Think we've finally decided on moving to Colorado, but not sure where? (Denver: quality of life, live)

[chilaili]

Loveland is also not a suburb of Denver. It's about an hour's drive north of the city, closer to Ft Collins than anything else. Sky Pond Drive is in the Centerra shopping mall just off the east side of I-25. It's a large outdoor mall with lots of stores, a cinema, some walking trails, but no supermarket. There's a residential area (condos & townhomes) with a hospital, Target and other chains on the other side of the freeway. Politically I think it's kinda conservative but not as much as COS.

[smdensbcs]

Originally Posted by PokerMunkee

Because it's a cheap place to live, the majority of the population are conservatives.

I've been pondering the many implications of this statement and its begun to hurt my brain, so I have to stop without any resolution.

To the OP, the two locations I'd be most interested in we're I in your shoes are Golden and Colorado Springs. Loveland may suit your needs but I'm not as familiar with Loveland. Of the two Colorado Springs locations, I personally prefer living on the Southwest side of town (more established, more politically diverse) but the Powers location may give you better access to apartment and community college options.

[jazzlover]

Originally Posted by smdensbcs

I've been pondering the many implications of this statement and its begun to hurt my brain, so I have to stop without any resolution.

Me, too. I've seen plenty of social conservatives who are complete spendthrift idiots with their own money, and I've seen some wild-eyed social liberals who pinch their own pennies so hard that Lincoln screams. There can be a big difference between fiscal and financial conservatives, and social conservatives. Same on the liberal side. In my case, I consider myself a staunch conservative in personal and fiscal financial matters, a social moderate, and a staunch conservationist (not environmentalist) in resource and environmental matters. That gives everyone in all of the aforementioned liberal and conservative groups something to hate about me. I'm fine with that--"To thine own self be true" is my motto.

As to the specific comment about Colorado Springs, I don't like big metro areas (and it is one, in my book), but the oft-perceived presence of a lot of "Bible thumpers" living there wouldn't dissuade me from living there if I could stomach living in a metro area.

[Murphles]

golden would have affordable living, plenty of activities and small town living

[PokerMunkee]

What I was trying to say is COS has a low cost of living because of its conservative population and government. Show me a liberal town that is cheap to live in.

[Juliemac]

Consider the Loveland location and come up and check out Fort Collins. It a college town, not too conservative (big plus for us) great walkable Old Town area, lots of young folks to keep things interesting. If you search threads, you will see people griping that we are TOO small and TOO far from Denver. (only an hour and 150K, but hey, to each his own).. we have been here almost 2 years and love it. Good Luck!

[davidv]

Originally Posted by breakingpointe516

Well I don't mind living around a lot of conservatives as long as they're not extremists. My husband and I generally get along with everyone. It would be nice to be around a few like-minded individuals though But as long as I'm not getting other peoples beliefs shoved down my throat then everything is A-OK.

The main things that draw me to Colorado besides the COL is how beautiful the state is. I've only been to Colorado once and we stayed in Boulder, but we went to a few different areas and it was all absolutely amazing to look at. The weather seems to be good as well.

I am going to have to weigh in on the Colorado Springs love fest.

First of all, President Obama won Colorado by 9%, yet lost in El Paso County by 19%. Regardless of what others say, El Paso County is the Colorado headquarters for extreme conservatives, including Douglas Bruce (author of the TABOR Amendment), and Doug Lamborn (one of the most conservative members of Congress).

This is also the city that has decided to cut taxes to the point of hugely diminished services. These cuts hurt the city in the aftermath of the Waldo Canyon fire. I guess what also irked me was the fact that the state had to send the national guard to help out with looters, something that was not necessary near Ft. Collins, and that my fire district and several others sent firefighters and equipment to Waldo Canyon, in part because the Springs had cut their fire departments so deeply.

If I were you, I would transfer to the Golden location. Golden offers quick access to the mountains, has a small town feel to it, and will have a light rail link to downtown within a year. Educationally, there is Red Rocks Community College near Golden, and also all the programs at Metro State, CU-Denver, and CC of Denver which are all downtown and reachable by light rail when it is running. It also offers more OTB locations for your husband if he wishes to advance within the company.

[rushhournewb]

Uh...uh...not too many requirements listed. Lessee...uh...uh...do they have a restaurant in Vail you could consider?

[smdensbcs]

Originally Posted by PokerMunkee

What I was trying to say is COS has a low cost of living because of its conservative population and government. Show me a liberal town that is cheap to live in.

Driving south from the "Ronald Reagan Highway" portion of I25 as one leaves El Paso County, one transitions onto the "John F. Kennedy Highway" portion of I25 the good folks of Pueblo County like to call it. The city of Pueblo is, I believe, quite a bit less expensive to live in than Colorado Springs (cost of housing, etc.) and yet I doubt a Rebublican has been elected to Countywide office in decades, much like no Democrat has been elected to Countywide office in El Paso Couny for decades. Both one-party towns - one Democrat only, one Republican only - the Republican only town being the more expensive of the two. That wasn't so hard.

[unbeliever]

I disagree with "Colorado Springs isn't a suburb of Denver." I'm in Glenwood Springs right now, and all I hear and see is Denver, Denver, Denver. As a newly arrived import, Wyoming is a suburb of Denver, probably a lot of New Mexico, Utah, etc.

Good luck with the move. As a native NYer, LI has a terrible quality of life. Almost any place in the U.S. would be a better place to raise children.