Interested in relocating from western wa to somewhere in the inter mountain west

[StealthRabbit]

Originally Posted by LennyD

.... I'm an engineering tech on highway and bridge projects. So the most opportunities will most likely be there. That being said, I visited Colorado springs last January and loved the weather and scenery, but it was a lot of city for me. I'm most comfortable in smaller towns. Is it possible to live in woodland park and commute to Colorado springs, ...

YES, do this or try to get on with Federal Highway Dept. I have a friend in WA who is with Feds, and primarily does bridges / roads in National Parks... very tough gig.

Also look to Bureau of Reclamation for work, they have some presence in several CO communities.

Are you NICET?

[CosmicWizard]

First, get the job so you know where you will be working. Then live as close as possible to where you will be working. It is far more enjoyable driving somewhere to play, than it is driving to and from work everyday. The poor condition of the roads of the Colorado highway system makes it not one of the better highway systems in the country. The roads seem to get worse and worse each year. And, as the price of gas continues to rise, driving will become an increasingly expensive endeavour.

[Arrby]

Originally Posted by LennyD

Thanks for all the info. Sounds like the front range area will probably be the spot for us. Employment being a key factor here. I'm an engineering tech on highway and bridge projects. So the most opportunities will most likely be there. That being said, I visited Colorado springs last January and loved the weather and scenery, but it was a lot of city for me. I'm most comfortable in smaller towns. Is it possible to live in woodland park and commute to Colorado springs, or evergreen to Denver. Something along those lines. Thanks again for all your suggestions.

To specifically answer your question, WP to the Springs is most likely "yes." A great many people commute from WP to the Springs every day. From downtown Woodland Park to I-25 is four lane and 25 minutes in normal conditions. The route is a mountain pass, however, and is going to have weather accordingly a few times every year.

Evergreen to Denver is harder to answer. The route can get pretty nasty - I think there are some threads on these forums on this topic. And employment in "Denver" can mean rather a large area including quite a number of other communities: Aurora to Centennial to Golden to Broomfield to Henderson are all included in the shorthand version of "Denver". Some of these places are pretty far from each other, much less from Evergreen.

But if you end up working in the Springs look at some of the other surrounding (and closer) communities - Monument/Palmer Lake, Black Forest, Falcon, etc.

[jazzlover]

Just because a lot of people do something does not necessarily make it prudent or wise. I personally think it is completely foolish to set oneself up for a lengthy commute. When fuels cost spiral once more (and they will) or we experience an out-and-out fuel shortage (highly likely within the next few years, in my opinion), the people who have committed themselves to living where a long commute is necessary for them to make a living are going to be very, very sorry for that bad choice. Just because there will be tens of millions of people in this country who find themselves in the same sorry circumstance will not lessen their misery one bit. I would be working to get myself OUT of needing to make a long commute, not getting myself into that situation.

By the way, though I know the traffic and commuting situation can be awful in western Washington (I have relatives who live there), at least that region seems to be doing more proactively to build commuter rail and other mass transit solutions. In Colorado, only Denver metro is really doing anything in those regards, and they, so far, have only built a token commuter light rail system that has managed to replicate only a tiny fraction of the excellent trolley system that the city had nearly a century ago when Denver metro was a fraction of its current size. In the Rocky Mountain West, Utah is way far ahead of Colorado, having a commuter rail system that now links all of the major cities on the Wasatch Front (Provo, Salt Lake City, and Ogden)--built, I might add, on schedule, and including a fairly robust connecting light rail transit system. Utah DID it in a relatively few years while Colorado has barely gotten much built in a longer time period, with anything on a scale like Utah's not even really in the serious talking stage. I would really be thinking about things like that were I considering relocating to this region.

[CosmicWizard]

jazzlover wrote: Just because a lot of people do something does not necessarily make it prudent or wise. I personally think it is completely foolish to set oneself up for a lengthy commute. When fuels cost spiral once more (and they will) or we experience an out-and-out fuel shortage (highly likely within the next few years, in my opinion), the people who have committed themselves to living where a long commute is necessary for them to make a living are going to be very, very sorry for that bad choice. Just because there will be tens of millions of people in this country who find themselves in the same sorry circumstance will not lessen their misery one bit. I would be working to get myself OUT of needing to make a long commute, not getting myself into that situation.

Words of wisdom! Anyone foolish enough to ignore this wise advice is probably going to feel like they made a BIG mistake.

[LennyD]

Thanks everybody for the advice. Definitely some food for thought. Stealthrabitt; NICET cert about 10 year ago. Been with an org that has internal training ect. Looks like a job hunt would be the next logical step. A. Advice or tips on employers in COS. Since a good job is scarce I am considering some other areas as well. Wenatchee wa, and Spokane/Coeur d 'Alene area. Any thoughts? Thanks again for all of your input!

[CosmicWizard]

LennyD....If you physically visit Wenatchee, let me know what you think of that area. From pictures I've seen, the countryside looks similar to Grand Junction without the Red Rocks, and perhaps a more reliable river running thru town. And of course you've got that easy acccess to the Methow Valley which looks like one of the most beautiful valleys in the USA.

[Arrby]

Originally Posted by jazzlover

Just because a lot of people do something does not necessarily make it prudent or wise. I personally think it is completely foolish to set oneself up for a lengthy commute.

One of the wonders of freedom is that each of us can decide what is wise or foolish for ourselves. The poster asked about possibilities, not an existential exposition on the infinite.

[LennyD]

Cosmic W, I wil definitely take pictures when I visit Wenatchee. I agree with you about the Methow. I have been there several times. N. Cascades highway is also a very scenic drive.