Fantasy vs. Reality- Our First CO Trip- Questions/ Observations (Denver: crime, houses)

[OhioToCO]

I live in Boulder, well, near Boulder (in unincorporated Boulder county). I checked prior comments, and nobody here "gets" Boulder. I don't know what it is to "get" about Boulder. It's a nice town, not too big to be unmanageable, not to small to be missing any key amenities. I don't know how people pay the prices, though. We bought in 2012, just before the crazy run up in prices has started. We would have hard time buying now.
What I love about Boulder is the school district. I'm very happy with all of the schools my children have been to (elementary through high now). We are close to the mountains for both hiking and a quick skiing fix at Eldora, if we don't want to risk getting stuck on I-70 for hours.

What I adore about Colorado are the winters. It may sound a little strange after your "brown" comments, but let me tell you why. The snow actually melts here during the winter! And it's always sunny. Yet, there is plenty of snow in the mountains and ski season lasts 4-5 months. I've lived in Midwest for 10 years, and there were plenty of winters when November snow would still be on the ground in April. Also, dark and gloomy most of the time. _That_ was depressing.

Also, in regards to Denver, with the amount of apartment building construction in LoDo and Uptown, I would hesitate to say that Denver is "business district and suburbs". It's not. You just need to spend more time there to see it. I've worked in North Capitol Hill for 4 years, it's a very vibrant, yuppie-sh neighborhood. LoDo is very similar. But once you get a little farther from downtown, then yeah, it's a collection of houses - city planning was not at its best here.

Regarding prices. I do think Colorado, especially Front Range, is getting expensive. However, it is all relative. I just spent 2 weeks in the Bay Area, near San Francisco, and in East Bay. I honestly enjoy Colorado much-much more, and I payed about 1/5th of what a comparable home costs there. But yes, I had a bit of a sticker shock coming from Midwest 5 years ago.

[OhioToCO]

Originally Posted by caverunner17

Could OR/WA be better? Maybe. The grey, wet winters scare me though

Pacific Northwest is great in summer - lush greenery, mild temperatures. But I will take CO winter with its crisp sunny mornings any day over those overcast rainy days. If I could, I'd lived my winters in CO, my summers in OR/WA.

Also, no matter how much I hate having dry itchy skin all winter long and carrying chap-stick in every pocket, using it religiously, I hate my curly hair that is a mess anywhere outside of Colorado so much more .

[Katarina Witt]

Originally Posted by Shellybug

So very true! How about Grand Junction? Is it hard to travel that pass when you want to visit the Front Range?

Depends on the weather. If you think the Denver metro is dry, you'll probably not be real happy with Grand Junction.

I liked your OP. It's always nice to see ourselves as others see us.

[NW Crow]

The greenest parts of Colorado will mostly be the places that get near or over 100 inches of snow and hold onto it a long time (rural or small town) or the first cities big enough for you down creek or river. For down river from the mountains, two places to check / consider would be NW part of Fort Collins metro or west & south parts of Loveland. Or perhaps Littleton. The closer to the river, the greener generally. The towns that are loose on outdoor watering with people well off enough and willing to pour it on hard can be pretty green too, at several kinds of cost.

[TCHP]

The Idaho panhandle may work for you. Southern Idaho and western Oregon, probably not. Outside of the immediate river valleys, they are as brown as Colorado with higher temps and higher humidity

NW Crow has some good suggestions if you still want to consider Colorado. This may help you reduce the 50 shades of beige in other front range cities as there is a lot more free flowing water in that area than in Denver and points south. IIRC, you and your significant other are a teacher and plumber. As such, you are going to need to look into areas large enough to support some moderate growth with some established school districts. Those suggestions above could meet that criteria.

[loveagrey1]

This has been an enjoyable forum and thank you Shellybug for your perception of the area....so informative and it is wonderful to see someplace thru different "eyes".....for me, I am moving to Colorado in May and I just do not see anything disappointing about any part of it.....but the south I have lived in is a far cry from your south in Florida!!!

You know reading your thoughts and what you feel would be your utopia....I was thinking you may want to check out Boise, Idaho and Seattle or Issaquah Washington....I, also, checked out those areas and felt that Denver still held my heart.........I wish the best in your adventures.....Please let us know where you end up.......

[StealthRabbit]

Originally Posted by OhioToCO

Pacific Northwest is great in summer - lush greenery, mild temperatures. But I will take CO winter with its crisp sunny mornings any day over those overcast rainy days. If I could, I'd lived my winters in CO, my summers in OR/WA.

Also, no matter how much I hate having dry itchy skin all winter long and carrying chap-stick in every pocket, using it religiously, I hate my curly hair that is a mess anywhere outside of Colorado so much more .

OP.... Why CO? (BTDT)

There are several GREEN states with mtns. Coast, camping, skiing, sailing.... Since you are in wage earning yrs, consider an income tax free state with MUCH higher wages and job choices / availability in your field than CO. Colorado is nice to visit, especially at current $19 flights from west coast. Personally, You should consider AK if possible, but NH might be another option for you.

I miss many things about CO, but it now has some significant negatives (for last 20 yrs, & getting worse)

Do your homework, and run the numbers / sustainability forecast. It is not ez or cheap to relocate on your own dime. Don't leap.

YMMV

[Lugnuts]

Originally Posted by Shellybug

My ideal home is a 900 sq-foot eco cottage with homage to Frank Lloyd Wright architecture.

Welcome to the Seth Peterson Cottage | A 1958 Frank Lloyd Wright Masterpiece

[Sunderpig2]

Originally Posted by Lugnuts

Welcome to the Seth Peterson Cottage | A 1958 Frank Lloyd Wright Masterpiece

That's a gorgeous place. Being in Wisconsin, it is a world away scenically from most of CO. The down side would be the deep winters of the north that someone from the south (such as the OP) would probably dread. Located somewhere else though, that would be an incredible home to live in!

[Lugnuts]

All of Wright's work (homes, art glass, napkin holders, furniture,etc,etc) is trademarked so legally, you can't clone it. But it is legal to use it as a source of inspiration and adapt it to your own design. OP could build something similar in CO.