Compare FL to DEN (surrounding area)

[SkiScree]

I'm sure I'll get blasted for this but in my experience working in the mountains (at a ski area) and having to commute up there daily for three years (only in winter and from Westminster) I've only experienced black ice a few times and it was usually in the Idaho Springs stretch of I-70 or Floyd Hill closer to Denver. If it gets too hairy CDOT shuts it down.

CDOT does a pretty good job of plowing the roads people need to get around but that doesn't mean the roads shouldn't be driven with care. The overpasses and on-ramps are always a little slick but not unmanagable.

For what it's worth my wife and I have owned (and shared) an '01 two door cavalier since moving here a few years back and have never gotten stuck or been stranded at home due to too much snow (not to say it can't/won't happen). We've also never owned a set of snowtires or been in an accident (that can and probably will happen lol).

It's easy enough if you're willing to leave a tad earlier and drive slower.

EDIT: Braking is the worst thing you can do on a slick road. The rule I follow, personally, is if I feel nervous I leave enough room so I will never have to break harder than if I were on ice. That way, God forbid, if you hit some ice you and your family will be safe. I have no problem being one of the slowest on the road if it means getting to ski, mountain bike, and make love to my wife in the long run.

[florigirl]

Originally Posted by SkiScree

I'm sure I'll get blasted for this but in my experience working in the mountains (at a ski area) and having to commute up there daily for three years (only in winter and from Westminster) I've only experienced black ice a few times and it was usually in the Idaho Springs stretch of I-70 or Floyd Hill closer to Denver. If it gets too hairy CDOT shuts it down.

CDOT does a pretty good job of plowing the roads people need to get around but that doesn't mean the roads shouldn't be driven with care. The overpasses and on-ramps are always a little slick but not unmanagable.

For what it's worth my wife and I have owned (and shared) an '01 two door cavalier since moving here a few years back and have never gotten stuck or been stranded at home due to too much snow (not to say it can't/won't happen). We've also never owned a set of snowtires or been in an accident (that can and probably will happen lol).

It's easy enough if you're willing to leave a tad earlier and drive slower.

EDIT: Braking is the worst thing you can do on a slick road. The rule I follow, personally, is if I feel nervous I leave enough room so I will never have to break harder than if I were on ice. That way, God forbid, if you hit some ice you and your family will be safe. I have no problem being one of the slowest on the road if it means getting to ski, mountain bike, and make love to my wife in the long run.

Thanks for clarifying the black ice issue for me. I'm a pretty cautious driver and have no problem going slow (much to the dismay of drivers behind me).

[parks71]

I live in Jacksonville and am moving to Denver on Oct. 1st with my family of 5. I have been there several times in the past few months to look where to live and look for jobs. We both landed jobs with the first jobs we applied for which was nice.

Cost of living, we had no problems finding houses for the 1500.00 a month rent in the lakewood, arvada, westminster and many other areas I really dont want to live. We should sign a lease in the SW lakewood area tomorrow. We like that we are 15-20 minutes from 5 or so parks.

Gas, its about 20 or 30 cents cheaper a gallon.

Car registration- depends on your cars, if its a new expensive car is going to be a lot more. If its several years old, it will be able the same from the research I have done.

Schools- Florida has one of the worst school systems in america and Colorados are rated very well.

Groceries- have no idea

Car insurance- I just called progressive today and got a new quote for Colorado, saving 600 a year! I have teenage drivers so mine is high but that is a huge discount!

State taxes- Got them in CO but with all the wonderful things to do there and good schools, I will be HAPPY to pay them. I think its around 4% so its not like its a lot.

Jobs- Both my wife and I are in healthcare and we are getting paid around 11% more there than here.

Nice houses for 200k are very doable in many areas, just search realtor.com Property taxes are dirt cheap compared to Florida. House insurance is much cheaper too!

When I went in March, I drove up to keystone and it snowed like crazy the whole drive. On the way down, it snowed like crazy and I thought, when do they shut these roads down? I couldnt see any lanes or anything but still drove with traffic at around 45-50. After getting to the bottom, they ended up closing I-70 so it must have been pretty bad. The thing is, I wasnt scared at all. I thought it was much easier then driving in the rain where there are huge puddles jerking the steering wheel when hitting them. I am sure there might be days I will eat those words but I didnt have any issues. I know I have been stranded in FL twice due to car getting flooded and I am sure you can get stranded in CO as well.

Crime- It's much lower there according to the statistics.

Things to do- There is so much more to do there than Florida. I dont know about Orlando, but you dont go downtown Jax at night unless you're going to jail or to the hospital. Downtown Denver is alive, safe, with a lot to do. I was shocked how nice it was at night and how many people roaming the streets.

Open space, TONS of it! I am shocked by all the parkes through out the city. I was shocked looking out my hotel window counting over 30 people in a few minutes riding their bike down the designated bike trails on a monday at 10am. These trails run throughout the whole city.

Hiking, biking, skiing, sledding, skating, rec centers, rock climbing, camping, hunting, fishing and I could go on and on about the things to do there.

I say go for it! If you dont mind the cold although I swear I get colder in Florida some days because of how wet it is!

[smcobert24]

Florida sux, and Orlando is turning into a ***** hole. All the mexicans and PR's are taking over. If you don't speak Spanish or creole you will be the minority. Thats why I'm getting the hell out! Yeah the beaches are nice, but FL is getting way over crowded.

(lived in O-town for 28 years, born and raised)

P.S.
And Disney is over rated

[davebarnes]

Sales Tax:
Colorado average is about 7.6%, but ranges from 2.9% (not on food) to 8.5%. Sales tax is charged by: state + county + city + special districts.
Florida appears to be about 7.2% from what I could find.

Income Tax:
Colorado is 4.63% of Federal AGI.
Florida is zero.

Utilities:
Electricity:
Greater Denver is slightly lower than Orlando according my cursory analysis of OUC's rate info. The big difference is that you will use a lot less electricity for cooling.
Gas:
Colorado is cheaper.
Water & Sewage:
Denver Water (the suburbs are more expensive) is much higher than OUC. About 50% higher according to my quickie analysis.

Real Estate Taxes:
Colorado is lower.
A few minutes on Zillow indicates that Colorado is about 50% of Florida. However, Colorado does not have any "homestead" reductions.

Gasoline:
Denver is 30 cents less than Miami according to U.S. Retail Gasoline Prices

House Prices:
Denver is way more expensive, on average. SeeModerator cut: link removed, linking to competitor sites is not allowed
About $60K more at the median.

[florigirl]

Originally Posted by parks71

I live in Jacksonville and am moving to Denver on Oct. 1st with my family of 5. I have been there several times in the past few months to look where to live and look for jobs. We both landed jobs with the first jobs we applied for which was nice.

Cost of living, we had no problems finding houses for the 1500.00 a month rent in the lakewood, arvada, westminster and many other areas I really dont want to live. We should sign a lease in the SW lakewood area tomorrow. We like that we are 15-20 minutes from 5 or so parks.

Gas, its about 20 or 30 cents cheaper a gallon.

Car registration- depends on your cars, if its a new expensive car is going to be a lot more. If its several years old, it will be able the same from the research I have done.

Schools- Florida has one of the worst school systems in america and Colorados are rated very well.

Groceries- have no idea

Car insurance- I just called progressive today and got a new quote for Colorado, saving 600 a year! I have teenage drivers so mine is high but that is a huge discount!

State taxes- Got them in CO but with all the wonderful things to do there and good schools, I will be HAPPY to pay them. I think its around 4% so its not like its a lot.

Jobs- Both my wife and I are in healthcare and we are getting paid around 11% more there than here.

Nice houses for 200k are very doable in many areas, just search realtor.com Property taxes are dirt cheap compared to Florida. House insurance is much cheaper too!

When I went in March, I drove up to keystone and it snowed like crazy the whole drive. On the way down, it snowed like crazy and I thought, when do they shut these roads down? I couldnt see any lanes or anything but still drove with traffic at around 45-50. After getting to the bottom, they ended up closing I-70 so it must have been pretty bad. The thing is, I wasnt scared at all. I thought it was much easier then driving in the rain where there are huge puddles jerking the steering wheel when hitting them. I am sure there might be days I will eat those words but I didnt have any issues. I know I have been stranded in FL twice due to car getting flooded and I am sure you can get stranded in CO as well.

Crime- It's much lower there according to the statistics.

Things to do- There is so much more to do there than Florida. I dont know about Orlando, but you dont go downtown Jax at night unless you're going to jail or to the hospital. Downtown Denver is alive, safe, with a lot to do. I was shocked how nice it was at night and how many people roaming the streets.

Open space, TONS of it! I am shocked by all the parkes through out the city. I was shocked looking out my hotel window counting over 30 people in a few minutes riding their bike down the designated bike trails on a monday at 10am. These trails run throughout the whole city.

Hiking, biking, skiing, sledding, skating, rec centers, rock climbing, camping, hunting, fishing and I could go on and on about the things to do there.

I say go for it! If you dont mind the cold although I swear I get colder in Florida some days because of how wet it is!

Thanks for all of the information. Everything you've stated about Jax, is pretty true for Orlando as well. We love the idea of living in CO, but all of our family is here, so we have a lot of talking to do about moving a plane ride away from them. All of these great reasons sure make it tempting though.

Thanks again and GL to you and your family with your upcoming move.

[80skeys]

The chances of getting stuck in snow vary tremendously depending on what types of terrain you drive on. Sloped driveways very easily cause problems for two-wheel drive vehicles. Having a four-wheel drive car makes the difference between being easily able to climb the driveway versus not being able to do it at all. Same thing for sloped roads, rutted roads, and ones that are not regularly plowed. More traction through snow tires and all wheel drive makes life so much easier on those.