Considering Moving from NC to CO- opinions on where, etc (Denver: rental, condo)

[charliesierra]

Hello! My husband and I currently live in the area of Jacksonville, NC. He is in the military and I am in law enforcement. We recently started discussing places we might want to move whenever he gets out of the military in the next few years, because NC really is not that great. "Out West" seems to be the only thing we can both agree on, and a lot of that is in part because police officers tend to make a higher salary compared to the south.

We have compromised and settled on Colorado- he wanted California, I wanted Washington... both of those have been nixed. Oregon is still in the "maybe" category.

I have a friend who lives in Louisville, and she loves it. My husband and I would like to move somewhere that is somewhat close to a city that has things to do (30min ish) but that has more of a small family type feel. Proximity to nature (hiking trails, mountains, various bodies of water to play in) is ideal. I would either work in the town I live in or be a cop in the neighboring city, so a PD that has a good reputation with its citizenry would be great. Info on taxes/crime/traffic etc would be nice as well!

We don't have any children yet (a dog and three cats currently) but will likely have a kid soon. So a good school system is on the list of priorities as well.

I appreciate any input! It is hard to imagine what life is really like in various places in CO without ever actually being there.

Thanks and have a lovely day!

[Mike from back east]

Colorado Springs is a great place for active, former or retired military types. Persons with an active security clearance have a leg up on other workers. All police forces have a turnover so your skills are good here. Down in the area of Canon City and Florence, CO there are close to a dozen prisons including a federal supermax. The city is at the base of Pikes Peak and a short drive to numerous outdoor sports. Very few bodies of water here but there is a decent size reservoir in the Pueblo area, convenient to Canon City or Pueblo West.

Denver has a lot to offer too, but is huge, crowded and increasingly expensive.

[NW Crow]

Talk further with your friend in Louisville and visit. If that is closer to Denver than you prefer, check out Longmont, Loveland, Golden, Castle Rock and perhaps Evergreen.

[Arrby]

... And yet, Raleigh-Durham NC was just listed as number 4 on the "Best Places to Live" article in US News and World Report. Maybe if NC really isn't "that great", they were mistaken. And perhaps the listing of Denver as number 1 was a mistake also. Or, looked at another way, maybe what you hear about a place is not the same as living there. There is no substitute for experiencing first hand a particular location. Hope you can come see us soon!

[StealthRabbit]

ColoSpr. Final answer.
Woodland Park, if you want out of town ans still close to recreation.

For starting a family, keep employment near home; find a low - traffic area with good biking from home.

Btdt in WA and CO. When kids are age 6+ Start spending summers biking / sailing in WA San Juan islands. Move to WA or HI at age 15 for free college instead of wasting time in High School. Consider Dod schools or home schooling and international work assignments. Time with kids is a very short span of you life as a couple, make it count for them. (I.e. Time together, not time as a soccer / taxi mom. Keep a daily journal for each kid, both parents write daily in each. Jmho.

[Sunderpig2]

Originally Posted by Arrby

... And yet, Raleigh-Durham NC was just listed as number 4 on the "Best Places to Live" article in US News and World Report. Maybe if NC really isn't "that great", they were mistaken. And perhaps the listing of Denver as number 1 was a mistake also. Or, looked at another way, maybe what you hear about a place is not the same as living there. There is no substitute for experiencing first hand a particular location...

This is worth repeating. Agreed 100%

I chuckle a lot of times when I hear someone says that someone they know "loves" an area, and so they want to move there too. It seems that people should be going with what works for themselves, rather than try to live according to someone else's life and preferences. People also seem to be caught up with any poll they come across, and let others do the thinking for them.

Any serious relocation deserves at least a visit. Then there's the analysis of budget, day-to-day living, and if you'd really want to be here long-term.

Remember that it's dry as a bone here too, and you'd lose the dynamism of the coast. Personally, I find NC to be a much prettier state than CO, and more varied as to outdoor activities. OP: you mentioned "various bodies of water to play in". There aren't a lot of those around here. My family has had to essentially give up watersports since our move here. On the other hand, you mentioned Oregon. That would be a great place for outdoor activities. Coastal states will provide for year-round outdoor activities with moderate temperatures.

[Mike from back east]

Stray thoughts on these matters .... loving or hating an area often depends on the people themselves, we make of it whatever we wish, some people are happy in a tent some want Trump Towers .... all those "best" places are woefully subjective articles that come out on an all too frequent basis in the print media, often fluff articles based on some set of criteria that may not be your/my criteria for what is a best place.

With a good job and good health and someone who loves us we can be happy most anywhere. That's why I wrote this ten years ago for the Terms of Service: "When asking questions about a location, give as much detail as you can, so we can zero in on the info you need. If house hunting, what is your price level or rental amount. How many BR's, Baths, square feet, lot size, etc, do you need? Pets? SFH, TH, Condo, mobile home? In-town, rural, college town, military town, mountains? Schools for children? Gated community, golf course community, active senior community? Do you need to stable a horse? Is there an RV or boat trailer to consider? The more you tell us, the sooner our regular posters can reply with specificity. Same for any other criteria you have. Please avoid open-ended requests like "I'm moving to your city, tell me EVERYTHING I need to know."

[charliesierra]

We will absolutely be visiting. It would be a good idea though to have a list of places to visit rather than trying to trek around the entire state. That's mainly why I was asking. This move isn't going to happen for another four or five years unfortunately. My Louisville friend is similar to me in that she likes small town family feel with proximity to outdoor activities. She did mention that CO had a lot of reservoirs for swimming.

I'm working with my husband on Oregon. Police officers make about the same in OR and CO. I would like to be able to contribute to the household a bit more financially... I make around $15/hr and would not be staying afloat if it weren't for my husband. Several people from my department have moved out west (six to Seattle PD, one to Lakewood CO PD) and said they don't regret a thing. They say they just don't know what to do with all the money they are making and that the increased paycheck makes some of the bad parts of the job seem a little more worth it.

I like the Raleigh area, but have lived in NC my entire life, so the idea of living there doesn't excite me at all. Plus the schools in NC as a whole are horrid.

I WISH we could do WA. I visited out there and tested for Bellingham PD. Oh it was so beautiful. However, my husband is not a fan of the weather. We'd probably be more into south west ish Oregon.

[nightlysparrow]

Originally Posted by charliesierra

Police officers make about the same in OR and CO. I would like to be able to contribute to the household a bit more financially... I make around $15/hr

I'm wondering why you eliminated your husband's choice of California. Even a smaller county like Ventura is double that. Here's a "Deputy Sheriff Trainee" job---one that's prior to graduation:

"Starting Salary: $33.13 per hour. Upon Academy completion, incumbent is eligible for promotion to Deputy Sheriff with a salary of $68,900 annually."

https://www.governmentjobs.com/caree...ywords=officer

[charliesierra]

California is quickly becoming one of the absolute worst places to be a police officer. That, coupled with the water crisis, frequent natural disasters, etc etc... not a fan. He was stationed in CA for a while and liked it better over Jacksonville so that's really his main reason for wanting to go there.

I want to work for a PD and not a SD. The pay is definitely better out west in general, but I will not move out unless I find a department that is right for me.