Where to? (Denver, Colorado Springs, Aurora: apartment, rentals, condo)

[TurcoLoco]

Hello Everyone,

After 2 years in Phoenix, AZ, I realized it was not a place where I would like to settle down and buy property at, so I decided to relocate. CO seems to get a lot of praises from former residents and people who moved there.

I used to live in So Cal but it got too crowded and too expensive for me to live a decent, comfortable yet low-key lifestyle. I tried Phoenix, not my cup of tea.

I am a single 37yo male in IT field with close to 10 years of professional experience. Once settled and got a decent paying job, within a year or two, I will look into buying a place of my own.
That said, what city/area would be most suitable for me Denver? Colorado Springs? Fort Collins?

Thanks in advance for all those who provided feedback!

[2bindenver]

yes. any of the above. Add Broomfield/Boulder to your list.

[TurcoLoco]

Originally Posted by 2bindenver

yes. any of the above. Add Broomfield/Boulder to your list.

Boulder seems like a suburb of Denver is not very close.
My main concern was finding a job, no contract position, direct hire, permanent position. Where would I be better of with better paying IT jobs? Are all those cities equally good or ...? Also lower rentals/houses too.

[vegaspilgrim]

Hello there, TurcoLoco! Nice to see you here on the Colorado forum-- in my territory. What is it in particular that you dislike about living in Phoenix? Your answer to that question may help steer you in one direction or another.

[Charles]

Originally Posted by TurcoLoco

Once settled and got a decent paying job,


That said, what city/area would be most suitable for me Denver? Colorado Springs? Fort Collins?

Do you think you will have the luxury of receiving offers in all three places (and have to make a choice)? Why not just go (rent) to where you get a job?

Denver: Has just about everything for everyone (families, singles, more diversity)
Colorado Springs: A less dimensional than Denver (seems more family oriented)

Living in the north Springs can put you in a commutable position to both COS and DEN.

[tfox]

TurcoLoco, IT jobs are primarily found in the following areas: Denver Tech Center / Suburban SE corridor (along I-25 South between about I-225 down to Lincoln), Downtown Denver, Broomfield (around US-36 and StorageTek Dr), and Boulder itself. (I'd say roughly in that order). The areas I just mentioned probably account for 80% of the IT jobs in the state. Secondary places to look would be Colorado Springs, Lakewood/Golden, Fort Collins, and Longmont (which gets quite a bit of spillover from Boulder).

In practice, you really have to "commit" to jobs on the north side Broomfield/Boulder/Longmont, or the south side (DTC), as it's hard to live anywhere that you can commute to both. Downtown Denver would be accessible to either the north or the south.

[TurcoLoco]

Originally Posted by vegaspilgrim

Hello there, TurcoLoco! Nice to see you here on the Colorado forum-- in my territory. What is it in particular that you dislike about living in Phoenix? Your answer to that question may help steer you in one direction or another.

Hey there VP! I didn't know this is where you 'hang out' at. Anyhow, I shouldn't say I hate Phoenix and I don't but I do not see myself buying a house here and settling down.
Main reason: IT jobs in Phoenix, how can I put this in a brief and elegant way, they suck! Most of them are contract or contract-to-hire which I totally hate. They do not pay well either. Actually from what I am seeing, most pay really bad under the "cost of living is so low in Phoenix" BS. I have been looking for a better paying job (my current one is OK at best) with room to advance (current job has none locally), bunch of Call Center like Support or administration with ridiculous experience and qualification required but the pay is laughable!

Needless to say, Summers got to me too! I also got weird allergies that I never had before. I like the heat but it is just a bit too much and too long. I can't say I like the vibe in this city either, East Valley is a cheap, lame imitation of So Cal imho which I couldn't stand in the first place. The city is a bit too spread out and crowded for my taste yet not vibrant enough.

Originally Posted by Charles

Do you think you will have the luxury of receiving offers in all three places (and have to make a choice)? Why not just go (rent) to where you get a job?

Were you being curious or sarcastic?
I, honestly do not know. It seems very hard to find a job without moving and I don't see any company being interested in remote candidates or pay for relocation fees, etc. Most IT jobs even the decent ones, prefer and hire local candidates. At least that was the case when I was relocating from So Cal to Phoenix. I had to show a Phoenix address on my online resume to get interviews. I figured if I knew where I was going to work, then looking for a place to stay would be very easy. Also, I think it'd be much harder to rent a place without a job, no?
I am thinking about renting a 1 or 2 bedroom condo with a backyard so I can cut wood for the fireplace and the dog I am dying to get would have a place to run and poop. I really dislike apartment living. I much rather share a 2/3-bedroom condo with another cool guy/girl, as long as the place has a 2-car garage and a backyard.

Denver: Has just about everything for everyone (families, singles, more diversity)
Colorado Springs: A less dimensional than Denver (seems more family oriented)

Living in the north Springs can put you in a commutable position to both COS and DEN.

Thanks for the tips, I guess Denver will be a more ideal spot for me, at least at the beginning.

Originally Posted by tfox

TurcoLoco, IT jobs are primarily found in the following areas: Denver Tech Center / Suburban SE corridor (along I-25 South between about I-225 down to Lincoln), Downtown Denver, Broomfield (around US-36 and StorageTek Dr), and Boulder itself. (I'd say roughly in that order). The areas I just mentioned probably account for 80% of the IT jobs in the state. Secondary places to look would be Colorado Springs, Lakewood/Golden, Fort Collins, and Longmont (which gets quite a bit of spillover from Boulder).

In practice, you really have to "commit" to jobs on the north side Broomfield/Boulder/Longmont, or the south side (DTC), as it's hard to live anywhere that you can commute to both. Downtown Denver would be accessible to either the north or the south.

Thanks tfox, really good info (assuming it is accurate, if not we will settle this once I moved there ), but seriously, I really do appreciate this info, I am sure it will come in handy when I am searching for jobs.

[vegaspilgrim]

Originally Posted by TurcoLoco

Hey there VP! I didn't know this is where you 'hang out' at. Anyhow, I shouldn't say I hate Phoenix and I don't but I do not see myself buying a house here and settling down.
Main reason: IT jobs in Phoenix, how can I put this in a brief and elegant way, they suck! Most of them are contract or contract-to-hire which I totally hate. They do not pay well either. Actually from what I am seeing, most pay really bad under the "cost of living is so low in Phoenix" BS. I have been looking for a better paying job (my current one is OK at best) with room to advance (current job has none locally), bunch of Call Center like Support or administration with ridiculous experience and qualification required but the pay is laughable!

If you search for threads relating to IT jobs in Denver and other parts of the Front Range on this website, you'll find almost the same exact complaints. People here have been saying it takes months just to find a job. In fact, I'd venture to say that IT is the hardest field in Denver right now to get into. Denver (and Ft Collins, Colo Springs, Boulder, etc) has the same problem/ feature as Phoenix where that people choose to live/move to Denver for other than purely economic reasons. If IT jobs are your #1 concern I think you're looking at the wrong place.

[TurcoLoco]

Originally Posted by vegaspilgrim

If you search for threads relating to IT jobs in Denver and other parts of the Front Range on this website, you'll find almost the same exact complaints. People here have been saying it takes months just to find a job. In fact, I'd venture to say that IT is the hardest field in Denver right now to get into. Denver (and Ft Collins, Colo Springs, Boulder, etc) has the same problem/ feature as Phoenix where that people choose to live/move to Denver for other than purely economic reasons. If IT jobs are your #1 concern I think you're looking at the wrong place.

Well, i have been in the field for a good amount of time and dare I say it, I am pretty good at what I do, so if there are IT jobs available and they are paying well for a worthy candidate then I am not too worried.
Denver is probably suffering from the same issue where the market is saturated with many IT professionals but in reality, majority of those so-called "IT professional" have no business calling them an IT professional, if you catch my drift?
I think finding a job is important wherever a person may go. I personally wouldn't mind becoming a coctail waitress but considering my built and hairy legs, I don't think I'd do too well in a skirt and tank top with a tray in my hand.
I really do not mind a career change, as long as I made decent enough to live a normal, low-key life. As a matter of fact, that'd probably be even better so I could actually find the time, energy and more importantly the desire to work on computer related projects that I generally push aside due to being burned out since I do work in the field.
I have glanced at monster.com and it didn't looked too bad. I am in System Administration and Desktop Support but my background and training was on Network yet I have been working as a software/system analyst for many years, I became an expert supporting complex applications, etc. so I am quite versatile and should be able to find a job but of course, without relocating first, no one seems to want to even schedule an interview.

[TurcoLoco]

So, tfox/VegasPilgrim, do you think the area where tfox mentioned would be good area to live in as well? It looks like it borders Englewood and Aurora (Wayne's World?), are those decent areas to live in?
Where should I look for a place to rent condo or apartment wise without having to commute more than 30mins?

I appreciate all help so far!