Colorado Springs or Greeley (Denver, Aurora: fit in, sales, apartment complexes)

[threefrenchfries]

Hi,

We currently live in Southern California and want to move to Colorado. My husband has 2 job offers, one in Colorado Springs and one in Greeley. The one in Greeley is substantially more money but there are many things we must consider. We were in Colorado Springs several years ago and loved it. When my husband went back for his interview in downtown CS though, he said he couldn't believe how much it had changed. He was surprised to see the number of vagrants on the streets. We are very conservative and have 3 small children. I know there is much more to do in CS than in Greeley, but we are trying to escape the crime and pollution here and I'm afraid of jumping out of the frying pan into the fire. I've heard Greeley doesn't have a very pleasant odor.
We're looking for a place that's family-friendly, safe and conservative.

Thanks for your input.

[Swampy101]

In my opinion, CS is a better place. Vagrants can be found anywhere if you go to the right places.

When I watch the local news at night, Greeley, Longmont and Aurora (Denver) are always in the news with bad stuff. Drugs, killings, molesters...

I've never been to Greeley myself, just saying what I notice in the news. There are great places in CS and a few bad places. Look around here and you'll find where to go and where not to go in CS.

Also, Seems that the bad weather always tracks across Greeley/Ft. Collins whether it be lots of rain (and thunderstorms) or lots of snow.

Forgot to mention, my wife and I moved out here from Socal almost two years ago and looked up that direction and quit at Longmont/Boulder as it just seemed to be a less attractive area (scenery and crime) and worked our way down here to Larkspur which is a very easy commute to CS.

[Amery523]

There are many nice, safe and family-friendly areas of Colorado Springs. I live on the north end of CS and have never seen vagrants (didn't even realize we had them in downtown, but I rarely venture there anyways). Money is not everything, I have learned. I would also look at the cost of housing, how much the insurance costs (may be drastically different from one job offer than the other) and the opportunities for children and families. I think there are a TON in Colorado Springs, great, great things for families and children. I also moved from Southern CA. You will find a lot of us on this board. There are many, many churches here. I'm sure you will find one to your liking. Good luck!

[COflower]

I've been to Greeley a few times in the almost 40 years I have been on this earth. I'm not a fan. I thought about going to community college up there when I was in my late teens and even visited it and I put my thumbs down on it. I mean no disrespect to Greeley residents but it's just not my cuppa tea.

I don't know what your husband saw but then again I rarely go downtown C Springs as I have no business down there, when I do venture that way, I don't even notice anything vaguely close to what you describe. I live on the north end of town and love it.

My family (not me as I am a non-religious Libertarian) are all conservative Christians. My dad moved here in 1954 and has seen the changes that C Springs has gone through and he still loves it here. They love their church, my brothers both have children in good schools and overall, C Springs is a very family friendly town and honestly, for this single (and now a bit old - haha) lady not as much fun.

But I do think before you and your husband make a final decision that you ask his company to send you out here for a week or two so you can really get a feel for which community you like more.

I feel completely safe in C Springs. I even go to the grocery store at odd hours of the early morning (I am a night owl) and never felt threatened or otherwise unsafe. My family has never been a victim of crime and in fact my older brother and his wife moved here from Phoenix back in the late 80s to get away from the crime and they haven't looked back.

[Brick82]

I am considering moving to the Colorado Springs area. I work for Wholefoods market so I need to be close enough to walk or bus but I have no idea which neighborhoods are good. It doesn't have to be perfect just affordable and safe. Does anyone have any advice or suggestions?

Thanks

[COflower]

Originally Posted by Brick82

I am considering moving to the Colorado Springs area. I work for Wholefoods market so I need to be close enough to walk or bus but I have no idea which neighborhoods are good. It doesn't have to be perfect just affordable and safe. Does anyone have any advice or suggestions?

Thanks

Brick - I will warn you straight up, the public transporation system here is not that good at all. If you can afford it, get even the most basic car you can afford.

The only Whole Foods is located on North Academy and Briargate Blvd. There are some apartments and homes which are located across Briargate and east of Chapel Hills Mall that aren't too bad. But you could easily hoof it or bike it during decent weather. If you are the hardy sort, you could walk it even during a storm.

The area is pretty safe but with multi-family housing you will have a bit of the riff-raff you see in any apartment complexes. I still highly recommend getting the cheapest car you can find because you may not find the apartment you like around there and while the bus system does reach that area, Metro is not a fun thing.

Gee, you'd think with "global warming" they would make it more accessable and not such a drag with better lines. But that's just my past experience with them and since C Springs joined with El Paso County through a sales tax rate IIRC, the system hasn't gotten any better. I have a 1993 Honda and while she's not perfect, she's certainly better than trying to rely upon Metro.

[threefrenchfries]

Thank you all for your input. You've given us lots to think about.

[mcolo]

No one has said anything positive about Greeley yet, so let me. Greeley has changed a lot in the past few years. Sure, it still has its rougher unattractive side on the east side of town. But the west side would be unrecognizable to someone who hasn't been there in a couple years. It is very clean and nice with many upscale neighborhoods popping up. Lots of new retail centers being built around there too. It is also just 10 minutes to the brand new Centerra Mall. Give the west side of Greeley a chance before you rule it out. The extra pay and the lower cost of living may be worth it.

[fragementsofsense]

This is funny because I'm actually moving from Greeley to Colorado Springs. Here's my honest take........

I moved to Greeley from a small town for college. The University was good, that's my only positive experience with Greeley. I'd say about 80% of the people that moved to Greeley for college absolutely disliked the town, but that's probably due to lack of night life, very conservative, the smell of cow's blood boiling/cow **** (which is what makes Greeley that smell), and lack of jobs. I don't think you really fit in this category.

I lived in Eastern/Central Greeley and it's definitely the lower level of Greeley. The downtown is non existant. This area of Greeley would especially be worse if the college wasn't there to help the economy. I actually work at two non profit agencies and want to let you know that illegal immigration and crime are big issues here. The housing crisis hit Greeley pretty bad. With that said..........

I agree that West Greeley is actually really nice and new. Most of the residents of west greeley are families that moved there from somewhere else. It had a lot of development and grew a lot in just the past 5 years that I've been here. As far as I'm aware it's pretty safe and has pretty good schools. Also, you can actually see the mountains from West Greeley! West Greeley is more like Loveland/Ft. Collins and isn't too bad if you're looking to live somewhere with kids. Actually here is a really good article written in the Greeley Tribune about a year ago about the differences between West/East Greeley.

Separate cultures | News | The Tribune

I haven't lived yet in Colorado Springs, so I can't give you much more than it's a larger city and a lot prettier.

[mrsarmy]

There are actually 2 Whole Foods in CS. There is one on Academy and one off of Powers.

I lived in Greeley for several years. I wouldn't do it again. Especially now that I have children. The University is good, but that is about it. True, West Greeley is nice with some upscale areas, but the school district is not good. There are a few higher performing schools, but I still wouldn't put my kids in them. There are also a few charter/private schools, but the wait lists are long. There are a few bedroom communities in that area that I would consider first. Eaton, Kersey, and Johnstown/Milliken.

We never had any problems with crime where we lived in Greeley. We lived in Aurora for a while and zero problems there as well. We now live in Colorado Springs and LOVE it. SO much closer to the mountains, and in my opinion, much more family friendly. It all depends on where you live. Good luck!