Moving from Utah to Colorado (Denver, Colorado Springs: to rent, house, buying)

[movingfromutah]

My husband has been given the amazing opportunity to relocate with his company to Colorado. We are moving with our three kids in the next few months. We are from Utah and love the four seasons and the mountains. In Utah we have experienced a clash of cultures in the predominately Mormon state. As non-mormons, we have found that social structure is built in to the LDS church. The families are protective of their children, and keep them from being around people who drink wine at dinner and do things other than church on Sunday. They mainly stick with the poeple they know from church. It has been difficult for my children - and us - to find friends.

What is the culture like in Colorado? Is it more diverse? Is there a predominant religion, political group, ethnicity. Do they have unique liquor laws? Are there things to do on Sunday. Forgive my ignorance, I really don't know a lot about my neighboring state. I'm hoping to find a more diverse, family-friendly place where adults can meet other people and have fun as well. We can really live anywhere in CO. Any advice or insight would be appreciated.

[Mike from back east]

Originally Posted by movingfromutah

My husband has been given the amazing opportunity to relocate with his company to Colorado. We are moving with our three kids in the next few months. We are from Utah and love the four seasons and the mountains. In Utah we have experienced a clash of cultures in the predominately Mormon state. As non-mormons, we have found that social structure is built in to the LDS church. The families are protective of their children, and keep them from being around people who drink wine at dinner and do things other than church on Sunday. They mainly stick with the poeple they know from church. It has been difficult for my children - and us - to find friends.

What is the culture like in Colorado? Is it more diverse? Is there a predominant religion, political group, ethnicity. Do they have unique liquor laws? Are there things to do on Sunday. Forgive my ignorance, I really don't know a lot about my neighboring state. I'm hoping to find a more diverse, family-friendly place where adults can meet other people and have fun as well. We can really live anywhere in CO. Any advice or insight would be appreciated.

YOU are going to think you've died and gone to heaven. Yes, it's that good here. Not perfect, but still superb.

Lots of diversity.

Live and let live attitudes.

All the religion you want, if you want it, at whatever level of involvement you wish. All religious are here, from A to Z, no one religion really is predominate. COLO SPGS is home to a lot of evangelical organizations and is strongly conservative, but isn't nowhere as bad as the media make us out to be. My advice for you is to stick to the Denver area.

Tons of stuff to do 7 days a week.

Denver metro area has great culture, arts, museums, pro sports, music, food, and a major airport for the region.

Liquor stores are easily found and open 7 days a week. We have a huge beerfest in Denver each year and tons of breweries from tiny to mammoth Coors. Wine is made in many parts of the state. Safe to say that Colorado drinks liberally.

Excellent shopping in most areas.

Great schools in much of the state, especially along the Front Range.

I recommend Denver area to get the most out of the region. Tell us your price range for buying or renting and we'll try and clue you in. If there is a job location, tell us, it'll help.

Check the indexes found in each COLO forum, we are the only state on City-Data where the really good threads can be found in an index. The search tool on this site is also excellent, play with it, it's easy to learn. We often advise newbies to rent for a year as there's just so much to pick from.

[jazzlover]

Compared to Utah, Colorado is very "secular." Colorado is, overall, less religious, and the state's heritage of mining and other resource extraction in the rural areas flavors the state with a much more "wide open" nature when comes to things like alcohol, drug abuse, gambling and some other vices when compared with Utah. Colorado's metro areas are pretty much like any other suburban blob in the US--which I personally do not like. The southern half of Colorado, especially, is fairly heavily Hispanic, with most of those people tracing their heritage in Colorado back several generations. In some of Colorado's southernmost counties, the Anglo population is a minority. As I've posted elsewhere, that can be difficult for some Anglos to assimilate into. Interestingly, in the San Luis Valley, the prodominant ethnicity/religion is Hispanic and Catholic, while a large perectage of the Anglo population is Mormon.

I relate this story about the difference between Colorado and Utah. A friend, who lived in Utah for years, was moving to Colorado. He and his wife stopped at a restaurant in western Colorado that, fairly typically, was attached to a bar. The waitress asked them how they were, and he replied "fine, and how are you." She replied, "Busier than a one-legged man in an a**-kicking contest." His wife looked at him and said, "Honey, I don't think we're in Utah, anymore."

PS--I've spent quite a bit of time in Utah for business and pleasure. If I had to live in a metro area, I'd pick the Wasatch Front over Colorado's Front Range in a heartbeat. I like Utah a lot, and I'm not LDS.

[D-town 720]

Originally Posted by movingfromutah

My husband has been given the amazing opportunity to relocate with his company to Colorado. We are moving with our three kids in the next few months. We are from Utah and love the four seasons and the mountains. In Utah we have experienced a clash of cultures in the predominately Mormon state. As non-mormons, we have found that social structure is built in to the LDS church. The families are protective of their children, and keep them from being around people who drink wine at dinner and do things other than church on Sunday. They mainly stick with the poeple they know from church. It has been difficult for my children - and us - to find friends.

What is the culture like in Colorado? Is it more diverse? Is there a predominant religion, political group, ethnicity. Do they have unique liquor laws? Are there things to do on Sunday. Forgive my ignorance, I really don't know a lot about my neighboring state. I'm hoping to find a more diverse, family-friendly place where adults can meet other people and have fun as well. We can really live anywhere in CO. Any advice or insight would be appreciated.

Lived in Salt Lake and had the same culture clash coming from the Bay Area. Colorado is "normal" and you get bigger mountains...

[movingfromutah]

I appreciate all of the pros and cons. There is alot to love about Utah, including family and friends. Nonetheless, we are excited for the opportunity. My husband has traveled to the Denver area for business, but I have never seen it for myself. We love Utah's amazing mountains, Moab, and scenery. I can't wait to see what Colorado has to offer.

My husband's job will require travel weekly all around the state from Boulder down to Colorado Springs and out to Grand Junction. Two or three times a month, he would have to fly out somewhere, so honestly we could live anywhere. No matter where we are, he will have to travel. I am looking for something family friendly but close enough with a little drive to get to a nightlife or mountain activities.

We are used to Utah's affordable economy so the prices might be a bit of a shock for us. We are not opposed to renting first to give us time to find the perfect place but eventually I would love to own a home. I'd say our budget tops out at $500k but I would prefer to spend less. I know that probably dictates we will be further away from the mountains, but we would be willing to drive an hour or more to get to skiing or mountain biking.

[debbie at bouontiful]

I
PS--I've spent quite a bit of time in Utah for business and pleasure. If I had to live in a metro area, I'd pick the Wasatch Front over Colorado's Front Range in a heartbeat. I like Utah a lot, and I'm not LDS.[/quote]

ME TOO. I lived on the Wasatch Front 20 some years ago. Had both my daughters there. We're not mormon either but I guess we were accepted because our daughters were babies. I love Utah but haven't had to deal with the religion.

[Katarina Witt]

$500K to spend on a house will give you a lot of options.

[plainsman48]

Originally Posted by movingfromutah

I appreciate all of the pros and cons. There is alot to love about Utah, including family and friends. Nonetheless, we are excited for the opportunity. My husband has traveled to the Denver area for business, but I have never seen it for myself. We love Utah's amazing mountains, Moab, and scenery. I can't wait to see what Colorado has to offer.

We have similiar scenery, but Denver is 50 miles from the mountains.

My husband's job will require travel weekly all around the state from Boulder down to Colorado Springs and out to Grand Junction. Two or three times a month, he would have to fly out somewhere, so honestly we could live anywhere.

Then I would suggest Colorado Springs instead of Denver.

We are used to Utah's affordable economy so the prices might be a bit of a shock for us. We are not opposed to renting first to give us time to find the perfect place but eventually I would love to own a home. I'd say our budget tops out at $500k but I would prefer to spend less. I know that probably dictates we will be further away from the mountains, but we would be willing to drive an hour or more to get to skiing or mountain biking.

Then you'll be in for a shock - our State is not really that affordable. Coming the East it is, but not from the MidWest.

I recommend renting first and THEN find a house on a more relaxed schedule rather than jumping into a situation.

[Katarina Witt]

If he will be flying 2-3 times a month, I'd recommend the metro Denver area for proximity to DIA.

[D-town 720]

Originally Posted by plainsman48

We have similiar scenery, but Denver is 50 miles from the mountains.



Then I would suggest Colorado Springs instead of Denver.



Then you'll be in for a shock - our State is not really that affordable. Coming the East it is, but not from the MidWest.

I recommend renting first and THEN find a house on a more relaxed schedule rather than jumping into a situation.

LOL when did Denver move away from the mountains???

Denver is 15 miles east of the foothills of the rockies...