I'm not sure if I like living in Colorado (Denver: vehicle registration, job market)

[OhioToCO]

Originally Posted by Chloe333

You can't even buy a house here without offering $25k over the asking price, and even then, you have to have the most amount of cash to outbid the 10 other offers by putting the most amount of money down. The seller was willing to take our offer if we paid them in cash the difference in cash if the house didn't appraise.

So, you were seriously considering buying a house while not altogether sure you wanted to live here? Right...

[Chloe333]

Originally Posted by Rainbow Demon

As my gramps would say "Don't let the doorknob hit you on the a z z on yer way out"

You mean the doorknob on the overpriced rental we are still in and had to compete with multiple other applicants to get within an hour of it listing? Or do you mean the doorknob on the over-priced poorly built tract house that is crammed right up against the neighbors that we would have paid $25000 over the listing price and above appraisal?

Don't worry....I won't!

[Miss Hepburn]

I just wrote a friend and said I feel like I live in the safest place!
Tornadoes, floods, huge hail, hurricanes, volcanoes, earthquakes,
8' of snow, droughts, sinkholes...and of course...insects and humid
3 digit heat ?

I'm liking it here a lot!

[Colorado Rambler]

Originally Posted by Chloe333

The jury is no longer out for me several weeks after writing the OP. I don't like it here. You can't even buy a house here without offering $25k over the asking price, and even then, you have to have the most amount of cash to outbid the 10 other offers by putting the most amount of money down. The seller was willing to take our offer if we paid them in cash the difference in cash if the house didn't appraise. This is for one of these rather boring Colorado style houses with no crown molding or other nice touches like the houses back east often have. My husband and I went to Boulder one night for dinner. We couldn't find parking for 45 minutes, and then the wait was one hour, and the tab for glorified Mexican food was $90. Colorado, I'm over you. I'll come back and visit you every now and then to ski, but living on your flat, treeless Front Range crammed in with millions of others you can't sustain really sucks.

Those boring "Colorado style houses" can be found in newer subdivisions all over the place from the outskirts of NYC to the sprawl of L.A. Don't blame Colorado for a building style (Levittowns or "cookie cutter houses") that first became popular in New York and PA lo these many years ago back in 1947. If you visit some of the older neighborhoods in Denver - Cherry Creek for example - you'll find plenty of individual charm and nice finishing touches. The same is true of the Wood Avenue district, among others, in Colorado Springs, and Boulder has neighborhoods filled with charming Victorians. I don't like the new, hastily built sub-divisions on the Front Range either, but believe me, that's not "Colorado style" - more like greedy real estate developers cashing in on Denver's popularity as the "in" place to live.

If you go to the Pearl Street Mall in Boulder, you can expect parking difficulties and restaurants serving up outrageous prices. But there's much more to Boulder than Pearl Street. There are still many good restaurants with more realistic prices in the Boulder area. Also, if you live in the Denver metroplex, why aren't you checking out the many nice restaurants right out your front door?

I do agree with you that living on the "flat, treeless Front Range crammed in with millions of others you can't sustain really sucks." I've posted about this before in other threads. The people who move out here and get a cookie cutter house in a development on the plains east of the Front Range may as well move to any city in the country of comparable size. Why come out here and pay a small fortune for a home just to have the "Colorado experience"? What Colorado experience? I've said it before, and I'll say it again. Why not just move to a suburb west of Kansas City? The experience of living on the high plains will be almost identical, and the prices far more reasonable.

Originally Posted by Rainbow Demon

As my gramps would say "Don't let the doorknob hit you on the a z z on yer way out"

Baltimore sounds good about now. I bet you can buy a (burning) house there really cheap and there's no wait at the restaurant down the block 'cus it was burned down last night...

yeah...the East Coast is so much better than CO...

With all due respect, commenting that at least Denver hasn't had a riot like the current one going on in Baltimore is setting the bar pretty low. Tuba City, AZ doesn't have riots either, but I don't notice thousands of people flocking to live there. The East Coast is different than Colorado, but different does not automatically mean better. There's any number of places east of the Mississippi where you can find scenic views, grow a lawn and garden without having to worry about the water, and offer outdoor activities. Frankly, at this point, I feel that the NOVA region or even Lexington or Berea, KY are places where many would be happier than they are now on Colorado's Front Range - living in a tickey tack community with a lenghty commute to work, and stuck in traffic on I-70 in the middle of a traffic jam every time you want to get out and spend time in the mountains.

There are thousands of town in the US where riots have never occurred. So, what?

[Zapruder]

I lived for over 25 years in Colorado. Grew up from age thirteen in Sterling. I graduated from Northeastern Junior Collage in 1986 with a two year degree then went on to Regis University in Denver.

I lived in many parts of the Denver metro area and worked quite a few jobs.

I was uprooted from my home in the St Louis area when I was twelve when we moved to Sterling. Big Shock to the system.
Everything that the Midwest has I missed, even the humidity.

In 2010 I had an opportunity to take a position with an employer on the IL side of the St. Louis metro area.

I couldn't be happier here.
I miss parts of Colorado but those things are rapidly eclipsed by missing my home in the Midwest.

I have my humidity, lightning bugs, severe weather, storm cellar and my Mississippi River back.

Thank you Colorado for everything but for the 25 years I was there I was just visiting.

[Mike from back east]

Chloe333, thank you for being sincerely honest with your postings. No place is perfect for everyone, and the current housing situation (madness?) in Denver is an excellent reason to simply say 'no thank you' to that market. There are many more nice places. Here in Colo Spgs the market is totally different, calm, affordable and lots of nice homes at reasonable prices.

You wrote: "I miss pretty neighborhoods with charming historic houses set back on their own wooded lush lot with windy charming streets."
I reply: You should see our Old North End Neighborhood (ONEN) as it is exactly what you describe. It's a desirable area, houses sell quickly, but it's not nuts.

I'm sure jobs are an issue, but I urge you to consider visiting the ONEN. Drive down I-25, take exit 145 (Fillmore St, yes it's a bit ugly now with construction), turn left (east) at the stop light and go about a half mile and turn right (south) onto Cascade and follow Cascade down through the campus of Colorado College and look at the beauty of it all. Go about 1.5 miles and turn left (east) onto Platte, go about 4 blocks and turn left (north) onto Wahsatch and enjoy all the tree lined streets. If you want a good cup of coffee and a Cuban sandwich, then from Wahsatch turn right (east) onto Columbia and go 2 blocks to Corona and stop at Dog Tooth Coffee. Drive around back in there and look at all the old charmers, of all sizes and shapes, trees, etc. Some are updated and some aren't. It's safe, quiet, flat enough for walking or cycling yet only a mile from downtown and less than a mile to a superb hospital (Penrose main) at Jackson and Nevada.

Zip code for doing real estate searches for ONEN is 80907, and here's a gem on Cascade for $549K that'd most likely be $1M in many nice Denver 'hoods. Address is 1619 N Cascade Avenue, Colorado Springs, CO 80907

[Meowen]

Originally Posted by Chloe333

The jury is no longer out for me several weeks after writing the OP. I don't like it here. You can't even buy a house here without offering $25k over the asking price, and even then, you have to have the most amount of cash to outbid the 10 other offers by putting the most amount of money down. The seller was willing to take our offer if we paid them in cash the difference in cash if the house didn't appraise. This is for one of these rather boring Colorado style houses with no crown molding or other nice touches like the houses back east often have. My husband and I went to Boulder one night for dinner. We couldn't find parking for 45 minutes, and then the wait was one hour, and the tab for glorified Mexican food was $90. Colorado, I'm over you. I'll come back and visit you every now and then to ski, but living on your flat, treeless Front Range crammed in with millions of others you can't sustain really sucks.

if it took you 45 minutes to find parking anywhere in boulder then something is wrong with you. LoL.

Like anywhere, there are cheap options and expensive options for eating. Maybe look at the website and menu next time if you don't want to spend $90.

Nothing wrong with not liking it here but these arguments are just plain silly.

Last I checked most of the east coast, or at least anywhere desirable is more pricy than the front range. The taxes out there are insane.

[JMM64]

This thread is hilarious. Obviously the OP won't be happy anywhere outside the east coast and started this senseless thread for no reason other than to rant and complain. I think it's a good time to close it since it hasn't gone anywhere in months now.

[Chloe333]

I'm sorry JMM64 and Meowen that you are so upset and hurt that another doesn't like your state/city. You are correct in that I started this thread to commiserate with others who were not in love with Colorado, and I stated that in the initial post. You had to be passive aggressive to vent your offense and upset which meant my feelings made you feel hurt and/or angry. To insinuate that another is unintelligent (' took you 45 minutes to find parking (ahem...moron) or 'check the menu next time (ahem...idiot)) and to invalidate another's feelings ('senseless post') are garden variety tactics of passive aggression which are rooted in hurt or anger. I really didn't mean to upset anyone. I tried to clearly direct the post towards those who only shared my feelings...not open a forum up for an attack on me for sharing my true feelings.

[McGowdog]

Originally Posted by Rainbow Demon

As my gramps would say "Don't let the doorknob hit you on the a z z on yer way out"

Baltimore sounds good about now. I bet you can buy a (burning) house there really cheap and there's no wait at the restaurant down the block 'cus it was burned down last night...

yeah...the East Coast is so much better than CO...

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