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Ok, after reading the first post of the OP, and not really replying to it, I will say this:
When we lived there, we had no problem finding things to do. From power boating/fishing on two reservoirs, rodeo action, going thru RMNP (on Trail Ridge Road to the highest point a vehicle can go in North America), County Fairs, the Elk "rut" in RMNP, Parker Days, the Christmas Parade in downtown Denver and a few other things.
Didn't realize just how much we've missed those things, until the last couple of years living here.........where none of those things are, except the fairs (which are smaller than in Colorado and Wyoming).
This is why we are seriously considering moving back, but to the northern area this time.
*An interesting note: we have a couple of states we are considering so I have posted similar questions elsewhere, and this state's forum is where I've received the most helpful responses
We are a straight couple, but it is important to us that we live in a place where all people and their diversities are welcomed and valued. So I'm thankful to know about the more conservative areas.
How far do people usually commute? Currently I commute only about 25 miles but due to the heavy Miami traffic, it takes me 60-90 minutes. I would commute again if I had to, but if I can avoid it, that would be wonderful.
Also (given that it's hurricane season), what kinds of disasters happen in CO?.... the general climate would be similar for us, coming from Michigan (Michigan can have extreme hot and cold but aside from the occasional winter blizzard or rare tornado, we don't have huge disasters typically), and currently we live only a few miles inland from the Atlantic so we are near the evacuation border.. We've learned a ton about hurricane season/preparing/responding/etc and so I'm interested to know what to plan for.
I'm used to driving in snow, having come from MI. I am a little worried about the hills (where I lived in MI was flat mostly) but I can get used to that.
Sounds like areas we need to explore are: Loveland, Lakewood, Aurora.
*An interesting note: we have a couple of states we are considering so I have posted similar questions elsewhere, and this state's forum is where I've received the most helpful responses
We are a straight couple, but it is important to us that we live in a place where all people and their diversities are welcomed and valued. So I'm thankful to know about the more conservative areas.
How far do people usually commute? Currently I commute only about 25 miles but due to the heavy Miami traffic, it takes me 60-90 minutes. I would commute again if I had to, but if I can avoid it, that would be wonderful.
Also (given that it's hurricane season), what kinds of disasters happen in CO?.... the general climate would be similar for us, coming from Michigan (Michigan can have extreme hot and cold but aside from the occasional winter blizzard or rare tornado, we don't have huge disasters typically), and currently we live only a few miles inland from the Atlantic so we are near the evacuation border.. We've learned a ton about hurricane season/preparing/responding/etc and so I'm interested to know what to plan for.
I'm used to driving in snow, having come from MI. I am a little worried about the hills (where I lived in MI was flat mostly) but I can get used to that.
Sounds like areas we need to explore are: Loveland, Lakewood, Aurora.
What about Boulder? Fort Collins?
The general climate in Colorado is NOT like Michigan! Denver is flat.
We are sunny and dry most of the time with very low humidity. This is the high desert.
Drought causing mountain wildfires is the biggest problem we face IMO. While the city is not at threat of being burned, smoke can pour down in to town and make the air very unpleasant. Spring hailstorms are probably the biggest threat for property damage. Be sure you have adequate coverage on your home and vehicle or you may get stuck paying for a new roof and driving a heavily dented car.
We do get occasional arctic cold snaps and blizzards. Very occasional tornado touchdowns in town, but the mountains seem to not allow for the big tornadoes that can hit the eastern plains.
*An interesting note: we have a couple of states we are considering so I have posted similar questions elsewhere, and this state's forum is where I've received the most helpful responses
We are a straight couple, but it is important to us that we live in a place where all people and their diversities are welcomed and valued. So I'm thankful to know about the more conservative areas.
How far do people usually commute? Currently I commute only about 25 miles but due to the heavy Miami traffic, it takes me 60-90 minutes. I would commute again if I had to, but if I can avoid it, that would be wonderful.
Also (given that it's hurricane season), what kinds of disasters happen in CO?.... the general climate would be similar for us, coming from Michigan (Michigan can have extreme hot and cold but aside from the occasional winter blizzard or rare tornado, we don't have huge disasters typically), and currently we live only a few miles inland from the Atlantic so we are near the evacuation border.. We've learned a ton about hurricane season/preparing/responding/etc and so I'm interested to know what to plan for.
I'm used to driving in snow, having come from MI. I am a little worried about the hills (where I lived in MI was flat mostly) but I can get used to that.
Sounds like areas we need to explore are: Loveland, Lakewood, Aurora.
What about Boulder? Fort Collins?
I think most people commute from 0 (work at home) to 20 miles or so. People don't like super-long commutes b/c the winter driving can be a bear.
"Blizzards" are not quite the same here as I experienced in Illinois. We don't even get a big dump every year. (Now my punishment for saying that will be that we get 2 or 3 this year.) Tornadoes are milder here, too than in IL.
What attracts you to those three cities, particularly Loveland which doesn't sound like it would have much for either of you? Boulder is not great for health care (one community hospital). There may be something in the CU biology dept. for the partner. Ft. Collins ditto for you, maybe something in the CSU bio dept. for the partner.
Guess it depends on from where one's perspective originated. Where from originally, may I ask? Yes, once one develops friendships here, they are as meaningful as anywhere, but they do take longer to develop in my opinion, compared to other areas I've lived, including the midwest, the south and abroad. I don't see midwest friendliness as superficial at all, but on the contrary quite authentic for the most part. That said, the lack of 'in your face' outward friendliness here is also authentic, imo.
I've lived many different places. The one I was comparing CO with was Mpls/St. Paul. In most of the others, I was a kid. I also lived in the Cleveland burbs for many years & rural MD for 2. I remember when I first moved to Mpls, at around age 15-16, that the kids were incredibly friendly. I was used to moving every 2 yrs, so it had been very difficult to make friends & the Mpls burb kids definitely stood out. It was the first time in my life people came & introduced themselves to me & it was in stark contrast to MD.
WHen I think harder about it, I def developed some close friendships in Mpls, particularly with friends at work. Some of those have actually been lifelong friendships. At our last house there, the neighbors all decided to get to know each other & do something together a few times a year. Which was very nice & very social, on the surface, but I never felt like we really knew any of them except on a superficial level or that they could be called in an emergency.
Even before I moved to CO, I spent a lot of time in Denver on business, with different clients & I was always struck by how friendly they were. I traveled all over & only in Denver, did the clients frequently invite us out after hours, invited us to concerts & dinners or out for drinks with a group & they struck me as so genuine. I remember visiting Denver & being at Costco with an employee of mine & his wife & the whole vibe was just different, strangers kept starting up convos, insisting we go in front of them in line, that kind of thing. The guy I was with though, he was that kind of guy, so maybe he attracted it.
I will say that I've had to worker harder here b/c we moved here only knowing 1 person & we have no kids & work at home, so it's been very difficult to meet people. So, I had to really work hard & make a concerted effort to make friends & maybe that's why I view them as deeper, more real friendships? Perhaps it's simply b/c I worked so hard for it. I never had to work to make friends in Mpls.
IDK, it all boils down to personal experiences & perspectives. My experience was just different than yours, that's all. Certainly not questioning yours :-)
Boulder is also VERY expensive. More so than Denver.
Here in the Springs, people tend to commute a lot less, b/c it's a much smaller town (tho' it's geographically quite large), tho' there are people who commute from the north end of the Springs to Denver. The Springs does not have anywhere near the traffic problems & saturation of people that Denver does. Tho' it has it's own share of issues & the commute to Denver is a big one that's getting a lot of attention lately. Jobs are not plentiful down here, but I will say that we have really quite decent healthcare, 2 big hospital systems & due to the quality of life, a metric ton of "sports injury" specialists. In other words, healthcare may be one field where you'd do ok down here. I do not know how salaries compare, but I can tell you that for IT, the jobs & salaries down here are a joke. Denver traffic has become a nightmare, but I'll let someone who lives up there say how long the commutes are in general. In the Springs, a 20 minute commute would be pretty long & we don't really have much of a 'rush hour'. It's small town in many ways, even tho' it's not that small of a town anymore.
I agree with Katarina on the weather. Wildfires are the big natural disasters. The tornadoes are cute. Yes, cute. Having lived at the top end of tornado alley, the tornadoes that hit here maybe take out a fence. Also, they tend to start just east of the city, where it's plains, so even the F2's (as high as they tend to get here) never cause serious damage. Katarina is right that blizzards are very different, as is the prediction of blizzards. That was & still is a HUGE difference to the midwest. The mountains cause forecasting to be much more of a guess, than a prediction, so often we don't know what the weather will be, until it happens. The biggest snowstorms we get are a circular storm called an ABQ low & a difference in 50 miles of where the storm path hits, can often mean the difference between an inch & a foot. That takes some getting used to & being prepared if you're travelling. Also sometimes sections of the freeway will close down due to winter weather, particularly between the Springs & Denver.
Because Denver metro is BIG, I think more jobs are available. I doubt very seriously if you two would want to drive to Denver metro daily for a job, especially during winter. I drove from Parker to Denver (28 miles each way) for the job I had. Thing is, Loveland and Ft Collins are further than 28 miles from Denver.
And, Denver's diversity is more than either Loveland or Ft Collins. That is, if "diversity" is a high requirement for you. Look up "diversity" and "demographics" for these cities.
Boulder is also VERY expensive. More so than Denver.
Here in the Springs, people tend to commute a lot less, b/c it's a much smaller town (tho' it's geographically quite large), tho' there are people who commute from the north end of the Springs to Denver. The Springs does not have anywhere near the traffic problems & saturation of people that Denver does. Tho' it has it's own share of issues & the commute to Denver is a big one that's getting a lot of attention lately. Jobs are not plentiful down here, but I will say that we have really quite decent healthcare, 2 big hospital systems & due to the quality of life, a metric ton of "sports injury" specialists. In other words, healthcare may be one field where you'd do ok down here. I do not know how salaries compare, but I can tell you that for IT, the jobs & salaries down here are a joke. Denver traffic has become a nightmare, but I'll let someone who lives up there say how long the commutes are in general. In the Springs, a 20 minute commute would be pretty long & we don't really have much of a 'rush hour'. It's small town in many ways, even tho' it's not that small of a town anymore.
I agree with Katarina on the weather. Wildfires are the big natural disasters. The tornadoes are cute. Yes, cute. Having lived at the top end of tornado alley, the tornadoes that hit here maybe take out a fence. Also, they tend to start just east of the city, where it's plains, so even the F2's (as high as they tend to get here) never cause serious damage. Katarina is right that blizzards are very different, as is the prediction of blizzards. That was & still is a HUGE difference to the midwest. The mountains cause forecasting to be much more of a guess, than a prediction, so often we don't know what the weather will be, until it happens. The biggest snowstorms we get are a circular storm called an ABQ low & a difference in 50 miles of where the storm path hits, can often mean the difference between an inch & a foot. That takes some getting used to & being prepared if you're travelling. Also sometimes sections of the freeway will close down due to winter weather, particularly between the Springs & Denver.
There are parts of Denver that are as expensive as the most expensive neighborhoods in Boulder. There are also areas of Boulder with more reasonably priced housing, though it's still usually more than for a similar house somewhere else. There are also several suburbs of Boulder with more reasonable priced housing should a job be procured in Boulder.
My daughter lived in Springs for a while, worked in health care. You're right, people thought she was driving a long way to work though it was probably about 20 minutes. I think the wages are comparable to Denver for PTs.
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I am a little worried about the hills (where I lived in MI was flat mostly) but I can get used to that. 
