Moving to CO Help! (Denver, Colorado Springs: sales, 2013, apartment complexes)

[Colorado Rambler]

Originally Posted by mtngigi

"weather like Colorado" really does not narrow down what you're looking for - Colorado is a big state, and the weather varies a great deal depending on which side of the Rockies you're on, and how far north, south, east or west you are.

In general, people who live in the Pikes Peak regional give the weather as one of the reasons they like living here - if you do a search on this forum you'll find many threads that might answer some of your questions about whether this would be a good fit for you.

But as mentioned, rents here have sky-rocketed in the past few years, and continue to go up. The more research you do ahead of your move, the better. If you've never been, perhaps a visit will help you make a decision.

Good luck.

I stay on here for the excitement of the forest fires every summer. Coloradans get to experience this no matter which side of the Rockies they live on. There's just something about the smell of burning aspen in the morning...

[LHS79]

Originally Posted by Colorado Rambler

I stay on here for the excitement of the forest fires every summer. Coloradans get to experience this no matter which side of the Rockies they live on. There's just something about the smell of burning aspen in the morning...

And hail too- don't forget the lovely hail!

(Except on the Grand Junction side of the Rockies)

[HusBea]

I live in the northeast area of Colorado Springs. There is a new children's hospital being built here. They say it will employ 1,400 folks. Completion is scheduled for April 2019 (the last I heard). There are new apartments being built almost right across the street, but they start at $1,200 a month (La Bella Vita). I think a lot of the residents moving into these apartments commute to Denver.


Besides Colorado Springs and Denver, you might want to look at Grand Junction. It is more "rural", but it is a mid-sized college town.


Someone earlier suggested you also look at Boise, ID. We have relatives that live there. It is much like Colorado Springs, but cheaper and with better public transportation.

[Allievaughn]

Originally Posted by HusBea

I live in the northeast area of Colorado Springs. There is a new children's hospital being built here. They say it will employ 1,400 folks. Completion is scheduled for April 2019 (the last I heard). There are new apartments being built almost right across the street, but they start at $1,200 a month (La Bella Vita). I think a lot of the residents moving into these apartments commute to Denver.


Besides Colorado Springs and Denver, you might want to look at Grand Junction. It is more "rural", but it is a mid-sized college town.


Someone earlier suggested you also look at Boise, ID. We have relatives that live there. It is much like Colorado Springs, but cheaper and with better public transportation.

Wow, thank you so much for all the info! I'll definitely look into the area I was also looking at Boise, it seems like a nice place to live too!

[mtngigi]

Originally Posted by HusBea

I live in the northeast area of Colorado Springs. There is a new children's hospital being built here. They say it will employ 1,400 folks. Completion is scheduled for April 2019 (the last I heard). There are new apartments being built almost right across the street, but they start at $1,200 a month (La Bella Vita). I think a lot of the residents moving into these apartments commute to Denver.

Besides Colorado Springs and Denver, you might want to look at Grand Junction. It is more "rural", but it is a mid-sized college town.

Someone earlier suggested you also look at Boise, ID. We have relatives that live there. It is much like Colorado Springs, but cheaper and with better public transportation.

I have a niece who lives in Parachute (where rents are lower, but not easy to find) and commutes to Grand Junction. Apparently rents in Grand Junction are also on the rise, because she's been looking for something she can afford, to no avail.

[goldenwings]

Originally Posted by Allievaughn

I'm wanting to move to CO and was hoping you guys could give me some moving advice. All I'm bringing from GA is a suitcase and my cat, so travel there would just really be the cost of the flight.

I'm not sure exactly where I'd like to move in CO yet, but I'd need to be near a hospital, as I'd be looking to get a job there (if not have a job there before I move, which is what I'm going to be shooting for). Could you guys think of any common expenses I should consider, so I know about how much to save? I'd need to have enough for the flight, apartment/deposit, pet fee, food, transportation to and from work/store, I could go without internet until my first paycheck - if you can think of anymore things to consider, please let me know! Maybe there are people I could share an apartment with or rent a bedroom or basement from for a month or so, until I start making enough money to not worry about it so much, and it would cost less than, say $700/mo for an apartment with a 6 mo to year lease.

Also, I've never owned an apartment before, any idea what to consider as far as utilities? Not sure if light bills, water, etc are included in the $700/mo.

Thanks for any help! I don't have any family to help with moving or advice, so any advice or tips would help!

From GA to CO.....this is a huge weather change. I lived in CO for 8yrs and came from a warm climate. It was a very serious transition because I had never driven in snow, never commuted to work in snow and didnt have any experience in a winter lifestyle. Please consider saving 3-6 months rent and living expenses before you try this. CO is very competitive job wise and housing is extremely expensive. You are choosing one of the most coveted areas in the U.S. As for moving to Pueblo, as someone mentioned.....yikes, I would rethink that city big time! Relocation works best if you have housing and a job before you get there. I speak from experience and definitely didnt understand the risks until I got there. Wishing you the best!

[DrDog]

Originally Posted by goldenwings

From GA to CO.....this is a huge weather change. I lived in CO for 8yrs and came from a warm climate. It was a very serious transition because I had never driven in snow, never commuted to work in snow and didnt have any experience in a winter lifestyle. Please consider saving 3-6 months rent and living expenses before you try this. CO is very competitive job wise and housing is extremely expensive. You are choosing one of the most coveted areas in the U.S. As for moving to Pueblo, as someone mentioned.....yikes, I would rethink that city big time! Relocation works best if you have housing and a job before you get there. I speak from experience and definitely didnt understand the risks until I got there. Wishing you the best!

I don’t think it’s all that competitive a job market in health care.

[Allievaughn]

Originally Posted by goldenwings

From GA to CO.....this is a huge weather change. I lived in CO for 8yrs and came from a warm climate. It was a very serious transition because I had never driven in snow, never commuted to work in snow and didnt have any experience in a winter lifestyle. Please consider saving 3-6 months rent and living expenses before you try this. CO is very competitive job wise and housing is extremely expensive. You are choosing one of the most coveted areas in the U.S. As for moving to Pueblo, as someone mentioned.....yikes, I would rethink that city big time! Relocation works best if you have housing and a job before you get there. I speak from experience and definitely didnt understand the risks until I got there. Wishing you the best!

Thanks for the advice! I'm definitely going to make sure I've got a job before moving out there if I decide to, I've still got until the end of this year to make a decision on where to move. Any ideas on a good city with say, $700, or less rent for a 1 bedroom / 1 bath apartment?

As of right now, I'm looking at moving to either Johnstown, Aurora, Colorado Springs, Gunnison, Fruita, Springfield, Montrose, Del Norte, Pagosa Springs, Durango, Cortez, Grand Junction, or Delta - these are all cities with a hospital or two nearby where I could apply for a job. I haven't looked up apartment costs for the areas yet, going to do that soon though and that should narrow it down a bit!

[Allievaughn]

And any info on those cities listed above would be great by the way! I don't know which ones would be considered 'better' than others as I'm not from the area, but tell me your impression of those cities if you've ever visited!

[Mike from back east]

That's too many cities for all of us to comment on, there's a ton of threads already on these cities that one could look up with our search tool and read up on.

I suggest COLO SPGS with its decent cost of living and 4 large hospitals. Lots of hospitals in the Denver area, but COL is higher.