Relocating from Florida (Denver, Colorado Springs, Aurora: transplants, sales, apartment)

[vikkig]

Hi all-Our family is looking to relocate in a year to the Denver area; our daughter is in school until next September. My husband will be going first as soon as he secures employment. We are hoping in the next several months. My brother is in Parker with his family and that is where my husband will be staying. Coming from the south...many questions. What is the culture of Colorado like? The weather? We are used to hot and humid 10 months out of the year. I very much like the changing of the seasons. Will be new to the family. We would like to rent a condo but prefer a house and must be one story or something with a bedroom and bath on ground floor because our son is handicapped. Will that be hard to find? We would like to be not to far from our family in Parker-what are the surrounding areas like? What can we expect to pay in rent for a housing? Cost of living like? We are coming from South Florida and the cost of living is relatively high. Is medical care good? Here is Florida it is a toss up when it comes to receiving good medical care. This is very important given my son's health issues. Thank you all in advance.

[EastwardBound]

Originally Posted by vikkig

Hi all-Our family is looking to relocate in a year to the Denver area; our daughter is in school until next September. My husband will be going first as soon as he secures employment. We are hoping in the next several months. My brother is in Parker with his family and that is where my husband will be staying. Coming from the south...many questions. What is the culture of Colorado like? The weather? We are used to hot and humid 10 months out of the year. I very much like the changing of the seasons. Will be new to the family. We would like to rent a condo but prefer a house and must be one story or something with a bedroom and bath on ground floor because our son is handicapped. Will that be hard to find? We would like to be not to far from our family in Parker-what are the surrounding areas like? What can we expect to pay in rent for a housing? Cost of living like? We are coming from South Florida and the cost of living is relatively high. Is medical care good? Here is Florida it is a toss up when it comes to receiving good medical care. This is very important given my son's health issues. Thank you all in advance.

It sounds like you've planned it out pretty well thus far, with your husband securing a job first, as the labor market and employment will probably be the biggest concerns which you will want to rectify first.

With regards to the questions about culture, Colorado and the West in general are more laid back, but also less friendly. Now, that doesn't people aren't nice, but there is not a sense of in your face friendliness you will find in say the Midwest or the South. I'm not familiar with South Florida, but knowing it is highly urban with many transplants, it may very well be much the same there. People here are also less busybodied than in other areas and kind of stick to themselves and mind their own business, imo.

The seasons change for sure, and while it's a matter of opinion and subjective, in my opinion, the weather is fairly comfortable along the Front Range urban corridor the entire year, even in winter. Yes, we get storms and frigid temps several times throughout the winter, but most days are sunny and with the dry air, one can enjoy outdoor activities pretty much year-round. I think you'll love the relief from the humidity and enjoy having your windows open a lot and not having to run an A/C much.

I can't speak about the healthcare situation, but I'd assume near Denver would be best for your son.

[vikkig]

Thank you so much for the reply. Frigid temps? How cold is cold? And for how long? I grew up in the cold so not new to me but hubby and our young adult kids will be in for a shock. Not in your face friendliness? I am not sure I understand. South Florida has changed since I came here over 30 yrs ago. The influx of transplants have made it less southern than other areas of Florida but people always greet one another.

[eatsDEN]

50 degrees on the gulf is less comfortable than 30 degrees here on the Front Range,
to me at least (a New Orleans expat) -- Denver's saving grace in this regard is that you can
have a significant snow storm Monday, and by Wed you will likely have clear blue sky melting the cold away....


this area is nothing like the Chicago-land or Great Lakes area local climates...

[NorthDenverGirl]

I came from St Louis, 6 years ago and Australia before that. St Louis was humid year round which I didn't love, in Colorado it is much drier. Be prepared to buy humidifiers because your skin, lips, hair gets dry really quickly. I much prefer the dry air though than the horrid humidity in St Louis. We definitely have seasons, my favorite season is coming now and the cool mornings and nights are amazing! You can have your windows open all night and freeze in bed!

People are friendly here, I found it to be more relaxed and laid back than St Louis, even as it has gotten busier here. People enjoy lots of outdoor activities even in the winter. We also have a lot of great restaurants, rec centers, kids activities, breweries etc.

Parker is a great area, you might also want to check out SE Aurora as it can be a little cheaper but most areas are still in Cherry Creek School District which is a favorite amongst parents. Parts of Centennial and Littleton may also work. It will really depend on your budget as to whether you can find a home to rent or whether a townhome/apartment might work best to start with. You should be able to get a downstairs apartment that is handicap accessible. As an example average rent for a 2 bed/2 bath is around $1400, yes you can find cheaper but I am talking averages, $1700+ for a 3 bedroom and more for a single-family home.

The cost of living here is likely higher than Florida, depending on where you are coming from but I know a lot of people that have moved here from Florida that find the quality of life here to be much better.

[vikkig]

Thank you all for the replies. We are more than willing to look at other close by cities. We live in South Florida and the cost of living here is quite high compared to the rest of Florida. The average 3 bedroom here is between 1700-2000 depending on the area you are living in.

My brother says that the weather in Colorado is bipolar in nature but that he loves it. Windows open would be a wonderful change from the constant stifling heat and humidity. I think the cooler weather would be a better fit for my son.

I looked at the Aurora area but was put off by the things I have heard and read about the area. I also read that it is a part of tornado alley. Is this the case? We are just coming off of hurricane Irma and if we can stay away from weather extremes; it would be wonderful. Hurricane season here runs from June through the end of November and
it is expensive and nerve-racking.

[bluescreen73]

Aurora is a very large city. A majority of the people who talk *&^% about Aurora have likely never lived there and/or never set foot anywhere east of I-225 and south of Mississippi Avenue. They just hear the "Aurora is bad" trope and repeat it like lemmings.



The attachment is Aurora. The penciled in red area on the upper left is the worst area of the city. It gets progressively safer the further south and east you go. Southeast Aurora is in purple.

All of Denver is technically on the western edge of tornado alley, but the odds of a major tornado hitting anywhere in the Denver metro area are very small.

[Gorges]

Originally Posted by vikkig

I looked at the Aurora area but was put off by the things I have heard and read about the area. I also read that it is a part of tornado alley. Is this the case? We are just coming off of hurricane Irma and if we can stay away from weather extremes; it would be wonderful. Hurricane season here runs from June through the end of November and it is expensive and nerve-racking.

Tornadoes can, and have, hit in any part of the Denver metro area but are usually on the small side and are most prevalent on the eastern plains, near Kansas. The Palmer Divide (the high plains area between Denver and Colorado Springs, including Parker) is considered susceptible to severe storms in general, including snow.

Aurora is huge, like a city, and has good parts and bad parts. The better parts are in the south and southeast, with beautiful neighborhoods, parks and excellent schools. Higher price tag, though.

People aren't going to be able to help you much without knowing your budget or the size place that you need, or a location. Do you know where your husband will be looking for a job?

ETA: Nice map, bluescreen

[janeh777]

Hi, does your son see any certain specialists, or are you looking for good primary care? I was in medical and pharmaceutical sales for a long time, so know a lot of the docs

[Dreaming of Hawaii]

Originally Posted by vikkig

Hi all-Our family is looking to relocate in a year to the Denver area; our daughter is in school until next September. My husband will be going first as soon as he secures employment. We are hoping in the next several months. My brother is in Parker with his family and that is where my husband will be staying. Coming from the south...many questions. What is the culture of Colorado like? The weather? We are used to hot and humid 10 months out of the year. I very much like the changing of the seasons. Will be new to the family. We would like to rent a condo but prefer a house and must be one story or something with a bedroom and bath on ground floor because our son is handicapped. Will that be hard to find? We would like to be not to far from our family in Parker-what are the surrounding areas like? What can we expect to pay in rent for a housing? Cost of living like? We are coming from South Florida and the cost of living is relatively high. Is medical care good? Here is Florida it is a toss up when it comes to receiving good medical care. This is very important given my son's health issues. Thank you all in advance.

Vikkig, I suggest that you spend some time reading through the many threads here that already address a lot of your questions. In fact, there are even threads by people looking to move to Colorado from Florida, so these should be very helpful to you. There are also threads discussing weather, cost of living, etc.

We always advise people to look for housing near work, because traffic is bad in Denver and getting worse. No reason to have a long commute. Since your husband doesn't have a job yet, perhaps you should hold off looking for housing until you have a better idea of job location. Once you have an idea of location, please provide major cross-streets and also be prepared to give us your housing budget.

Denver has world-class hospitals, and one of the best Children's Hospital in the country.