I feel like Denver metro Colorado isn't a good place to invest in my future (Aurora: health insurance, house)

[patch62383]

Hello everyone my name is Patrick. I'm a Colorado native and I do love this state. I just want to speak my mind about my feelings of where Denver is going. While I can't say I'm right about everything I can say that I think my opinion is valid and my thoughts aren't totally crazy. I currently live in Aurora and have for 9 years which is OK except the school district is absolutely horrible and traffic has almost doubled or tripled within the last 5 years, Denver traffic is absolutely insane IMHO. I need to move because me my wife and are out growing my little 1400 square foot house. While I have a lot of equity in my house but I feel like I can't comfortably afford to move up and into a better school district and a bigger house. I do make decent money but I don't see the benefits of buying a 450,000+ house with a 150,000,170,000 down payment because I refuse to be house poor and I'd rather put the money into retirement and my wife and I want her to stay home to raise our kiddos. I might **** a lot of people off but I think Colorado is going to become the next California which if you like that cool but I myself I just don't want to be around it. My idea is why stay here??? When I can move somewhere else like Wichita Kansas and buy a mansion for 175,000 and move to the suburbs of Wichita and put my kids in some of the best schools in the country. I union and I do commercial light industrial hvac work and would make about 2 dollars an hour less than I do here but with better retirement and health care. I guess I'm asking this because I want some feedback because I don't want to make a bad decision and move to a place I'd hate although I don't expect you to tell me what you do I just want an opinion and maybe if someone else is thinking about this or if you think I'm totally bat **** crazy. Any input is appreciated thanks again everyone

[bluescreen73]

You gotta do what you think is best for you, but in terms of QOL, Wichita is a huge downgrade from Denver. Kansas is also a fiscal dumpster fire right now thanks to a bunch of idiotic tinkering by hard-line conservatives.

If I were priced out of Denver there are far better places than Wichita IMNSHO. The Twin Cities are still affordable (if you can handle the winters), and Omaha is a great bargain, too. Boise and Salt Lake are also good choices.

[patch62383]

I guess I'm just stuck on Kansas because the union scale is a lot better than most plus the retirement plan and health insurance is great especially compared to Denver which is terrible. For being a left wing state the labor union isn't great here considering the political views. The right wing states have better union pay and benefits maybe its not all its cracked up to be.

[Arrby]

The argument about being house poor is a matter of personal comfort level, so no one can say you are wrong. I have not had a house payment since I was 40 years old and it is very liberating.
Even if you want to move to Kansas there are other choices than Wichita. I could even put it stronger than that.
I disagree that Kansas finances are all that bad, but certainly they could be better. Personally, I would be more concerned about any given Kansas community than the state.
There are still many places in Colorado with more affordable housing than Denver Metro. Most of them, in fact.
Life is way too short to live it in someplace you hate.

[patch62383]

Very true. I'm only 34 but I just can't fathom putting myself in a ton of debt to live in Denver. I guess I look at the world differently. I don't need the mountains I hate skiing but I do love fishing. It's just scary to leave the place you grew up but I know in my heart that I could live a lot more comfortable and put my kids through college in a different place.

[downtownnola]

Denver is definitely a lot more expensive than 10 or 15 years ago and the traffic has gotten bad compared to when I came here in 2004, but I personally love living here. The live-and-let-live attitude of Coloradoans, combined with so many other factors, keep me here for the time being. If I were to move anywhere else, it would probably be to California

For the record, you couldn't pay me enough to move to Kansas. Lots of nice people, but a state of very backwards politics and a lousy economy.

[SkyDog77]

People have been saying Colorado is becoming California since before I was a kid in the 80s. It’s a dog whistle to certain people. Colorado is what it is, but it’s not ever going to be California. It’s for some and not for others.

I lived in Kansas for a while. I would much rather raise a family in a Kansas City suburb than in Wichita, but that’s just me.

[MountainEarth]

Originally Posted by patch62383

I don't need the mountains I hate skiing but I do love fishing.

IMO one of the only reasons to live in Colorado is the mountains. If that's not your thing, then consider yourself set free from the state's biggest draw. There are hundreds of different places where you can get more for less. Evaluate what matters to you & your family (and what doesn't), then take your time, do your research and take some trips to your top prospects. Plenty of places to choose from.

[Bert_from_back_East]

Here's my prediction as it relates to migration trends:

CA --> CO / UT / ID --> WY / ND / SD / NE / KS

[ThePathBeforeMe]

So, just a different perspective here.

We are moving from Illinois to Colorado in 2018. The rationale;

- Manageable winters
- Better quality of life
- The mountains (of course)
- Good schools for our kiddos
- A geographically diverse place for our kiddos to explore

Grass is alaways greener, right? I don’t want to be “house poor” either and yes I understand that the Denver burbs are pricey. The trade off for a little lesser of a home is incomparable in our minds to the benefits we’ll get to enjoy from Colorado.

Life is short. Be happy. Raise and love those kiddos of yours in the best manner in which you see fit!