Survival (Denver: lease, mortgage, buying a home)

[Terri722]

Okay, I am completely serious when I ask...how many of us Colorado
transplant wannabes actually make the transition and stay there? I honestly believe that the only adjustment we would have is the snow... after living all of my life in Texas...heat and humidity is something I am longing to escape...but of course, winter here is nothing in comparison, however, this winter has given us a ride...I am just old enough that selling my house and moving is a huge decision and I wanted to lease it and come there and live for awhile before buying a home...but I am not finding any homes that are the size we need that take dogs...etc...to rent or lease...sooo, just wondering...what is the survival rate or timeframe for all of us dreaming of living in your wonderful state?

[jazzlover]

I don't think there is a pat answer. A lot of people relocate here and lot of 'em don't last. It either isn't what they thought it would be, or they just can't make it economically here. That has historically been the major challenge. The last decade or so of "easy times," relatively speaking, allowed a lot of people who would have othewise "washed out" to make it in Colorado, but those easy days are ending, in my opinion.

Colorado has always had its beautiful mountains, pleasant (for those of us who love it) climate, and interesting communities. What has been the limiting factor for most of Colorado history has been its inability to support a large economy big enough to support all the people who dream about living here. That has meant that most people who truly want to make Colorado their home have had to be willing to make significant tradeoffs to do so. Talk to any multi-generational Coloradan and you will hear about the sacrifices their families had to make over the years to stay here. And, among that group, how many people had to leave Colorado, for years or even a generation or more, in order to make a living. That is the truth of the place, not some swarmy Chamber of Commerce crap.

I think everything points to places like Colorado once again becoming much more difficult places in which to make a living, not easier. That will mean that people wishing to live here, native or transplant, are going to have to be willing to make much larger sacrifices and tradeoffs to do so. Bluntly, most materially spoiled rotten Americans are not going to be willing to do that.

[TrexDigit]

jazzlover is spot-on. Among my friends (both transplant & native), I'd say about half have left and half have stayed. 50 / 50 is a pretty big turnover. They moved away for career advancement or wholesale life changes (new fields, new marriages, Hawaii, Alaska).

[Davros]

I don't know the specific answer to your question, but I do have my 2 cents, for what that's worth (less than 2 cents) ...

Would you enjoy having more "White Easters" than "White Christmases" ? How about more "White Halloweens" than "White Christmases" ? The number 1, 2, and 3 snow months in Denver are March, November, and April. Every couple of years there's a snow of more than 2 inches in May. And that's just Denver. If you'd be anywhere in the higher elevations, you'd have to expect much more snow, and longer snow seasons. I've seen snow falling on July 4th in the high country.

I know that people often long to get out of a certain place, but sometimes you find that you miss it once you've left.

I guess the question is whether you would rather put up with long snow seasons, high altitudes, dry skin, and higher costs of living or whatever warts you are already used to in your own home area. I say if your dogs are happy in your current location, and you enjoy some aspects of living there, you should at least consider staying (which you clearly are doing, since you ask this wise question).

Personally, my dream location is the Seattle area, but I have decided that I would rather visit there periodically to keep it special. Any place you move, you are likely to get tired of or used to, and it loses some of its magic.

[NomadicBear]

The biggest financial obstacle for most people when moving anywhere seems to be the cost of housing. Unless money is of no concern, oftentimes there will need to be sacrifices in terms of housing in order to thrive financially, especially in the higher cost resort areas. Speaking for myself- I can live in my travel trailer if need be. As long as I can shower, eat, and have my dog- I'm fine. For some, it may be choosing a studio apt. instead of a house. It's definitely time to think outside of the box given the current economic situation in this country.

[Dreaming of Hawaii]

I moved here from Maryland in 1970 to be a ski bum and never went back. That was when I was just out of college and single so had no real ties except immediate family, and most of them have since moved to the western parts of the U.S. What do I miss? Being close to the ocean, having fresh seafood, having a real spring and a real fall. Did I ever think of moving back? NO!!. In fact, we are moving further west (to Hawaii) when we retire in June.

[wanneroo]

Colorado, more than any other state I've been to, is a state of escapees.

Just about everyone I meet in Colorado has rarely been there more than a generation and mostly are escaping some other life. Some find what they are looking for, some do not.

My family in Colorado goes back generations and my family fortunes have ebbed and flowed depending on the economy or what they were able to tack onto at the time. Not an easy state to make a consistent life in.

I think the Denver area is usually the easiest option out. It has the most jobs and economic opportunity. As a city I don't like it as much as I did when I was a kid, but it is still a favorite city of mine.

Making it in rural Colorado I think is tough because the economic base is narrow, the weather harsh and sometimes long distances involved to get from one place to another.

One of my good friends in Colorado says there is no geographic cure. So if one is not happy in Texas, they probably wont be any happier in Colorado. Colorado can't make you happy, only you can do that.

[formercalifornian]

Three years and counting. No plans to leave.

Originally Posted by jazzlover

I think everything points to places like Colorado once again becoming much more difficult places in which to make a living, not easier. That will mean that people wishing to live here, native or transplant, are going to have to be willing to make much larger sacrifices and tradeoffs to do so.

I think that depends entirely on what you do for a living. In the front range, many tech, engineering, and finance people from coastal cities are more than making do and living comfortable lifestyles. In fact, I'd say this is a pretty great life, especially when compared to places like Seattle, New York, DC, Boston, San Diego, and San Francisco/San Jose, where the material sacrifices required to pay the rent or mortgage are significant, even for those making generous incomes by most standards.

[Terri722]

Originally Posted by wanneroo

Colorado, more than any other state I've been to, is a state of escapees.

Just about everyone I meet in Colorado has rarely been there more than a generation and mostly are escaping some other life. Some find what they are looking for, some do not.

My family in Colorado goes back generations and my family fortunes have ebbed and flowed depending on the economy or what they were able to tack onto at the time. Not an easy state to make a consistent life in.

I think the Denver area is usually the easiest option out. It has the most jobs and economic opportunity. As a city I don't like it as much as I did when I was a kid, but it is still a favorite city of mine.

Making it in rural Colorado I think is tough because the economic base is narrow, the weather harsh and sometimes long distances involved to get from one place to another.

One of my good friends in Colorado says there is no geographic cure. So if one is not happy in Texas, they probably wont be any happier in Colorado. Colorado can't make you happy, only you can do that.

Well, it's really not a matter of being unhappy...but I think I would rather look out my window and see a mountain than the freak behind me who seems to think that he has to mow in shorty shorts...ICK....of course, that isn't the only reason we want to move...we have always lived in this one state...traveled quite a lot...but lived here...Texas has two temps...
mildly cold winters and extremely hot summers and it isn't rare for it to start getting hot in April...and be really hot for Thanksgiving...not to mention the humidity...so I suppose it would be quite different there...as for downsizing and all of that...I really have no problem with that...the older I get...it just becomes stuff...stuff to wash...stuff to dust...stuff to maintain...I would also considering just buying a piece of land and putting a travel trailer on it....so nope, not in search of some gigantic house to have to mess with...Thank everyone for responding...guess I will end up being where God thinks I should be...

[jazzlover]

Originally Posted by formercalifornian

Three years and counting. No plans to leave.



I think that depends entirely on what you do for a living. In the front range, many tech, engineering, and finance people from coastal cities are more than making do and living comfortable lifestyles. In fact, I'd say this is a pretty great life, especially when compared to places like Seattle, New York, DC, Boston, San Diego, and San Francisco/San Jose, where the material sacrifices required to pay the rent or mortgage are significant, even for those making generous incomes by most standards.

With all due respect, you do not have a nearly a half-century of experience with the Colorado economy, or an extensive understanding of its economic history. I do. There are plenty of people in the very fields that you cite that are finding that Colorado is becoming an increasingly economically hostile place to try to make a living. The fact that it may be better than certain other places in the US is not much solace--sort of like drowning in 15 feet of water instead of 50--it's still drowning. It also ignores the fact that Colorado has had a long history of lagging the rest of the US economy going into a recession/depression, and frequently also lagging it coming out.

People were saying about the same thing as you are way back in 1892, when Colorado was living through its first big artificial Ponzi scheme growth bubble, enabled by the federal Sherman Silver Purchase Act. When it finally became obvious to the politicians that the bubble could not be sustained--and threatened to destroy the US currency (does some of this sound a little familiar?)--the Sherman Silver Purchase Act was summarily repealed in 1893. What followed in Colorado was a depression that essentially lasted from 1893 to the outbreak of World War II--over 50 years, with only some occasional economic gains interspersed. The old saying fits pretty well here, "History may not repeat, but it often rhymes."

I have a job in a supposedly relatively secure field, and I am glad of it--but I harbor no illusions about how the current Colorado economy (public and private sectors)--from top to bottom--is flimsily hung together with spit, chewing gum, baling wire, and duct tape. In that environment there is no job, career, or business that can be said to be truly secure. Anyone who says otherwise these days is not facing up to reality.