my first move (Denver, Colorado Springs, Wheat Ridge: to rent, home, employment)

[newbies]

My boyfriend and I currently live in MN, we are both 24 and have decided to move to Colorado (hopefully by November this year) BUT, I have never been to CO, but something deep down makes me very interested, and is a place I would like to check out. I have heard nothing but positive feedback on moving out there.

The problem is, he is unemployed, and I have a job in healthcare which i imagine is just as easy to find over there as it is here. The problem with that is not about findng jobs, but that we have no direction. I think we could move just about anywhere and base our job decisions on where we move.

We dont have a lot of money, so traveling out there to tour some cities and check things out might be hard. We are going to stay with someone who lives in Wheatridge for a month or so and hope we can find a place we would like to live... but it sure would be nice to start looking for jobs and narrow it down before we get out there.

So here it is, we are in our 20s, love to be outdoors, we both snowboard, wakeboard, hike, play hockey, etc... of course not as much as we like to, but you know how it goes. We are down to earth, fun people. I dont like the big city, he doesnt like a small small town, but whatever... cost of living is more or less the same as it is here... pretty sure we would have to rent...

Any advice on where to check out??

[FoRuMRideR420]

arvada, lakewood, wheat ridge, golden......all close to downtown but also close to I-70 which is where all the main boardin resorts are at....i moved to arvada in november and lovin it ....easy commutes for the most part to where ever i want to go.... decent priced rent.....im payin bout 520$ but thats on the cheaper side.....hit me up if u got any questions

[Idunn]

Wheat Ridge, CO should make a good base of operations. While you might want to land on your feet running, it still might help to see a few areas in person first before deciding. By that I mean decide just what size town the two of you will compromise on, and whether in the mountains or not.

Maybe you'll end up in some place such as Silverton, CO or Durango, CO. But more likely somewhere along the Front Range, probably anywhere between Ft. Collins, CO in the north to Colorado Springs, CO to the south.

You might, however, wish to consider Summit County. Such resort towns as Breckenridge, CO are located there. This would require certain sacrifices, mostly in regard to economics. You would surely have an easier time locating employment and housing to your tastes in the much larger market of Denver, CO and its suburbs. In Summit County you'll probably end up with a smaller, more expensive dwelling. You'll probably also have to try harder to secure employment to your tastes.

The upside is you are IN the mountains. This just might work because the towns there are small enough to suite one of you, yet with many of the amenities that might be sufficient for the other. And Denver is but an hour's drive away, in good conditions. A great place for skier's and other outdoor enthusiast. You will be surrounded by people that share this same passion. If in skiing alone, I can assure you that it is far better to be there then join the majority who must make the journey.

Of course you could just as easily find some smaller community along the Front Range close enough to all big city amenities. Wherever you choose you'll probably spend most of your time, so wherever you might go or plan to, inevitably home is what you'll have, for good or ill.

[Katiana]

I have a different take on this whole plan. I have a daughter about your age, newbies. If she wanted to move 1000 miles away, to a place she'd never even seen, with no job plan, I would have some serious reservations.

You don't say what you do in health care. This is not the health care mecca that MN is. Jobs for everyone are more competitive here. What kind of work does your boyfriend do?

I think a vacation to Colorado would be a good idea. Look the place over. A lot of people from the midwest miss the greenery, the trees, the lakes and so forth. A lot of people from there love it here. Some are midway between those extremes. You'll get a feel for which category you are in. You'll also get a feel for what the job situation is here.

Sorry to rain on your parade, but that is the reality of the situation.

[breaksraver13]

There are several places.......the front range, of course, is going to be the cheapest and easiest to find jobs......it is pretty FLAT there with a view of the mountains in the distance.

Golden is nice......right at the foothills and as I see it, not to terribly expensive

As said above Summit county is Colorado's TRUE playground....but jobs are hard to come by for certain fields......I am having a hard time finding housing there that is pet friendly (believe it or not)....but Summit doesn't have all the to-do's that Denver and the front range have.

You really need to decide what you love more and which you will really use the most, the City or the Mountains....from there you will get a better response and idea of what to do.

[motoracer51]

It really sounds like you guys aren't really in any position to move. No money saved up ( I think you should have 6-12 months of living expenses saved) and you b/f has no job.

The only thing I suggest is that you guys visit first, and have your b/f see if he can get a job in the oil fields.

[CosmicWizard]

newbies wrote:

We dont have a lot of money, so traveling out there to tour some cities and check things out might be hard. We are going to stay with someone who lives in Wheatridge for a month or so and hope we can find a place we would like to live... but it sure would be nice to start looking for jobs and narrow it down before we get out there.

I strongly encourage you to SAVE some money first so that you can take the time to tour some cities and check things out. Making a big move to a place, sight unseen, relying only on comments that you read on a formum, could be a recipe for major disappointment or even worse. On the other hand, if you are comfortable with the risks involved, you might have the adventure of a lifetime. Be advised that the cost of living is higher in Colorado than in Minnesota, especially beyond the front range. Personally, I wouldn't want to be in Colorado without the means to live here, but thats my preference. You might enjoy living on the edge, waking up each day wondering where the money will come from to get you thru the day.

[DgoNative]

You guys sound like a bunch of old people! These guys are young, let them go and be adventurous. I moved across the country twice (both ends) with neither money saved or having toured the place prior, and I was fine. If it doesn't work out, oh well; they always have their hometown. Let's try and encourage them to finally move out of the place they never left rather than scare the crap out of them.

[CosmicWizard]

DgoNative wrote:

You guys sound like a bunch of old people! These guys are young, let them go and be adventurous. I moved across the country twice (both ends) with neither money saved or having toured the place prior, and I was fine. If it doesn't work out, oh well; they always have their hometown. Let's try and encourage them to finally move out of the place they never left rather than scare the crap out of them.

I am all in favor of ADVENTURE! I am not trying to kill their adventure or scare the crap out of them. If anyone becomes fearful from reading my post or any post in this thread, then perhaps they are not cut out to be adventurers. It's just words on a computer screen!

I hitch-hiked across the country on several occassions in the 70's with less than $100 in my pocket and never encountered a challenge that I was unable to deal with. I lived in many places that I knew little about prior to moving there. I have great confidence in my ability to handle whatever comes up. Not everyone is like that. Most people will feel more confident having a cash reserve.

[Katiana]

I agree with NewAgeRedneck. My DH and I came out here w/o jobs right after we got married. We did have a decent amount of savings, and we knew we might have to use them up job hunting.