Think we've finally decided on moving to Colorado, but not sure where? (Denver: apartments, rentals)

[breakingpointe516]

My husband works at a chain restaurant with locations all over the US, & where we live now is just too expensive for us so he talked to his boss about transferring to another location & his boss gave him a few places he would be able to transfer to.

These are the locations he can transfer to that are in Colorado:
6015 Sky Pond Dr Loveland, CO 80537
14255 Colfax Ave, Golden, CO, 80401
8555 S Quebec Street, Highlands Ranch, CO, 80126
6369 S. Southlands Pwky, Aurora, CO, 80016
7695 N. Academy Blvd, Colorado Springs, CO, 80920
5832 Barnes Road, Colorado Springs, CO, 80922
2190 Southgate Rd, Colorado Springs, CO, 80906

This is what we're looking for:
No more than a 20 minute drive to either one of those locations.
A nice 1br 1ba for under $800 a month that comes with W/D or at least the connections.
Husband loves fishing, so lots of lakes (preferably largemouth bass but I'm not familiar with the type of fish usually found in Colorado)
Nearby a community college with a Criminal Justice program as I would need to transfer.
Not too much traffic, after living in NY I would enjoy a more relaxed life.
Must be a family friendly community as we do plan on having a kid in the near future.
Good school districts.
Has plenty to do and lots of shops but still has a small town feel to it.

And here is a little bit about us:
We are young (22 & 24)
We do not drink, party, go to clubs, ect.
We typically spend our nights off from work by going bowling, going to a movie, out to dinner, or stay home.
We are liberals.

Can't really think of anything else to put here so that's about it. Any help would be greatly appreciated!

*Just realized I forgot to add the location in Loveland

[PokerMunkee]

Mmmmm On the Border, good food for a chain!

The Springs will be the cheapest place to live. Taxes are cheap here if you ever want to buy a starter house. Because it's a cheap place to live, the majority of the population are conservatives. But don't think for a second you and 10 other people will be the only liberals in the Springs, as a lot of people will make it sound. 40% of the El Paso voters voted for Obama (59% for McCain) in 2008.

[whirnot]

Won't be much of a smalltown feel as evrything you listed, besides Colorado Springs are suburbs of Denver.

[breakingpointe516]

Originally Posted by whirnot

Won't be much of a smalltown feel as evrything you listed, besides Colorado Springs are suburbs of Denver.

Well we can live without the smalltown feel, it's not an absolute must, it would be more of a plus to us I guess. We just don't want to feel like we're living directly in the middle of a big city like NYC. I don't know much about Denver so I don't know how it compares to NYC.

[breakingpointe516]

Originally Posted by PokerMunkee

Mmmmm On the Border, good food for a chain!

The Springs will be the cheapest place to live. Taxes are cheap here if you ever want to buy a starter house. Because it's a cheap place to live, the majority of the population are conservatives. But don't think for a second you and 10 other people will be the only liberals in the Springs, as a lot of people will make it sound. 40% of the El Paso voters voted for Obama (59% for McCain) in 2008.

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.

[Mike from back east]

First, you're gonna love Colorado.

IMO Colo Spgs offers the lowest cost of living / housing.

The area near 7695 N. Academy Blvd is on far north side of town, lots of newish stuff, affordable, safe.

Here's a 2/2 apt that claims a w/d in each unit for your price, almost walking distance to the job.

Use padmapper.com to find rentals but for anything on craigslist you need to read and heed the warnings.

There are some very nice apts (Sagebrook) on Briargate Pkwy (not to be confused with Briargate Blvd) at Lexington and at Research Pkwy and Lexington (Commons at Briargate). There are a lot more in the area near the worksite, but a bit older and with more street traffic, though right near Chapel Hills Mall.

Use our search tool to find the Fishing thread in the COLO SPGS forum. Usually a 1-2 hour drive. More FISHING threads in the main COLO forum too.

PPCC has a Criminal Justice Program. There are campuses all over town, and one nearby on Hwy 83 (Rampart Range Campus)

This area is in one of the best school districts in town (D20) but there are other equally excellent districts.

A mile down Hwy 83 from PPCC-Rampart, right off of I-25 (exit 153), is a Hollywood 14 theater and a new bowling alley. There are apartments just north of this location, on Voyager Pkwy, still only ten minutes from work.

[JMM64]

I will say Colorado Springs is definitely the best choice. Lower cost of living than in Denver, and more opportunites for good fishing close by. As has been said it is a more conservative town, but don't let that be the deciding factor, all stereotypes are just one person's perception. Colorado Springs is also the perfect size for balance of urban feel and solitude. No place other than NYC feels like NYC!

[hollyt00]

I'm sure this point will be argued, but I think that ColoSpgs is too big and too far away from Denver to be considered a suburb of Denver. Course I'm biased, I live in Colorado Springs, and maybe to people in Denver, ColoSpgs is a suburb of them but I just don't see it.

[DOUBLE H]

Um, Colorado Springs is not a suburb of Denver.

But the Springs would be my choice. I lived there as a kid in the late 50's-early 60's. Loved it! I still visit school friends there when I can, and as the OP is inquiring about small shops, Manitou Springs west of town would be right up your alley.

Good links by Mike regarding fishing info, regarding bass fishing IMO I would go to Pueblo Reservoir State Park, a little less than an hours drive from the Springs. One of the best state parks,

[Prodigal Native]

I think whirnot meant, "evrything you listed, besides Colorado Springs, are suburbs of Denver"...

It's like that old joke, punctuation is the difference between helping your uncle, Jack, off a horse and helping your uncle jack off a horse...