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Old 09-27-2008, 11:52 AM
 
16 posts, read 33,619 times
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POhdNcrzy- I lived in my college town for about 2 years after I graduated, as did most of my friends, so all of their moves were either job or graduate school related. They moved to northern California, Louisiana, Pennsylvania, Chicago, Idaho, and I think 2 still live in or around Massachusetts. Going to visit isn't really an option due to distances and money.
MtnFlyer- that's a tough choice. Durango is a pretty cool town, lots of young folks (it's a college town kinda), cool victorian buildings, ski area right up the hill. My memories of Conway are a bit muddled, I spent a lot of time road tripping around New England when I lived in MA, and I'm not sure if I'm even thinking of the right town, but from what I remember it's beautiful. I think culturally, it's pretty similar to Durango, a bit touristy, young folks, outdoorsy stuff in general. I think your choice is really between a western feel, or a New England feel. That probably doesn't help, but it's ultimately what it comes down to.
For the sake of clarity (and at the risk of writing a novel) here's what I love about each place:
Colorado:
-Wilderness!! it IS possible to go backpacking for a week or more without seeing a soul. This is the primary reason we moved here.
-MUCH lower cost of living, at least in the town where we are. DH and I can pretty much work when we feel like it, still pay the bills, and take time off to go and actually enjoy the wilderness that we moved here for.
-Geographic diversity. I love that we can travel up into the mountains for some of that alpine air, and the next day be out in red rock country doing some canyoneering like Dirk suggested. (FWIW, we actually have done exactly what you suggested several times this past year, I love it!)
-Dry air. No slushy mess/ice everywhere in the winter like in MA.
- Sunshine!! 300+ days of it
- There is not nearly as much sprawl and traffic here as there is in New England. Or as many people for that matter. I can get from my front door to a (uncrowded) trailhead in less than 15 min.

New England:
-Fall!! The leaves, harvest festivals, veggie stands, apple picking, apple cider, cider dougnuts, hay rides, pumpkins and pumpkin carving (we can get them here, but they're $8-9+ each, and you can't go to a pumpkin patch to pick them yourself).
- The old world feel. All the antique houses everywhere, and the antique shops, and just the general Norman Rockwell kind of feel. I used to think it was the stupidest thing ever that people came just for the Norman Rockwell museum and to be in cute towns, but I guess I never realized that it's not like that everywhere.
- Diverse forests. This is something that's hard to pin down. I used to hate that you could hike for miles and miles and see nothing but trees, but I miss all those trees. In CO it's primarily aspen and pine, which are beautiful, but just different. I think I love them just as much, but even having memories like I do of Eastern forests I'm just constantly comparing, which I need to quit doing because it's driving me nuts. for that matter....
-My memories. Childhood, growing up, all of my first camping trips were in Vermont and Maine, and I think the reason I miss it like I do is just because I'm a sentimental sap, and I can't erase 25 years of great memories in the East just because it happens to be stunningly beautiful in CO.

So that's all I can come up with for now. Thank everyone for your replies, it helps to know that I'm not alone in this (thanks for that Katiana).
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Old 09-27-2008, 04:28 PM
 
Location: Pueblo West
87 posts, read 455,743 times
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I don't miss MA at all and I don't think I ever will. There's plenty of fall activities going on around here, get off your butt and look. Pueblo West is having an Oktoberfest next week...I'm sure lots of towns have fall celebrations.

There's pumpkin beer to be found at the local liquor stores as well. There is apple picking at the local farms as well as fresh cider everywhere, including the local grocery stores. I think you might need to get out and explore a bit more, all these things you're claiming to miss so much back in NE (friends excluded) are right under your nose, including foliage (soon I hear anyways)! And there are farmers markets all over the place. The one here just stopped this past week.
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Old 09-27-2008, 08:05 PM
 
Location: Western, Colorado
1,599 posts, read 3,104,828 times
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LeafChime-

I guess you can say that we're in somwhat the same situation as you.

Moved out here from FL, both of us being born and raised on Long Island.

Got my dream property here. 27 acres with views into Utah for miles. Low cost of living, and we're both started successful businesses.

My wife really misses her whole family, especially her sisters. I really don't miss my family or friends enough to move back, but it does upset me that I don't get a chance to see my father more than 2x per year mainly due to the cost and hassle of traveling.

We're considering NH as I cannot bring my self to move back to the socialist hell hole of NY, so we're exploring our opportunities in NH. We'll be ~4 hrs drive from our family, and I'll be able to get direct flights to FL for about $200

Good luck with your decision, and let us know what you decide to do.
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Old 09-27-2008, 08:16 PM
 
Location: Foot of the Rockies
90,316 posts, read 120,147,178 times
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leafchime: Try this link for pumpkin patches.

http://www.pumpkinpatchesandmore.org/COpumpkins.php

I really like Rock Creek Farm in Boulder County. RCF is supposed to be the biggest pumpkin patch in Colorado. Admission is free and the pumpkins are reasonable.

I have also been to the Denver Botanic Gardens pumpkin festival in Jefferson Co. It's a fund-raiser, so it's not cheap, but it's fun. It's Oct. 11-12 this year. My DH, my 20something daughters, and my 30something neice and her husband are all going. It's not just for kids!

My kids have been to Anderson Farms in Weld Co, and liked it a lot.

These are all some distance from Durango, of course, but you could make a weekend of it or try to find some place closer.
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Old 09-28-2008, 08:38 AM
 
368 posts, read 827,990 times
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leafchime: what your'e experiencing is perfectly normal and I can relate. No matter what anyone tells you to make you feel different there are going to be certain things and seasons that will pull at your heartstrings. I'm in upstate ny right now loving the reds and golds of the trees BUT very soon I will be longing for the colorado winters and cursing nys winters.
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Old 09-28-2008, 03:05 PM
 
16 posts, read 33,619 times
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Thank you all for the suggestions and links. I got all excited about the one Kat suggested...but alas, no pumpkin farms in my county or any of the counties around me I suppose if I'm really desperate for that experience I'll just have to suck it up and travel a bit more for it.
I also want to say thank you for the kick in the butt. Crematia, you are right, and it was good instigation to at least look for things that I miss. I discovered that there is a chocolate festival in Creede in November, can't wait for that.
Just to be clear, I have no intention of moving. I really do love it here. Yes, I get homesick, but I've noticed since I started this tread, that it tends to pass and some days are worse than others. More than anything I think I need to come to terms with the fact that I can't have my cake and eat it too. There are so many things to love and great people here, but I guess I just get caught up in what I'm missing that I forget. I'm sure, like tughilltina said, once the fall is over I'll be glad to be here and not MA.
So, thank you all for the perspective. My feeling is that over time, the homesickness will become less frequent and severe as I explore more around this area and gather more experience and memories. At least, I hope that's the way it works out.
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Old 09-28-2008, 09:15 PM
 
Location: Tippecanoe County, Indiana
26,372 posts, read 46,199,122 times
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For those of you considering moving to the Northeast I would definitely suggest New Hampshire. This state has a large number of entrepreneurs who start businesses. You have the advantages of 1) Being close to Boston, 2) Incredible natural ammenities (Lakes, Mountains, Seacoast), 3) New Hampshire does not have a state income tax or a sales tax. 4) New Hampshire does not have the wildfire risks in the mountains that is quite common in western states. The abundance of water is a blessing.
5) The cost of living is cheaper compared with CO when you compare resort/mountain/ski areas.
6) NH attracts many Independent thinking people and you will see many Ron Paul signs in many towns. NH is a swing state politically with mostly Republicans in the rural areas and a good mixture of Democrats, Republicans, and Independents in the larger towns.
7) Heating costs are high in the Northeast and property taxes are high, but property tax rates are different for every single town. In terms of heating fuel types propane is becoming more common in newer construction instead of heating oil. Pellet stoves and wood stoves supplement your main oil/propane heating in many houses.
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Old 09-28-2008, 11:50 PM
 
403 posts, read 1,320,340 times
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I moved from CT to CO just over four years ago, and I can tell you that I adjusted almost instantly. I loved so many things about the area I'm in (first Evergreen, now Bailey) that I didn't spend much time thinking about what I missed. The only things I missed at first were restaurants from back home, because I knew where I could get the types of food that I liked. It took a long while to find all of the right restaurants in the Denver area, and even now there are still some things that I haven't found, and likely never will.

I was so ready to explore and try out a new place that I think being homesick was never an option. I do miss some things, of course. I'm actually in CT right now so I could go up to the Big E, LOL. I miss the fall colors, which I'm getting a small dose of right now. I miss the small towns, the beautiful homes and lawns, the old world feel, the apple and pumpkin picking, the lakes, my family cabin in Maine, the relatively cheap flights out of NY , how well they plow the roads in the winter, the lack of forest fires, and many other things that I can't put into words. But I can come back and visit and get my fill of these things, and then go back to CO where I love my life day to day; not just things that I see or do every now and then.

The things I don't miss are what's more important to me, and coming back here during different seasons really reminds me of those! I don't miss bugs, bugs, and more bugs (mosquitoes, gnats, horseflies and ticks). I can't live my life worrying about lyme disease, but I've just visited a friend who is literally wasting away from the disease (well, the meds he's on cause stomach issues, so he can't eat much), so it's hard not to think about it. I don't miss the hot, humid weather, the rude drivers, the lack of available land, the poor planning of my hometown and many of the surrounding towns, the traffic, how long it takes to get anywhere (due to traffic and the back country roads), the grey winters, the taxes, how expensive land and homes are, and how crowded and congested this area is.

Leafchime, I love all of the same things about CO that you do. Probably my favorite thing about CO is all of the parks we have (at least where I live). Within a 30 minute drive of my house, I cannot count the number of parks. Where I grew up, there were less than 5. Sure, we had the appalachian trail nearby, but it's not the same as having a 100+ acre tract of land dedicated as Open Space. I love that people will want to sell their farm and the local governments will work with them on preserving that land. Where I grew up, it would instantly be sold to a builder who would want to put up estates or shopping plazas. I absolutely love the Open Space parks in the Denver area. Not only because I have many places to go hiking, but also because I can drive through a pretty "congested" town like Evergreen and still see a huge tract of land with no homes or businesses.

Okay, this was way longer than I had intended it to be, and it's late here so I should get to sleep . Try to plan a trip back to New England during your least favorite season, maybe that will curb some of your homesickness . For me, my first winter back in CT solidified my love of CO. Where was that beautiful blue sky?
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Old 09-29-2008, 01:04 AM
 
303 posts, read 1,556,278 times
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I left my hometown in the MidAtlantc nine years ago, spent six years in Boston and now three in Colorado. The longer I am away, the more I miss it. I can only afford to visit once a year, and a lot of the things that I love about the area are great when you live there, but not really applicable to visiting. Colorado, on the other hand, is a place that I enjoyed visiting, but don't really like living here.

I've tried to find a lot of the things that I like about my home region here, but keep drawing up blanks. If I happen to see a video or photo of the midatlantic, I'm drawn into it and can't look away. So, as soon as I can manage to get a job back east, I plan to move.
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Old 09-29-2008, 08:02 AM
 
Location: Earth
1,644 posts, read 4,326,432 times
Reputation: 1566
Default Perspective

There are ticks and Lyme disease in Colorado, and mosquitoes and West Nile virus, and Prairie Rats with Bubonic Plague...along with horseflies, gnats, and other little annoyances. It's also very crowded, depending on where you choose to live. Traffic up and down the I25 and I70 corridors is horrendous most of the time and we have plenty of homegrown and transplanted 'rude drivers'. Evidence of very poor planning on the part of the cities and counties is everywhere. Skiing has become a rich man's pursuit, and speculation on land and real estate has crushed a lot of people's dreams of owning a little piece of paradise. As for winter in Colorado, try living in the mtns year-round and it's really no different with regard to the snow and cold in New England...granted, you can drive down the hill to the milder climes of the Front Rage from time to time. The Fall colors are spectacular in their own regard, just as they are out East. It's very dry in Colorado and water isn't always abundant. Doesn't seem to limit the number of golf courses and vast expanses of commercial lawnscapes, though. Colorado is very good at mismanaging it's resources.
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