Please help! Need to get out of KS. (Denver, Colorado Springs: apartment, rentals)

[setthescenery]

I'm going to preface with saying that I'm sorry! I'm sorry to every Colorado resident that's tired of reading threads about people wanting to move to Colorado because that's exactly what this is. Please hear me out if you're willing!

My fiancé and I love Colorado. We camp out in the Maroon Bells Wilderness every summer and visit Denver, and the Springs when we can. Currently, we live in Wichita, KS. We desperately want to get out. Before you make assumptions about cornfields, it's nothing like that! But, neither of us are from here and it's just not suiting for our lifestyle. Background: My finance and I have been together since we were teens and we're now in our twenties. My fiancé's father took a job in KS years ago and once I was able, I followed. Fast forward: We've been here for five years now and it's just not for us. I tried to make it like an adventure when I first got here, but there's really not much. Being from the Pinelands, it's just depressing here. You go for a walk in a woodsy area and end up in someone's backyard five minutes later. There's really nothing to do other than shop, go places to eat and maybe visit the zoo. We have a couple of museums as well, but once you've been to them that's about it.

Now, we have a two month old son and what it really stems down to is neither of us are happy where we're at and we want to move somewhere where our son can have options other than just playing sports and going to the zoo. It also gets so hot here in the summer that on most days you can't go outside. We want him to experience things, such as camping and hiking, and raise him to appreciate the outdoors. (No, we're not hippies, so don't automatically assume Boulder lol.) Also, Colorado is a place where my family from the east coast would also relocate to, and my fiance's family would only be a drive away in KS, so it works out for everyone.

Here's the hard part. Since we're saving up for a wedding and have a two month old, our budget is limited. We could only pay about $700-$800 worth of rent (I know it's not a lot). We want to be somewhere where safe that's actually realistic and where we wouldn't have a terrible time getting a job. My fiancé is looking for apprenticeships and I work in a school setting with special needs. Any suggestions are appreciated! If you've made it this far, thank you!

[BornintheSprings]

I'd give Colorado Springs a look lots of jobs and in five to ten minutes you can be in the mountains if you want. It sounds like your an outdoors enthusiast so Colorado Springs will be perfect.

[NW Crow]

Colorado Springs is more affordable than Denver metro or northern CO; but if you need a 2 bedroom, $700-800 will be tough. $900 is about average there. Maybe lower for older, small or not great neighborhood. Pueblo, $800 is about average for 2 BRs. Canon City, $700 is around average. Could start in one of these two then move to Colorado Springs later. But see where you can get jobs.


2 bedrooms in Rapid City South Dakota run $800ish on average. Outdoor opportunities aplenty... with smaller mountains. Montrose CO should have 2 BRs in $800ish price point too.

[Dreaming of Hawaii]

OP, you need to take a good hard look at the realities of your situation, not just how nice it would be to live somewhere else.

Firstly, what kind of income does your family have? Your soon to be wife is "looking for apprenticeships". Not sure what that means -- does she currently have any income? What field is she looking at going into? Regarding your work -- are you a special needs teacher and do you have any credentials? Have you looked into what kinds of jobs you'd be able to get in Colorado with your experience and training?

Have you looked at the differences in cost of living between the larger front range cities and where you live now? I say "larger front range cities" because that's where you'll find more jobs. How much time have you spend reading through this forum to get an idea of how much income you'd need to live in Colorado?

$700-$800 rent is way too low.

[setthescenery]

Thank you this was very helpful! We could probably go higher to $900, but were just trying to see what options are available at that price point. Last time we went apartment searching in the Springs rent was lower than it is now. Thank you for all of your great suggestions! Much appreciated.

[BornintheSprings]

Originally Posted by setthescenery

Thank you this was very helpful! We could probably go higher to $900, but were just trying to see what options are available at that price point. Last time we went apartment searching in the Springs rent was lower than it is now. Thank you for all of your great suggestions! Much appreciated.

Theres plenty of deals to be had in the Springs just shop around.

[setthescenery]

Originally Posted by BornintheSprings

Theres plenty of deals to be had in the Springs just shop around.

Thank you for the encouragement!

[Dogmama50]

I think the Springs would be a good place too. As far as money goes, can you cut back on the wedding? If you can manage to cut a couple thousand for what would be one fun day to use for your relocation expenses that would make it much less stressful.

[MsMetal]

I live in the Springs & although it may suit your desires, it's also very conservative & religious, so keep that in mind. That may be fine with you & if it's not, it IS a big enough town that you can find like-minded people, but parts of the Springs are ultra conservative.

I don't rent & would have to check with a few people I know who do, but I'm thinking rents are more like $1000-1300/month. $700-800 sounds WAY low for a family. Also, rentals are very hard to find. Last I heard occupancy was around 98%, though that may have changed. Lots of people were displaced from the fires. You may do better renting a house, rather than an apt, but still your budget sounds too low.

Check out the Springs specific forum, as there was recently a thread abt renting, though I'm not sure if it got into costs.

[Dreaming of Hawaii]

Originally Posted by Dogmama50

I think the Springs would be a good place too. As far as money goes, can you cut back on the wedding? If you can manage to cut a couple thousand for what would be one fun day to use for your relocation expenses that would make it much less stressful.

I agree about the wedding. Real easy to get a marriage license and do a simple ceremony in Colorado without an officiant. Maybe family and friends are expecting a big "do", but your money would go a lot further if you saved it for the move. You could have a simple ceremony and give everyone something to say so they are involved. We got our wedding cake from Albertsons's and I made my own wedding dress.