LI to Louisville (Boulder, Longmont: real estate, insurance, condo)

[footballchik]

I was wondering if anyone in Louisville or the general vicinity moved there from the LI area? I am trying to get an idea of how much cheaper it is to live there. I already know I will save a bundle on property taxes and auto insurance. What about utilities? I have oil and it seems all the houses out there are gas... Also electricity; LI is pretty expensive in that regard as well. The data has Louisville at near the nat'l avg (101) for cost of living while my area is much higher (134).

So many questions, I know. Unfortunately real estate here, like most places, dropped quite a bit. It seems Louisville prices have stayed pretty steady though, and I am having difficulty figuring out how much I can buy a house for there while still maintaining my current standard of living. Thanks in advance for your help

[TrickiWoo]

I moved out here from LI (I lived in Medford, New Hyde Park and then in Coram over the years). I now live in Longmont. It's definitely more affordable to live here, electricity rates are much more affordable than on LI. Our utilities run about $200 per month for our 2500 sq/ft home, that includes trash collection, gas, water and electricity. We've only lived here in the summer months, so not sure yet how it will vary in the winter. I expect it will go down due to less water use, since the water is more expensive here.On LI in the summer our electricity alone was running $300 - $400 per month for a 900 sq/ft condo. Our utilities are through the city of Longmont, but I can't imagine that the rates will differ too much in Louisville.
The property taxes are really where CO is more affordable. Our relatives on LI pay close to ten times what we're paying in taxes here. It's one of the reasons we left, we just could not afford to own a home there because the taxes were like a second mortgage payment.

[footballchik]

Thanks Tricki for answering- it was a tricky question; duh duh duh, tsshh. OK, that was stupid...

I was just looking at the cut off age to register for schools. My oldest daughter is currently enrolled in full day kindergarten but the CO system would have her just starting kindergarten (half day) next year. Are there allowances for children from out of state to start the next grade or would she have to repeat kindergarten? It's likely dealt with on a case by case basis, but if anyone has experience with this I would appreciate their input. Thanks.

[Micktooth]

It would probably be best to contact the Boulder Valley School District Boulder Valley School District

[footballchik]

Originally Posted by Micktooth

It would probably be best to contact the Boulder Valley School District Boulder Valley School District

Thanks Mick- I did call BVSD and found out that if I moved before the school year was up, my daughter would not be allowed to complete k-garten. For next year I will need to get the superintendent's ok to enroll her 1st grade.

In my area most school districts are full day kindergarten. I take it that CO is all or mostly half day kindergarten?

[Katiana]

Originally Posted by footballchik

Thanks Mick- I did call BVSD and found out that if I moved before the school year was up, my daughter would not be allowed to complete k-garten. For next year I will need to get the superintendent's ok to enroll her 1st grade.

In my area most school districts are full day kindergarten. I take it that CO is all or mostly half day kindergarten?

Mostly, yes. Some schools offer K-Care, which you pay for, for the other half of the day.