Looking for Advice Before Relocating (Denver, Colorado Springs: transplants, apartment complexes, home)

[Moonpie504]

Good Morning

I'm a transplant from the SE who currently resides in Albuquerque. Unfortunately, I've been battling a medical issue that requires me to move from NM to find better medical care since it's having a negative effect on my quality of life.

I've considered San Diego, Arlington, and now Colorado because I've heard such wonderful things about Colorado. I've visited for vacation but I know that vacation vs. actually living there are not the same. My employer has offices in Golden and Lakewood; however, the cost of living makes me hesitant to move there for now. After reading through the threads here and researching other sites, Colorado Springs sounds like a better option for me. Would anyone mind giving me their thoughts on Colorado Springs, Boulder, and Lakewood as far as affordability, medical, etc. For reference, I'm 35, single, no kids, working for a federal agency. Medical is my main motivating factor for moving but I also want to be able to enjoy life when I'm not working or hanging out at the hospital.

If I move to Golden or Lakewood, I would be able to stay on with my current employer. If I choose Colorado Springs, I'd more than likely have to find another position since my agency doesn't have an office there. I'm ok with that because I can work in the private or public sector.

Thank you so much for any of your thoughts Happy Wednesday!

[otowi]

Stick to larger cities for health care options. Make sure you health conditions are not exacerbated by high altitude before moving here full time.

If you are single, no kids and can get a job paying a normal middle class wage you should be able to make it fine in Colorado Springs as long as you are not swimming in debt. If you are, concentrate on paying down debts seriously first.

[TCHP]

If Albq is detrimental to your condition, I don't know that anywhere in CO would be better, unless its due to the quality of healthcare and not the environment, in which case, yes, better care can be found along the Front Range.

[Moonpie504]

Originally Posted by TCHP

If Albq is detrimental to your condition, I don't know that anywhere in CO would be better, unless its due to the quality of healthcare and not the environment, in which case, yes, better care can be found along the Front Range.

It's more quality than environmental.

[phetaroi]

Originally Posted by otowi

Stick to larger cities for health care options. Make sure you health conditions are not exacerbated by high altitude before moving here full time.

If you are single, no kids and can get a job paying a normal middle class wage you should be able to make it fine in Colorado Springs as long as you are not swimming in debt. If you are, concentrate on paying down debts seriously first.

I don't like Colorado Springs, and after 8 years I'm trying to move to Arizona and a much lower elevation. Otowi is correct...be sure your health issues are not affected by elevation.

One good thing I will say about Colorado Springs is that I have an excellent doctor's practice that I go to. I do not expect to find as good when I relocate. And, I think all 4 hospitals in COS are far above average; however, in one case state of the art equipment for kidney surgery had to be brought down from Denver for me...or I could have gone to Denver for the surgery.

[EastwardBound]

I know little about the medical situation, but of the three places you mentioned, they all have large hospitals.

What is your budget looking like as far as housing goes? I see you mentioned Boulder in your post, and while it's a nice city, it is very expensive, with the median home price coming in at almost $700,000.

Lakewood is very suburban in nature, with lots of large apartment complexes and sprawl. Golden still retains much of a small town type feeling and is a wonderful little town imo.

COS is larger, with some nice older areas and a lot of sprawl on the outskirts.

Of the three, excluding the medical situation, I'd vote for COS.

[dr.frog]

Not knowing the details of your medical situation, it's hard for me to imagine that Colorado Springs would have better facilities than Albuquerque, which is both a larger city and the largest city in its state (and so more of a regional center for specialty medical treatment). I've had decent medical care at Memorial Hospital and I'm happy with specialists I see here, but I've also been referred to a specialty clinic in Denver (Anschutz campus) and that's where you'd have to go for e.g. organ transplants and other complicated/uncommon procedures.

That said, one of the historic industries in Colorado Springs was medical tourism -- people came here for tuberculosis treatment (due to the dry air) and to "take the waters" in Manitou Springs.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tuberc...lorado_Springs

[DrDog]

Nobody wants to pry into your personal health issues, but clearly two issues arise related to your health. 1. If lower oxygen levels will impact you then you need to rethink Colorado. 2. If you need regular specialized medical care you might be better off in a larger city.

[Moonpie504]

Thank you all for your responses! I truly appreciate everyone's insight.

My health issue doesn't involve elevation or oxygen. I haven't experienced any altitude related illnesses since moving here. The issues that I've had involve the quality of care, incredibly long waits to see specialists, etc. A lot of the issues are minor annoyances but others have been pretty major and I'm just not able to accept them anymore. In my research CO ranked high on many health care surveys and many of my coworkers encouraged me to consider CO instead of heading back east or going further west. A lot of people have suggested Denver but I thought I would consider all options

[DoodlemomCoS]

Originally Posted by dr.frog

Not knowing the details of your medical situation, it's hard for me to imagine that Colorado Springs would have better facilities than Albuquerque, which is both a larger city and the largest city in its state (and so more of a regional center for specialty medical treatment). I've had decent medical care at Memorial Hospital and I'm happy with specialists I see here, but I've also been referred to a specialty clinic in Denver (Anschutz campus) and that's where you'd have to go for e.g. organ transplants and other complicated/uncommon procedures.

That said, one of the historic industries in Colorado Springs was medical tourism -- people came here for tuberculosis treatment (due to the dry air) and to "take the waters" in Manitou Springs.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tuberc...lorado_Springs

I’m from Albuquerque. Health care is TERRIBLE there! Specialists are few and they are not the doctors at the top of their fields. Even if you live here and have to head to Denver for a few specialist (which is what we do), you are far better off than in Albuquerque. The wait times are awful and most specialists are not up to speed on the latest treatments. The only time they are up to date on current practices is if the specialists is a member of a national group that requires certain protocols. New Mexico is a poor state. I’m trying to get my parents out of there.