Should we leave Denver?

[gpraceman]

I guess I will be the lone dissenting opinion. I wouldn't be so eager to move away from family. I really regret not moving back to CO much sooner than we did. We were away in San Diego for 16 years and our kids really missed out on seeing their relatives. My fondest memories growing up were all of the family gatherings, Christmas at the grand parents, learning handyman skills from my grandfather and uncles, and so on.

We are back here now, so my two sons (10 and 12) will be able to get some time in with the relatives before they go off on their own. However, my 17 year old daughter really missed out on so much. Seeing relatives once or twice a year just isn't enough, IMO. They just miss out on too much.

[dj32]

I think everyone should move at least once in their life- to another city or state at least. I think it is a great thing to do and makes you self sufficient. It is nice to be out of your comfort zone. Definitely do it when you are young/your kids are young. It will get harder when they are in school. We've been in denver for 8 years and occasionally get the urge to go back east where the family is (b/c of having that support) but we love it. I think it is nice to experience other parts of country. You are only young once- go for it!!! You can always come back!

Madison is suppossed to be really cool... I think you'll find New England won't necessarily be any cheaper though but I bet Madison will be.

[ladyfish]

I think Madison housing is somewhat better. Although property taxes are outrageous -- up to 3x as much here in Denver, so that's a consideration. We aren't interested in moving to New England -- we just fell in love with trees there!

Thanks for all the replies. It really sounds like most people support "taking the risk." I think we do too. As for my family, it's hard to say. I know they support us no matter what, and if we move they're totally technological people so they'll expect pictures every day, and my mom is also planning on reading books over the phone to my daughter, when she grows up a little

Ha, it took me a while to figure out "DH," etc. Actually it's never been explained to me, I just guessed. I think it's a "mom forum" thing.

[.gif]

some parts of michigan are nice, too.

[josetjo]

The First Thing That Came To My Mind Was Designated Hitter. How Bout Dinglebat Husband Or Dumb Husband? How's Anyone To Know Unless It's Commonly Known?

[Momzilla]

Well in a move there is always a risk. California is home to me, and we decided to be adventurous actually so my husband COULD go to school and moved to Vegas. Needless to say we ended up missing family horribly, needless to say Las Vegas is pretty much a cesspool (we should have known! HA), and in retrospect moving to a new place isn't as much of an adventure as it is a hassle!

We are moving on from Vegas and just having my husband transfer schools next month and going to Colorado ourselves - because well, California is just too expensive to go back to... and the glamour of California lifestyles wears off a bit when you leave the state and realize what a change it is outside.

So anyway, I ramble. From my experience there are certainly plusses and minuses to moving. If you have kids, you find when you move - you have a hard time getting out if they are young... because there is no at will babysitting. For us that was something to take to account. Also, when you are far away from family like that and you end up in a jam you are miles away. For me the biggest thing is that my son never gets to see the grandparents, cousins, etc. You would be amazed at how even the most family members seem like a blessing in memory when they are hundred's of miles away!!!

Looking at Denver, the prices really aren't that bad... say as compared to California and from the looks of it, it doesn't seem too bad... prices are going up everywhere.

If you don't have kids though, then life becomes much simpler in a big move - and if that is the case - there isn't a whole lot of drawbacks.

WI is beautiful and I can see why you would want to go.

It just seems to me though you could settle in a cheaper Colorado area though and save the money from moving to travel a bit more. I would think long and hard about relocation before making any decisions.

[white rob]

I echo those who support a move. You may find some new place you like better than Denver. If Wisconisin or where ever isn't what you expect, you can move back to Denver with a better appreciation for the area.

[BabyBoomers2]

We are almost 60 years old and we have our house up for sale and we are moving out of the Denver area primarily because of the winter weather here. We don't have kids living with us and have no family here. Having no family living close to us doesn't bother us at all. We have lived in Parker for the past 3 1/2 years and have been seeing that area GROW and GROW and GROW more. Traffic there is getting to be terrible. Other than the blizzards/snowstorms we have been in and the BIG swing in daily temps at times, we have loved living here. The cost of living in the Denver metro area is cheaper than in other parts of the country, but Denver is catching up fast.
We are headed to an inland area of the east coast where the winters ARE "mild".
If you are thinking about moving, do it.......especially if there are things that you simply don't like about living here anymore. One of the worst things a person/family can do is to live in an area/State that they don't really like.