DENVER -- Natioanl Geographic Adventure magazine has released its fifth annual look at the hottest cities to live and play.

Fort Collins made the list as one of the three places for an adventurer to start a family. The other two cities listed were Bozeman, Mont., and Burlington, Vt.

The October 2009 issue looked at the housing market, job market and local lifestyle of 18 adventure towns that could inspire someone to move.

The magazine cites Fort Collins' tidy streets lined by shops and gingerbread Victorian homes in Old Town (priced at $251,000 on average), the 44 manicured city parks, the 1.5 million acres of nearby national forest, and whitewater on the Poudre River. Not to mention the lack of violent crime.

Getting a mention in National Geographic is a big deal for the city, Jim Clark, executive director of the Fort Collins Convention and Visitor's Bureau told the Fort Collins Coloradoan newspaper.

"We've been told we're on their radar, which is a good thing," he said. "Of all the publications we want to be in, Sunset and National Geographic are my top two picks."

Here are some of the magazine's thoughts on best places to...:

Wait out the worst job market in years in Red River, N.M.; Black Mountain, N.C.; or Boise, Idaho.

Bust through the recession in Washington, D.C.; Manchester, N.H.; or Provo-Orem, Utah.

Get wired to the new new economy in Corvallis, Ore.; Blacksburg, Va.; or Truckee, Calif.

Find a green-collar job in Minneapolis; San Francisco; or Des Moines, Iowa.

Start a family in Bozeman, Mont.; Burlington, Vt.; or Fort Collins, Colo.

Cash out and retire in Haleiwa, Hawaii; Austin, Texas; or Apalachicola, Fla.