Thoughts on where to home base for a month in CO this summer?

[otterprods]

Originally Posted by Rainbow Demon

It's COLD over that way.. Did I mention it's cold as ****? LOL. Bring yer coat! Summer is called July. Winter happens in all of the other months. Not that snowy (less snow than Vail on average), but yup...darn cold.

You're not wrong, but perhaps we can be a bit more objective since cold is relative.
Weather in Denver right now = Cloudy, 43° F
Weather in Silverthorne right now = Cloudy, 23° F
So, yes, a pretty big difference from down on the lower parts of the front range. Silverthorne is a mountain town, close to several major ski resorts, so expect winters to be long, snowy (hopefully) and colder than in Denver. But it's not exactly March of the Penguins either. Most places in the mountains are that way. If you want warm winter weather, you're looking in the wrong state.

[Rainbow Demon]

The difference is that in Denver tomorrow it might be 60. In Summit Co/most of the mountains it will still be 23 and won't be 60 til May. Denver doesn't have Winter, they have occasional snowfall in between weeks of warm days. Up here where we are, the ground disappears in Nov and you don't see grass til April.

I've lived up here 30+ years. 20F warmer is huge in Winter. Such is why we are moving near Salida. Still in the mountains. Not as cold as Eagle/Summit counties. More like Denver weather-wise, but nothing like Denver whatsoever in any other aspects.

[otterprods]

Originally Posted by Rainbow Demon

The difference is that in Denver tomorrow it might be 60. In Summit Co/most of the mountains it will still be 23 and won't be 60 til May...

True. I was just clarifying to people from out of state that stories you hear about it being like the arctic or sunny ALL the time here are all false. That said, there is a pretty big difference from what you get on the front range, or even down by Salida, and some place in or near a ski town.

[Rocky_Mtn_Expat]

To the OP: I would second other folks who have said Fort Collins. If I had the freedom to work from wherever and could choose one Colorado city to live in, I'd pick Fort Collins hands down.

You know your daughters better than anyone else here. I'm a parent of a 3 1/2 yr old boy and 10 mo old daughter. Personally, I'd be worried about them going a little stir crazy in a small mountain community. If they were a little older and I knew they appreciated the outdoor lifestyle as much as I do, I might be more comfortable with it. But if you think it would work for your kids, I say more power to you.

Ignore all the ridiculous commentary about how you should never move to CO because the schools are underfunded. Yeah, that's an ongoing public policy issue, but macro-level education trends are not the key issue for a parent. What ultimately matters is the individual school situation you will be in if you choose to live in a specific community. In metro Denver, just as an example, there are some fantastic public school districts...Littleton, Boulder Valley, Cherry Creek, Douglas County, some of Jeffco, and so on. Focus on the specific and ignore the state to state face-offs. Because you're not running for governor, you're trying to find a specific place to educate your children.

Cheers and good luck.

[Saricbell]

Originally Posted by Rocky_Mtn_Expat

To the OP: I would second other folks who have said Fort Collins. If I had the freedom to work from wherever and could choose one Colorado city to live in, I'd pick Fort Collins hands down.

You know your daughters better than anyone else here. I'm a parent of a 3 1/2 yr old boy and 10 mo old daughter. Personally, I'd be worried about them going a little stir crazy in a small mountain community. If they were a little older and I knew they appreciated the outdoor lifestyle as much as I do, I might be more comfortable with it. But if you think it would work for your kids, I say more power to you.

Ignore all the ridiculous commentary about how you should never move to CO because the schools are underfunded. Yeah, that's an ongoing public policy issue, but macro-level education trends are not the key issue for a parent. What ultimately matters is the individual school situation you will be in if you choose to live in a specific community. In metro Denver, just as an example, there are some fantastic public school districts...Littleton, Boulder Valley, Cherry Creek, Douglas County, some of Jeffco, and so on. Focus on the specific and ignore the state to state face-offs. Because you're not running for governor, you're trying to find a specific place to educate your children.

Cheers and good luck.

Thanks - appreciate your thoughts!

As an overall update to the thread, my wife is signed on to come out for a month or potentially more. I'm planning to give her 5 or so towns to research to see where she thinks would be a good fit for her/the kids for the month. I'll circle back once we have selected a location, potentially to ask additional questions. Step one in my master plan to ultimately move is in process

Eric

[otterprods]

Originally Posted by Rocky_Mtn_Expat

To the OP: I would second other folks who have said Fort Collins. If I had the freedom to work from wherever and could choose one Colorado city to live in, I'd pick Fort Collins hands down...

I do have the freedom to work anywhere (in the 48 US at least) and Ft Collins would be one of my last choices within CO. I'm saying that, not to criticize expat's preferences, but only to illustrate that what may seem ideal to one person may seem mostly horrid to another. You've done well by asking questions on here and then planning some actual scouting time based on the suggestions you've received and your own desires. Now it's time to take everyone else's opinions with a grain of salt (a very small grain) and focus on what may work for you. IMHO

[Saricbell]

Hey guys,

Again, can't thank you enough for the insights you've provided thus far. As I mentioned earlier in the week, I'm narrowing my list (for the summer trip) down to five locations spread out across Colorado that my wife can research. The list attempts to marry some of your comments along with my original thinking, as well as strike a balance of how remote.. aka, I'm hoping for places that are fairly accessible to the outdoors, while at the same time, provide enough "stuff" to keep my wife and kids busy while I'm working.

The other goal is to find somewhere that will provide a reasonable jumping off point to scope out other parts of the state, but that may also be an ideal place in and of itself to set up shop on a more permanent basis. Here is my current list of 5 (in no particular order) that is still a bit up in the air. I'd love for you to fire away and let me know your thoughts on the 5:

1. Woodland Park
2. Glenwood Springs (or Basalt/Carbondale)
3. Longmont
4. Undecided - Evergreen or Golden (trying for somewhere "reasonably" close to Denver)
5. Undecided - somewhere near Vail or maybe Frisco?

Purposefully avoiding Buena Vista/Salida and Fort Collins/Loveland given we've spent a bunch of time there already. Great places in their own right though! While Durango seems really great, probably just a little too far removed from the rest of the state.

Eric

[Arrby]

I have a hard time seeing Vail/Frisco as a place to raise two children due to the driving time to Denver, the closest metropolitan area. Also, winter is very, very long there. I know, skiing and all that, but still.... I do not talk it down, I just frankly admit I would find it difficult.

I love Longmont, or at least that general area. Assuming good schools could be found there I think I could really enjoy raising a family there.

My semi-educated guess is that you could fairly quickly determine if the Evergreen or Golden area would suit you. Do recognize that those sunny, dry roads near Evergreen will be snow packed a great deal in the winter. This seems to surprise a lot of people. A really beautiful area.

Woodland Park has really grown on me as a locality since I have been up here. The great outdoors is a given, of course. But it has taken me a while to recognize how relatively easy it is to choose the setting you want (semi-urban, suburban, rural, or remote), to appreciate the ready access to the goods and services one needs on a day to day basis and the easy- to-drive roads, the convenience of city shopping/dining nearby in Colorado Springs, and being only two hours or so from Denver if you need the big city. On the other hand, great swathes of Teller County scarcely appear to be in the mountains at all in terms of scenery.

[Rainbow Demon]

We raised kids here in the Vail Valley and rarely had any real need to go to Denver other than to the zoo/museum a few times. In the end I think the choice where to live depends on if you value/migrate to outdoor life or value sporting events/traffic and shopping malls. It's definitely what you get used to though...because I'd find living in Denver/the city virtually impossible after 30 years in the hills. No way I'd do it willfully. LOL.

to saricbell....any chance of multiple locales/stays in a variety of towns if your work allows it?

[LandSpec2]

Having owned vacation property in Beaufort County for 25 years (and also interested in getting a place in Co) your solution is easy. Move to Hilton Head and after 2 years max your wife will move anywhere you wish if it gets her off of Hilton Head. Trust me. I could fill this forum with stories.
Good luck.