Advice: Move to CO from the East Coast? (Denver, Colorado Springs: sale, for rent)

[Opusnight]

Wife and I are thinking of relocating to Colorado. Here's our story: married 3 years, me 40yo, she 35 yo, no kids. I'm in hotel management and would love to return to working at a resort property; she is in Human Resources. We live near Baltimore/Annapolis, MD and are tired of urban/suburban living. While we both love the proximity to cultural things in DC, and being near Philly and New York to enjoy weekends there, we're both "done" with it enough to want a cleaner place to live. Ideally we'd like to find a small-ish city/town (@5,000-30,000 population?) that's within reasonable distance of a larger urban area (within 3 hours drive).

I've lived in Seattle and Lake Tahoe, so am familiar with the West to a degree; we both spent a week in Colorado a few years ago (I popped the question to her in Rocky Mtn Natl Park, in fact), and we liked the region (spent our time between RMNP, Denver and Colorado Springs) for the limited time we were there. Both love the outdoors, and hoping for a slightly slower pace of life. We're under no illusions about the grass being greener on the other side, I've lived in lots of places and only move when I am sure it's a better thing. So... your words of wisdom, thoughts and advice?

[2bindenver]

Denver is a lot like Tahoe in elevation. Along the front range we have Ft. Collins/Greeley, Boulder, Denver/Aurora, Colorado Springs and Pueblo. (ordered from North to South)

Colorado is a big state. Denver is nothing like DC/NY as far as culture. But if you keep your eye on airfares, they go on sale for $215 round trip.

[Katarina Witt]

The smallish town 3 hrs from the big city may be hard to find. Canon City comes to mind, but it may not be your cup of tea. I find it quite isolated. Ditto Sterling. I've lived in the east, it's just not laid out the same here. Most towns of the size you mention are suburbs of Denver. I live in one of the farther out burbs, about 45 min from Denver, and like it. It is still suburban living.

[Charles]

Originally Posted by Opusnight

Wife and I ... want a cleaner place to live. Ideally we'd like to find a small-ish city/town (@5,000-30,000 population?) that's within reasonable distance of a larger urban area (within 3 hours drive).

Where do you think you will find a job? (Where are there lots of hotels?) Resorts in the mountains? Who can find a job easier?

Do you want to rent first and then buy? What would be your budget for renting? for buying?

[livecontent]

Originally Posted by Opusnight

Wife and I are thinking of relocating to Colorado. Here's our story: married 3 years, me 40yo, she 35 yo, no kids. I'm in hotel management and would love to return to working at a resort property; she is in Human Resources. We live near Baltimore/Annapolis, MD and are tired of urban/suburban living. While we both love the proximity to cultural things in DC, and being near Philly and New York to enjoy weekends there, we're both "done" with it enough to want a cleaner place to live. Ideally we'd like to find a small-ish city/town (@5,000-30,000 population?) that's within reasonable distance of a larger urban area (within 3 hours drive).

I've lived in Seattle and Lake Tahoe, so am familiar with the West to a degree; we both spent a week in Colorado a few years ago (I popped the question to her in Rocky Mtn Natl Park, in fact), and we liked the region (spent our time between RMNP, Denver and Colorado Springs) for the limited time we were there. Both love the outdoors, and hoping for a slightly slower pace of life. We're under no illusions about the grass being greener on the other side, I've lived in lots of places and only move when I am sure it's a better thing. So... your words of wisdom, thoughts and advice?

The wages, salaries, for the hospitality industry, are lot less than ideal in the mountain communities. Some of these resorts offer you a job, pay you low and expect you to live in a resort area where the cost of living is higher.

It makes me laugh when they say "we offer a free ski pass"---as this is going to make up for the miserable salaries. Or they say, we will give you housing--yea, like I want to be on-call 24 hours. Or another gamit, you can commute from these other towns--another great idea--with bad roads, snowng conditions--I am going to drive from work from another less pricey but still overpriced mountain "community", if you can call it that.

So what is the allure in working in these resorts?? So you can live with extreme casual drugs use, unstable "come and go" employees with bad work ethics, ski bums etc. Oh, I get to ski free??? Big Deal.

You would be better off, working in a large resort conference center in and around Denver or a hotel in Denver--on the Great Plains, that is where the money and quality jobs are in this state--at least the housing would be cheaper, the towns and cities nicer, more competition and better wages, access to more stable employees. You can ski all you want on your days off and be able to pay with a better salary.

The City of Denver is booming in the hospitality industry with the growth of New Hotels and Restaurants. It is a clean pleasant city.

What do I compare it??? I grew up in New York , worked in NYC. Worked near Baltimore. I graduated from The CIA--so I have experience from where I speak--Oh, I have been here since the 1970s.

Livecontent

[onthamove]

LC is right, i tried my heart out to see if makin it was possible in mtns but cost is just to much but i like Denver too, if nothin else it'll give you a chance to meet new people more than you'd meet in a resort town, i'd love to live in breck but if it happens it'll be when i am a lil richer than now lol

[Opusnight]

Thanks, all. This is good information, all of which I suspected was the case. LC, I'm sure you're right about resort towns; it was the chief reason I moved away from Tahoe after a year - it's almost verbatim what I encountered there. The good thing is that I wasn't expecting to live in the mountain resort towns (could not stand the thought of living in Vail, etc.), but anywhere from Ft. Collins to Colorado Springs, so your words ring home. Are there any upscale resorts/hotels in the eastern part of the state? What is life like there?

[Katarina Witt]

Well, as livecontent said,

You would be better off, working in a large resort conference center in and around Denver or a hotel in Denver--on the Great Plains, that is where the money and quality jobs are in this state--at least the housing would be cheaper, the towns and cities nicer, more competition and better wages, access to more stable employees. You can ski all you want on your days off and be able to pay with a better salary.

Colorado Springs has the Broadmoor and I don't know what else. There's not much on the eastern plains in your field. The plains communitites have little motels.

[Mike from back east]

Originally Posted by Opusnight

Thanks, all. This is good information, all of which I suspected was the case. LC, I'm sure you're right about resort towns; it was the chief reason I moved away from Tahoe after a year - it's almost verbatim what I encountered there. The good thing is that I wasn't expecting to live in the mountain resort towns (could not stand the thought of living in Vail, etc.), but anywhere from Ft. Collins to Colorado Springs, so your words ring home. Are there any upscale resorts/hotels in the eastern part of the state? What is life like there?

Someone suggested the Broadmoor, here in COL SPGS. Been there quite a few times. Simply world class, in a league by itself, words can't describe, sits up against the mountains. Always carries the AAA 5-Diamond rating. Eleven or more eateries there, shopping, golf, host to the 2008 Senior PGA. You can work and live in COL SPGS and essentially be IN a mountain town that is a full city of 350k people, 60-90 minutes from Denver. Do check it out.

AFAIK, there are no great places/resorts in the eastern part of the state, which is largely flat/rolling grass prairie and farmland. Once you get a few miles east of the I-25 corridor / Front Range, it's flat all the way to St Louis and beyond.

Besides the well known ski country sites, there are Pagosa Hot Springs and Glenwood Springs that may suit you.

But for my money, COL SPGS and the Broadmoor give you year-round living and business ops.

s/Mike

[livecontent]

Originally Posted by Opusnight

Thanks, all. This is good information, all of which I suspected was the case. LC, I'm sure you're right about resort towns; it was the chief reason I moved away from Tahoe after a year - it's almost verbatim what I encountered there. The good thing is that I wasn't expecting to live in the mountain resort towns (could not stand the thought of living in Vail, etc.), but anywhere from Ft. Collins to Colorado Springs, so your words ring home. Are there any upscale resorts/hotels in the eastern part of the state? What is life like there?

It is good that the previous posters clarified that the Great Plains, east of Denver, does not have a large population or many jobs. My point was to make clear that Denver, Colorodo Springs,Aurora etc.and most of all the cities are on the plains and not in the mountains--as there is a big misconception becuase of all the adverstising about the mountains. Most people live on the plains and that is were most of the jobs are located.

The Brown Palace is a nice resort and has a large conference center. However, because it has such a reputation, they think that they can pay less because they are giving the privilege of working at their fine establishment. I interviewed there many years ago and that was the atitude plus poor benefits. The interviewer said to me that "it would look good on my resume". I told him--"you can keep your job, I need the money". Having worked at big named hotels and restaurants, I had enough of those "resume fluffing jobs". You may have better luck.

I am now retired and I have been out of the resident hospitality part of the industry for years. Most of my latter jobs were in food and equipment purchasing, food distribution, product specifications etc. Having worked at many hotels--I went into a different direction.

However, there are more jobs in Denver now and there are many new hotels that have opened. The Hyatt acrossed from the convention center is the largest and the newest. In addition, there are conference centers and resorts--one of the best is the Inverness Park Hotel and Resort in the Southwest Suburbs. I am sure there is going to be a great deal of hiring because of the upcoming Democratic Convention. I would look at the Omni Hotel in the Interlocken Business Park in Broomfield. Another would be the Westin Hotel in Westminster.

In addition, you can use your skills in other areas which will have convention and meeting facilities--an example would be the new Medical Campus in Aurora. These jobs may be associated with the University and there would be good benefits.

Good Luck,

Livecontent