Greeley Colorado (Denver, Colorado Springs, Fort Collins: housing, work, schools)

[mechanic]

We live in Missouri now and want to move to Colorado. I was looking at realtor.com and see new homes in the $120's . These homes are built in the 2000's and newer. Looks like it is cheaper to live there than it is in Denver, or Colorado Springs . I guess Pueblo would be the next cheaper place to live. We want to reduce the price of our house here in Missouri to make a quick sale from the $170's to the $150's. We would like to move by summer or sooner. Does anyone know anything about the Greeley area and why the houses are cheaper there?

[ryanek9freak]

The houses are cheap , cause it smells like cows. Everywhere.

[Mikieo415]

Funny you should ask, I was just there today. It reminded me of Ohio, the lay out, the architecture. People do say it smells, but I didn't notice it much today. Just a farm smell. I also heard the smell is worse in summer.

[Mike from back east]

Mechanic: Greeley is far enough away from Denver that home prices there are not influenced by close proximity or "bedroom community" dynamic that close-in burbs experience. It has a meat packing plant on the east edge of town that can be a bit fragrant, but I stayed in Greeley twice while house hunting and never noticed it. There are some feedlot operations nearby that may add their perfume to the atmosphere, but I rather like the smell of money and the taste of a fine steak or burger.

[j1n]

Originally Posted by ryanek9freak

The houses are cheap , cause it smells like cows. Everywhere.

I like cows. I can think of worse things to smell. I bet after you live there a week, you never even notice it anymore.

[mcolo]

Greeley is also not right against the mountains as most major cities in Colorado are. Its about 20 miles east of them. The further you get from the mountains, the cheaper the housing. Also, I've lived just outside Greeley. The smell from the feedlots usually comes around once or twice a month, its not as bad as most people make it out to be. But still those two factors make it less desirable than most other cities, therefore homes are cheaper. If you are looking into Greeley I recommend the west side of town. There are lots of nice houses out there.

[mrsarmy]

Mechanic:

I lived in Greeley for several years. If you decide to move there, I agree that you should stay on the West side of town. The houses are nicer, and most of the growth is headed that direction. Greeley is a farm community and has a meat packing plant and several feed lots. It is also surrounded by other farm communities. The smell is strong from time to time, and does seem to worsen in the summer with the heat. You are probably a 30 min or so drive from Fort Collins, which has hiking, rafting, etc.

I would caution you, though, that crime has recently become problem in some areas of the city (mostly on the east side of town). And, if you have children, the school district isn't that great. It has some good schools (mostly on the west side), though. If you are looking at Greeley as a place to live and work rather than its accessability to Denver, there are some bedroom communities popping up with reasonable house prices and better schools. Johnstown/Milliken, Eaton, and Kersey are all an easy commute to Greeley. They are also all growing.

We live in Colorado Springs now. It is possible to find a decent house for under $200k, but you really have to look. The Fountain area is growing, as are some of the areas just east of the city. I'm not too familliar with Pueblo, so I won't be much help there.

Best of luck!