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You should plan on at least $1000/ month rent and that won't be anything posh but, as long as you can handle that, it's doable (not in Boulder but in Denver). The biggest obstacle is the competition for "lower" priced apartments. You could be competing with 50 other people and you'll need at least 36K income (3 x rent) + deposit + cash reserve + moving expenses. If you are willing to plan ahead, I say go for it. That's only about 18-20K income each.
Hi wilctj17,
We're also a young couple trying to move to boulder area in Colorado. Did you find any good info that you could pass along?
We're planning to move this mid of this year. As for me I just graduated last year in advertising, and see that Denver/boulder area has a lot of agencies, that's why I'm interested. We aren't trying to move there until we have jobs but that seems difficult, I think being there and making connections and networking is the way to go.
We come from a small town in Virginia and love nature.
Our budget is around $1000 - $1300 for rent. We both own cars and willing to commute.
Hi wilctj17,
We're also a young couple trying to move to boulder area in Colorado. Did you find any good info that you could pass along?
We're planning to move this mid of this year. As for me I just graduated last year in advertising, and see that Denver/boulder area has a lot of agencies, that's why I'm interested. We aren't trying to move there until we have jobs but that seems difficult, I think being there and making connections and networking is the way to go.
We come from a small town in Virginia and love nature.
Our budget is around $1000 - $1300 for rent. We both own cars and willing to commute.
Don't move without a job or 6-8 months of living expenses. Most LL's won't rent to those without jobs, so you may be couch-surfing / sub-letting for a few months until you can establish yourself.
I realize this is an old thread, however I can't help but respond. I was born and raised in Longmont Co. 30 mins from Boulder. I lived there for 34 years and am very familiar with the area and the people there. I had to laugh when I read this thread. The nice young lady asking her question and then BAM!! Attacked by none other than the "friendly" people who dwell in Boulder county. My husband and I relocated to Texas in 2013 and have enjoyed the weather and southern hospitality ever since. I lived in Boulder county most of my life, and when I got the chance...I couldn't run away fast enough. The above responses are so typical of the kind of people living in Boulder county. Shallow, liberal, self centered people who only care about themselves and snub anyone they don't feel is worthy of breathing the same mountain air as they do. Awful place! So glad to be in Texas and welcomed with open arms!
I realize this is an old thread, however I can't help but respond. I was born and raised in Longmont Co. 30 mins from Boulder. I lived there for 34 years and am very familiar with the area and the people there. I had to laugh when I read this thread. The nice young lady asking her question and then BAM!! Attacked by none other than the "friendly" people who dwell in Boulder county. My husband and I relocated to Texas in 2013 and have enjoyed the weather and southern hospitality ever since. I lived in Boulder county most of my life, and when I got the chance...I couldn't run away fast enough. The above responses are so typical of the kind of people living in Boulder county. Shallow, liberal, self centered people who only care about themselves and snub anyone they don't feel is worthy of breathing the same mountain air as they do. Awful place! So glad to be in Texas and welcomed with open arms!
Will wonders never cease? Last night there was the post from a CD member who hates Colorado for its blue skies and sunshine, and tonight katkarma posts about leaving the self centered people of Boulder behind for a happier life with the friendly folks in Texas. It used to be Texans coming to Colorado by the thousands - a complete 180. Stay put Texan friends, Colorado is now coming to you. And I do agree that Texans tend to be nice, friendly people - in Texas. However, when out of their home state, a few seem to feel the need to put on a John Wayne, bigger than life personna for whatever strange reason. It's OK Texans - just come on out and be your usual friendly selves and you'll be fine.
And no one ever responded to poor cc12:
Hi wilctj17,
We're also a young couple trying to move to boulder area in Colorado. Did you find any good info that you could pass along?
We're planning to move this mid of this year. As for me I just graduated last year in advertising, and see that Denver/boulder area has a lot of agencies, that's why I'm interested. We aren't trying to move there until we have jobs but that seems difficult, I think being there and making connections and networking is the way to go.
We come from a small town in Virginia and love nature.
Our budget is around $1000 - $1300 for rent. We both own cars and willing to commute.
No offence cc12, but you have no idea how often we on the Colorado forum get questions identical to yours. Ya'll seem so young and innocent to an old warhorse like me. In fact, I was married for twenty years to a man I met in Boulder who was from Virginia and came to Colorado because he loved the out-of-doors. Perhaps by now you've checked out padmapper to get an idea of the cost of rentals in the Boulder/Denver area? If so, you now know that $1000 probably wouldn't even get you a storage shed in the city of Boulder these days. People who manage to pull off living in Boulder are either college students living in one of CU's dorms or else very well paid professionals or have a generous trust fund at their disposal - preferably all three. Maybe you could find a studio apartment in Denver for $1000, but I'm not even sure of that. The cost of housing in Denver has sky rocketed since seemingly the entire world is attempting to relocate there these days. You probably will be able to find a decent job in your area of expertise, but the housing situation may very well leave you feeling pretty frustrated with Denver. Do you have enough money set by to tide you over until you can find both good paying jobs and decent housing?
And how do you mean that you "love nature"? Loving nature can involve anything from being glued to Animal Planet on your cable TV to putting out a couple of bird feeders to going off on a month long back packing expedition in a wilderness area. If you tend to fit more with the hiking/back packing crowd, Denver is going to be a sore disappointment. Denver is a sophisticated urban area that you can't even see the mountains from. If you want to head for the mountains on a weekend, expect a long weary drive up I-70 along with thousands of your fellow nature lovers boring down on you in their SUV's. If you can manage to get your days off other than on weekends that will help - a little. And I guarantee that you will be commuting, yes indeed. Brace yourself for infuriating drives to and from work when every major traffic artery is so clogged that it is the city version of a major heart attack and the whole damn Interstate turns into one vast parking lot. I suggest setting your car radio to KUVO, "the oasis in the city.” It broadcasts some good jazz to help you pass the time.
I also strongly suggest that before you commit to a major move to either Denver or Boulder, come out and visit first so you know a little of what it is like to live here. You should visit Colorado Springs, as well. Wages are lower in the Springs, but it is by far the most affordable town on the Front Range and one of the most scenic. Best of luck to you.
There was one rude post and our beloved moderator deleted it. There will always be a few knuckle heads on the internet.
Here is some basic advice for any young couple looking to move to the Boulder area:
1. Jobs: We have a lot of them, but you need a skill that is in demand. Service industry jobs do not pay enough to live here. You will only last a year or two and then the next young person will take your spot.
2. Housing: It's crazy expensive. Rents have been going up 10% every year for the last three years. Imagine if you came here 3 years ago and could barely afford a $1500 a month apartment then, but now it's $2000 a month? Keep in mind that wages on the low end of the spectrum haven't really risen. There used to be affordable housing in cities like Longmont, but that has all but disappeared.
3. How to get a good job: Sharpen your skills. You are not the only 20 something dreaming of the mountains. Get a local phone number (google has them) and forward that number to your current cell. Try and find a local address to use. Employers often get a 1000 resumes for a job posted on the internet, so the first cull is local candidates. You can always say you are in the process of moving and splitting time between Boulder and your current location. Start eating ramen 3 times a day to save enough money to fly out for interviews and moving expenses.
btw, if this sounds mean, I'm sorry. I just don't like to type.
And how do you mean that you "love nature"? Loving nature can involve anything from being glued to Animal Planet on your cable TV to putting out a couple of bird feeders to going off on a month long back packing expedition in a wilderness area. If you tend to fit more with the hiking/back packing crowd, Denver is going to be a sore disappointment. Denver is a sophisticated urban area that you can't even see the mountains from. If you want to head for the mountains on a weekend, expect a long weary drive up I-70 along with thousands of your fellow nature lovers boring down on you in their SUV's. If you can manage to get your days off other than on weekends that will help - a little.
Just browsing this board:
I am in the process of a transfer to Denver, and have been doing my research for sometime. I have seen a lot of these "I-70 is awful" posts. I don't live there yet, but I have done that drive many times over the last few years, as recently as October, and I don't see what everyone is talking about. Even if you go on Google maps and look at the average times for date/time, it only shows occasional delays. One time I drove to Keystone in January, on a Saturday, at 8am, and only experienced about 10 mins of delay. Sunday afternoon, I hit about 20 mins of delay on the way back. Sure that might be bad for those who remember what it was like 5-10-20 years ago, but every place worth visiting in this country is having just as hard of a time with traffic.
I will agree with the awful traffic getting into Estes Park, and RMNP, from Boulder on a Saturday in October when it's 75F and sunny. That was miserable. We were on our way back and it was a solid line of cars from Moraine Park campground all the way to Boulder. Even then, I think Google calculated about 23 mins of delay. I'm sure it was a pain to get into the park though. But I would expect just that for those conditions on a one lane road with stop and go lights...and from what I heard, it was exactly the same as 20+ years ago.
I think too many people overlook how common over population, and rapid growth is in this country. If you love a place, and have been with it for a long time, you don't realize that every "good" place in this country is suffering from the same thing. If your city isn't growing, it's dying.
I am in the process of a transfer to Denver, and have been doing my research for sometime. I have seen a lot of these "I-70 is awful" posts. I don't live there yet, but I have done that drive many times over the last few years, as recently as October, and I don't see what everyone is talking about. Even if you go on Google maps and look at the average times for date/time, it only shows occasional delays. One time I drove to Keystone in January, on a Saturday, at 8am, and only experienced about 10 mins of delay. Sunday afternoon, I hit about 20 mins of delay on the way back. Sure that might be bad for those who remember what it was like 5-10-20 years ago, but every place worth visiting in this country is having just as hard of a time with traffic.
I will agree with the awful traffic getting into Estes Park, and RMNP, from Boulder on a Saturday in October when it's 75F and sunny. That was miserable. We were on our way back and it was a solid line of cars from Moraine Park campground all the way to Boulder. Even then, I think Google calculated about 23 mins of delay. I'm sure it was a pain to get into the park though. But I would expect just that for those conditions on a one lane road with stop and go lights...and from what I heard, it was exactly the same as 20+ years ago.
I think too many people overlook how common over population, and rapid growth is in this country. If you love a place, and have been with it for a long time, you don't realize that every "good" place in this country is suffering from the same thing. If your city isn't growing, it's dying.
You bring up some good points, oh Grasshopper, but just you wait until you actually live in Denver full time. There's nothing more Colorado than a late spring snowstorm which causes a semi to jack-knife, completely closing down I-70 at Vail Pass for hours. I have any number of fond memories going back as long as 30 years ago, sitting in my car, slurping coffee from my thermos and listening to the radio to see if the pass was open yet. Then there's the happy memories of driving east bound on I-70 to Denver at night and encountering both Idaho Springs and an unexpected squall of rain at the same time. The behavior of Denver drivers never changes. Its pedal to the metal, full on 80mph never mind the road conditions or the steepness of the grade, and you damn well better be going 80mph yourself - like it or not - or else risk causing an accident and getting rear ended. Moreover, as anyone who knows me IRL can affirm, I am far from being a wimpy driver. My own favorite style of Interstate driving is sheer bat out of hell, because I hate Interstates and can't wait to get to off at the next exit. I have other fond memories of Denver going back to the 70's when I was a student at the University of Denver. I would step outside my dorm and be hit by air so bad that it hurt to breathe. Thank god for the emission reductions that were put in because otherwise Denver would be as bad as Mexico City where birds are said to fall dead out of the sky - the air is that bad. I guess a nature lover could keep a field guide to the birds of Colorado on the dash and use it to identify the birds that fall down out of the air and bounce off the hoods of their cars. OK, it is not THAT bad, but its bad enough.
Just because it was exactly the same 20+ years ago doesn't make it any better today. Traffic jams do not improve with age like fine wine. Welcome to Colorado and best of luck to you.
I ski a lot of weekends and the traffic is real on I-70, BUT it's not every trip. If I leave my house by 5:30 it's slow in spots, but mostly wide open. On the way back it gets interesting. Three weeks ago while the Broncos were clinching the Super Bowl birth I was zipping home from Beaver Creek in 2.5 hours. Last weekend it was snowing and everyone hit the slopes because of the snow and no Broncos game. It was 6 awful hours.
Most weekends it's about 2.5 hours there and 3.5 hours back. I can live with that.
Chautauqua Park has beautiful nature and hiking trials, it's right by the CU Boulder campus. Not sure what your affordable is, but in central boulder by CU a decent 2 bedroom apartment is 1500$, 1 bedroom apartments go for around $1300. A full time serving job will make you about 1,800 a month, just to give you an idea of what it's like financially.
The outskirts of boulder/Lafayette/Louiseville/superior are cheaper. (1000-1300$ 2 bedroom) They all have good nightlife, and boulder is only 45 minutes away from denver and it's an easy drive.
If you consider yourself a hippy meaning earthy crunchy outdoorsy, youll fit right in. People in boulder and CO in general seem pretty open minded.
-I've lived here all my life but im sure other people have different opinions based on different cities. Hope that helps
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