Considering Move to Colorado (Denver, Boulder: rent, condos, townhouses)

[nelsonfam]

My husband and I have been talking about moving. We are originally from California and are currently living in Arkansas. We're not very happy here.

We both like the sound of Colorado but neither of us knows much about it. My husband thinks Boulder might be nice. We know we prefer suburbia over major cities. Could anyone make any suggestions and help kick start our search? Thanks!

[StixZadinia]

If you didn't like the cost of living in California, you won't like it in Boulder. Since you come from a warmer climate, it does snow in Boulder and the cool seasons are longer than what you are used to. Boulder is cool place to hang, but imho living there is too expensive, not only do they smoke grass but they eat their lawn too because they think it's healthy and Boulder has too many vitamin freaks.

[delta07]

What are you looking for in terms of housing, jobs, etc? We need a little more info to go on here.

[nelsonfam]

Stole this from another thread. Hope it's enough.


Where are you coming from?
Arkansas

Why are you moving?
My husband and I are originally from California. We grew up with people of different races/cultures/ethnicities. Where we are living now it is predominately white with a lot of racist views and opinions. My husband and I do not want our children growing up in an area full of small minded bigotry.

Where will you be working?
Not sure yet. My husband is a machinist. We don't want to move until after he has found a job out there. He may have to move without us and rent a place for a while until the kids and I could join him. We just want to get an idea of the best areas for us first so he can start looking for work. Commuting would obviously need to be a consideration.

Will you buy or rent?
We would like to buy.

What is your budget ?
We haven't even spoken with a Realtor yet. We are guesstimating at about $100,000-$120,000.

What kind of place are you looking for ?
We would like a house with 3 bedrooms and 2 bathrooms. Approximately 1200 square feet. A garage would be nice for extra storage. Would want a yard, fenced in would be a plus. Suburbia preferably.

Will anyone (spouse, children, pets) be moving with you ?
Husband, our two daughters and a dog and a cat.

Do you need/want good public schools?
Definitely.

Briefly describe the kind of neighborhood you'd like to live in
(examples: families with young children, young, mature, artsy, diverse, safe, close-knit, block parties, etc)
Family friendly/orientated, families with young children, safe, not too expensive, diverse, suburbia, close to stores and the like.

List three things that are important to you in order of importance.(examples: nightlife, outdoor activities, rural/urban, safety, downtown area, charming, new construction, proximity to XYZ, family oriented, easy parking, short commute, etc)
Safety, affordability, good schools.

[StixZadinia]

Originally Posted by nelsonfam

Stole this from another thread. Hope it's enough.




Why are you moving?
My husband and I are originally from California. We grew up with people of different races/cultures/ethnicities. Where we are living now it is predominately white with a lot of racist views and opinions. My husband and I do not want our children growing up in an area full of small minded bigotry.

.

Colorado seems to be whiteyville. I don't see much of other races except Hispanic and I noticed white people segregate themselves.

You're price is way to low for Boulder, no way you could even live close to there.

[lurtsman]

I see several minorities in CS, and more in Denver. Compared to Iowa, there is nice degree of inter-racial culture here. In Iowa, people would stare if a black person and a white person were holding hands. I didn't like being in an area that would notice that. Colorado's population is not incredibly racially diverse, but compared to the Midwest it tends to be more diverse. I have not seen any racism since I moved--but that doesn't mean it doesn't exist. I'd rather not disclose some of the things I heard living in Iowa. I came to understand why people felt the way they did, but it was still tragic.

In regards to budget:
Your desire for beds/baths or price range will have to compromise. It simply won't happen in Boulder. There are some places in the Springs where you can get that, but only a few. If you are considering condos/townhouses, your chances are better than if you only want single family homes. For what it's worth, the property taxes are much lower here, so it is easier to afford a nice house.

[GStone777]

Originally Posted by StixZadinia

Colorado seems to be whiteyville. I don't see much of other races except Hispanic and I noticed white people segregate themselves.

I'm white and my wife is hispanic and we have never had a problem in Colorado that I've noticed. She is more outgoing than me and has plenty of white and hispanic friends.

[jim9251]

Where in Arkansas? I'm from Fayetteville and it's a very nice, diverse, University town. Lots to do there. Anyway, I would suggest you visit Colorado first, and in mid January. It gets a bit chilly here. There's other places in Colorado besides Denver and the front range (GASP it's true). Good luck to you.

[wanneroo]

Colorado is kind of like California priced living at Arkansas wages, so good luck. I haven't seen homes priced in that price range around Boulder for over 20 years, if not longer.

Sounds like you should visit first.

[Teckeeee]

Originally Posted by StixZadinia

If you didn't like the cost of living in California, you won't like it in Boulder. Since you come from a warmer climate, it does snow in Boulder and the cool seasons are longer than what you are used to. Boulder is cool place to hang, but imho living there is too expensive, not only do they smoke grass but they eat their lawn too because they think it's healthy and Boulder has too many vitamin freaks.

Hey hey there pal some of us like to hug trees!

The Republic of Boulder.................. 10-15% higher housing costs than most of Denver, large amount of college kids which are rowdy now and then, lots of homeless people and transients, plenty of pot dispensaries, commute to denver is 45 minutes with 36 road construction. But plenty of trees to hug.

Boulder is nice but for that money live in Evergreen or live in Broomfield.

Boulder has a lot of health conscious people and it's very close to Rocky Mountain National Park.

You are probably in for a bit of culture shock coming from Arkansas.

Don't mention CA or bash on it. I am from So Cal and there are two groups that aren't liked here Californians and Texans. I have been here 9 years and didn't mention it for the first six months.

Boulder is nice actually but what I said is true. There are so cool tech companies in Boulder and surronding areas. If you have $$$ and don't have to work outside of Boulder try it out.