Colorado, where oh where to go? (Denver, Colorado Springs: 2009, crime, homes)

[topaz3335]

So I'm seriously thinking about making a move to Colorado. I've just finished graduate school and seeing as I've been a bit itinerant for most of my life, I'd like to attempt settling down and see how it works. And I think Colorado might be the place. I've only been once, to Denver, to visit my cousin, but I very much liked it and I'm just more inclined towards the west, as I've lived out there for most of my life. So I'm hoping you guys can give me some suggestions of potential towns and cities that I can head out and visit in the next few months before the big move!

I'm looking for something with great natural setting, valleys, meadows, anyplace that's as green as the west can be. I love the mountains and although I am definitely not a skier, I just like being near them. Population size doesn't matter too much to me, but I am happier in smaller cities or larger towns-having recently lived in Chicago I've found big cities to be just a little too unmanageable in my opinion. Denver might be a bit large for my tastes, but anything under 5,000 or so might be a tad too small, so something in between is probably best. But I'm not looking for the suburbs of a larger city, I'd like it to a stand alone place. If it's a smaller place, like under 10,000 or rural, it'd be great to be within good driving distance of a bigger city, just for convenience sake.

A nice downtown is a must, an historic downtown is a major plus, but it doesn't have to be big, just have enough around to make life livable: restaurants, hardware stores/grocery stores, post office, shops, you know. But the most important thing I need are good schools. I prefer public schools but if there are decent private or chartered schools around that would definitely be an option, they just need to have good teacher:student ratios, extra-curricular options, etc. My little one is not in school yet, but she will be soon and I'd like to have options when the time comes! And it needs to be safe. I know Colorado is a safe state and most places are safer than Chicago, but I'm a single parent. I need to feel safe in both my town and home. Really, I'd like to have a place where my kid could have a real 'huck finny' type childhood.

I'm a psych nurse practitioner and there are openings I have looked into throughout the state, so I don't think finding employment will be overly difficult (at least I hope it won't), but being closer (like within 20-30 miles) to a medical center would be a bonus-would make the commute easier and hopefully help with finding a job.

I think that's all for now. I know it's a lot, but I thought it'd be better to get more info. out there rather than less...oh, I'm looking to buy property rather than rent. Single family around 500-600K max, with some land (not a ton). Ok, that's all. Thanks in advance and I look forward to hearing what you guys have to say!

[treedonkey]

You're the 6,867,459th poster to lead off with 'I'm seriously considering moving to Colorado...' but you're the first one, fresh out of college, with 500-600k to blow on a house, so that does make you rather unique...

So, your prize is........................... (drum-roll) ................
Some free advice.

There are several cities out here that may suit your needs but most of the more populous ones are suburbs or bedroom communities of the larger cities, mainly Denver and COS. Also, you mentioned some place 'as green as the west can be' which does not really fit Colorado. It's been pretty dar green this year, but that's very unusual. The grasses usually turn brown about a month or two later than CA does. The deciduous trees will of course remain green until fall and he evergreens will of course stay green unless the Pine bark Beetle or wildfire or something else wreaks havoc upon them.

It sounds like you have some good opportunities for work out here. Why don;t you see if you can narrow down your choices based on job offers and then we'll be able to provide plenty of location-specific info from there.

[80skeys]

Originally Posted by topaz3335

I'm looking for something with great natural setting, valleys, meadows, anyplace that's as green as the west can be.

From that statement alone we can rule out everywhere in Colorado except a few areas right smack in the middle of the mountains. Forget about Denver, Pueblo, the Western slope, the Plains, etc.

Green places that come to mind are:
Granby, Aspen, Estes Park, Winter Park, the foothills of Littleton, parts of Boulder, Basalt, the Roaring Fork valley, glenwood springs. There's surely others but those are the first I think of. Colorado is a dry state, and with the exception of these places, is brown and devoid of green lushness.

And it needs to be safe. I know Colorado is a safe state and most places are safer than Chicago, but I'm a single parent. I need to feel safe in both my town and home. Really, I'd like to have a place where my kid could have a real 'huck finny' type childhood.

Most places in CO should be safe enough for your needs.

Thanks in advance and I look forward to hearing what you guys have to say!

If I get the drift of what you're saying, you're looking for an ideal sort of mountain setting, beautiful and lush. In Colorado I would suggest looking at the places I mentioned above. I would also suggest looking at more "typically" green states such as the Pacific NW or the Smoky Mountain / Appalachain states of the East (Virginia, Kentucky, etc.) which are much more green than here.

[jazzlover]

This post is so idealistic as to be laughable. First, I seriously doubt there are a lot of psych nurse jobs in the state--there are not that many facilities--especially outside of the metro areas--that have many openings (or any positions) in that area. With the budget crunch that is decimating state and local governments, I suspect many government-supported facilities have or will institute hiring freezes to boot.

Second, the OP wants something "safe." Well, safe is relative. No, Colorado is not East L.A., but many Colorado communities only have middling crime ratings compared to other areas. The resort towns, as I have often opined, are not especially "normal" communities socially--especially for children or families. A "Huck Finny" childhood is not in the cards in those places in Colorado--more like spoiled rich brats meet poor children of immigrant (legal or not) worker bees.

The OP is clearly intoxicated with the "romance" of the West--which really doesn't represent (and never really did) what the real place is like. So, she had better REALLY modify her expectations, or look elsewhere. What she is seeking now just ain't here--and in many ways never was.

[Jerry Bckr]

Check out Montrose or Durango

[livecontent]

I have to agree with most of what Jazzlover has said. You are really have a perception of the west which does not meet reality. But saying that, some of your bad perceptions of the Denver Metro area are also not correct. Denver is not Chicago. It is not as dense as Chicago. Denver is composed of many neighborhoods that really can not be described as urban but more suburban in nature. The Denver metro has more parks and open space than many other comparable cities. You can easily work in an area of Denver and live in Denver or a suburban city and feel more at ease than other comparable areas.

Just for example, you could work at the CMHIFL Location Directions. You would be right on the southwest edge of Denver. There are many communities that you can live that have a semi-rural or rural characteristics. You could live in old town Littleton in Arapahoe County, or many of the areas of Southern Jefferson County such as Ken Caryl or the Columbine Valley. You may find the small town of Morrison attractive along the foothills, near Red Rocks. All these would be an easy few miles to Ft. Logan. These areas are all in your budget and they have excellent schools. You can live very close in Denver and you will find many newer homes in these area of Denver near Marston Lake and Bear Valley. There is also a very small exclusive community of Bow Mar just at the south end of Sheridan Blvd.

I picked Ft. Logan because it is probably the largest Mental Health Facility in the Denver Metro Area. Another area that would be of interest is the city of Pueblo. It is the site of the Colorado Mental Health Institute. CMHIP Home Page Pueblo has a smaller city ambiance and has much warmer weather than many other areas in the state.

You certainly can find Loveland and Fort Collins and the surrounding area as a good place to live and the area has been recognized nationally as places with a good quality of life.

Livecontent

[topaz3335]

Wow, there's some anger on this board for sure! I think I hit a nerve somewhere, although I'm not sure what I've done to offend. But thanks for those who have given constructive advice and ideas. They are greatly appreciated. As for the advice to perhaps look farther east for 'lusher' settings, being a nomad I did actually live in western North Carolina for a spell, and while I really loved it, I didn't really like living on the east coast- most of my family is in the west. It seems like a better fit. And I know the west isn't considered traditionally green, which is just fine, I'm just not interested in pure desert landscape. I'd prefer a little variation.

As for misconceived perceptions of the west, I lived in Salt Lake City for 5 years and Missoula for nearly two, only recently have I been out of what would be considered the mountain west. I know the general region, just not Colorado. While I enjoyed Utah immensely, I do not want to return there to live. Not my cup of tea. Missoula was fantastic and quite pretty but also not where I want to be permanently. I don't think it's unheard of or outrageous to think that there are safe mid-sized cities within the greater state of Colorado, where a kid can grow up spending time outside, running around, being a kid. Jeez, I had one of those in jaded, run-down California. Perhaps its my fault for not saying those exact words in my original post, but I honestly did not expect to get jumped on.

An thanks for the Monroe suggestion as well. I had noticed that in another post, but now that it's been mentioned again, I'll definitely put it on the list. Seems like a strong contender. Thanks again!

[jazzlover]

First, it's Montrose. You might check out brightdoglover's posts about Colorado. She is a psych nurse and has looked around Colorado quite a bit.

Colorado is not that much different from Utah in some of its geography. Geographically, the western half of Colorado has more in common with Utah than it does the rest of Colorado. The eastern third of Colorado is plains that have more in common with western Kansas. Like Utah's metropolitan Wasatch Front, Colorado's population is concentrated in a metropolitan, mostly suburban-sprawled strip running from Fort Collins on the north to Colorado Springs to the south. It's a massive, increasingly Los Angeles-type sprawled mess with many similar problems--yes, albeit on a smaller scale. Are there nice suburban-type communities within that? Yes, but they are still part of a large metro area which your original post indicates you would like to avoid. Not that many of those communities still have an "original" traditional downtown, either. The shopping centers and strip malls dominate.

Finally, you should know that Colorado schools are not necessarily the best-rated, and Colorado's constitutional spending limitations pretty much assure that they are not going to be especially well-funded, particularly in a down economy.

As for "getting jumped on," the point was that you were looking for an ideal that you're not going to find here. Personally, I get tired of people asking the question on the forum, and then getting their panties in a bunch when they don't get the answer that they want to hear. If all people want is to hear how great the place is, they can call the Chamber of Commerce and get their fill of that propaganda.

PS--To amplify what you may be facing in the job situation, this article from TODAY'S Grand Junction Daily Sentinel pretty much sums up how things are:

http://www.gjsentinel.com/hp/content...al_Center.html

[vegaspilgrim]

You are very fortunate indeed if you will have the ability to pick and choose wherever in the state you'd like to live. IF that's actually the case. I sure wish I could do that in my field! More likely though, you might have to just end up living wherever you're fortunate enough to get an acceptable job offer. It might be better to first see what offers come through, then decide between them, rather than getting your hopes up about finding the ideal locale which may or may not even be a choice at this point in time.

[topaz3335]

I did not know about the state of Colorado schools-or the built in spending limit. Of course I am coming from Chicago and Utah most recently, both of which have kind of sad public school systems. Does anyone know if Colorado has a school voucher program? And if so, does it only apply to low performing school districts? I did a quick internet search and came up with some competing information (some of it pretty old as well), so does anyone know firsthand about the situation?