Simple life, Good people, Great hunting....and an excavation company? (Loveland: relocating, real estate)

[ADAMG]

That's all we really want! All that in an area with a good-paying excavation company.
My family and I live close to St. Louis and are relocating shortly to the big CO. .. couldn't be more excited! Please feel free to throw in your 2 cents on areas you recommend. We're young, too. 23,21,3 and 1. We pay 600/ month on rent right now. We want space and will not live in an overpopulated setting. I actually was first considering Montana, until I did some job searches....
Anyway, I could go on all day about what I want. I'm anxious to see what all of you have to say! I'll check back frequently. Thanks alot in advance!

P.S. We've looked at Fountain, thinking of it as perfect. It would be, perhaps, but I think if we moved there now, it would be quite different in 5 or 10 years. I don't want to be in a desolate area though, either (have to work!). I think you will all understand that. I doubt we're much different than most other relocating families. Some possible job locations so far are Somerset, Steamboat Springs, Brighton, Gypsum, and some others.

pps anyone that wishes to respond, please throw in the price of some common items where you live (milk, gasoline, etc., and maybe some rent prices if you really feel like being helpful)

[Tom Emmerling]

Have you looked at the Ft Collins area? Wellington which is just North about 10 miles would be a great place for you. Small town community with great schools for your kids and great neighbors. I know there are a lot of excavating companies here. In fact one of my neighbors does this as his own business and finds plenty of work due to all the construction around here. One of the bigger companies is Gerard Escavating. Not sure of a contact number for them but I am sure they are in the yellow pages. As far as rent goes I think you could probably find something in Wellington in the 600 dollar a month rent range. I know I lived in Ft Collins and rented a 3 bedroom 2 bath for 825 a month several years ago. I think gas right now is at 2.89 a gallon. The median house price right now is in the low 200,000 dollar range. Also we have Roosevelt national forest which is good hunting ground.

[ADAMG]

I was actually looking at Estes Park when I read your message. Thank you very much. It does look very appealing, the general area. How good of a trip is it over to Steamboat Springs? Trying for a job there, but don't want the area. High priced resort town from what I'm told, most people come from Craig or Hayden. And also.. I'm looking like crazy for some venue to find houses for rent. What's the name of a paper in Ft. Collins or surrounding areas?
Thank you again for taking the time to help. It is very much appreciated.

[COflower]

A few places to look into:

Grand Junction (actually closer to Delta but up near Hotchkiss or even further northeast - close enough to Carbondale/Glenwood Springs/Aspen to commute for work but still affordable).

Cañon City. Lots of construction but the town is still small enough for a young family and close enough to C Springs that if you need some culture, you can get some.

Durango. Outlying communities too. It's a very progressive town, still small enough to be considered small but has a lot of options for families. I don't know what the construction end is looking like but there is some going on.

All of which are close to hunting.

Given what you wrote, those seem like a good fit. Look into them.

[Tom Emmerling]

AdamG

Estes park would be a pretty good commute to Steam Boat. It is a pretty curvy, mountainess road to there. I would not suggest commuting. If you are looking at more affordable I would stay out of the Estes and Steam Boat area and come down the valley towards Ft Collins. There are two papers in this area , the coloradoan.com, and the Loveland daily reporter. If you are looking for a mountain home close to work I would consider living in Laporte or Glacier View Meadows. This would be about a 30 minute drive to Ft Collins and still be affordable. Go to qwestdex.com and type in property management in the area you are looking at and it will give you several options to help you find rentals. Hope this helps.

[dj32]

I would also recommend Grand Junction for a booming economy and lower cost of living (likely) than the other areas you mentioned.

try craigslist.org for rentals

[Katiana]

Originally Posted by ADAMG

I was actually looking at Estes Park when I read your message. Thank you very much. It does look very appealing, the general area. How good of a trip is it over to Steamboat Springs? Trying for a job there, but don't want the area. High priced resort town from what I'm told, most people come from Craig or Hayden. And also.. I'm looking like crazy for some venue to find houses for rent. What's the name of a paper in Ft. Collins or surrounding areas?
Thank you again for taking the time to help. It is very much appreciated.

A friend of mine lived in Kremmling, near Steamboat. More affordable. Still have to go over Rabbit Ears Pass, though, to get to Steamboat.

[ADAMG]

Now what? Kind of caught me off guard actually... But I couldn't turn down the opportunity and the money. I can't find any rentals in the area... period. I'm probably not looking in the right places. Someone please suggest something! I'm searching for newspapers now.. wish me luck.
Tell me what you can about Craig, Hayden, and all the other little towns around there.

[Katiana]

Good luck. Try google for the papers. I think Steamboat has a daily.

[COflower]

Originally Posted by ADAMG

Now what? Kind of caught me off guard actually... But I couldn't turn down the opportunity and the money. I can't find any rentals in the area... period. I'm probably not looking in the right places. Someone please suggest something! I'm searching for newspapers now.. wish me luck.
Tell me what you can about Craig, Hayden, and all the other little towns around there.

Check your PMs. I sent you the name of a contact (aka real estate broker assoc.) that might be able to get you in the door for rentals or possibly homes if you are buying.