Jennifer Camp has found the perfect place for year-round running

Jennifer and her family have lived a lot of places, from East to West and everywhere in between. Jennifer is from Chicago and her husband is from Southern California. She lived in Hong Kong and Belgium while her husband worked in international sales. They raised their family in Boston. Most recently they lived in Florida where they owned a business. But the West has always held a special place in Jennifer’s heart. She had spent 15 years in California and ever since she’s been trying to find a way back to the West Coast. After her children were grown and raised, she and her husband decided it was finally time to leave the East Coast.

They loved California, but it was much too crowded for them, not to mention expensive. After doing some research, they narrowed it down to Idaho and Colorado. They decided upon Colorado for it’s beautiful landscape, but also because of the job opportunities for Jennifer and her husband. They started in Denver, but they really wanted that real western life: a view of the mountains and wide-open spaces. So, they started looking north. They found the Fort Collins and Loveland area and immediately fell in love. The communities felt approachable and expansive outdoor recreation possibilities were right outside their front door.

They looked at houses for at least six months in Fort Collins, but nothing felt quite right. Every time they drove North on I-25 to look at houses they saw the billboards and signs for Centerra, then they started to notice ads featuring Centerra when searching real estate listings online. They were finally persuaded to take a look at The Lakes at Centerra. What they found was really perfect for them. As empty nesters, Jennifer and her husband specifically wanted a one-story patio home with an open floor plan, modern and clean lines, and a cohesive indoor-outdoor living space. Add in a beautiful lake nearby, a fantastic club house, a community garden and an incredible view of the mountains and everything just fell into place.

Jennifer and her husband have custom built a house before when living in Massachusetts, so the process was not unfamiliar to them. They decided to work with Wonderland Homes to build their new home for their new life. The process could not have been easier for them. After moving in, they instantly loved their home and the location, but what they were really looking for in their life was the right sort of community. And they certainly found that in Centerra.

As new Coloradoans, Jennifer appreciates that Centerra helps people connect within the community. When you move to a new area you want to feel like it’s home, and for Jennifer it was really nice to be able to drop into a cozy neighborhood and feel at home. Many of their neighbors are also out-of-state transplants and having people around who are at the same point in life has helped them feel integrated. But they also love the diversity of their other neighbors, there are young families, older couples and everything in between. While Jennifer’s family is spread out across the country, it’s fun for her to see kids trick-or-treating during Halloween or at the pool in the summers; it creates a fantastic energy that Jennifer enjoys having around her. Even though her four children live far apart, she loves living in a community that her children enjoy visiting. It’s never hard to convince them to visit with four incredible seasons for outdoor adventure, breweries, and a wide variety of activities and places to go.

While Jennifer loves the community she and her husband have become a part of, what really drew them to Centerra was how perfectly their home and the surroundings fit their lifestyle. Jennifer leads a very active life; she enjoys playing tennis and golf in the spring and summer and snowboarding in the winter. But what she really loves is running. There are a lot of great places to run in the surrounding area, Jennifer particularly likes Devil’s Backbone, Coyote Ridge and the lakes within the Centerra community. But even better is the expansive trail system surrounding their neighborhood, which is more than ideal for her year-round passion.

Jennifer is not a fair-weather runner. It doesn’t matter if she’s living in icy, cold New England or humid, tropical Florida, she runs. After moving around for the last 30 years, running has always been a constant in her life and one of her favorite ways to get involved in her community. As an avid runner, Jennifer can almost always find other runners to meet up with. When she and her husband moved to The Lakes at Centerra, Jennifer wanted to connect with like-minded athletes by starting a neighborhood running club. She’s never started a running club before, but she has always been a part of them everywhere she has lived. She would love to see her running club bring together a wide variety of people, from avid runners, to people who used to run but have stopped and are looking to start running again, as well as people who have never run before.

The Lakes at Centerra is a very active community; it’s one of the things Jennifer and her husband love about their new neighborhood. Not only are people active in the traditional sense, Jennifer always sees a lot of people running, walking or just spending time outside, but everyone is also active getting involved in a variety of clubs and activities like book clubs and poker nights.

Jennifer and her husband have been in their new home less than a year, so they’re really just getting started. In addition to Jennifer’s involvement in neighborhood activities, she and her husband have joined the Sweetheart City Racers, Foundations Church and Fort Collins Country Club. As Jennifer continues into the next phase of her life with her husband she is excited to seek out opportunities and create long lasting friendships at Centerra and in the surrounding communities. With a bit of luck, her extended family will catch the Colorado bug too!