Moving from GA to CO (Denver, Pueblo: environment, relocate, vacation)

[Wondering if I am crazy]

My husband and I are thinking of moving from GA to CO. We have very bad allergies and have heard that CO is a good place to relocate. We like the outdoors, fishing, hunting, golf, tennis, etc... We have been interested in Pueblo area so we came to visit, it looks like there aren't any trees and we are in the desert. We are use to trees, being from GA, but we would really like to relocate, is Pueblo a bad pick or are we not in the right area of town? We have family close so that is one of our big reasons.

[Hey-Odd]

Where in GA are you moving from? My husband and our two sons (5 and 3) just moved here from Suwanee. I hear you on the bad allergies and missing the trees! We have only been here a few weeks, so I can't tell you if allergies can be as bad here. (try consuming local GA honey -- it really helped mine. longer story on that.) Anyway, right now we're in Broomfield in an apt, but we close on our house this week and we'll start looking for a house here in Broomfield, Westminster, Louisville (though we've already decided that's probably out of our price range), or Longmont. I loved the Atlanta area and we lived there for years. I don't know if you can find the beautiful and unique mix of lush, tropical greenery (I really miss the kudsu!) and the dense hardwoods and foresty pines of the South anywhere but the South. . . but Colorado is quite beautiful too. It seems plenty green in the cities I mentioned, and it is definitely green and heavily forested up in the mountains. And speaking of the mountains, they are breath-taking. It almost startles me every time I look in their direction. I loved the North GA mountains, but you really don't have a good view of them from anywhere until you're up in them.

Anyway, like I said, we've only been here for a short time, so I don't know if I'm the most qualified to answer your question. And I don't really know anything about Pueblo. (kind of deserty, is my guess.) But you know what else you'll find here? Just about everything you're used to in GA in the way of SuperTargets and Super WalMarts, malls with all the same stores, movie theaters, etc! People might pooh-pooh me for saying that, and I'm not even much of a shopper, but I like having conveniences nearby.

Depending on where in GA you live, you might find housing prices higher here. Anyway, that's my inflated two cents!!

[Wyomiles]

To get in the trees you will have to go a little further West , into the mountains or the mountains foothills. You should really schedule a vacation and visit if you have never been here.

[ColoradoRainbows]

Hi There

My guess is, you would love Monument area. If you like trees, but, it gets more snow there than Denver, as the elevation rises to about 7200 ft, but to get green you have to have rain or snow....If you want more pine trees, higher elevation yet, 10,000 ft, but a smaller town with less jobs. From there you would have to commute to the springs, and Hwy 24 is very curvy and slow in the winter, but they do plow it as it is a major highway....In Monument you would have to commute to the Springs, but the Springs has more jobs.....I personally love Monument/Palmer Lake area. Palmer Lake is beautiful and has a small fishing lake for the kids or dad, a small town atmosphere....I used to live in Colorado and am temporarily in New Mexico, but plan on moving back within 10 months, as the heat in New Mexico is too much to bear for me, as I love the pine trees and to be honest the fall is spectacular with the changing of the tree colors.....I really really miss Colorado......
Vikki
ColoradoRainbows

[Katiana]

Find a job or at least have some serious leads before you pack up your family and move ANYWHERE! The economy here in CO is good, but not great for every occupation.

Yes, there is greenery in the cities, but it is due to heavy watering. The countryside is mostly brown about 11 months a year, outside of the mountains. Re: the allergy sitation, I work in a pediatrician's office and we have patients with environmental/seasonal allergies here, too. I'm not trying to be a wet blanket, just giving a reality check.

[goodgirl49]

Pittnurse, that was a good reply! It seems like a lot of people on this forum are trying to find their perfect place and not really considering how they would make their living in this place. Being from Pittsburgh, like myself, you are all too familiar with economic considerations being paramount. Especially with a family, I think it's too risky to pack up and move anywhere without a firm job offer!

[Market Mama]

re allergies -- if you have allergies, moving to a new place may help for at least a while. However, the allergic response is an internal immune system over-reaction and will probably eventually re-manifest itself by becoming hypersenstitive to something new sooner or later. I have asthma. I moved here from Chicago, and that worked for a while, but eventually my lungs found something else to be unhappy about <cough>

[Katiana]

I agree.

[.gif]

Originally Posted by Wondering if I am crazy

it looks like there aren't any trees and we are in the desert.

that pretty much describes any colorado city east of the rockies. you will really miss the trees if you've grown up with them. if it helps your allergies, though, then maybe it will be worth it.

[Market Mama]

there's also an allergy irony here -- you say with some truth "it looks like there aren't any trees and we are in the desert" but if the prevailing winds are blowing in their usual direction (from the mountains out onto the Front Range) the air can be LOADED with tree pollen of the nastiest kind. Make sure that one of your triggers isn't tree pollen or you may be waltzing from frying pan into the fire.