Getting more real. Help me out.

[almost heaven]

Thank you for the input. I am white and have lived in the USA my whole life. I also am in the upper management part of high rise construction so I am not looking to put my tool bags on again, I see plenty of construction management jobs on line? If you think the illigal problem is bad in Colorado don's even think about looking at California. To put everything in a nutshell I am Here in the Bay Area and I am tired of the stress to provide for my family. I am getting pushed out by all the asian and indian immigrants who are taking over the nicer neighborhoods. The Mexcian immigrants have taken over all of the service and construction jobs and created barios everywhere. The cost of living is outragous. I own a 45 year old home thet in a bad market is still worth 850,000, so moving anywhere in state is out of the question. The traffic is crazy. There are more people in a small part of the bay area than in the entire state of Colorado. All I know is when I visit the lifestyle and what I see and hear is far better than where I am. We are most likely feeling the same thing but from different prespectives. One mans trash is another mans treasure? All I wan is to get a little piece of the America I grew up in for my kids.

[Ludachris]

Originally Posted by almost heaven

OK. I just spent the last few days helping my wife deal with the fact that her stay at home mom days are numbered. We have been very lucky that she has been home for the past 10 years but I just can not afford to make it on one income anymore in the Bay Area. We have family in Parker and I think we will be out there in the spring. Here are some questions.
1. I know about the drout. Is it a deal braker?
2. Jobs. I hear people talk about the low wages in Colorado but when I look on line the construction management jobs pay a livable wage?
3. Do yo see construction staying strong?
4. What is the general feeling about the future of the state as a whole?
I have visited the Denver for the last 15 years and love to ski and I know about the dry air, cold spells, blizzards and the good thunder storms you get in the summers. So I am not planing a move with closed eyes. Oh and I hate all that California has become so don't worry about me bringing any of California with me.

We just moved from San Jose, CA 2 years ago. So this input is coming from a recent transplant.

1. The drout is no worse than in California.

2. The job market isn't as lively but the wages aren't that much lower in most industries. It is more competitive though and they tend to put more emphasis on education than they do on experience from what I've noticed, which is a little different from CA. Not sure if that applies to construction management though.

3. They seem to be over-developing out here and flooding the area with way more new homes than are needed. But that's just the feeling we have. I would suggest doing some research and finding some real statistics on home inventory if you can. I'm sure they're out there, maybe talk to a real estate professional.

4. The general state of things is similar to other areas. We've been affected by the real estate bubble but not as much as other areas. I don't think the recovery period will be all that bad. The south metro area is still growing and here in Lone Tree there is a big project underway that will see some residential and a good amount of commercial development.

You'll notice a pleasant change in lifestyle no matter where you choose out here in the south metro area. It's not perfect but it's still a nice change. Though you might miss some of the good things about the culture and and diversity that California has, as my wife and I do. One of the things we like out here though is that most of the areas and neighborhoods are well kept. All of our neighbors (white and those of different cultural backgrounds) keep their homes looking nice. There is a sense of pride both with the residents and the local governments. That was lacking where we used to live.

[esya]

Jazzlover is right that colorado's economy is based on all cyclical sectors, so they all go up and down drastically, and have ever since I came here in 1971. You can check my other posts for details.

However, there are lots more affordable places to live than Parker and maybe with family here it is a lot better than California. plus, it's gotta be a lot easier for both of you to work here as the commute can't be as bad, maybe even nonexistant.