Please Help! (Denver, Fort Collins, Boulder: low crime, homes, school districts)

[MissyMouse1]

I have been trying to narrow down locations as we have finally decided to make the big leap. I have some minimum qualifications:

LOTS of sunshine, fresh air, I like trees and nature, relatively mild climate, I can handle SOME snow and SOME humidity, I prefer dry heat, but am not attracted to the desert area, good schools, low crime, parks, an area that belives in a realtively healthy lifestyle. It would be nice to be within 1 hour of a college, hospital and airport. My husband would like to stay on the East Coast (North Carolina area), but I have been looking at Colorado. Any suggestions would be GREATLY appreciated. Thanks

[sunsprit]

If "some snow" is an issue for you ... then you've ruled out Colorado. Much of the state, especially where there's trees (which may be very minimal compared to lower elevation riparian climate areas of the country) has an extended winter season with the potential for lots of snow each year.

In the mountains, of course ... you can count on a lot of snow. The "front range" of Colorado, where most of the population is at, is built right at the foothills of the mountains.

[Mike Weber]

Originally Posted by MissyMouse1

I have been trying to narrow down locations as we have finally decided to make the big leap. I have some minimum qualifications:

LOTS of sunshine, fresh air, I like trees and nature, relatively mild climate, I can handle SOME snow and SOME humidity, I prefer dry heat, but am not attracted to the desert area, good schools, low crime, parks, an area that belives in a realtively healthy lifestyle. It would be nice to be within 1 hour of a college, hospital and airport. My husband would like to stay on the East Coast (North Carolina area), but I have been looking at Colorado. Any suggestions would be GREATLY appreciated. Thanks

As sunsprit said, we have snow here along the front range. Some years there is a bunch and some years there is less. Last winter a lot of folks around here complained due to having snow on the ground much of the time from November to March, but this year there has been little snow at all.

While we do not look like a desert, our climate is reasonably arid. It takes quite a bit of irrigation to grow green things here, but there are many irrigated trees in the towns. Newer housing typically has smaller vegetation around it, while older homes often have larger trees. However, outside of the mountains there are few trees between towns.

Your remaining requirements basically have described much of the Colorado Front Range just out of the mountains. It is difficult to find yourself more than an hour from a college, hospital and DIA. There are many good school districts in the area and relatively low crime on most towns. Colorado tends to rank pretty highly on the healthy scale with many residents having active lifestyles.

Good luck in your search,
Mike

[Monkey10]

Why dont you narrow your search down by looking at statistics, i.e. safest cities in the US and then go on from there. That's what I did.

[Davros]

Originally Posted by sunsprit

If "some snow" is an issue for you ... then you've ruled out Colorado. Much of the state, especially where there's trees (which may be very minimal compared to lower elevation riparian climate areas of the country) has an extended winter season with the potential for lots of snow each year.

In the mountains, of course ... you can count on a lot of snow. The "front range" of Colorado, where most of the population is at, is built right at the foothills of the mountains.

I don't necessarily agree that too much snow being an issue rules out Colorado. They can get big snowstorms, but so does the East Coast. An added plus for snow (outside of the mountains of course) is that it usually doesn't stick around very long. Your biggest snows are usually in October, November, March, or April so even they tend to go away pretty quick. I only remember a couple of big snowstorms in the mid-winter. Those stick around a while, but not like in Maine where once the snow is down you won't see the ground again until some time in March.

So if too much snow is an issue, I would say that the mountains are probably ruled out, but front range cities like Fort Collins not necessarily.

[Davros]

Originally Posted by MissyMouse1

I have been trying to narrow down locations as we have finally decided to make the big leap. I have some minimum qualifications:

LOTS of sunshine, fresh air, I like trees and nature, relatively mild climate, I can handle SOME snow and SOME humidity, I prefer dry heat, but am not attracted to the desert area, good schools, low crime, parks, an area that belives in a realtively healthy lifestyle. It would be nice to be within 1 hour of a college, hospital and airport. My husband would like to stay on the East Coast (North Carolina area), but I have been looking at Colorado. Any suggestions would be GREATLY appreciated. Thanks

Sunshine and fresh air you've got it. Trees and nature you've got that too. Anywhere there is a river or stream, there are trees. The willows on the Cache La Poudre River in Fort Collins are beautiful. True, there's lots of prairie land without trees as well, but you can find plenty of trees if you look for them. And nature watching and bird watching are great everywhere.

As mentioned, snow could be a problem, depending on what you mean by SOME. Humidity won't be a problem. It's not a desert. There are lots of good school systems to research. The Fort Collins-Loveland area is definitely low crime with plenty of parks. And Colorado is one of the least obese states in the country.

Hospitals are good. Major colleges include CSU in Fort Collins, CU in Boulder, Metro State & CU-Denver in Denver, and UNC in Greeley along with plenty of community colleges. In Fort Collins you may be slightly over 1 hour away from DIA, and that's the only major airport in the area.

North Carolina is very beautiful. It has much higher humidity than Colorado but also much less snow, so pick your poison.