Plan to move to Colorado. Advice and details? (Denver, Colorado Springs: apartments, rental)

[Gonzalez11]

Hello Everyone,

My girlfriend and I are in our mid twenties, college graduates and already working up the corporate ladder here in Silicon Valley Bay Area, California. 3+ years of corporate experience each. Finance degree and Psych degree. We have a current combined income of $130k a year (Could be more if we looked for new work). Myself working in Finance for Semi-conductor manufacturing also with previous government finance experience (City of San Jose Finance), and girlfriend working as Corporate Security Coordinator for a major tech company in Silicon Valley.

Fixed debt is around $30k total, her student loan and small car loan which isn't much of a problem with monthly payments. Current combined savings of $30k in the bank looking to start a new life away from Silicon Valley. It is just becoming way to expensive to live here and losing hope of ever being able to afford a home and enjoy our lives.

We aren't a fan of the big investors here inflating the housing prices. We both grew up in small towns and enjoy just being outside and enjoying life away from the mess of heavily over populated and over price Bay Area.Truth is we want to enjoy life knowing we will be able to afford a decent living, we are very simple people that enjoy good people and the wonderful outdoors. We are interested in family communities.

We would greatly appreciate some advice on where to live and the right job market to be near. Considering we both have corporate work experience, it's safe to say we probably have to be somewhere near Denver for work. What would you suggest of cities to live with good cost of living and a good family communities with outdoor activities? Our ideal day is being able to enjoy a home with a dog, hiking, and biking.

FYI we don't plan to come "Californicate" Colorado, we want to enjoy the area for what it is and not try to change it. I spent a lot of time in Colorado when I was younger and fell in love with the beautiful state and its nature. Only plan is to enjoy life away from Silicon Valley and make new friends that share our same dreams.

Any advice on where to start our new life is greatly appreciated and would love to hear everyone's input. Thanks everyone!

[NW Crow]

Take a look at Broomfield, Louisville & Lafayette. If not there, move in closer or possibly out further.

[wilberry]

Windsor !

[ponyupgrl]

Are you going to find jobs here first? In that case, job location would probably dictate to an extent where you would live... but your major cities/ hubs will be Denver, Boulder, Fort Collins, and Colorado Springs. When you say "Family Community," are you looking for something more suburb-ey i.e. somewhere you'd raise kids eventually? I'm not super familiar with your industries - are salaries here comparable to the Bay Area ones? What's your housing budget?

There are a LOT of neighborhoods all over the Front Range that have walking/ hiking paths walking distance from your house. Note that a lot of these are more of a suburb vs. "small town" feel.

We made the same move from Bay Area last year (we're 20s/ 30s) and our only regret is not moving sooner :-)

[Gonzalez11]

Thanks! Yes we will be looking for work first as always. Work is top priority. @ponyupgrl We would love to hear more about your experiences of your move from the bay area!

We are looking for more of a suburban environment for raising kids later on. We're young in mid twenties so definitely want to adventure while we can. Bay Area salaries probably won't compare since cost of living is so high. Recommended house hold income here is around $150k+ now just to survive. To own a decent home definitely above 200k a year.

We currently net about 2k a month in savings after expenses. Combined monthly take home is around $6400 net after taxes and deductions. So we could budget around 1200-1400 a month in rent at Colorado wages. Rents here are above $2000 a month.

[MsBall]

Originally Posted by Gonzalez11

Thanks! Yes we will be looking for work first as always. Work is top priority. @ponyupgrl We would love to hear more about your experiences of your move from the bay area!

We are looking for more of a suburban environment for raising kids later on. We're young in mid twenties so definitely want to adventure while we can. Bay Area salaries probably won't compare since cost of living is so high. Recommended house hold income here is around $150k+ now just to survive. To own a decent home definitely above 200k a year.

We currently net about 2k a month in savings after expenses. Combined monthly take home is around $6400 net after taxes and deductions. So we could budget around 1200-1400 a month in rent at Colorado wages. Rents here are above $2000 a month.

You need to do more research regarding rental prices for the area. I was paying $1970 for my 2 bedroom apartment in Littleton. 1 bedroom apartments in my complex were $1400-1600.

[otowi]

Your rent expectations would probably work well in Colorado Springs.

[Gonzalez11]

If we can earn similar wages as we do here we can definitely be more flexible. Up to $400-500 more flexible. I'm speaking in relativity to cost of living. If other amenities are cheaper there (Food, gas, utilities) then that grants even more flexibility.

[Thoreau424]

Originally Posted by Gonzalez11

So we could budget around 1200-1400 a month in rent at Colorado wages.

In general, Colorado isn't that affordable. It's unlikely that you'll find anything along the lines of Silicon Valley, even at higher pay brackets. Hopefully you have visited CO recently to see if it fits your expectations and preferences; or will be doing before getting too deep into your plans. Keep in mind also the weather extremes here due to dry conditions, including anything from sub-zero to 90s+. The Silicon Valley has rather moderated temperatures in contrast. There's more to these kinds of moves than just working and jobs.

[Gonzalez11]

Yes we understand the weather conditions and have experiences them in the different seasons. Bay area doesn't have seasons. We have summer and kinda summer year round. This year's rain was just a fluke. Meteorologists already forecasting another draught here. And yes I understand the super dry climate.

We are looking forward to seasons. Even if that means winter storms and summer heat waves. I've visited 42 states throughout my life and Colorado was the only state I actually enjoyed. Montana was nice too but too expensive. I've even endured Buffalo new York's and Michigans winter storms and sub zero freezes. Colorado winters were a walk in the park compared to far East. Colorado is beautiful. I understand no-one wants us Californians to migrate there or Californicate it, but we plan to adapt, not change what's great about the state.

Also this wasn't just the spur the moment thing. We have been saving money and planning this for almost 3 years now. Also going to adjust our rent budget. We're paying 2k now we can safely afford $1600+