Small to medium size city (Denver, Colorado Springs: 2015, buying a home, buying)

[Rasputinsmom]

We are a family of four living in Phoenix Arizona and the excessive heat has been horrible for my asthmatic condition. When the heat reaches over 100 degrees, I have a lot of difficulty breathing properly.

We have decided to move state and hoping to find a small-medium size town/city to call home.

We are hoping not to pay more then $1800 per month rent. After one year we will look at buying a home.

We definitely do not want to move in to another big city like Phoenix. We have two teens (13 and 15) who homeschool, so schools are not an issue.

We love tiny coffee shops and flea markets ....not too big on hiking etc. We do own a small business, so we do have something to fall back on until my husband finds work.

He has worked in law offices and he has a series 7. We would love a place that has four seasons and ofcourse the kids want snow!

Any suggestions or recommendations would be gladly appreciated.

[davebarnes]

Grand Junction
Fort Collins (greater)
Colorado Springs

[Dreaming of Hawaii]

Just curious. What is a "series 7"?

What do you consider to be a small to medium size town or city? Any population cap?

Is proximity to good medical care important?

You may consider someplace like Woodland Park, and your husband could commute to work in Colorado Springs.

[LHS79]

Originally Posted by Dreaming of Hawaii

Just curious. What is a "series 7"?

What do you consider to be a small to medium size town or city? Any population cap?

Is proximity to good medical care important?

You may consider someplace like Woodland Park, and your husband could commute to work in Colorado Springs.

Pretty sure a Series 7 is a stockbroker/financial advisor license of some sort.

[Rasputinsmom]

Originally Posted by Dreaming of Hawaii

Just curious. What is a "series 7"?

What do you consider to be a small to medium size town or city? Any population cap?

Is proximity to good medical care important?

You may consider someplace like Woodland Park, and your husband could commute to work in Colorado Springs.

The Series 7 is an exam and license that entitles the holder to sell all types of securities products except commodities and futures. The Series 7 exam covers topics on investment risk, taxation, equity and debt instruments, packaged securities, options, and retirement plans.

[interloper1138]

I'm curious if a higher elevation town would affect OP's asthma even more than the heat already does? Just a thought. Maybe not an issue at all in lower spots like Grand Junction.

[jim9251]

And it never gets to 100 degrees in Junction...

Anyway, might look at Montrose population 20,000ish, close to everything. If you want a small town in the mountains look at Ridgway or Ouray.

Good luck.

[bluescreen73]

Originally Posted by jim9251

And it never gets to 100 degrees in Junction...
Anyway, might look at Montrose population 20,000ish, close to everything. If you want a small town in the mountains look at Ridgway or Ouray.

Good luck.

I think you're being facetious, or at least I hope you are. It doesn't happen nearly as often as Phoenix, but Junction does average a handful of days with triple-digit heat every year (roughly 6).

Since schools aren't a consideration, there are a few non-resort towns on the Western Slope that might fit the bill (including Jim's recommendation of Montrose). Craig could work, but it's somewhat of a dusty western-type of town. Rifle is a possibility as well.

It should be noted that Grand Junction is the only city on the Western Slope with a population above 50,000. After that, Clifton (part of Junction metro), Montrose, and Durango are the only other cities at/near 20,000.

There are a handful of small airports on the Western Slope, but the number of flights/destinations are limited, some of them only offer service during ski season, and fares are often noticeably higher than they would be flying out of Denver.

[otowi]

Do you know if high elevation effects your asthma? A lot of the cities here can get over 100 - Grand Junction and Pueblo are probably the hottest medium-sized cities here. You might fare a little better going higher in elevation if that doesn't effect your asthma, or going further north. Is there a particular reason you're looking at Colorado?

[COcheesehead]

Originally Posted by interloper1138

I'm curious if a higher elevation town would affect OP's asthma even more than the heat already does? Just a thought. Maybe not an issue at all in lower spots like Grand Junction.

GJ is 4700 feet, so its not really all that low. I know some folks that moved to Pueblo at around 4200 feet because of breathing issues, but both towns get hot in summer. Maybe Colorado isn't the best option.