My first post! Job is in Greeley -- but where will we live??? (Denver: real estate)

[Juliasmommy]

For the last 10 years I've worked as an editor for a major textbook publisher. We were just informed that the Los Angeles office is closing in December. About 100 people, myself included, basically got 5 months' notice that we are getting laid off. Could be worse, I suppose...

Anyway, this turn of events has jumpstarted our plans to escape from Los Angeles. Colorado is our first choice (my brother lives in Broomfield), and my husband has a job being held for him in Greeley. However, some initial research has led us to believe that Greeley may not be the best place for us to live -- we keep hearing about a stinky slaughterhouse!

We're considering Loveland and Fort Collins, and I've read lots of helpful info on this forum about both of those places. What I'm hoping to learn from you guys is what OTHER cities are in the area that we might be overlooking -- or if Loveland and/or Fort Collins would be our best options.

About us: I'm 40, my husband is 56, and we have a 4-year-old daughter adopted from Guatemala. We are sick of all the problems that everyone else in LA is sick of: too many cars, too many people, long commutes, shamefully inadequate schools, too expensive, and too dirty!

I'm going to keep researching, of course, but it's tough to find unbiased info from various chambers of commerce and real estate agents. Thanks in advance for your input!

[cjski21]

Check out Evans. Close to Greeley and never the smell of JBS (slaughterhouse). I am confident in the safety of the town. Only one area to avoid in Evans, and that is the areas east of highway 85. The police here do a great job keeping the town safe. Greeley is surprisingly nice too (considering the reputation). West Greeley is extremely nice and well developed as far as shopping goes. Best of all, Mountain views without the Front Range congestion.

Oh, and Weld county taxes are some of the lowest in the state.

[whirnot]

Don't believe eveything you read. We have been in Greeley for 13 years and really like it. There is a Slaughterhouse in the northeast corner, but Greeley is almost 9 miles wide. The nicer housing ( newer) is in west Greeley.
Greeley is quite a bit cheaper to live than other areas, in fact on a national scale 100 being the average cost, Greeley came in at 86. One of the top ten inexpensive places to live. Like everywhere jobs, are scarce and housing prices are low. For example I would guess you could buy a three bedroom house, 2000 sq ft with basement, less than 5 years old in our neighborhood for less than $250,000 ( green Built, Energy Star rated).

Please feel free to send a PM if want further info. I am not a real estate agent, not have any financial interest in your decision.

[Mike Weber]

Hopefully you don't mind a real estate agent chiming in here.

The above posters have good points.

You might also have a look at Windsor as another option. It is a smaller town than Fort Collins, Loveland, or Greeley. It has that small town feel with some nice features, is close to all three of the above communities, and many of the residents speak highly of the schools there.

For an even smaller town feel, Johnstown is also a reasonable commute to Greeley, but has fewer conveniences.

If you are looking for larger cities than the above choices, your choices will mostly be northern Denver suburbs, from which the commute to Greeley will not be much fun.

[Juliasmommy]

Thanks for your helpful replies. Let me add that I certainly don't mind info from real estate agents -- it is actually much appreciated! I guess it's just because, so far, I've only done research via the web, where everything looks rosy and wonderful on agents' websites -- we need to know what things are REALLY like. I will be checking out Evans and Windsor tonight.

We're not limiting ourselves to "big cities" or "small towns" -- it will all depend on what each city has to offer. We're planning to visit CO in September or October for some first-hand experience, but in the meantime I'll be doing lots and lots of reading. Thanks!