Moving to Denver Area- Could use some SERIOUS help! (Fort Collins: apartment, rentals)

[ishfu17]

Hey all,

So I will be moving to the Denver area in August to start my career- I will be working mostly in Greeley and am looking for some recommendations as to where I should look to live and maybe an idea of what these places are like/have to offer.

I am young (22), and for that matter would like a social scene; however, I do not want to have a long commute everyday. Also, I really enjoy outdoor activities, especially skiing and snowboard in the winter, and would love to have a "lesser" of a commute to the western side of the state.

I have been going out of my mind searching all over and have already contacted several realtors but figured I couldn't go wrong asking those individuals who have some legitimate experience.

I am extremely excited to move out west and kick start my career in a beautiful state but would love to do so in a more fitting environment. Any help would be awesome!

Thanks all!!

-Dan

[Davros]

Okay.

First, Greeley is not in the Denver area by most standards. It's not all that far of a drive (1 - 1.5 hours), but there's a lot of (nearly) empty and treeless rangeland along that road. It'll be a drive like nowhere you've ever seen in the east.

Second, I hope you are looking for rentals with your realtors, rather than buying. You're only 22, and you may find you don't want to stay in Colorado once you've lived here for a little while. Buying a home is a big commitment. Since you are completely unfamiliar with the area, you should also rent so that you can learn the lay of the land before you buy. Maybe the smell of Greeley will bug you a lot. Maybe it won't. Only being there can tell you that, and you want to find that out in a rental rather than in a home you just bought.

Since you want a short commute, I would suggest starting your apartment / rental home search in Greeley, but also consider Windsor (closest to Greeley), Loveland, and Fort Collins (furthest from Greeley). Loveland / Southern Fort Collins may be a good compromise, as it will be a relatively short commute, but will also be closer to the mountains and offers more parks in town (such as Boyd Lake park) than Greeley. Greeley, however, is going to have more of a social scene for young people since it is a college town. Greeley's a bit rougher than Loveland. Depending on where you're coming from (e.g. Baltimore Vs Bethesda) you will either find Greeley to be a rougher, grimier town than you're used to or not. Fort Collins is also a college town, and may have the best social scene for folks your age of all of those towns.

I hope that helps get you started, and I'm sure others will chime in. Also, do a search in the Fort Collins forum as well as in this forum and the Colorado forum for threads about Greeley. There's plenty of information already posted on these forums.

[qsr]

Try Longmont or any of the surrounding burbs, or just live in Fort Collins, which has an actual "scene" that doesn't suck. Oh yeah and don't buy anything until you've been in the area for at least a year.

[ishfu17]

Thanks for the quick responses guys this is all so helpful-

To respond to the buying idea, I have yet to even think about that- unfortunately, i have student loans out the wazoo and will be renting for a few years until i can ground myself and attend grad school.

I am new to the site and can already see how useful it has been so I will be vigorously searching the rest of the forums for some more information. Sorry about the misplacement on the thread and again thank you for the help!

[vegaspilgrim]

As crappy as it may be, probably makes sense to just live in Greeley, and do a lot of driving to visit Denver, Boulder, Fort Collins, and the mountains on the weekends. Loveland is painfully boring-- as are the other towns in between.

[ishfu17]

what about living in fort collins? that was recommended to me by my manager - what is the commute like? i will probably be headed to greeley at 6am if that makes a difference...

[OneMoreMove]

I don't know those areas much, but I'd definitely suggest looking for a very EASY and short-term commitment to a living situation while you sort out what to do. Get something close to work, inexpensive, and a 6 month or less lease. Then, spend your nights/weekends checking out the areas nearby and figure out where you fit best. Why bother trying to find the perfect spot now when you can know for sure once you are here for a while?

[vegaspilgrim]

Originally Posted by OneMoreMove

I don't know those areas much, but I'd definitely suggest looking for a very EASY and short-term commitment to a living situation while you sort out what to do. Get something close to work, inexpensive, and a 6 month or less lease. Then, spend your nights/weekends checking out the areas nearby and figure out where you fit best. Why bother trying to find the perfect spot now when you can know for sure once you are here for a while?

Or better yet, forget leases entirely... search for month-to-month room rentals on Craigslist. You could probably find a nice place to live for $350-500 a month. That's what I did when I moved to Reno for 6 months-- I would highly recommend it. It's great to get excited about your first job out of college-- but until you've been at that job for a while, you really don't know how long it's going to last. So better to protect yourself by not locking yourself into any leases, car payments, etc.

[OneMoreMove]

Yea, you are right about that. Then again, a month to month lease also brings the risk of losing the place before you are ready! Still, it can be a good way to go.

[ishfu17]

what about commuting to Greeley from downtown Denver? my realtor suggested this as a viable option- she said that plenty of people in the Denver area commute to work an that if I were leave to early I could make it there in no time- what do you all think about this idea?