Colorado Springs, Denver, Loveland, Fort Collins.... or somewhere I am not thinking of? (Boulder: crime rates, house)

[Cuda1337]

I've posted in a few different state forums - my wife and I are looking to move. We've considered SC, NC, TN and CA. After visiting a few places, we aren't 100% sold anywhere yet. We think we need to consider Colorado.

Here's our info: Early 30's, wife is a teacher... my job market is great in any of the major cities in Co. (One of the reasons for moving there). We love the outdoors. Hiking, biking (mountain and road) kayaking, etc. We aren't hardcore about any of these things though. We are casual and just enjoy being outside and the diversity of options.

Ideally, we'd like to buy a few acres of land and build a house ~2500 sq ft. Budget on land and building a home in Colorado could be as much as 700k, depending. We'd also be open to buying an existing house or even a renovation project.

We'd love for our land to be aesthetically pleasing with mountain views. I realize Colorado isn't very green, but if we can find some green that would be awesome. Additionally, some slight rolling hills or interesting geography (nothing crazy steep like in the mountains though) would be nice. If it is completely flat, but has tree's and/or good mountain views, it might be ok.

In terms of the city, we'd prefer a smaller/quieter area. Nothing to small though. I'd still like normal shopping amenities to be available - I just don't want to deal with extreme traffic issues. I'm coming from Tampa - if that gives you any context to what we are used to. I'd prefer to get better traffic than Tampa.

We'd like to be within 30 minutes of work, likely in one of the main cities. And I'd like to be within 20 minutes of something in terms of hiking/biking. And then within an hour of some good quality biking/hiking where we can really get away.

Like most people, we'd prefer a nicer city with lower crime rates.



A few questions I do have based on research I've done....

1. Rattle Snakes. We have small dogs. Are rattle snakes that big of an issue there? I'd hate for our mini-dachshunds to get taken down by a snack!

2. Roads leading into the mountains - How are they? I'd prefer to be able to drive into the mountains without having to go in super sketchy, large drop off or steep corner roads. We recently took a trip to Chattanooga and when we went up Signal Mountain I was white knuckling my steering wheel. There was one particular section that had 3 hair pin corners that were fairly steep in a row. To get around them you had to use the oncoming lane a little bit and the corners were mostly blind. I don't know how people deal with that on a daily basis, it stressed me out. So - I'd like to avoid that!



The cities we are considering visiting are Colorado Springs, Loveland, Fort Collins and maybe around the Boulder area? I don't really know the differences between each city. I just know that Denver is very busy and the roads into the mountains there are chaos. So I'm looking at any of the other cities.


Any insight is much appreciated!

[Vision67]

Seems to me that you ought to first do a decision analysis to narrow down your choices. You mention 5 States. That's too wide.

What are your musts? Prioritize your wants. One nice thing is having so many choices. Most people end up in one place due to either a job or family.

Of course I think the Colorado Springs area would be a good choice. You could find a large lot in the Black Forest or Woodland Park. Both would have trees.

As for rattlers, I've lived here since 1977 and have encountered about 3 during hikes. However, I came here from Tucson and that place was crawling with them. If you keep your dogs on a leash it should not be a problem.

As for roads, most people here seem to like Subarus with their very capable all wheel drive system. I've never had a problem.

[DrDog]

Originally Posted by Vision67

Seems to me that you ought to first do a decision analysis to narrow down your choices. You mention 5 States. That's too wide.

What are your musts? Prioritize your wants. One nice thing is having so many choices. Most people end up in one place due to either a job or family.

Of course I think the Colorado Springs area would be a good choice. You could find a large lot in the Black Forest or Woodland Park. Both would have trees.

As for rattlers, I've lived here since 1977 and have encountered about 3 during hikes. However, I came here from Tucson and that place was crawling with them. If you keep your dogs on a leash it should not be a problem.

As for roads, most people here seem to like Subarus with their very capable all wheel drive system. I've never had a problem.

Agree, those are dramatically different places to chose from. Need to narrow it down. You will probably see more rattlers in SoCal than Colorado.

[Katarina Witt]

Actually, Denver has the best access to the mountains of all you've mentioned. Yes, I-70 can be a mess, but it's still the best road. There's also Highway 285 from Denver into the mountains, which is a fairly "major" road. From Boulder, you have to drive south to I-70 to get to most of the mountain towns. You do have access to Rocky Mountain National Park from Boulder via US 36, but it can be busy on weekends and in summer as well, and is not as major a road as I-70. From Ft. Collins the route is US 34, which will be closed for flood repairs through June. It can also be busy at the above times. Take a look at a map.

The only really major cities in Colorado are Denver and Colorado Springs. Boulder just passed the 100,000 people mark recently. It's dominated, though not entirely, by the U of CO. I believe Ft. Collins is more of a college town even than Boulder. Loveland is part of the Ft. Collins area. The jobs are more plentiful in the Denver area than anywhere else in the state.

[TCHP]

I've seen pictures of that switchback area on Signal Mountain Road. That's pretty tame compared to some of the stuff we have out here. While Signal Mtn does have a few drop offs and negotiates a fairly steep face, it also is surrounded by trees on the majority of it. We have roads where you have a couple thousand foot view of nothingness. I-70 isn't too bad overall, IMO, but does have areas that may give you pause. Other smaller two lane state highway or county roads can definetely have drop offs and hairpins like Signal Mountain Rd. US6 over Loveland pass combines all the hairpins of Signal Mtn and multiples teh quantity by 10, with none of the trees.

Rattlesnakes aren't a big issue in the mountains. I'd probably be more more concerned with them on the plains. In the foothills areas, coyotes and mountain lions would be a bigger concern. I wouldn't necessarily let the dogs just run free.

Budget will most likely eliminate anything around Boulder. Loveland and Ft Collins have more rivers and creeks so they may be more green more often than Colorado Springs.

Do a bit of research on population density. It is radically different between places east of the Mississippi River and places west. Colorado's Front Range typically won't have pockets of bedroom communities with short commutes to big employment centers. You will usually find yourself in town or way out of it, but the area from Boulder to Ft Collins may be the closest thing to what you are familiar with in FLA in that regard.

[2bindenver]

Boise?

[pikabike]

Back yet again?

Rattlers are in many areas of CO. They can't withstand the climate in the higher elevations, but then you will have even more snow, ice, and cold, not to mention mountain roads. I've encountered rattlers rattling at me in very close range, about 2 ft away and about 4 ft away, in CO. That doesn't include the other times when they were a little farther away, or the time in another western state when I damned near stepped right on one. They blend in well with the surroundings. I even had one try to swim onto my kayak at a reservoir near Denver, which came as a complete surprise.

The kind of development in the kind of climate you describe is not at all common in CO. Again, you are barking up the wrong tree. Have you ever even VISITED the state? In different seasons, places, and years? Ever seen the deep bathtub rings in drawn-down reservoirs during dry years, or the flooding and fire damage at other times?

[EastwardBound]

Rattle snakes were prolific in the Loveland area this past summer. You always have to be on the watch for them in the foothills!

[Cuda1337]

Originally Posted by 2bindenver

Boise?

Thought about it. Worried about it being just a tad to cold. I don't think my employment opportunities would be as good there either, unfortunately.

[Cuda1337]

Originally Posted by TCHP

I've seen pictures of that switchback area on Signal Mountain Road. That's pretty tame compared to some of the stuff we have out here. While Signal Mtn does have a few drop offs and negotiates a fairly steep face, it also is surrounded by trees on the majority of it. We have roads where you have a couple thousand foot view of nothingness. I-70 isn't too bad overall, IMO, but does have areas that may give you pause. Other smaller two lane state highway or county roads can definetely have drop offs and hairpins like Signal Mountain Rd. US6 over Loveland pass combines all the hairpins of Signal Mtn and multiples teh quantity by 10, with none of the trees.

Rattlesnakes aren't a big issue in the mountains. I'd probably be more more concerned with them on the plains. In the foothills areas, coyotes and mountain lions would be a bigger concern. I wouldn't necessarily let the dogs just run free.

Budget will most likely eliminate anything around Boulder. Loveland and Ft Collins have more rivers and creeks so they may be more green more often than Colorado Springs.

Do a bit of research on population density. It is radically different between places east of the Mississippi River and places west. Colorado's Front Range typically won't have pockets of bedroom communities with short commutes to big employment centers. You will usually find yourself in town or way out of it, but the area from Boulder to Ft Collins may be the closest thing to what you are familiar with in FLA in that regard.

Eek, those types of roads freak me out. I may have to check into that further. Thanks for the info.