Considering moving to Loveland, CO area! Need advice/tips please! (Denver: day care, how much)

[hstarr]

Hello!
So We are a family of three. Me, my husband, and our 3 year old boy! We are not done having kids so more will hopefully be on the way!
We are considering a job up in northern Colorado. It's based in Greeley but after some research we really seemed to like Loveland.
We are coming from West Texas, born and raised so you can imagine how much of a change this would be for us!
Now that you have a little background... is Loveland or surrounding areas family friendly and a good place to raise a family?
Any information on schools, sports, and other activities would be wonderful as well as quality of day care and other programs for children.
We are conservatives and I'm well aware it is more of a democratic state which I have no problem with but I was just wondering what Loveland was like in that aspect?
I guess I'm asking if we will feel any animosity from others because we are conservative? We are not the pushy type, just quietly keep our opinions to ourselves
Also, weather!! Can you give me a brief description of what the weather is like year round?
In your opinion would you think it would be a good fit for us? I know we will ultimately make this decision but we are having a tough time deciding and and any advice would be great! Thanks in advance!

[Suzatlarge]

Look here for discussions on Loveland, Greeley, and the Ft. Collins/Greeley/Loveland area: //www.city-data.com/forum/fort-...lins-area.html

Also, some information you're looking for was provided here: //www.city-data.com/forum/fort-...fo-please.html

Just a word about Colorado politics. The state's "purple," meaning it's not clearly red or blue. Statewide, voters are roughly 1/3 Dems, 1/3 GOP, and 1/3 independents - I said "roughly" but I think either the GOP or independents have the biggest number. There are conservative stronghold areas that would probably vote for all the Republican candidates no matter what, and some areas where the Democratic party has a strong majority. In my experience in Colorado, I can't imagine anyone showing animosity to you because of your politics (whatever they are), as you go about the non-political things that make up most of your regular everyday life. If you get active in party politics or volunteer in a campaign, you'll encounter supporters and detractors, but that's politics.

Edited to add: I grew up in Texas. When I moved here as a young person a long time ago, I found the people here, and the culture generally, to be very "live and let live" in a good way - much more so than was the case in Texas. Very few people around here try to shove their beliefs down my throat. That was true then and it's true now. I don't know about the Loveland/Ft. Collins/Greeley area but I hope that's true there too. I know that people in the Colorado Springs area - which is the stomping grounds of evangelical religion and a bastion of not just "conservative" but very conservative politics - say that very few people ever get in their face with the political stuff on a person to person basis.

Good luck!

[jaekn]

Originally Posted by hstarr

Hello!

We are coming from West Texas, born and raised so you can imagine how much of a change this would be for us!

Heh, I'm not so sure how different Loveland really is from west Texas. Loveland has more cows, perhaps. It's clearly not Denver/Boulder,its much more rural, conservative and family oriented. Culturally and beauty-wise, Loveland is lacking. Don't necessarily expect the stereotypical Colorado experience living in Eastern Colorado/The plains.

Ft. Collins is light years away from Loveland, in a good way.