Mom in Loveland (Denver, Colorado Springs, Fort Collins: 2010, to rent, condos)

[DannyBanany]

My mom is in love with Loveland (pun intended) and she plans on living there sometime in the near future. Right now she works as a med tech in Rapid City, SD and she's ready to pack up and leave. She considers this early her retirement and basically her dream is to work at the Liz Claiborne Outlet, drive around in her Honda, and live in a condo. To each his own.

The thing is, I will be going to school in either CA, MN, or nearby Denver so this is the first time she will be out on her own since she was 26. She's in her mid 40s now. Is Loveland a good place for a fortysomething to start fresh? She loves the town because it's mid-sized, clean, and has pretty good shopping without being in a big city. She doesn't want to continue in the medical field or with her business degree. She just wants the kind of stress-free job that you don't bring home so she can put her feet up at the end of the night.

Is there a part of Loveland that is avoidable? Are condos/townhouses/apts pretty cheap? Her limit would probably be about $800-900 per month. Do jobs pay fairly well in Loveland? Are the hospitals pretty good there?

Just any information would help!

[wickedgood]

IMHO Loveland has it all except really good paying service jobs. Your mom could easily find a decent place to rent probobly closer to $900 per month and there are really very few "bad" areas in Loveland. She may want to consider staying in the medical field as Loveland has two full sized hospitals along with several clinics, outpaitent surgery centers, nurisng homes etc... + the economy here along with everywhere else is hurting. Other than that this is a great place to live with friendly down to earth people, low crime, great weather and the beautiful Front Range as a backdrop. Hope this helps.

[DannyBanany]

Thanks for the advice! I tell her to stay in the medical field but she really wants something that she can leave at the end of the day. I'm sure she'd be able to find something like that in an assisted living center, etc. So all in all, Loveland is a pretty good place for early retirement?

I'm kind of worried because she'll be alone now and she hasn't been in so long. I'm sure I'm worrying about nothing though. She's in her 40s. She can handle her own.

[vilila]

Hi DannyBanany
I can relate to your mom with everything you mentioned, job responsibilites, 'early' retirement, etc. because I myself feel the same way and I am also planning to move to Loveland first qtr 2010 after my youngest son finishes college. I will have to change careers because I have been in the IT industry since the early '80s but I'm looking forward to it. I wish your mom good luck on her new adventure in life!

[DannyBanany]

Originally Posted by vilila

Hi DannyBanany
I can relate to your mom with everything you mentioned, job responsibilites, 'early' retirement, etc. because I myself feel the same way and I am also planning to move to Loveland first qtr 2010 after my youngest son finishes college. I will have to change careers because I have been in the IT industry since the early '80s but I'm looking forward to it. I wish your mom good luck on her new adventure in life!

Thanks Vilila! I was beginning to think that my thread went unnoticed. What my mom basically wants is total independence and an easy life. She's not married and I'm her only kid, so once I'm all moved and settled she'll be home free. What attracted you to Loveland?

[Tom Emmerling]

I think Loveland is a good fit for your mom. It is an older retirement community compared to Fort Collins. I have been in law enforcement for over 20 years in Larimer County and your mom will be safe there.

[DannyBanany]

Originally Posted by Tom Emmerling

I think Loveland is a good fit for your mom. It is an older retirement community compared to Fort Collins. I have been in law enforcement for over 20 years in Larimer County and your mom will be safe there.

That's good to know. I've sort of narrowed it down to going to school in Denver so luckily I won't be too far away if she needs something. I feel so stupid; my mother is a perfectly normal and capable adult but I act like she's a senile senior citizen who occasionally roams the neighborhood in her moomoo.

[vilila]

Hi DannyBanany,
I currently live in the Tampa Bay area (Florida) and I have had enough of the rat race and humidity. I had a sister who used to live in Colorado Springs so after my divorce (approximately 16 years ago) the boys and I would spend some of our Christmas vacations out there and I just fell in love with Colorado. I felt like I could 'breathe' if you can understand what I mean by that... I'm sure your Mom can. I finally visited Loveland this past May and it just felt 'right'. It's hard to verbilize other than to say that I felt like I was home. It's been a very tough personal decision for me to make, leaving everyone and everything here behind, basically starting over, but both my boys (21yrs and 19yrs) understand and know how much I love it out there. Most of my life I've been a girlfriend/wife (met ex when I was 15yrs), then wife/mother, then mother and now that both the boys are older it's time I discover who I am. I'm ready for a new adventure! Your mom is very lucky that you will live close by her. Both of my boys have said that they would like to eventually move out there so who knows... maybe I'll be lucky like your mom and have the best of both... great place to live and my sons close by!

[golfgod]

We bought our house in Loveland in November '07 and moved in April '08. We had lived most of our lives in big cities, Washington DC, Cincinnati, Houston, then we tried a small (ish) town-6000 in a cluster of 3 other towns of similar size.

We found what we were looking for in Loveland. It's big enough to have "enough" good restaurants, good social activities, a great library, good stores etc. And if what we want ins't here it's certainly in FoCo, about 15 minutes away.

I can walk to the golf course, bike to the grocery, library and post office. We have community theatre, "big league" theatre in FoCo and "touring" Broadway shows in Denver.

The town has a good cross section of ages, although we're actually used to a bit more racial diversity.

Continuing education opportunities are close by and the cost of living (by our standards) is cheaper than what we're used to.

The city takes pride in its cleanliness, schools, support for the arts and upkeep of its roads. I've never seen a town of this size with such good, well maintained city parks.

golfgod

[DannyBanany]

Thanks guys! Loveland sounds like a perfect place for my mom. When I ask her Why Loveland? she too says It just feels right. Vilila, best of luck on your move and hopefully your sons can join you sometime too. I know what you mean by breathing room in Colorado. I've never been to a place that is more clean, nice, and beautiful than the Front Range.