Denver hasn't really worked out... (Colorado Springs, Aurora: sale, apartment, houses)

[mporter1984]

Originally Posted by Willy702

Something tells me the OP has ventured out from the city, but that's just a wild guess on my part.

Only reason I posted this is because these threads in here are tiring nonsense and whining about the city. None of these perceived problems are going to change or get better. In this case the mountains aren't going to get any closer, the traffic and cost of living are not going to get any better and the population is only going to grow. This Denver forum has become 50% threads that are just open therapy for malcontents in the area and then a bunch of local heroes trying to defend their fine city try to change their minds as if these threads are an affront to them and can't go unchallenged.

I say be meaner to the malcontents, tell them it's you and not the city, and just hope they leave. I'm sure the line to get in won't get any shorter and for those of us who do enjoy it here despite the constant changes will be better off answering real queries and questions about the city.

I'm not malcontented, I'm just looking for some advice bro.

[flamadiddle]

Life is too short to flail around hoping for change. Pick you next destination and make it happen!

[StealthRabbit]

Originally Posted by mporter1984

Yes, the outdoor life in Chicagoland is pretty bad, but I regret not buying windsurfing gear while I was there. Pretty much world class wind surfing.

If you want 'outdoors', you gotta get OUT THERE! (plenty of spots in Colorado to do so. Consider Carbondale!)

Windsurfing - Hood River County Chamber of Commerce
Take a Lesson | Gorge Windsurfing
Windsurfing... not the best sport for in CO, but if you like Windsurfing (HUGE river...), Mtns, Skiing, low traffic and very sustainable environment (very GREEN and 'local') = Hood River, OR or White Salmon. WA <1 hr to a great airport and tax free shopping.

Gorge Grown Food Network | Building a resilient food system
Home* |* Columbia Gorge Wine Country

jobs...(some VERY good ones... in tech and in finance)
Gorge Tech Jobs
www.insitu.com/careers


Only a (long) day's drive or a <$200 RT air to check it out!
Not a shabby place to 'hang' (very good place AAMF)

• In the Mtns!
• On the River
• Jr College town
• Very few stoplights! there are now ((2)) Stoplights in White Salmon, WA (income tax free)

Hood River, OR has a bunch, but you can avoid them.


What is your skill-set?

[Willy702]

Originally Posted by mporter1984

I'm not malcontented, I'm just looking for some advice bro.

Well bro my advice is next time you want to get out of a Chicago lifestyle, don't move to a place with 3 million people.

[himain]

Originally Posted by intrinsiknergy

Try moving to Evergreen. It's close enough to the city to commute, but you will live within easy, daily access to what the mountains have to offer. North Evergreen is very pricey for your (and my) salary range, but there are other housing options further into Evergreen that may fit your criteria. I'm an east coaster from NYC and Boston, and the traffic doesn't even come close, so make sure you're being very aware of your expectations/fantasy verse reality. I know it's hard, I'm there myself for a different reason. Denver is a very unattractive city for sure, but if you wanted an attractive city you would have gravitated toward something else, but you're here, and you know what this area REALLY has to offer. So let's make that happen instead.

He will not be able to afford Evergreen on his salary...

[whoisjongalt]

Originally Posted by Vision67

Thinking that Denver is all about living in the Mountains

is like thinking that Los Angeles is all about living on the Beach.

I lived in Los Angeles, on the beach. But you're right. People who lived 8 miles inland would say "oh I haven't been to the beach in a year". I think Evergreen or Conifer would be a perfect choice.

[little pink]

I would seriously consider Colorado Springs before you left Colorado if I were you. You can easily live on 50k and the views are spectacular and closer to outdoorsy activities. Yes, Denver is drab, I remember my ex husbands boss telling us we need to close our eyes when landing in Denver for the first time , due to the brown ugly factor and coming from lush Tennessee , all of Colorado is not like that.

[HelterSkelter]

If you're looking for a smaller town with natural beauty why not check out Traverse City?

[bartonizer]

A lot of good suggestions on here, especially the options StealthRabbit has given-though not all of them are affordable.

First and foremost, it depends on your job and where your transfer possibilities are. Next, what size metro would you prefer? I think people view Denver romantically from afar, even though they know better. I did. But the truth is that it has three million people, and no matter how pretty the background, with a population that large there's going to be traffic and congestion. The only places that would probably work for you would be Evergreen and maybe Conifer, as they would likely give you the feeling of the CO you imagined, but they are quickly getting out of reach, price-wise.

If you're willing to go down a couple levels, population and amenity-wise, you've got a number of reasonable options in the Intermountain West that may suit you. The 400k-700k metros of CO Springs, Boise, Spokane and Reno are among the more accessible options- and they all have better mountain/outdoor recreation options than Denver, with far less traffic. I'd start with checking out CO Springs and see what you think. Not my first choice on that list, but it may work for you. But they're all growing, and IMHO they'll be the next booming metros as people are priced out of the bigger cities. And they all have an inventory of affordable housing, which is rare in the West.

The next tier down includes some of the smaller metros, say 100k-300k, like Flagstaff, Bend, Missoula, Bozeman, Bellingham, and Santa Fe (Boulder used to fit into that category, but is pricey, pretentious, and for all practical purposes part of the Denver metro). Now, these places are even more outdoorsy, often college-oriented towns that are highly desirable, but you give up job options, transportation options, etc. and they're often pretty remote. They're great places to live and people know it, so affordable housing is tough to find, so making it work can be more difficult.

Below that, the metros are often even less attainable. Hood River and Glenwood Springs/Carbondale are awesome, but finding reasonable housing is nearly impossible.

Ultimately, having landlords suddenly and repeatedly jack our rates sky high or prepare the places for sale drove us out of both Denver and the Roaring Fork Valley, and the fact that CO has few appealing options between Front Range Metro and tiny mountain towns pushed us to consider other states. As much as I love CO, beautiful western mountain scenery is by no means limited to the Centennial State, and there are options out there.

[wilberry]

I am still hoping that Walsenburg will catch on ....