Deciding between Cities (Denver, Colorado Springs, Boulder: apartment, rent, teaching jobs)

[eriness]

We have pretty much settled on moving to Colorado. Now we are narrowing it down between Boulder, Denver, and Colorado Springs.

Can you help us decide? There are several things we need to consider.

We are a very liberal. He's Dominican. I'm Irish. We live in Texas now, and are trying to escape the rampant racism and conservatism here.

School districts are hugely important - I have a 10 year old who is in Gifted and Talented classes, and I am a middle school teacher. He will need to continue to be in G/T classes. Public school is fine. I'm not sure which school districts to avoid and which to consider. (A school with AVID would be a huge plus, if you know what that is [avid.org]... I'm an AVID Coordinator now and would like to continue doing that.)

We also would prefer city life to country life. Or at least be within reasonable driving distance from it. Are there suburbs I should investigate?

Med. Marj. is a factor as well. Is it everywhere? Just in the cities? Only some cities?

Also, I'd like to get a graduate degree. So a university wouldn't be a bad thing either.

Thanks everyone. I've never moved out of state before. I've been here my whole life, so ANY information about moving out of state is appreciated.

[Mike from back east]

Denver Metro Area (DMA) or Boulder. Liberals won't be happy in COLO SGPS, save yourself the misery and go north.

Use our search tool with keywords like: gifted ; talented ; g/t and other school topics as there's a lot of info already here.

IIRC, Boulder Valley School District gets high marks for that area, and there are several excellent school districts in the DMA.

Statewide, many school districts are on tight budgets this year, hiring may not be strong.

[Baron of BBQ]

Originally Posted by eriness

We have pretty much settled on moving to Colorado. Now we are narrowing it down between Boulder, Denver, and Colorado Springs.

We are a very liberal. He's Dominican. I'm Irish. We live in Texas now, and are trying to escape the rampant racism and conservatism here.

Not even close: Boulder

...or even better: Austin

[CosmicWizard]

eriness wrote:

Can you help us decide?

Flip a coin while standing over a storm drain!

• Heads = Boulder
• Tails = Denver
• Standing on Edge = Colorado Springs
• If it goes into the storm drain = the universe doesn't support a move to Colorado at this time.

[delta07]

I definitely agree with Mike to either look in the Denver area or Boulder, steering clear of Colorado Springs. It's just too conservative for someone who is very liberal. Medical marijuana is everywhere from what I can gather, so that shouldn't be a problem unless you don't like it. In the Metro area, I'm sure any of the suburbs can offer your son a GT program. Will you need employment as a teacher though? If so, I would start there and move where the job takes you. It's difficult to find any teaching jobs right now that are stable.

[smdensbcs]

Originally Posted by CosmicWizard

Flip a coin while standing over a storm drain!

• Heads = Boulder
• Tails = Denver
• Standing on Edge = Colorado Springs
• If it goes into the storm drain = the universe doesn't support a move to Colorado at this time.

One of the most amusing posts - well done! For the OP, if money (e.g. housing costs) is no object, Boulder is a lovely place. If you like the energy of a very large city and don't mind spending alot of your time in traffic trying to get places, Denver is spectacular. If you want a smaller, less-congested option but don't want to spend a fortune on a home, Colorado Springs is also beautiful.

If you decide the Springs is an option, as a "lbrl" (to some, a four-letter word), I'd strongly suggest you limit your neighborhood options to the West or Southwest side of town. You'll barely even notice the rest of the town is in theory ultra-conservative. As for school districts, D12 in the SW portion of the Springs consistently ranks in the top 1-2 or 3 in the state in terms of student achievement (I guess that means test scores but may include college matriculation, etc.).

The political "feel" of a place can vary alot by neighborhood. There are MANY places in "liberal" greater Denver that feel and probably are FAR more narrow-minded and conservative than our very mixed neighborhood in SW Colorado Springs ... so the big generalizations aren't necessarily 100% accurate ... find your own experience and you'll be good.

[eriness]

Originally Posted by Baron of BBQ

Not even close: Boulder

...or even better: Austin

We love Austin! The feel of Austin is a really great example of what we are going for.


So, it sounds like Denver if I want a big city feel. Boulder otherwise?

Money is, of course, a object. I pay $900 in rent now. That's about all I can afford on my salary now.

Which brings me to another question. I make around $49,000. Could I even dream of making that as a teacher in Colorado?

Thanks for all the helpful responses.

P.S. what is lbrl?

[smdensbcs]

Originally Posted by eriness

P.S. what is lbrl?

It's just my way of turning "liberal" into a four-letter word (as in, an expletive), playing along with conservative talk radio. $900/mo would not, I think, go far in Boulder, perhaps a 1 bed apartment. In Denver, perhaps a 2-bed apt in a debatably safe area. Certainly not in the elite school district you'd prefer. In Colorado Springs, $900/mo would still be a challenge.

The salary structure for teachers in Colorado, like elsewhere, is still (I believe) based on number of years teaching. A new teacher makes $36K or thereabouts; a 30-year veteran makes closer to $75K. That's just a guess. More and more schools are becoming "charter schools" which can pay teachers 30-40% less than what "regular" teachers are paid.

[sesamekid]

Originally Posted by Mike from back east

Denver Metro Area (DMA) or Boulder. Liberals won't be happy in COLO SGPS, save yourself the misery and go north.

O come on, Colorado Springs is not THAT bad Mike!

I am really far left libber and I can survive nicely in ultra-conservative small town Canon City, so I think one could survive and even thrive in the much bigger (and more diverse) Colorado Springs!

As another poster suggested, the westside of CS, Manitou Springs and SW Broadmore area seem to have more of a liberal vib.

One of the writer's for The Independent newspaper did an informal breakdown of the politics of Colorado Springs not too long ago:
25% hardcore conservative
25% moderate conservative
25% independent/swing
25% liberal/progressive

That seems to be pretty accurate in my experience.

The liberal areas of town are pretty well known, I'd be curious to know where the hardcore pockets of conservative are in CS?

[eriness]

Originally Posted by smdensbcs

It's just my way of turning "liberal" into a four-letter word (as in, an expletive), playing along with conservative talk radio. $900/mo would not, I think, go far in Boulder, perhaps a 1 bed apartment. In Denver, perhaps a 2-bed apt in a debatably safe area. Certainly not in the elite school district you'd prefer. In Colorado Springs, $900/mo would still be a challenge.

The salary structure for teachers in Colorado, like elsewhere, is still (I believe) based on number of years teaching. A new teacher makes $36K or thereabouts; a 30-year veteran makes closer to $75K. That's just a guess. More and more schools are becoming "charter schools" which can pay teachers 30-40% less than what "regular" teachers are paid.

Well hell. That's not gonna work....