By C. Ross on Tuesday, July 17, 2001 - 06:33 am: Edit

We are trying to decide on where to move in the Colorado area. I'd always planned on moving to the mountains after college and one thing led to another and boom it's almost ten years later. Anyway, I'm not set on Colorado just that general vicinity. I will have to find gainful employment and real estate must be reasonable...any suggestions. We were thinking of the Colorado springs area but need more advice. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Ross Edwards

By Andrew Vick (Afv) on Tuesday, July 17, 2001 - 12:35 pm: Edit

Don't know what industry you're in, and that may have an impact as to what becomes most suitable. Generally speaking, real estate prices are ugly in the Denver area, especially when you begin moving north towards Boulder. One good resource is realtor.com. We moved back to Denver from Atlanta, and although I'm from here, I still used realtor.com to help us figure out the general areas we should focus on so that we wouldn't waste time with our realtor, who is a personal friend.

I have heard that the CSprings is becoming more and more desirable, as they're not facing the traffic problems, are very close to the mountains, and the general cost of living is lower. Although you don't have the same direct access to places like Winter Park, you also don't have to fight I70 every weekend. It took us 5 hours to get home from Vail last summer, and that only 100 miles away! Not fun with a 5 week old in the back seat. Email me with your questions and I'll help you out as best I can.

By gp (Garrett) on Wednesday, July 18, 2001 - 02:39 am: Edit

My girlfriend just moved back to PA from Colorado and about a half dozen of my good friends have moved out to Colorado somewhere. I travel out there quite a bit to ski and have come up with a few places i have considered out there. Like andrew said prices in denver and boulder are pretty high. overall denver is a pretty cool town while being close to the mountains and having the benefits of a big city......great hockey, baseball and football. also a fun area of town (LODO) to go out and drink and eat. but at the same time you have to consider the traffic and nasty air quality issue. Evergreen (about 30 min. from denver) is a good option too. it can get a little pricey, but you are in the mountains and a beautiful area for sure. Fort Collins is a pretty cool place too. A college town with the benefits of being close to some great ski resorts and some nice lakes in the area. A small town but big enough to have some good restaurants/bars, but not too busy to drive you nuts. I am no fan of Vail whatsoever. A place I ski at once/twice a year, but no town to speak of. Just a expensive village with overpriced everything........hey but a great mountain. If you like little remote towns frisco or dillon may suit you. smack dab between vail and denver they are typical small colorado towns. but my all time favorite has to be steamboat. runs along the gore mountain range....beautiful!! just a fun town and a real town. not some made up village like vail. great skiing and a beautiful area of colorado...just a major PITA to get to.
my 2 cents.

By Troy on Thursday, July 19, 2001 - 04:49 pm: Edit

Ross,
Keep us posted where you end up. It looks as though my wife and I are moving to Longmont (maybe Boulder) in the next 4 to 8 weeks. We should get together and go wheel when we get out there-
Troy

By C. Ross on Saturday, July 21, 2001 - 10:47 am: Edit

Thanks for all of the advice. This is some preliminary fact finding that we are doing. I own a smallish construction contracting company and we specialize in custom home construction. I'm in the process of selling half of our company so I won't be trying to relocate it with us. I will probably be looking for some kind of outside sales work when we move. If you guys have any more advice I'd appreciate it. I'm looking for somewhere that's either in the Mountains or a few minutes away. I liked the small town feel Colorado springs had the last time we were there. Boulder was loads of fun when I was in College but the prices are crazy and it's growing into a mini-Denver. Any and all ideas are appreciated.

thanks again,
Ross Edwards
94 Disco 5-sp. New to me
98 Disco "mall crawler"
94 D90 on the way out...

By Ali on Sunday, July 29, 2001 - 04:10 am: Edit

Ross,

We're planning a move to Co as well. When a realtor showed me this listing "...962 sq ft, $177k..", I about passed a twinkey. Coming from teh Midwest, this is going to be a shocker!

Garrett,

I'm printing out your reply. It contains some real good info.

Thanks.

Ali
'91RR

By Discosaurus on Sunday, July 29, 2001 - 05:07 am: Edit

hehehe

If it's gonna cost you that much you're moving to the wrong place. Stay away from the front range towns (unless you move waaayyyy south) unless you like traffic worse then Chicago and stay away from any town that has a ski resort in it unless you like to be bankrupt.

There's a LOT of places in CO that are very affordable - Denver/Boulder/CO Springs/Vail/Breck/Aspen aren't them !

keith
discosaurus

By jony on Sunday, July 29, 2001 - 09:06 pm: Edit

move to greeley....
hehe

By Bud on Monday, July 30, 2001 - 01:36 am: Edit

Supply and demand. If it feels good, smells good, looks good, etc, it's gonna cost you out the wazoo. I have done some searching on MSN Home Advisor and elsewhere regarding locations that are desireable yet affordable. Starting with the closest location to me (Joplin, MO) I find that NOTHING is cheaper. So, for the low cost of living, I get nearly unbearable heat and humidity in the summer, zero close places to off-road, and an almost ever-present odor from the poultry industry in this area. But I filled the tank yesterday for $1.23/gal. Ya get what ya pay fer.

Bud

BTW - only one Mall, too.

By gp (Garrett) on Monday, July 30, 2001 - 02:15 am: Edit

bud

i feel some of your pain. i grew up in st. louis county. i sure don't miss those summers. i felt like the boy in the bubble during the summers. always inside playing atari!!!!!! and no where to go for relief. hey head up there to central PA.....nice summers, close enough to the shores, appalacian mt's all over, great fishing, hunting, hiking, camping and pretty damn affordable. no traffic and thank god for only one mall in town. and not to forget plently of action going on during football season here at PSU.

By Discosaurus on Monday, July 30, 2001 - 06:20 am: Edit

Ali - what 'cha have to do is stop working for a living ! Than you can move to someplace nice that doesn't have any jobs. That keeps everybody else away !

Access to jobs = lot's of people and traffic.

keith
discosaurus

By Bud on Monday, July 30, 2001 - 10:26 am: Edit

Ah, but good news on the horizon. We're all gonna be rich here soon. Feds have antied up about 14M for a pilot project at a poultry processing plant 20 miles from here. They are going to process the by-products and refine it into auto fuel. Beverly Hillbillies, look out. We are talkin' Ozark Oil barons here. I may try to get a turban to go with my cowboy boots!

Bud

By Ali on Tuesday, July 31, 2001 - 03:10 am: Edit

Keith,

I like your idea of "no job". Damn it, if I only played the lottery!

Doh, back to work!