Moving to Colorado (Denver, Fort Collins, Westminster: housing, rent, jobs)

[Cowboymommy]

My husband and I want to move out to Colorado pretty soon. I have lived in FL all my life and he has been here 13 yrs, so we are ready for cold weather and mountains We are making arrangments to visit out there soon to make sure this is what we want to do. We have an 8 month old little boy, so family friendly areas are important.
Any advice would be most helpful, thanks!

[2bindenver]

Colorado is a large state. I don't know many non family friendly areas to rule out for you.

You could spend a lifetime exploring this state. Could you help a little more with an area, or a lifestyle - urban, suburban, rural, mtn?

[Cowboymommy]

I read that Westminster, broomfield, and louisville were great areas to live. But we are looking for suburban and rural areas.

[almost heaven]

Parker, Lone tree, and Castle rock are very nice places to live. Look at the Village homes website, they are the best developer in Colorado. They seem to have a good hold on location and community feel.

[gpraceman]

Originally Posted by almost heaven

Parker, Lone tree, and Castle rock are very nice places to live.

I would also add Highlands Ranch, which is next door to Lone Tree. HR is very family friendly. It is hard to find a street that doesn't have kids. It is a master planned community the size of a city. We have 4 rec centers (each are different), open space, walking trails, parks, outstanding schools, churches, and shopping all within the community. Our HOA's are only $118/quarter, which supports all those amenities I listed. We are also close to the Denver Tech Center, where many jobs are, as well as about 30 minutes from Denver. It is "suburbia", which bothers some people, but HR is a popular place for families to settle.

[.gif]

big change from florida. be prepared for winter weather and dryness.

[Tom Emmerling]

If you are looking for more rural areas I would suggest small towns in Weld county such as Ault, Eaton, Nunn. Then maybe look into Wellington which is North of Fort Collins about 10 miles. They all offer great family values and good schools for your son when he gets old enough.

[Nadine]

Colorado has lots of southern areas. Not everything is North. There is also a West. Do you want close to the mountains or more out on the plains just looking at them? I would suggest that you find the work that the family needs and go from there. Finding friendly is not even in the equation. If you are friendly, Colorado people are friendly. No problem. But jobs could be.

[Charles]

Originally Posted by Cowboymommy

We have an 8 month old little boy, so family friendly areas are important.
Any advice would be most helpful, thanks!

Where do you expect to work?
What line of work are you in?
Do you plan on moving before you find a job?
What is your housing price or monthly rent target?
What is your commuting comfort zone (in minutes)?
Where do your and your husband's parents live?

Are "cold weather and mountains" the only reason you want to pack up and move?

[Katiana]

Agree with the others. "Any advice" is a bit vague.

I read that Westminster, broomfield, and louisville were great areas to live. But we are looking for suburban and rural areas.

All of the above are northwestern suburbs. Of the three, Louisville is the least suburban-like.