Relocating, but not sure where. Need help with decision (Denver: rental, condo)

[Will Carraway]

So come summer, a friend and I will be moving to Colorado from Florida. We are both 20 years old and will be looking for a relatively cheap place to live. When I say cheap, I do not mean ghetto. We will be in the position to pay up to 900/month combined, for a 2 bedroom. Looking for a nice place, preferably in small town atmosphere. It is also very important that we find jobs, so proximity to a bigger city or somewhere with plentiful jobs would be ideal. We both love the mountains and outdoors in general. All in all, looking for a scenic area with affordable rent, job opportunities and nice atmosphere. I have looked at pueblo and Colorado springs. However, I would like to weigh all my options. Any information and advice would be appreciated.

[coloradoalimony]

Originally Posted by Will Carraway

So come summer, a friend and I will be moving to Colorado from Florida. We are both 20 years old and will be looking for a relatively cheap place to live. When I say cheap, I do not mean ghetto. We will be in the position to pay up to 900/month combined, for a 2 bedroom. Looking for a nice place, preferably in small town atmosphere. It is also very important that we find jobs, so proximity to a bigger city or somewhere with plentiful jobs would be ideal. We both love the mountains and outdoors in general. All in all, looking for a scenic area with affordable rent, job opportunities and nice atmosphere. I have looked at pueblo and Colorado springs. However, I would like to weigh all my options. Any information and advice would be appreciated.

You $900 limit prices you out of most places in CO that are near jobs.

Grand Junction/Delta/Montrose on the western slope might work. Or, Pueblo/Trinidad/Walsenburg/Pagosa Springs.

Colorado Springs is not a small town. Actually, Pueblo and Grand Junction aren't either, but they have a more rural feel.

[bongo]

We pay $900 for 3+bd/2 bath condo in Crested Butte- but we must be a few miles south in CBSouth to get those rates, unless we wanted a condo on the ski mountain.

But pay is low & jobs are tourist industry jobs, similar to other ski areas.

[davidv]

The best place to find something with a small town atmosphere and plentiful high-paying jobs is North Dakota.

There are several good-paying oil and gas jobs north of Denver. Try Berthoud and Loveland near the mountains, and Brighton and Greeley about 35 miles east of the mountains. (REALITY CHECK: Greeley and Brighton are no further from the mountains than Aurora is in the metro area.)

I don't know what reason you have chosen Colorado, but if it is for the RMJ, be advised that the higher paying blue collar jobs (oil and gas, mechanics, etc) often conduct drug tests.

If you haven't chosen Colorado for the RMJ laws, I apologize for stereotyping you, but we have had a lot of inquiries on this board about young RMJ enthusiasts wanting the exact same thing you want.

[NW Crow]

If you have checked out Pueblo and Colorado Springs but want a smaller town, you might check out Fountain.

[Will Carraway]

What about outside of Denver, or towns that are close by, where I could commute to work in Denver.

[NW Crow]

Littleton is on the rail line. Might be workable.

Broomfield has some things going for it.

(Fountain is one of the youngest cities in the state due to presence of military personnel.)

[Count David]

Colorado Springs
western suburbs of Denver

[Katarina Witt]

Originally Posted by Will Carraway

What about outside of Denver, or towns that are close by, where I could commute to work in Denver.

You'll have to up your rental price. I doubt you'd find anything much under $1000/mo that could accommodate two people.

[delta07]

The thing about the front range of Colorado, is that there really isn't much in the way of small towns that are affordable yet close enough to commute to jobs in the city. There are some suburbs that are probably in your price range (Aurora -larger than Denver though) but these cities don't have anything small town about them. They are also pretty far from the mountains. The Denver Metro Area is essentially one large, concrete blob similar to Los Angeles. I'm guessing that perhaps you have never actually been to Denver.

If you want to live in a smaller town within commuting distance to Denver, you will either have to up your budget or plan for a really long commute. The suggestion to look at Colorado Springs or Pueblo is a good one, although not sure what prices are in those areas these days. Grand Junction was mentioned, but when I moved away from there almost 6 years ago, rent was steep and really hard to come by.