Moving to CO (Denver, Fort Collins, Pueblo: 2014, rental, employment)

[greentorque]

Hello,

My husband and I (both around 30 yrs) are seriously considering moving to Northern CO within the year. We currently live right outside of Washington DC. We both work full time ( I work from home) and I am also finishing up a Computer Science/Mathematics degree. We both have lived in MD for our lives and we absolutely LOVE the Midwestern culture - the open space, people seem so much nicer, etc.

We are visiting and spending about a week in CO at the end of March to check out places to live and such. I was wondering if anyone can advice on any particular places to check out. We are looking for places around Fort Collins/Boulder. We would like to be somewhere closer to an rural than suburban area. Our budget is about $1000/ month (including utls). I also wanted to know if there are any particular sites we could go to to look for jobs in that area? I have tried craigslist only so far.

Any advice is much appreciated!

Thanks for reading

[jazzlover]

^You realize, I hope, that Colorado does not necessarily have a Midwestern culture. The metro Front Range areas have more of a "Californicated" phony culture now and that's not a good thing--much, much less friendly than it used to be. The rural areas of the Eastern Plains still have a more Midwestern type culture, but that area is also one of the hardest areas in which to make a living. The culture in southern Colorado is much more heavily influenced by the Hispanic culture, which predates Colorado even being a state. (In southern Colorado and northern New Mexico, many Midwesterners are often very uncomfortable. They aren't used to hearing Spanish being spoken, the Hispanic food--which I love--they find unfamiliar to the point the they often won't even try it, and they often never really assimilate into the culture.) The resort areas have a yuppie "chic" variety of culture which in neither typical of what Colorado culture used to be, nor is a very desirable one if one wants a stable living environment. If you want a "Midwest" culture, you should, well, move to the Midwest.

As for your situation, $1K month won't even get you much a decent rental without utilities. Jobs are highly competitive pretty much no matter what the field.

[StarrySkiesAbove]

Originally Posted by jazzlover

If you want a "Midwest" culture, you should, well, move to the Midwest.

As for your situation, $1K month won't even get you much a decent rental without utilities. Jobs are highly competitive pretty much no matter what the field.

OP - have you looked at Nebraska? My inlaws are from Nebraska, they live in Omaha. Nebraska is the Midwest and the people have that open Midwest friendliness you like. Depending on where you look in Nebraska, there are areas with the open space that you are looking for. Your rental budget will go further and from what I know from family, there are some good employment opportunities, at least in the Omaha area. Should you ever have children, the schools are quite good.

I have to edit and add that your budget in the Fort Collins/Boulder area will be difficult as well as prospects for jobs that pay you enough to live there. Maybe Longmont or even Loveland (the town, not the ski area) might be more affordable...

[Littlekw]

Originally Posted by jazzlover

^You realize, I hope, that Colorado does not necessarily have a Midwestern culture. The metro Front Range areas have more of a "Californicated" phony culture now and that's not a good thing--much, much less friendly than it used to be. The rural areas of the Eastern Plains still have a more Midwestern type culture, but that area is also one of the hardest areas in which to make a living. The culture in southern Colorado is much more heavily influenced by the Hispanic culture, which predates Colorado even being a state. (In southern Colorado and northern New Mexico, many Midwesterners are often very uncomfortable. They aren't used to hearing Spanish being spoken, the Hispanic food--which I love--they find unfamiliar to the point the they often won't even try it, and they often never really assimilate into the culture.) The resort areas have a yuppie "chic" variety of culture which in neither typical of what Colorado culture used to be, nor is a very desirable one if one wants a stable living environment. If you want a "Midwest" culture, you should, well, move to the Midwest.

As for your situation, $1K month won't even get you much a decent rental without utilities. Jobs are highly competitive pretty much no matter what the field.

Nailed it. I know quite a few people that moved to the Front Range from the Midwest. They say it's not like the Midwest at all. $1000 a month in Boulder? You'll get a mid-grade studio or poor one bedroom. Not much better in Ft. Collins.

[davebarnes]

Consider Kentucky or Tennessee.
Colorado is more expensive for housing than you think.
Rural in Colorado does not mean "cute". It means desolate.

[Florida2014]

I moved from the Midwest (Iowa) to Denver and it was like a slap in the face in terms of people and their attitudes. I think part of the problem stems from so many people moving to Denver and the Front Range from other parts of the world so there isn't that sense of community you get from typical Midwestern towns.

There are exceptions to everything; however, as you can see from the posts above and from me, none of us consider CO a very friendly place to live. I lived in Denver for over 10 years and was floored at how people would walk by you on the street and not so much as make eye contact with you, much less say "hello."

$1,000 including utilities would get you a small 1-bedroom or an efficiency in a so-so area unless you really want to commute in from a good distance.

[Snikt]

It's all relative I guess. I moved from Central FL Orlando region to Denver and I think people here are "nice" in general. Shows you how disgusting and nasty most people in Orlando are

[StarrySkiesAbove]

Originally Posted by Florida2014

There are exceptions to everything; however, as you can see from the posts above and from me, none of us consider CO a very friendly place to live.

I would not call Colorado unfriendly per se but it's not the same attitude of genuine down to earth friendliness that the Midwest is famous for. But then again, Colorado is not in what I consider to be the Midwest part of the country.

Originally Posted by Snikt

It's all relative I guess. I moved from Central FL Orlando region to Denver and I think people here are "nice" in general. Shows you how disgusting and nasty most people in Orlando are

Very true, not about the people in Orlando since I have not been there but about it all being relative

[Josseppie]

I am told Pueblo has a Midwestern feel to it.

[jim9251]

Colorado Midwest? Nah, the Midwest has values.