Considering a move to Durango in spring 2007 - any advice appreciated! (Cortez: ski resorts, apartments)

[WorkoutChick]

My boyfriend and I currently live in Charlotte, NC and while we do love it here, neither of us has ever lived anywhere else. We are both avid mountain bikers (and microbrew drinkers ), and we long to spend a year or so living in a different part of the country, chilling out and doing what we love. We are looking hard at Durango due to the awesome Mt. biking and great weather.

Neither of us knows much about the area (I did ski there for a week about 4 years ago and loved it.) He is thinking about trying to find work at a bike shop (he is both an auto and bike mechanic) and I am currently in technology/banking but am thinking of doing something with my other skillset (personal fitness trainer). Any advice on jobs, apartments, where to live, how to relocate sucessfully, etc. would be appreciated! We are all new to this!

Thanks!
Tanya

[SouthDenverGuy]

Durango is great and super for mountain Biking, my passion as well. Ft Collins is also huge in Mt biking (and great father to all micro brews) and my son and his friends at CSU have a bike shop and bar they started and do trips all of the time. I have a great time doing it with them and I am pushing 60 (and battle scarred).
The ski resorts are where its at in the summer, with Keystone being the best for downhill. I only downhilled at Winter Park this year, which is not as knarley. You could get jobs at one of them, get a lift ticket pass, and ride all the nearby ski areas all summer, which is what my son and his buddies did for several years.

[Mike from back east]

Originally Posted by WorkoutChick

My boyfriend and I .... are both avid mountain bikers (and microbrew drinkers ), Thanks! Tanya

You guys are going to LOOOOOOOOOOOOVE Colorado.

[Crackerjack]

Hi Tanya,
Durango is the city for bikers. You will love the different areas to train and explore. It is a beautiful city but since someone said I only say positive things about Durango, I will try to be balanced and say housing costs are high. Renting is about like elsewhere, from about $600 to around $1000 for an apartment. Buying things are like elsewhere, Walmart, Albertsons, etc. Taxes and utilities are lower than in most areas. It is growing so the roads are getting more traffic and rush hour can get crowded in the city proper. If you want to live in a cheaper place, Cortez and Bayfield are near Durango and cheaper to live. Durango has quite a few tech and computer type jobs for a city it's size. Lots of banks and some new ones and with all the bikers, you both should do well there. Hope this helps.

[WorkoutChick]

Thanks everyone, for the positive comments and advice! Looks like this might just be 'meant to be'. Took a kayaking lesson at our new WhiteWater center this past Friday, and our instructor was from, you guessed it, Durango! He is heading back there in November to work there all winter, and said we were welcome to visit and scout the town. Awesome! Plus, they just reassigned me at work to something I don't want to do, further adding fuel to my 'get the h#ll out of town' fire. Now if we could just get my boyfriend's house sold, we can start making some solid plans... this is SO gonna happen!!