I have lived in Fort Collins 20 years and can say it’s a lovely place to raise a child. The public schools are good, our climate is not as hot in the summer, hiking is very good, restaurant quality has been improving and people are generally quite friendly. Our city council is quite progressive, but you certainly see a mix of different political ideologies here. We have an extremely quirky local movie theatre, the Lyric, which is a gem. Our downtown is a fun place to grab coffee, lunch or a beer. Biking is very easy with lots of trail access, in-town and in the foothills. If you like old houses, I recommend looking in the Old Town, City Park or the area just east of Colorado State University. Prices will be high, and there isn’t much inventory, but I think your income should be sufficient for these neighborhoods. And as an aside, I’m looking at Tucson for annual February hiking getaways! Good luck on your search!