A: The A

My Fort Collins A to Z kicks off with the A that's tough to miss. This local landmark, which sits at the western edge of town right above Hughes Stadium, was first formed in 1923, when Colorado State University was known as Colorado A&M and the students were called Aggies. It was enlarged the next year and painted white for better visibility. Repainting the A is an annual student tradition and a nice reminder of our land grant university's agricultural roots.

Growing up, my older sister Amy claimed ownership of the big A, which soured the whole thing for me for a number of years. If anyone knows of a similar letter J on a hill somewhere, I'd love to hear about it.