Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
My wife is interested in moving to Colorado. I have no attraction at all to that state, but really dream of Hawaii. I am looking for reasons to & not to move to Colorado. Although it may seem that I am set against Colorado from the start, I am not. I am trying to keep an open mind & make good decisions together with my wife for the sake of our family.
There are a lot of circumstances that will affect your outlook of any place you choose to live. We moved from San Diego in '04 mostly due to our daughter entering the public school system. So for us at that time, it was right and 5 years later there are no regrets. Here's a few of what I consider positives. Remember that we moved from Southern California and are living in a rural area north of COS.
-lots of open space and some of the most amazing scenery
-lots of outdoorsy stuff due to the amazing scenery
-weather is never boring
-schools are much better, easier to focus on education when everyone speaks the same language.
-smaller population making things easier to access
-clean air
-snowboarding
-friendly people, especially our neighbors
A few cons>
-driving on ice
-having to buy winter tires due to ice
-having the finish removed off the front of your car due to sand on road due to ice
-our wardrobe more than doubled from additional cold weather gear
-most vegetation is brown from Oct-May(could be a positive if you're not into gardening)
Hawaii sounds awfully good though, especially at this time of year
Don't we all dream of Hawaii? Hawaii is extremely expensive in every way, and don't forget you'll be on an island and can't drive anywhere except around and around! Also if you have pets I think there is a 6-month quarantine! Don't forget about the huge roaches they have there. No snakes, though.
I don't care to live in Hawaii at all, maybe if I was beach person. I want to vacation there but that's it. So... my question is, are you more of a beach person than a mountain person? I know people who don't like CO because they feel landlocked and they crave water/moisture. So what is important to you?
I can second the notion that the schools are great- the system is different than out east.
We actually never bought snow tires for our cars.
Thank you everyone.
As to why the two states - my wife's boyfriend (yup) loves Colorado & wants to move back there - he has sold her on the dream too. I for one HATE the cold & am a solar installer. It was -5 wind chill, 35mph winds 11 degrees the other day & I was on a roof with a snow shovel installing solar! I don't want winter anymore. As I get older, it seems to effect me more. I also don't like extreme heat for the same reason. I understand that there will be hot & humid days in Hawaii as well, but 100 degrees with high humidity & no wind in CT killed me this summer as well. The constant environment that you can get used to is very welcoming & honestly the biggest draw for me.
Besides her boyfriend, every time I try to look at Colorado, I can't settle on an area - nothing has a draw to me. I hear it's beautiful & wonderful, I've seen the pictures but I have no reason to like it. Nothing jumps out at me. As I was first looking at maps of the islands, I was instantly drawn to the Paradise Park area on the Big Island. It seems that there's so much there that you could explore regularly & never see it all!
I would love to learn to surf & my older 2 have already fallen in love with the water & have been tubing & kneeboarding. (7 & 5). My 4 year old is content to wade, but showing more interest in the water lately. In CT, the swimming season is fairly short unless you own a wetsuit (which we do).
I appreciate all the input, this is a hard decision & I am hoping to move by summer, there is a LOT of research to be done. As for visiting, I don't think financially that would be wise - I will have about $20,000 saved for moving by then, but don't want to dip into that so we can fill in any gaps needed - I figure it'll cost us a little over $10,000 just to move us & our cars & a few of our belongings, and set us up for 1st, last, and security on a rental home. I'm really trying to cover all perspectives - I'm NOT going to move unless it is a joint decision, and I don't want to push her at all. We spent 45 minutes on the phone with someone from Hawaii the other day, pegging them with questions. I am just letting things play out & giving arguement from both sides - as for staying in the area of New Engand, I don't see that as an option for us.
We are working on our marriage and need to be better before moving, but need to get away from this whole situation. There's too many people here who know us & are involved in the situation, as well as the temptation of him.
If you absolutely hate winter, Colorado is not for you. There is no part of the state that does not get winter weather, though the Canon City area has a milder winter than much of the state (or so I have heard).
If I understand the situation- go for Hawaii then. Although, if Hawaii doesn't work out and neither does the marriage, it is more expensive to move back to the states. You might end up staying put but if she doesn't then you are really making it hard for joint custody. Yea, lots to think about there. I wish you and your family the best of luck and will add you in my prayers.
You need to move to Texas...they have a good "Make My Day" law there that could come in handy when the wife's boyfriend comes for a visit late one night. "BOOM...BOOM...Who's there??!!"
Here's a link to some good quality 55-gal blue plastic barrels. I hear they come highly recommended by Drew Peterson. Recommend you order TWO.
It sounds like Colorado would be bad for you but Hawaii might be tough too. I've heard tons of stories about how they hate mainlanders there. That's got to make it tough to get settled. I personally know a guy who's from Hawaii but lived in California for years. He moved back to Hawaii with his wife and son and the son was basically treated like a leper. They wound up leaving after about a year.
Either way, Colorado isn't for you if you hate snow and why would you consider following your wife's boyfriend out of state?
Oh what an awful situation for you. Going to Hawaii sounds awfully dangerous to me. It's expensive to get into and out of. And face it, the chances that you would want to leave are probably great; then what if you didn't have the money to do that? Perhaps you're thinking that whisking the family off to a far away island will end the trouble, but I've found that never happens. (I tried it once!) Better to confront it head on and keep the line to your kids strong.
For the ocean, if you can handle the heat, why not look into south Texas or the Florida panhandle? Another idea would be Oregon. Sure, the water's cold and you would have to use a wet suit but there is a little surfing there and there are mountains and rain forests butting right down to the ocean. It's beautiful. Expensive to buy, but you can find reasonable rentals there. I spend a lot of time there and love it. I have to say though winters are gloomy and wet.
I wish you the best in making your decision.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
