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Hi
Hope you aren't moving to Florida. If you are where? I can write you alot about Florida. Anyways, very informative and not sure what to do. Is Evergreen to DTC doable? The fracking thing down here is huge.
It has made the air unbreathable and the brown cloud is back. So sick of how the oil and gas industry rules CO. They have made a beautiful place into Los Angeles. Recent CU study showed Erie with 10x the bad air of Pasadena. They can take their fracking and frack off.
We are, indeed, looking at Florida (guess the username was a big hint??). We are focusing on the St. Augustine/Ponte Vedra Beach area in NE Florida, just south of Jacksonville. Any insight you could share would be great if you know that area well. We are interested in the A-Rated schools of St. Johns County, the less "crazy hot" Florida weather that many of the southern cities endure year-round and the lower cost of living (PVB is a tad high, St. Augustine is not). We've had it with winters and since I telecommute for work we want to explore a warm-weather city before laying roots down.
I know there are RTD buses that go from Evergreen/Aspen Park/Conifer to downtown Denver, not sure about them going to DTC. Take a look at the RTD website for their schedules. I worked with a guy while working in downtown Denver who lived in Evergreen and commuted in every day using RTD and he swore by it. There are also ride-shares everywhere around that area where you could commute in with others who live nearby. I believe there is even a ride share website you can check.
Also, I didn't want to make the Vail Valley sound totally negative, I think my post came off that way. It just isn't for us. We have neighbors who absolutely love Eagle and the surrounding areas and many people will call this place home for their entire lives. Having said that, we've also noticed many people move here frequently and even the college aged kids seem to flock from the Valley to other parts of the country. I think I would have enjoyed Eagle much more if I was retired and could enjoy the peace and serenity it offers and didn't have children.
I would echo some posters above in that the Vail Valley in general can be very transient in nature, not a ton of locals and to me, it lacks that small-town feel you might get in, say, a small town in Iowa where everyone has lived there for their entire lives.
I happen to live in Eagle (Eagle Ranch....fairly affluent) and we moved from Denver last year. I thought I hated the big city as well but I am DYING to return to a mid to larger sized city. Small town life can be quite mundane with a total lack of basic amenities such as malls, shopping, restaurants, etc. There are things to do here for sure, but they often are quite expensive (skiing, for example). Traveling to/from some of the ski towns can add up as well. And if you're not an avid skier the winters can be extremely long and cold. Last year we had snow on the ground from late November until early May and this year is shaping up similarly. I didn't think it would be an issue for me growing up in the Midwest, but it has been quite dreary/cloudy here in the winters and we plan on moving somewhere warm this summer.
As far as Gypsum, I go there for the rec center every day but cannot imagine living there. There is almost nothing to do and little sense of community there outside of the rec center. And if you are concerned about air quality, that is the absolute last place you'd want to live. Gypsum has a factory that sends a giant plume of smoke in the air every single day that blankets a large portion of the town and coming from a sunny day in Eagle, it can often look cloudy in Gypsum. At times you'll see what looks like snow coming from the sky even on sunny days but it is ash/gypsum residue from the factory in the air and you are breathing that stuff in. Kind of defeats the purpose of living in a mountain town. Gypsum is also probably well over 50 to 60% Hispanic, nothing at all wrong with that but something to consider if you're looking for that small-town feel...most are obviously not from Gypsum.
If I had to do it all over again I likely would not have made the move here knowing what I know now. Eagle is not the worst place in the world, there are a ton of positives especially once spring hits. But the cost of living alone has proven to be pretty much a deal-breaker for us. And I'm not just talking about groceries....utilities here seem to be much, much higher than Denver. Real estate is laughable. Run of the mill 3 bed, 2 bath homes in Eagle can be $400K or more. Just not something I'd want to do long-term, especially when considering the long winters.
Glenwood is a good option but you're going to run into the same cost of living and high real estate prices there.
Considered some of the smaller towns just outside Denver like Evergreen or Bailey? At least you'd still have access to the jobs and entertainment of Denver but be far enough away not to have to deal with the traffic and headaches from the big city.
Also, as far as jobs - you could possibly land a job with an H&R Block type of firm, but for the most part the financial firms out here are mom and pop places that would likely not want to hire someone unless they brought a local client base with them. Other jobs are quite difficult to find unless you are in the hospitality industry and even those are seasonal at best. My wife had to commute back and forth to Denver for almost 4 months until she found a job here that paid her a fraction of what it did in Denver. Lucky and thankful to have found something though and she even has a degree in Hospitality. Most jobs here are in the service and construction industries. I imagine the "primo" jobs don't open up that often. But with anything, you can luck out and find something if you really keep your ear to the ground and turn job hunting into a part time job itself.
With all due respect the "ash" you are referring to is frozen steam from the American Gypsum plant. There is no ash residue. Particulate emissions are controlled and monitored. Air quality is very good. There are slightly elevated levels of NOx and ozone, but this most likely due to the fairly high elevation. Both pm 10 and pm 2.5 are well below nation/CO averages.
Also the steam does not blanket a large portion of town-it is pretty much contained to the I-70 area. It will dissipate as the day warms up.
Do you live in a house with sheet rock? There is a good chance it was manufactured by American Gypsum. The mine/factory is a source of pride and a source of good paying jobs.
As far as skiing goes-it is actually very affordable if one buys an Epic pass-and many of the schools get a weekly ski day.
Thanks for the clarification of steam vs. ash/smoke. While it may be a source of pride for folks who work there and a good place of employment, someone who specifically stated they are interested in clean air should be aware that there is a large plume of steam in the air daily that blankets a good portion of the town that comes from a gypsum factory. The steam does, in fact, reach the golf course with any kind of slight southern wind and can really be an eyesore on cold mornings as it hangs over the town like a blanket. As the poster indicated, it does dissipate later in the day but the steam is still churning all day, every day. And if you live anywhere near the I-70 interchange you're also dealing with emissions from cars and trucks. To be fair, most of the housing in Gypsum is well off of the interstate.
Let's also not forget there is a regional airport on the East side of town so you're also dealing with commercial and private planes/jets all day, every day. May not affect air quality that much but surely can be seen and heard.
As far as the air quality stats link, those results are nearly 5 years old and not really significant in 2014.
I guess my definition of "affordable" is different than the poster above. An Epic Pass is $689 for an adult and $359 for children. So for a family of 4 you're looking at over $2,000 in just the ski passes alone. I believe that's slightly reduced for the Local Pass; however, you also have blackout dates when you can't use them. That does not include the cost of ski/snowboard equipment or rentals, parking, gas to/from, food ($8 for a slice of pizza, really??) and any other costs you incur while there. Plus, you really have to go a certain number of times to make a pass like that worthwhile. All in for an entire season if you purchase the pass and go, say, 20 times with your family? Thousands of dollars.
We are, indeed, looking at Florida (guess the username was a big hint??). We are focusing on the St. Augustine/Ponte Vedra Beach area in NE Florida, just south of Jacksonville. Any insight you could share would be great if you know that area well. We are interested in the A-Rated schools of St. Johns County, the less "crazy hot" Florida weather that many of the southern cities endure year-round and the lower cost of living (PVB is a tad high, St. Augustine is not). We've had it with winters and since I telecommute for work we want to explore a warm-weather city before laying roots down.
I know there are RTD buses that go from Evergreen/Aspen Park/Conifer to downtown Denver, not sure about them going to DTC. Take a look at the RTD website for their schedules. I worked with a guy while working in downtown Denver who lived in Evergreen and commuted in every day using RTD and he swore by it. There are also ride-shares everywhere around that area where you could commute in with others who live nearby. I believe there is even a ride share website you can check.
Also, I didn't want to make the Vail Valley sound totally negative, I think my post came off that way. It just isn't for us. We have neighbors who absolutely love Eagle and the surrounding areas and many people will call this place home for their entire lives. Having said that, we've also noticed many people move here frequently and even the college aged kids seem to flock from the Valley to other parts of the country. I think I would have enjoyed Eagle much more if I was retired and could enjoy the peace and serenity it offers and didn't have children.
St. Augustine is still crazy hot... If you have been living in Co. for a while get ready for a culture shock, or lack thereof. Very conservative community given the large number of retired military and old time cracker families that still live there. Not at all socially progressive. Wages are very low, cost of living is pretty good though. In my opinion one of the nicest areas is St. Aug beach and south into Beverly beach. Still has that pre-development feel.
St. Augustine is still crazy hot... If you have been living in Co. for a while get ready for a culture shock, or lack thereof. Very conservative community given the large number of retired military and old time cracker families that still live there. Not at all socially progressive. Wages are very low, cost of living is pretty good though. In my opinion one of the nicest areas is St. Aug beach and south into Beverly beach. Still has that pre-development feel.
Thanks for the input, also not sure what old time cracker families refers to; however, we would looking exclusively in planned communities such as Durbin Crossing, Nocatee, etc. so I don't think those things you listed would be very applicable to our move. I'd also take crazy hot any day of the week vs. temps in the teens with snow on the ground.
Hi
You are going to a decent part of Florida. If you would have said Orlando or Miami, I would have tried to talk you out of it. I like parts of Tampa area as well. Orlando is a scary place with shockingly a huge gang problem and drugs. It is also rude, fast paced, crowded, and the land of minimum wage. Miami is very expensive and dangerous as well. You are going to a decent part....good luck.
I think we are forgoing the Vail Valley. Too much research has shown me that it will be too expensive for what it is. I may bail on CO. My wife cannot breathe the smog. We have averaged 1/2 the year this year in atleast the unhealthful for sensitive groups with 89 days listed as unhealthy for everyone or worse. Fracking is destroying the Front Range. It is going to be Los Angeles without beaches.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Florida2014
We are, indeed, looking at Florida (guess the username was a big hint??). We are focusing on the St. Augustine/Ponte Vedra Beach area in NE Florida, just south of Jacksonville. Any insight you could share would be great if you know that area well. We are interested in the A-Rated schools of St. Johns County, the less "crazy hot" Florida weather that many of the southern cities endure year-round and the lower cost of living (PVB is a tad high, St. Augustine is not). We've had it with winters and since I telecommute for work we want to explore a warm-weather city before laying roots down.
I know there are RTD buses that go from Evergreen/Aspen Park/Conifer to downtown Denver, not sure about them going to DTC. Take a look at the RTD website for their schedules. I worked with a guy while working in downtown Denver who lived in Evergreen and commuted in every day using RTD and he swore by it. There are also ride-shares everywhere around that area where you could commute in with others who live nearby. I believe there is even a ride share website you can check.
Also, I didn't want to make the Vail Valley sound totally negative, I think my post came off that way. It just isn't for us. We have neighbors who absolutely love Eagle and the surrounding areas and many people will call this place home for their entire lives. Having said that, we've also noticed many people move here frequently and even the college aged kids seem to flock from the Valley to other parts of the country. I think I would have enjoyed Eagle much more if I was retired and could enjoy the peace and serenity it offers and didn't have children.
Among some Floridians, the term is used as a proud or jocular self-description. Since the huge influx of new residents into Florida in the late 20th and early 21st centuries, from the northern parts of the United States and from Mexico and Latin America, the term "Florida Cracker" is used informally by some Floridians to indicate that their families have lived in the state for many generations. It is considered a source of pride to be descended from "frontier people who did not just live but flourished in a time before air conditioning, mosquito repellent, and screens.
Not related to the slang that african americans use as a derogatory term directed at whites.
Thanks for the input, also not sure what old time cracker families refers to; however, we would looking exclusively in planned communities such as Durbin Crossing, Nocatee, etc. so I don't think those things you listed would be very applicable to our move. I'd also take crazy hot any day of the week vs. temps in the teens with snow on the ground.
Well, you can go ahead and think that the things I mentioned won't be applicable but unless you are "bubble boy" you will be interacting with, be served by, sharing the roads with, working for or working for you some people that unless you are from Florida or the deep south you will not understand many things..
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