Single mom moving to Colorado! (Denver, Colorado Springs: best city, sales, apartment)

[rollingstone28]

Hello All,
As the title states I am a single mom moving to Colorado. I am currently Active duty military and will be getting a job in the energy industry. I should be making anywhere from 55-65k. I am originally from California but currently living in Norfolk, Va. California is way too expensive and I would not want my daughter going to any of the public schools out there like I did. It is so muggy and gross out here I would like to live somewhere more mild. I could see myself living in Colorado because I feel it has the weather I can be more comfortable with and the outdoor appeal is big for me. I wanted to start out renting before I take the dive and buy a house. What is the best city for me and my daughter to live in, she is still very little (not even 2 yrs. old)? What about the schools, particularly private schools? I would like a nice community with children and a family friendly feel. I also have pets (lab and a cat). I don't mind an apartment, or house but would prefer a house so the dog can have a backyard of course. I don't want to live too close to the city I would be ok with driving 20 or 30 minutes to get there. I am unsure of what city I would find work in but it would most likely be Denver, Boulder, or Colorado Springs, but could be anywhere really. Thanks for the info!

[Dreaming of Hawaii]

Unfortunately you ask some very broad questions that are too hard to answer. Your first step will be to locate the job. There are many, many areas in and around Denver and Colorado Springs that are safe, family-friendly, etc. Once you find the job, and provide us with the exact location, we can help give you answers to the rest of you questions.

In the meantime, please spend some time reading the many threads discussing the various parts of the Denver metro area. It's big and varied.

[Mike from back east]

Ditto the prior comment. Get the job site nailed down then let us know. Existing threads also have a wealth of info and our search tool is excellent.

Check padmapper.com for rentals in all cities.

For Colo Springs you can also check ppar.com for both sales and rentals.

Renting first is what we almost always recommend.

Good schools abound here, save for a few exceptions like Denver city public schools (even though they do have a few fine ones) and the smallish D2 in COLO SPGS. There are several other districts in COLO SPGS that have excellent schools.

Boulder is pricey, so if the job is there, look at the surrounding towns, as listed in the Boulder forum index of threads.

Do you need to be military bases to use the PX, Commissary or health benefits?