Where to Live? Coming from Louisiana (Denver, Aurora: rent, home, find a job)

[SQL]

Originally Posted by Jake1126

Thanks for the input. I've thought about all of this numerous times but I cant bare to stay here any longer. LA is not for us. We are much different than the typical LA people. And the kid. I cant possibly imagine him growing up here. I'll take the risk and the worst that could happen is I move back.

So from what I have gathered, CO Springs is the most affordable and has probably the best outdoor views/activities, but the job market is much less diverse and not very promising. And the trip to denver from springs is a pain in the ass.

Denver is crazy expensive but has better job options which will be very crucial in my surviving.

I want to be somewhere thats at most 45 minutes from mountains or parks/trails. But I also want to be somewhere 20 to 30 min from a city with numerous job options.

Zillow is returning a lot of results to the west of Denver in places like Lakewood, Arvada, Westminster, etc..And I've hear Aurora mentioned plenty. I know it'll be hard to find what I'm looking for but are none of these places around Denver viable?

I'd look at Aurora and Thornton. I personally think that Arvada is going to be expensive, and there probably aren't that many apartments up that way since it's mostly housing developments. Lakewood would be alright if you can find a decent place. The problem is, any decent place around the western burbs is going to be at a premium. The cheapest places are going to be dumps more than likely.

I think you'll find more affordable options in places like Thornton and Aurora, while not compromising on safety and quality. Both would be about 30-45 minutes from the mountains, depending where you live. They're both pretty sprawling suburbs.

[Jake1126]

Originally Posted by SQL

I'd look at Aurora and Thornton. I personally think that Arvada is going to be expensive, and there probably aren't that many apartments up that way since it's mostly housing developments. Lakewood would be alright if you can find a decent place. The problem is, any decent place around the western burbs is going to be at a premium. The cheapest places are going to be dumps more than likely.

I think you'll find more affordable options in places like Thornton and Aurora, while not compromising on safety and quality. Both would be about 30-45 minutes from the mountains, depending where you live. They're both pretty sprawling suburbs.

There's hope! Thank you. I read that Thornton could have good schools? I mean my kid will be starting pre-k and K so it isnt too too much of a worry at the moment.

[Sunderpig2]

Originally Posted by Jake1126

... I cant bare to stay here any longer. LA is not for us. We are much different than the typical LA people. And the kid. I cant possibly imagine him growing up here. I'll take the risk...

Denver is crazy expensive but ... will be very crucial in my surviving.

Again, been there, done that. I/we also said that we couldn't "stay any longer". It was a powerful force that pushed us away from where we were, and a powerful pull towards CO and "the good life" (LOL). It was all in almost life and death terms, so you using "surviving" rings a bell too. The crazy thing is though, it was all internal and self-generated (no real dangers and emergencies). On the flip side, the only thing we've found better here is the climate, that's it. In all other areas, we were better off where we were before. I know you can't see that now though. I couldn't either back then.

Four years later and tens of thousands of dollars poorer, I now see four errors in my pre-moving thinking and attitude: 1) bashing my old location unfairly, 2) overlooking great qualities in my old location, 3) thinking CO would make sense and be an improvement, and 4) overlooking side effects and gotcha's in the new location. Four ways of getting it so wrong. And that's on top of visiting here first, and spending several years of research, all before relocating.

And the schools? The elementary schools ended up being about the same as before, and the middle schools have been worse. We've found way more cliques and division, classism, and bullying. In our previous location, they were more diligent in cracking down on bullying, and flexing some muscle. Here, they seem to be timid and afraid to do anything. A local principal got caught denying some help and rightful services to a child from a family from CA, and then went into full-gear hiding it and covering it up. He's still on the job. If there was any punishment or rebuke, it's not obvious.

Yeah, risk can be good, even exciting. It can also sometimes turn out to be incredibly dumb. It might feel now like you are fighting the good fight and being noble, but things can eventually turn around and appear quite different. If you end up making life worse for your family, that is what will be remembered (not your noble reasons behind it all). Watch for that deep sinking into idealism, while realism is pushed under the rug and out of view.

Good luck if you choose Denver. That's probably the last place I'd pick.

[brown_dog_us]

You can live in any of the cities you have mentioned. There are nice places and not so nice places in each city. Since you want to be close to the mountains, I would suggest Lakewood, Wheatridge, and Arvada.

Stick with the IT work and ditch the MJ industry. The MJ industry pays barely enough to live here and there is virtually no upward movement. Start applying for jobs now.

[downtownnola]

Originally Posted by Jake1126

I guess he thought Cali by the way he questioned my "hot and humid".

Haha, yes, that's what happened. For some reason in my head, I was thinking that you were originally from Lousiana, moved to L.A., and were now looking to move to Colorado. Note to self... don't respond to threads when you're tired. Omit that portion of my advice

[Jake1126]

Originally Posted by Sunderpig2

Again, been there, done that. I/we also said that we couldn't "stay any longer". It was a powerful force that pushed us away from where we were, and a powerful pull towards CO and "the good life" (LOL). It was all in almost life and death terms, so you using "surviving" rings a bell too. The crazy thing is though, it was all internal and self-generated (no real dangers and emergencies). On the flip side, the only thing we've found better here is the climate, that's it. In all other areas, we were better off where we were before. I know you can't see that now though. I couldn't either back then.

Four years later and tens of thousands of dollars poorer, I now see four errors in my pre-moving thinking and attitude: 1) bashing my old location unfairly, 2) overlooking great qualities in my old location, 3) thinking CO would make sense and be an improvement, and 4) overlooking side effects and gotcha's in the new location. Four ways of getting it so wrong. And that's on top of visiting here first, and spending several years of research, all before relocating.

And the schools? The elementary schools ended up being about the same as before, and the middle schools have been worse. We've found way more cliques and division, classism, and bullying. In our previous location, they were more diligent in cracking down on bullying, and flexing some muscle. Here, they seem to be timid and afraid to do anything. A local principal got caught denying some help and rightful services to a child from a family from CA, and then went into full-gear hiding it and covering it up. He's still on the job. If there was any punishment or rebuke, it's not obvious.

Yeah, risk can be good, even exciting. It can also sometimes turn out to be incredibly dumb. It might feel now like you are fighting the good fight and being noble, but things can eventually turn around and appear quite different. If you end up making life worse for your family, that is what will be remembered (not your noble reasons behind it all). Watch for that deep sinking into idealism, while realism is pushed under the rug and out of view.

Good luck if you choose Denver. That's probably the last place I'd pick.

I didnt ask whether I should move or not. I asked for locations to move. I've already made my decision. I don't need your personal negative stories dampening my positive outlook on life. You can reply with more of it, but I will kindly ignore it. Thanks for the warnings.

[dhden2000]

I have lived in Denver for 26 years and just my own personal bias I would not recommend Aurora to anyone from out of state. The only exception might be far eastern Aurora out near E-470 or southern Aurora near Centennial. If you follow 9news.com weekly many of the shootings and riff raff seem to routinely happen in Aurora. I know for some folks these things are not a big concern and they just go about their business and don't worry about it much. I would not want any part of it. I live in Centennial which is pretty safe overall. If I wanted to live 30-45 mins outside of Denver I might consider Broomfield, Westminster or Castle Rock areas. I don't know the COL in those areas real well but Castle Rock is pretty nice and on the way to Colorado springs and Monument. I love Fort Collins/Loveland however I do think the job prospects are just not as good as Denver Metro. If you can find work there it's a great place to be and not as large as Denver. I do believe CO Springs has some pretty good neighborhoods as well. Good luck with your search...

[ajr1995]

Originally Posted by Jake1126

Hmm. I was really set on somewhere somewhat near Denver as that seems like the place to be for events and such. Colorado Springs sounds good but mj being illegal there is a real bummer. I lied about the "small plus". Mj being legal is a huge plus in CO.

Job skills: not a whole lot but i'm a super fast learner and very hard worker. Aside from serving jobs, I have years of experience at a financial institution. I've been a teller, moved to another department where I did nothing but implement new products/projects and system conversions. Now I'm in IT where my job duty includes working to ensure the stability of the database and core banking system, along with other things. I'm interested in the mj careers that CO has to offer however.

Weed is not illegal there, there just aren't any recreational dispensaries within city limits. Marijuana is still legal to possess in the city as long as you are 21. There are also medical dispensaries in CO Springs. There is even a rec. dispensary just to the west in Manitou Springs. You are correct, however, that Denver is the place to be if you wish to find work in the cannabis industry.

[bluescreen73]

Originally Posted by Sunderpig2

Don't assume that it will be easy to get a job here. I've been here 4 years, and it's been getting worse over time. I have a bachelor's degree (which was more than adequate where I used to live), but probably ought to have a masters or doctorate in CO. The COL is much worse here than my research showed beforehand. Pay and benefits have been much crappier than what I'm used to.

For the love of Pete will you please STOP painting all of the Front Range with your Fort Collins generalizations? Fort Collins <> Denver. The economy is exponentially better here than it is up there. You do NOT need an advanced degree to get a job in Denver or Colorado Springs.

[Jake1126]

Originally Posted by ajr1995

Weed is not illegal there, there just aren't any recreational dispensaries within city limits. Marijuana is still legal to possess in the city as long as you are 21. There are also medical dispensaries in CO Springs. There is even a rec. dispensary just to the west in Manitou Springs. You are correct, however, that Denver is the place to be if you wish to find work in the cannabis industry.

Yea I realized that after I wrote it lol. I figured if I lived in Springs, Id just grow a plant or two