Moving to Colorado... LOTS OF QUESTIONS!! Help! (Colorado Springs, Fort Collins: sales, renting)

[lowfreq13]

My wife, daughter and I are considering relocating from CA to Durango, CO and then eventually to the Fort Collins area. We've always loved Colorado for it's beautiful landscape, affordable cost of living and lack of congestion. However we have a lot of unanswered questions and since we don't know anyone in Colorado, we would like to hear your opinions.

Granted the cost of living in Colorado is significantly lower than in California, but can one really survive as a comfortable, middle class family going from California wages to Colorado wages? (I will be taking a $10 pay cut, $10,000 per year cut if I switch jobs and move to CO)

What's a good yearly salary to make in order to live comfortably, middle class, own a home, with shopping money and miscellaneous funds each month? $$$

My work would be in Farmington, New Mexico. Hows the drive from Durango to Farmington? How is life in Farmington and working in Farmington?

Gas, groceries, and utility costs?

What are the income taxes, sales tax, property tax?

How is the traffic (if there is any)?

Is there any crime? What are the worst places in terms of crime? Are there any areas in CO we should avoid?

How is life in Durango, CO?

How is life in Fort Collins, CO?

College in CO? What is considered the best?

Is there anything else I should know when considering moving to CO?

I will be visiting Durango shortly, is there anything I should check out while I'm there?

Any suggestions of your own would be greatly appreciated!

[sterlinggirl]

Originally Posted by lowfreq13

My wife, daughter and I are considering relocating from CA to Durango, CO and then eventually to the Fort Collins area. We've always loved Colorado for it's beautiful landscape, affordable cost of living and lack of congestion. However we have a lot of unanswered questions and since we don't know anyone in Colorado, we would like to hear your opinions.

Granted the cost of living in Colorado is significantly lower than in California, but can one really survive as a comfortable, middle class family going from California wages to Colorado wages? (I will be taking a $10 pay cut, $10,000 per year cut if I switch jobs and move to CO)

That depends where you live and how much you currently make.

What's a good yearly salary to make in order to live comfortably, middle class, own a home, with shopping money and miscellaneous funds each month? $$$

Again, it depends where you live

My work would be in Farmington, New Mexico. Hows the drive from Durango to Farmington? How is life in Farmington and working in Farmington?

That's a good question for the NM forum

Gas, groceries, and utility costs?

This varies widely on where you live and what you live in.

What are the income taxes, sales tax, property tax?

Not great, but not terrible

How is the traffic (if there is any)?

There isn't any

Is there any crime? What are the worst places in terms of crime? Are there any areas in CO we should avoid?

There has never been any crime here, except for the jaywalking incident.

How is life in Durango, CO?

Expensive and touristy

How is life in Fort Collins, CO?

Less expensive and touristy

College in CO? What is considered the best?

For what?

Is there anything else I should know when considering moving to CO?

We're all out of mayonnaise, could you pick some up on the way over?

I will be visiting Durango shortly, is there anything I should check out while I'm there?

The library has books that you can check out.

Any suggestions of your own would be greatly appreciated!

Drive over and see the areas you're thinking about. Check out prices and look at houses while you're there.

Answers to your questions are above.

[Shuffler]

What she said.....

[Bob from down south]

Originally Posted by lowfreq13

My wife, daughter and I are considering relocating from CA to Durango, CO and then eventually to the Fort Collins area. We've always loved Colorado for it's beautiful landscape, affordable cost of living and lack of congestion. However we have a lot of unanswered questions and since we don't know anyone in Colorado, we would like to hear your opinions.

Granted the cost of living in Colorado is significantly lower than in California, but can one really survive as a comfortable, middle class family going from California wages to Colorado wages? (I will be taking a $10 pay cut, $10,000 per year cut if I switch jobs and move to CO)

I don't think your assumption about the cost of living in CA being less than Durango, CO is founded in good analysis. Durango is an expensive place to live, and it's a long way from some things like many kinds of specialized medical care. I would suggest you have some more...a LOT more...homework to do.

Originally Posted by lowfreq13

What's a good yearly salary to make in order to live comfortably, middle class, own a home, with shopping money and miscellaneous funds each month? $$$

$147,933.46 per year. Gross.

Originally Posted by lowfreq13

My work would be in Farmington, New Mexico. Hows the drive from Durango to Farmington? How is life in Farmington and working in Farmington?

It's about an hour one-way on dangerous two-lane highways. Road maintenance on the NM side is hideously bad.

Farmington is a somewhat run-down small town with small-town feel.

Originally Posted by lowfreq13

Gas, groceries, and utility costs?

High, higher, and even higher still.

Originally Posted by lowfreq13

What are the income taxes, sales tax, property tax?

All available with a little internet searching. Like I said, you have some reseach to do. I won't be doing it for you. And you might consider looking at how much NM income tax is, as I'm certain you'll be paying them if you're working there.

Originally Posted by lowfreq13

How is the traffic (if there is any)?

Not too bad, except during special events like Durango Days in the summer.

Originally Posted by lowfreq13

Is there any crime? What are the worst places in terms of crime? Are there any areas in CO we should avoid?

Oh no, no crime at all. All the criminals live and work in Mancos.

Originally Posted by lowfreq13

How is life in Durango, CO?

If you're into outdoors stuff (hiking, biking, fishing, skiing etc), great. If going to the mall and having a large selection of local shops and restaurants to choose from is your cup of tea you'll be hating life in a matter of weeks.

Originally Posted by lowfreq13

How is life in Fort Collins, CO?

Very similar to life in Greeley, CO

Originally Posted by lowfreq13

College in CO? What is considered the best?

The Colorado School of Mines.

Originally Posted by lowfreq13

Is there anything else I should know when considering moving to CO?

We have a lot of Prairie Dogs here.

Originally Posted by lowfreq13

I will be visiting Durango shortly, is there anything I should check out while I'm there?

If you're there more than about 3 days, you'll have time to check out *everything* there.

Originally Posted by lowfreq13

Any suggestions of your own would be greatly appreciated!

Do...your...homework.

[jazzlover]

I agree--you need to do a lot more research.

Durango is NOT a cheap place to live. It may look cheap by California standards, but this ain't California (much as far too many people would like to make it that way). Wages and income are also often much less in Colorado.

As to commutes, I will be blunt: Anyone who sets themselves up for a 110 mile roundtrip commute in today's economic and energy environment is a fool, if they have any choice in the matter. As others have noted, the commute from Durango to Farmington is not an easy one over a dangerous two-lane highway. No doubt, many people will post that "Oh, a commute like that isn't that bad", etc., etc. When I used this "well, a lot of people do it" philosophy to make a convincing argument to my Dad, he would quote a saying that came out of the French Army's defeat at Waterloo, "Well, just because 70,000 Frenchmen made the same mistake, it's still a mistake."

By the way, for crime stats, living costs, etc. that compare between just about any two locations in the US, there is a competing website out there that makes those comparisons quite easily. Unfortunately, the moderators here won't allow it to be mentioned by name on C-D.

[mpsgirl]

You definitely have a lot of research to do still but I will tell you that you can make it on just about any salary. Before my husbands last deployment, we were living in a very affluent neighborhood in Colorado Springs, albeit renting, but still expensive, and at the time I was only working part time, and with his salary, we still did just fine. (He's military...we don't get paid well at all). It all depends on your spending habits. If you live within your means you'll be fine. At the time we were living just as well as some of our neighbors making $300K/yr and we didn't make hardly a fraction of that...because they weren't wise w/ their money. But, don't expect Colorado to be a "cheap" place to live. There are plenty of places around here that are on par w/ CA in terms of cost of living.

[motoracer51]

Stay in California.

Seriously though, California has the beautiful landscape and great weather. The affordable cost of living and lack of congestion here in Colorado is changing by the year, and eventually be like the place you left; mainly due to many people immigrating from other states such as yours.

[Terri722]

Originally Posted by lowfreq13

My wife, daughter and I are considering relocating from CA to Durango, CO and then eventually to the Fort Collins area. We've always loved Colorado for it's beautiful landscape, affordable cost of living and lack of congestion. However we have a lot of unanswered questions and since we don't know anyone in Colorado, we would like to hear your opinions.

Granted the cost of living in Colorado is significantly lower than in California, but can one really survive as a comfortable, middle class family going from California wages to Colorado wages? (I will be taking a $10 pay cut, $10,000 per year cut if I switch jobs and move to CO)

What's a good yearly salary to make in order to live comfortably, middle class, own a home, with shopping money and miscellaneous funds each month? $$$

My work would be in Farmington, New Mexico. Hows the drive from Durango to Farmington? How is life in Farmington and working in Farmington?

Gas, groceries, and utility costs?

What are the income taxes, sales tax, property tax?

How is the traffic (if there is any)?

Is there any crime? What are the worst places in terms of crime? Are there any areas in CO we should avoid?

How is life in Durango, CO?

How is life in Fort Collins, CO?

College in CO? What is considered the best?

Is there anything else I should know when considering moving to CO?

I will be visiting Durango shortly, is there anything I should check out while I'm there?

Any suggestions of your own would be greatly appreciated!

I can't believe you haven't gotten your a** chewed out for this list
of questions...but I can see that you are getting some silly answers
because if you ask questions, you are presumed retarded...research
this the best you can on your own and I have found...some really
good answers come from realtors...(not just the housing questions)
because they know the areas also...and are pretty helpful...I am
looking to move there too...and of course, there is crime...and
traffic...the more populated the area you choose...the more crime
...the more traffic...just makes sense...I have had some really
sweet people on here trying to help me with my questions...but
then you have people that are going to tell you that Colorado
is not a good choice...stay where you are at....you have to make
your own decision about that...part of the moving experience will
be just packing and going...and if you don't like it....leave...that
is what I have made up my mind to do...look at it as a new
adventure...if it isn't what I thought it would be....move again...
best of luck to you...

[synchro]

I used to make this commute from Bayfield to Farmington in 91 to 93. Traffic was Much
less then. I burned out after 3 years, also put a Lot of miles on the car, and hit a few deer. During the winter you drive both ways in the dark. The commute is made Much
worse by people who have no idea how to drive in winter conditions, but believe that
their 4wd makes them invinceable. If you work in Farmington, live in Farmington and
visit Durango. The cost of living in Durango is Very high.
I have lived in this area my whole life, we see lots of newcomers come and go.


"How do you leave Durango with a million dollars?


- "Bring two million and don't stay too long."