Chattanooga-to-Boulder/Denver...advice please!!! (Colorado Springs, Aurora: 2014, income, income tax)

[whoisjongalt]

It really all depends on your budget. I'd suggest you check out the Lakewood / Golden area. If you are in Jefferson County you won't have to deal with those stupid dog breed laws and you will still be relatively close to downtown. As far as some anti-Southern prejudice, I've never seen anything like that anywhere here. No one really cares where you are from (ok maybe if you're from California) It seems like everyone you meet just moved here last week.

[Katarina Witt]

Originally Posted by Thoreau424

So you really want to leave the lush, deep green beauty and affordability of TN for the dry/sparse environment and overpriced ways of Denver? And you're ready to trade in the culture that you are familiar with for a very different one, where you may feel very alien and out of place? What if people are more accepting of LGBT stuff, but unaccepting of a southern background/history? Will you really be coming out ahead? You have to be thinking about that.

Make sure you visit Denver/CO first to see what it's like before getting too far into your plans. Even if this area seems more to your liking from long distance, you might find that the differences (you're not thinking of) could dwarf and overwhelm what you are focusing on.

It would/will be interesting to look at cost differences too. You ought to mention the price of your house (and what you are used to), and how much you spend on expenses (monthly, etc.) Remember too that CO has state income tax, which will be more money out of your pocket. You will need compelling reasons - with the numbers/math and culture - to make such a move make sense.

Why is it, with nearly every "moving to Denver/Colorado" thread, someone has to come up with this crap? I do not recommend moving somewhere sight unseen, but different people have different preferences. TN also has a state income tax, their 6%, which is far more than CO's, 4.63%.

[Texas Ag 93]

Originally Posted by Katarina Witt

Why is it, with nearly every "moving to Denver/Colorado" thread, someone has to come up with this crap? I do not recommend moving somewhere sight unseen, but different people have different preferences. TN also has a state income tax, their 6%, which is far more than CO's, 4.63%.

Agree. I don't think a lot of people factor in the specifics of state income tax policies when advising people on relocation. They often view it as a black and white Yes or No issue and it's more complex than that. As pointed out above, CO has a flat tax of 4.63%. I thought that was more than reasonable and fair when I lived there. Conversely, at various points, we considered (and eliminated) states like OR and SC because of their high progressive tax rates.

Then I moved back to Texas, where my property tax is about 2.5 times higher than it was on our house in Denver for a comparably valued home.

Taxes will get you one way or another. The difference is that one can choose options that minimize the impact of paying property taxes, but you can't really so with income taxes.

[AZmama13]

Originally Posted by Thoreau424

And you're ready to trade in the culture that you are familiar with for a very different one, where you may feel very alien and out of place? What if people are more accepting of LGBT stuff, but unaccepting of a southern background/history? Will you really be coming out ahead? You have to be thinking about that.

I am not LGBTQ but happen to be an open-minded, live-and-let-live type of person. I grew up in the heart of the Midwestern bible belt and can vouch for wanting to escape, and yes, it's worth it. If it weren't for the nearly toxic mentality that (not all but many) people have, we would absolutely consider moving back to take advantage of the great schools and affordability. I can't speak to OP's other factors like cost of living or dog breed restrictions but I can say that moving somewhere with a more open-minded vibe is a great idea if you can make it work.

[hunter_allen]

Thanks for all the advice we ruled out Colorado completely. Breed bans are as worse as race bans and is stereotypical superficial thinking that causes them

[Thoreau424]

Originally Posted by Katarina Witt

TN also has a state income tax

TN has no standard, per paycheck, income tax. Only income from stocks and bonds is taxed. That means many people there do not pay income taxes, rather than in CO where every employee is affected. Chances are, the OP will gain income tax expenses with a move to CO, and that needs to be factored in.

Nine U.S. states do not level a broad-based individual income tax. Some of these do tax certain forms of personal income:

4. Tennessee has a "Hall income tax" of 6% on income received from stocks and bonds not taxed ad valorem.[13] The Hall income tax is reduced to 5% for tax year 2016, with legislative intent that the tax be statutorily reduced by one percent annually beginning with the first annual session of the 110th general assembly and potentially eliminated by 2022.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/State_income_tax

[Katarina Witt]

Originally Posted by Thoreau424

TN has no standard, per paycheck, income tax. Only income from stocks and bonds is taxed. That means many people there do not pay income taxes, rather than in CO where every employee is affected. Chances are, the OP will gain income tax expenses with a move to CO, and that needs to be factored in.

Nine U.S. states do not level a broad-based individual income tax. Some of these do tax certain forms of personal income:

4. Tennessee has a "Hall income tax" of 6% on income received from stocks and bonds not taxed ad valorem.[13] The Hall income tax is reduced to 5% for tax year 2016, with legislative intent that the tax be statutorily reduced by one percent annually beginning with the first annual session of the 110th general assembly and potentially eliminated by 2022.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/State_income_tax

Yes, I see that now. Colorado is at the low end of the states for total taxes, but TN is the lowest, so wherever they decide to move, they'll pay more taxes. CNN/Money: Taxes state by state

[davebarnes]

Originally Posted by Katarina Witt

Yes, I see that now. Colorado is at the low end of the states for total taxes, but TN is the lowest, so wherever they decide to move, they'll pay more taxes.

That is a semi-meaningless table.
It does not include real estate taxes which are paid by anyone who lives in a permanent structure.

But, real estate taxes in Chattanooga appear to be very low at 0.2-0.4%.
How does government provide any services with so little revenue?

[Katarina Witt]

Well, they're not moving here anyway.

[NW Crow]

For others looking for cheaper housing than Boulder but still near it, Longmont will be cheaper for rent and especially to buy. Boulder is very very expensive to buy a house in.