Could somebody recommend some nice towns (Denver, Pueblo: apartments, to rent, pros and cons)

[kipp]

I'm 20 years old and I live in Texas. I've lived in the same town since I was really little, and I'm sick of it. I've decided i'm going to save up some money and move somewhere totally random, and I was thinking Colorado might be nice.

Could somebody recommend some nice towns? The perfect place would be a medium sized town (population approx 5000-35000), with lots of people my age, and where I can get a one bedroom apartment for as cheap as possible.

I was looking into Golden, but its so close to Denver I bet it basically feels like it is part of Denver. I'm looking for a laid back, small town feel -but not a ghost town.

[Jeezy is BACK]

Check out the Western Slope. Grand Junction has Mesa State, so plenty of young adults. According to a 2007 census, population is 53,662. If you're looking for something a little smaller, you might look into Montrose. I believe it has somewhere in the high 30k, low 40k range. I'm sure pictures and things can be found somewhere on the web

[lalahartma]

Salida or Buena Vista

[jazzlover]

"Cheap" does not equal Colorado. High housing costs compared to local incomes--especially at entry-level jobs. Covered a thousand times before on this forum. 'nuff said.

[CosmicWizard]

kipp....About the only thing cheap and Colorado have in common is that both words begin with the letter "C". While the cost of living in some areas of Colorado may be less expensive than other parts of the country, I wouldn't consider the cost of living in Colorado to be cheap. Slightly more affordable perhaps, but certainly not cheap. The perfect place is a myth. Every place I've ever lived during in my 60 years on this planet has been a combination of pros and cons. It has always been a trade off. I might haved gained this, but I had to give up that. Don't get me wrong, I'm not discouraging you, just nudging you to get real. I love the Henry David Thoreau quote that goes something like this.....having castles in the air is where they belong, now put foundations under them.

[80skeys]

Montrose.
Castle Rock.
Granby.
Glenwood Springs.
Pagosa Springs.
Gunnison.

These towns are in different types of locations, some are in the mountains, others are in valleys next to the mountains, so you'll want to decide what type area you want to live in before picking one. Montrose is the cheapest of the bunch.

[treedonkey]

If you're really only 20, why don't you just load up your car (hopefully you have an old beater and not one which you have to make payments on) and head out this way until you find a place where it seems like you could find any or all of the following: 1) work 2) a place to live and 3) friends

There are plenty of threads on here comparing and contrasting the different areas of CO, so that should give you a good enough idea of which way to point your vehicle. Loveland is one place which immediately comes to mind, although some place like Pueblo would be a lot more affordable.

If it doesn't work out, you can just go back to wherever you are now, right? Nothing really lost, plenty of life experience and adventure gained.

[kipp]

Thanks for your input guys... I still think Colorado would be nice, but I've been looking into rent and the cheapest apartments i've seen are around $1000/month! yikes! Not exactly in my ball park.

I guess I'll look elsewhere...

[80skeys]

Originally Posted by kipp

Thanks for your input guys... I still think Colorado would be nice, but I've been looking into rent and the cheapest apartments i've seen are around $1000/month! yikes! Not exactly in my ball park.

I guess I'll look elsewhere...

You can find reasonable rent in towns like Montrose on the western slope.

[brightdoglover]

What about income? Rent one way or the other doesn't matter if you have no income. What are the OP's plans for living besides finding a place he/she likes? There are plenty of places to like, especially compared to the look and climate of south Texas.
If not working, but living off savings to look around, I think we'd need to know how the person hopes to spend time before suggesting a place.
Also, the winter- some places are less inviting in the winter, some more, depending on money and activity. I think someone from the lowlands might underestimate how the altitude can affect where you can go, when, and what you can do.
Still, I'd sure rather try to find a way to live in the Mountain West than Texas, but that's me...