Why do people leave Colorado? (Boulder: calculation, place to live, statistics)

[Shuffler]

Originally Posted by Charles

These are either mutually exclusive or in an area that costs big bucks.

You can have any two, but not three:

Jobs
Desirable
Affordable

If it's affordable and desirable, there are no jobs (Extreme Northern California)
If there are jobs and affordable, its not desirable (Mojave Desert, remote Alaska)
If it's desirable and there are jobs, it is not affordable. (Southern California or the Bay Area)

something will give, whether it's the tax rate, business climate, amenities. Granted, the 'perfect scenario' is relocating my job and keeping it long-term - that is the big one, otherwise this place offers little in the way of employment. By Boulder County standards it's very affordable, but taxes are high.

When it comes down to it, it's a question of maintaining the same standard of living that I've had in CO. I live pretty simply so it's possible if things line up, but it's not a perfect world...that's the risk I suppose. It'd suck to give it all up here only to find myself unhappy in the new place.

[Mike from back east]

Originally Posted by Shuffler

something will give, whether it's the tax rate, business climate, amenities. Granted, the 'perfect scenario' is relocating my job and keeping it long-term - that is the big one, otherwise this place offers little in the way of employment. By Boulder County standards it's very affordable, but taxes are high....

Yes, Maine is #2 in the nation for taxes, but if housing is half of what it is in Boulder, then you're ahead. CO is ranked 30th.

Tax Burden by State. The Tax Foundation - State and Local Tax Burdens Compared to Other U.S. States, 1970-2007

[sberdrow]

Originally Posted by Charles

These are either mutually exclusive or in an area that costs big bucks.

You can have any two, but not three:

Jobs
Desirable
Affordable

If it's affordable and desirable, there are no jobs (Extreme Northern California)
If there are jobs and affordable, its not desirable (Mojave Desert, remote Alaska)
If it's desirable and there are jobs, it is not affordable. (Southern California or the Bay Area)

so true, I would love to live in NoCal, in Redding, but very desirable and affordable, but alas, no jobs for a commission sales person

[my_2_cents]

Actually in New England the population is going down - has been for quite awhile. It's very pretty up in Maine and NH - but the taxes, weather and cost of living will kill you! Plus it's hard to live here. Nothing is as convenient as in the west.

[BlueWillowPlate]

Originally Posted by Shuffler

IF I can sell my house in this down market, and IF I can relocate my job, I have an opportunity to go somewhere entirely different - less spoiled, less crowded, beautiful in its own way.

I'd like to think that this is what we did.
Of course, Charles has a good point about desirability, affordability, and jobs!
We did okay with selling our Denver house ('06) and buying one here ('07), but Florida in particular and the USA in general are in a bit of an economic flux right now.
We're very happy where we are, but maintaining that standard of living has been (and will continue to be) tricky--it has not been a "turn key" scenario.

Originally Posted by Mike from back east

Whenever you get to wherever you're going, people there will think THEIR lovely area is being wrecked by all the people coming in from elsewhere. Population growth is a fact of life.Only thing we can do is to drive development in ways that are anti-sprawl and anti-schlock

Yes.
That's what we're going through here (which is ironic because one of the reasons we left Denver was because it was beginning to feel awfully crowded. )
As you say, the herds migrate to this and that spot, and the developers, county commissioners, and citizens are all locking horns, which to me is a good and healthy thing.

[esya]

All industries here are highly cyclical and considered "regional" by most corporations;
No state can live up to the "Rocky Mtn High" fantasy that so many have
There is so much youthful migration, it's touch on many to put down roots.
The weather has severe extremes that are not always obvious from elsewhere.
The geographic beauty has inflated real estate through speculation in many areas.

[crdxpolaris]

The illegal alien problem is out of control in Denver, Colorado. If you come here without a college degree you'll find it is extremely hard to find work. I do not like the atmosphere here. I hate the snow. The suicide rate is high and the male to female ratio is imbalanced. Its not the greatest place to come if you're a single male. The woman here think that they are all that (even the ones that are ugly and fat). The house price here is comparable to that of California. Don't fool yourself a lot of people from Colorado absolutely hate out-of-staters (especially people from socal and NYC).

[Charles]

My responses in out there orange.

Originally Posted by crdxpolaris

The illegal alien problem is out of control in Denver, Colorado.

I don't think I've ever seen one. What do they look like in Colorado?

If you come here without a college degree you'll find it is extremely hard to find work.

It's not hard to find work. It's hard to find work for people who demand too much pay.

I do not like the atmosphere here. I hate the snow.

What snow?

The suicide rate is high and the male to female ratio is imbalanced.

The difference is negligible. Lots of guys here are meeting chicks.

The house price here is comparable to that of California.

Wrong.

Don't fool yourself a lot of people from Colorado absolutely hate out-of-staters (especially people from socal and NYC).

Wrong.

[supergman]

2 conservative and not bifriendly

[WestCoDude]

Originally Posted by Charles

These are either mutually exclusive or in an area that costs big bucks.

You can have any two, but not three:

Jobs
Desirable
Affordable

If it's affordable and desirable, there are no jobs (Extreme Northern California)
If there are jobs and affordable, its not desirable (Mojave Desert, remote Alaska)
If it's desirable and there are jobs, it is not affordable. (Southern California or the Bay Area)

I don't see what's so desirable about SoCal or the Bay area. Or other "desirable" areas like Boston or NYC. If you ask me--and most people--an area is desirable when it is affordable, family-friendly, and liveable. I dont' see any of that in NYC or any other so-called desirable area you list. I find St. Louis desirable precisely because it's so affordable. And...yep...plenty of jobs.

That's why I throw up in my mouth a little bit every time I see what's going on back in Denver. You people think you can make a city like LA or San Francisco and and make it an awesome city. You're wrong. There's nothing awesome about some dirty, weird, gross, expensive hellhole like SF. Unless you're a manufacturer of sequine-patterned, two-sided business suits with one side made for dudes and other for women (depending on your mood), that place is terrible. What always made Colorado so cool was that it was such an emminently liveable place with good people and natural beauty. Now you've got so much pollution, sprawl, and the people are hardly that good anymore.

Awesome.