges and universities to choose from that are located near Longmont as well.
Traffic & Transportation
One downside to Longmont is the traffic that travels through town. Longmont sits perfectly between Fort Collins-Loveland, Frederic, Boulder, and Denver. This has made our town the perfect thoroughfare for workers and college students living/working in any of these towns. Boulder, with its high cost of living and density of opportunities, draws most of the traffic that moves through town. In-fact, it is also why Longmont has become such a popular place to live. Most of the traffic moves on Main Street/HWY-287, Hover Street, and Ken Pratt Blvd/HWY-119/The Diagonal. Otherwise, traffic around town is fairly minimal. As stated above, Longmont also offers free local transportation on the RTD system, which helps minimize local traffic. The RTD system also offers transportation to Boulder, Denver, and Fort Collins.
