Looking for the Ideal Town on the Front Range (Denver: 2014, apartment)

[NerdyNurse]

My husband and I are moving to Colorado from Arkansas and trying to find the best place for us. We are young professionals (I'm an RN and he's an EMT) without children, looking for some place affordable with easy access to outdoor activities and a decent hospital. We have been looking at Colorado Springs, and love the feel of the city (we recently vacationed there) but are worried about the rental rates. We are looking to find a 2-3 bedroom home in a decent neighborhood with a yard in a dog friendly area. Our budget would be about $700-$800 per month. I am not finding that in the Springs. Is there anywhere on the front range that might be suitable?

Any advice is appreciated.

[davebarnes]

Very short answer = Greeley
Longer answer = Colorado Division of Housing: Apartment rents climb in Greeley area, statewide as vacancy rates hold steady

[jwiley]

You are not going to find a 2 or 3 bedroom house in a decent neighborhood for $800 or less in Greeley, that may get you a decent apartment but not a house. To find something like that along the front range the only place I could see is Pueblo and even that is not going to be all that easy if you insist on a house.

[jazzlover]

jwiley pretty much covered it. Your expectations for living costs are unrealistic for Colorado--in fact, pretty much unrealistic for the whole Rocky Mountain region.

[NerdyNurse]

Thanks jwiley. We''ll look at pueblo. We could possibly do a duplex, or a decent sized apartment, but house is prefered. We're planning on buying in the next year, so we could squeeze if we had to. Does anyone know where I could get data on income levels for nurses and emts? I have had a hard time finding info about it, so have had to base the budget on our current income this far.

[jazzlover]

Do a search on other threads about this. Unlike many places, Colorado is a very competitive place to try to find employment in the nursing and EMT field.

Though it is probably not your cup of tea (and not on the Front Range), the Indian Health Service is constantly looking for RN's to work on the Indian Reservations in the Rockies and Southwest. It means living on or near the reservations, but a number of the reservations are near or in some very outstanding country for outdoor recreation. Several RN's I know went that route and either went on to work off the reservations in the region at some point or worked their whole career on the reservations. Info here: Career Opportunities | Indian Health Service (IHS)

[Colorado Rambler]

^^^

You could work on the Ute Rez outside of Cortez or else at the Indian Hospital just over the state border in Shiprock, NM. Rents in Cortez average between $500 - $1,000/month. Due to its isolation among other things, the Four Corners is not everyone's cup of tea, but others fall in love with this region with its ready access to the San Juan Mountains, the Weminuche Wilderness and near-by Canyonlands National Park just over the state line in Utah. If you and your husband are outdoorsy types, it might be worth your time to come out here and check SW Colorado out.

[delta07]

My husband is an RN, BSN and has 10 years of experience. We have considered relocating back to Colorado several times, as my family is there and we want to be closer to them. However, wages and the high cost of living relative to that has kept us away. He would essentially take anywhere from a $5-$10/hour pay cut, which is huge.

Colorado Springs is more affordable than anywhere north of there. I don't know specifically what nurses pay is there, but I'm guessing it's probably in the $23-30/hour range depending on your experience. I would say that's doable in the Springs, so if you can find a job, you would be able to live there. You will have to increase your rental budget, especially for a house. You could also consider Pueblo or Canon City, but I would visit first to see if it fits your desires for Colorado. You might consider Western Colorado also. My husband got his start in Grand Junction. The cost of living has increased since we lived there, but it's still more affordable than Denver and many other Front Range cities.

As others have stated, your budget is pretty low for anywhere in Colorado, save the remote towns with few jobs or the eastern plains.

[lalahartma]

Eew, Greeley.

[jwiley]

Originally Posted by lalahartma

Eew, Greeley.

Greeley may have a bad reputation due to the feed lot, but at least it is safer than the Springs.