From Missouri to Colorado (Denver, Fort Collins: rent, how much, lawyer)

[geoman123321]

Hi all,
I would first like to thank you for reading my post. My wife and I are seriously thinking about moving to Colorado within the next 6 months or so, but don't know where to start. Let me first tell you a bit about us and see if anyone can help point us in a good direction.

My Wife: She 25 and has her Masters in Physical Therapy and she works as a physical therapist.

Me: I'm a 24 year old law student and will be graduating in May from the University of Missouri.

Both: We both Love Colorado. We ski in the winter and hike/backpack in the summer. Also, we are both multisport (triathlon) enthusiasts. (Columbia, Missouri has a big multisport population). Living in a college town for the past 7 years has made us both liberal and enjoy diversity.


What we want: Obviously we both want to get a job (Physical Therapist/Attorney). We would like to either buy a house or rent for the first year and then buy a house. We would like to live in an area that is close enough to outdoor activities (hiking, biking, skiing).

What we don't want: Denver.

Obviously, a lot of this criteria points to Boulder (Boulder is a lot like Columbia, MO, and we love Columbia). So, if this is the inevitable location, could you give us advice on things like: 1. how hard is it to find a job for qualified/educated individuals; 2. What area of Boulder is best.

I have purposely left off how much of a house we can afford, mainly because it is so income contingent. But as an idea, if both of us were working in Columbia right now, we could afford about 250,000. (Note that the cost of living, and therefore the wages, are less in Columbia)

Thank you!

[Tom Emmerling]

I don't know a whole lot about Boulder but Fort Collins is a diverse community with everything you are looking for. Skiing is a little further away but it is not a bad drive. We go all the time. It takes about 1.5 to 2 hours to get there. The good thing about Fort Collins is that you can pick what kind of community you want to live in. If you want a smaller town there are several around the area very close by. There is a brand new rehabilitation center off of I25 and Hwy 34 with a brand new hospital just down the road from there. I know several attorneys in Fort Collins and they seem to do really well here. It may be something for you to look into. The house prices would probably be a little cheaper than Boulder. You would not have any problems finding a nice home in your price range. I would definately say rent for awhile to see if you like whatever community you are going to live in.

[steveindenver]

Columbia is nothing like Boulder.

[Charles]

Originally Posted by geoman123321

1. how hard is it to find a job for qualified/educated individuals; 2. What area of Boulder is best.

What does "hard" mean?

What does "best" mean?

Many people have recommended renting prior to buying if you have flexibility.

[bethie_73]

I think you may find Boulder a bit expensive. Or At least I though it was when I was looking at housing. Renting is a great option like others have said, but honestly it is a pretty slow market there now and you may be able to find a deal.

[SiddharthaGautama]

I'm originally from Missouri and am considering a move to Colorado. All of my family except for me went to MU so I know Columbia pretty well. I am considering the Denver / Boulder area. Because of my field of work I need to live in a somewhat larger city. Why do you rule out Denver so fast? Its a really nice city. I am considering Boulder but its about 25 minutes outside of Denver. It sounds like with both of your professions you will do fine anywhere.

[Katiana]

It is difficult to find a job in Boulder. It is difficult to find attorney jobs here if you haven't attended DU or CU Law school. This was stated by a lawyer on this forum. You could do a search to find that post. I believe the poster's name is bouldergranola. There are PT jobs in Boulder, but more in Denver.

Boulder is not large. There are no specific areas to avoid. You'll know what you like when you see it.

[jazzlover]

I think people who constantly post on this board about moving to Colorado need to hear some hard truths. First, as "regulars" on this board know, I am not a fan of Denver metro. I actually grew up there back when it was half the size it is now--I didn't like it much then, and I have found nothing to make me like it any more since. THAT SAID, when it comes to most jobs, especially professional jobs in law, etc., in Colorado, the metro Denver area is pretty much the known center of the universe. That is where those jobs predominantly are, it's where they pay the best, and--most of the time--it is where they have the most security. It is also the area where an "outsider" who is not part of the "good ol' boy network" is most likely to land one of those jobs.

College towns like Boulder or Fort Collins are often great places to go to college, but they are also places that can be not so great once one is not in college anymore. Why? Because there are always a ton of graduates who want to stay there in those towns, and they compete for the local jobs there are. So, the competition can be fierce, and local wage scales are often lower than other areas because of it.

There are a few people--because of absolute perseverance, pure luck, a willingness to sacrifice income, or having the right connections--who may secure decent jobs in some of Colorado's smaller communities (I was actually one of those years ago), but for each one who does there are probably hundreds--if not thousands, in some cases--who do not. It is possible to win the Lottery, too, but--as the British like to say--it's not bloody likely.

So, that is usually the trade-off: Have the good-paying, highly satisfying career, and chances for advancement and opportunity by living in the sprawled "California-ized" metroplex of Denver; or live elsewhere in the state and--most likely--have less job choices, less career opportunities, less job security, lower income, but a higher quality of life in other "non-material" ways. Much as I hate to admit it, 80% of Coloradans live on the Front Range for a reason--it's not hard to see which choice they made. And, a good chunk of the remaining 20% who live in the rural parts of Colorado can live there because they don't have to work--they are retired--at least so long as the pension checks, annuities, and transfer payments keep coming.

[goldenmom]

We moved to Colorado from Missouri. I was wondering if you could explain how Columbia is like Boulder. I didn't get that impression at all from my short visits to both places. Columbia seemed like a small town atmosphere with a relatively low cost of living. From what I hear, Boulder is very expensive.

There are great parts of Denver so if you could also explain why you have ruled that out, I would be curious to hear your reasons. Have you heard bad things from others or is it from a personal experience?

[geoman123321]

Well, looks like I have caught some flack over both my "Boulder is a lot like Columbia, MO" and " What we don't want: Denver," so I will speak to both of them in turn.

I must admit that I have only driven through Boulder once, so my comparison is very superficial, but here it goes. 1. Boulder, like Columbia, is a college town. Both Universities are the "flagship" state universities for their respective states. (not to mention both are in the big 12). 2. Boulder's population (~100,000) is almost identical to Columbia (~100,000). 3. When driving through it looked as though they have about the exact same stores/food places. (granted most of them were chain stores/restaurants).

Now, on to Denver. Denver, in our minds, equals big city with all the accompanying down sides. (traffic, lots of people, living more than 15 mins. from work). Not to mention every time we drive through Denver there seems to be an ample supply of smokestacks/refineries.

We just really love a small community atmosphere. Where, if it's a nice day, you can ride your bike to work. Or be within an hour to a national park (RMNP).

I understand that it may be difficult to find legal work in Boulder, probably more so than finding a Physical Therapy job. So, is there any other towns that may be better?

Ft. Collins may be an option.