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Moving to CO?!?

957 views 14 replies 10 participants last post by  UncleDana 
#1 ·
Hey guys,

I don't have many connections in CO but my girlfriend and I have decided to try giving it a go in CO! We've spent some time in Denver, Estes Park (lol), and Boulder.

We don't have much for connections so I thought I'd check here for some advice.

We both just graduated college in MN and are ready to venture out. We love the outdoors, are from a small town (<20k people), but are thinking a community with similar aged folks and more of a 'night life' than we currently have at our disposal.

Any suggestions on where to consider? Currently looking at a few locations in Boulder and Ft. Collins. Happy to hear what CO Jeepers might be able to suggest.
 
#2 ·
So I live here, in Boulder, Been here 20+ years.
There are a lot of great restaurants/bars here that is for sure. Before this career I was in the craft/micro beer industry and still have great friends from this time.
I would also look at surrounding communities. Louisville, Superiror and Lafayette are close.
Longmont a bit further away.
Boulder is spendy, many say.

I like it here. I walk out the door and where I live on a trail in 100 yards.
I ride my bike a lot of places or take the bus. Or Uber on occasion.
 
#3 ·
Born and raised, lived there the first fifty-two years of my life, including going to school in Boulder. Depends upon how "outdoors" you want to go. Denver metro area, including Boulder, real estate market is white hot right now so the further out you go, the cheaper.

If you want to live in the mountains take a look at South Park. Boulder would be the 'trendy' and 'pricey' thing. Aurora in the Denver metro area is the cheapest, but also furthest drive to the mountains. Southwest mountains - Silverton, Ouray, Durango, Pagosa Springs, even Telluride, are way less built up than anything north of the I-70 corridor, but then you have to find a job.

Good luck.
 
#4 ·
FYI Things you are guaranteed to hear and should ignore;
"No vacancy, CO is full"
"The traffic anymore is the worst thing ever!"
"CO isn't like it used to be"
"The traffic around Denver is the worst!"
"i70 traffic is the worst!"

Now that is out of the way, Colorado's population certainly isn't getting any smaller and housing definitely isn't getting any cheaper. It's a cool place to live that's got more to offer then a lot of places in country so population growth should be expected. If you like the outdoors in the summer and the winter things are slightly more accessible in Boulder, but Boulder is a place like no other some people love it some people don't so you'll have to spent more time there to make an opinion of your own. Alot of the Mtn commuting still goes through i70 which now has just as many cars on it in the winter as in the summer.

Also there's lots of midwesterns here so I'm sure you'll run into more people from MN then you might expect. Personally I found a place that I could afford and seemed within commuting distance of places to work until I got a feel for everything. Now I live in Denver proper. The only place on my "won't live there" list currently is the southern metro Denver area. The north/south commute on 25 to/from the suburbs, the city, and the tech center is very busy. The burbs aren't for me (yet). Haven't spent a ton of time in FC but it's definitely got a more small town feel to it.

Good luck!
 
#8 ·
Just remember that the closer you get to the mountains the more expensive it is to buy. I prefer to be south of the Denver Metro area and still close to the mountains. I have lived here for 20 years now and don't want to move anywhere else, except maybe to the Caribbean!
This is a great state full of great people. Make the move while you are still young and it's not too late.
 
#9 ·
It really might depend on what you plan on doing for work. Out in Buena Vista, there's plenty of activities and adventure, but you might have to be creative in the job market.


I should mention that we've sold our first house a year ago and bought our current one. Within a year we have over 100k in equity because the way the market is out here. So if you can afford to buy, it's well worth it. In fact it's throwing money away if you don't

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
#11 ·
I live in Pueblo. Housing is very affordable, but the job market blows! BTW, Denver traffic does suck. The only time I travel through there are for Jeep parts...not family! LOL!
 
#12 ·
I agree. I'm west of Pueblo in Fremont County. And though living is a lot cheaper than Denver, there's only so much you can do. And really the only job that's constantly hiring is the prison system. But low crime rate helps as does a lot of different tourist events as well as local events throughout the summer. I personally wouldn't recommend because of lack of activity and dining options.
 
#13 ·
Colorado springs might be right up your ally, but as almost everyone else said, it's getting really expensive, so look into buying a house instead of renting if you can. Renting a home costs more a month than buying a comparable home. The springs offers almost as much as Denver, but is more spread out so you can have space as you need it.
 
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