Moving from Buffalo to Colorado/Utah (Denver, Colorado Springs: for rent, low crime, find a job)

[Jes3876]

I'm looking for information on Colorado Springs, Denver and Boulder and their surrounding areas or Salt Lake City, UT. A friend of mine and I are looking into moving this spring. We both are graduating in May with a degree in Occupational Therapy. We want to move near a city but the area has to be safe and low crime. It can't be too expensive, nothing more than $700 a month for rent. Any information will help. Thanks!

[Charles]

Find a job first.

[onthamove]

as a VERY experienced searcher for apts in Denver and Springs area i can tell you it is gonna be hard to find something for under 700 after utlities, um i guess i know of a few places in arvada in golden if u are intersted that are about 550-650 after utlities, dont really know much about SLC but havent really considered moving there really Colorado is closer to fam for me plus snowboarding is just as good from what i here

[Idunn]

Of the four towns you mentioned Boulder would definately be the most expensive, and you'd probably be hard pressed to find anything under $700. Of the remaining three you probably could, depending on the area, but then crime and safety begins to get a little sketchy. From that standpoint alone I'd guess Colorado Springs possibly a better choice than Denver, with Salt Lake City maybe the best choice.

All four places are different culturally. Boulder distinctly so. And anything within Utah, well it is a different state in more ways than one. Most towns in Utah, particularly the smaller ones, seem to me clean and well organized, and likely fairly safe. But this in no small part due the prevailing mindset of the locals, so you'd better like that.

You've chosen quite a broad spectrum here. There are many more factors involved in the life you'll make than money and safety, if these two important. You might want to start by doing some exploring and see how you actually feel once there.

Good luck.

[steveindenver]

As someone who spends a fair amount of time in Buffalo, the cost of living is going to be a bit of a shock for you coming to any of the places you mentioned.

[livecontent]

I agree with steveindenver that the cost of living is more than in Buffalo but property taxes are significantly less. I grew up in Cheektowaga--been here almost 30 years. The areas that remind me of Buffalo suburbs are the western suburbs of Denver--that is because they are the older suburbs in the Denver Metro Area. I live in Arvada. Arvada, Wheat Ridge, Lakewood and Westminster can also be less expensive than the southern suburbs and certainly Boulder. Most of the areas in these towns are considered safe. They have excellent access to the mountains, Denver and Boulder.

However, if your concern is safety--I can say that most areas of Denver are significantly less dangerous than areas of Buffalo. Denver does not have severe depressed areas like the east side of Buffalo. Most of Denver is in an economic and building boom. Many people live in Downtown Denver and it has a good nightlife--well, you know how Buffalo is downtown. There are nice areas of Denver that are beautiful neighborhoods. In Denver we do not have the racial strife, as you will see in Buffalo.

Livecontent