What's Colorado really like? (Denver, Golden: school, where to live, price)

[Katarina Witt]

^^Yes, Colorado has one of the lowest UE rates in the country right now:
Unemployment Rates for States

"Unemployment Rates for States
Monthly Rankings
Seasonally Adjusted
Oct. 2014p
Rank State Rate
1 NORTH DAKOTA 2.8
2 SOUTH DAKOTA 3.3
3 NEBRASKA 3.4
4 UTAH 3.6
5 MINNESOTA 3.9
6 HAWAII 4.1
6 IDAHO 4.1
8 NEW HAMPSHIRE 4.2
9 COLORADO 4.3"

[JWEvergreen]

@Aussiegemma: Congrats on your decision to move to Colorado. Your post is what encouraged me to register on this forum so that I could comment to you and wish you the best!

It's very interesting reading everyone's different opinions about this great state. My family and I moved here from Florida in 2002. Our eldest daughter was just entering high school. We picked the suburb of Westminster as our launching pad. We can't complain about the educational opportunities. They are there to be had. She is now a RN working in pediatrics and urgent care.

8 months ago, we bought a house in Evergreen and sold our Westminster house. It's a much smaller community up here and the conveniences are not as abundant, but the pay-off is huge! We have over an acre and the wild-life is abundant. We can access a 700 acre mountain park from our back yard! The quaint little "downtown" area is always bustling with people and everyone seems to know each other. Evergreen Lake is also a hot-spot during the day. Be sure to pay a visit!

My biggest struggle with the move up here was the altitude, but given a few weeks... I got over that. I'll be the first to admit I don't like winter because I freeze! But the rest of the year is unbeatable!

The commute from where I live is about an hour to the airport or 45 min from Denver. 15 minutes max to I-70 east or west so you can get to where you want to go fairly easily.

To the comments posted regarding "collecting rain water". I read that the run-off from the rain/snow seeps into small cracks in the rock and leaks it's way into the wells that many of us depend on. If the water is collected into barrels, then the wells are deprived. And to the person that claimed you can't put a bowl of water out for the dog... what???

[VileTat]

How is your internet, is there Comcast in Evergreen and what typical speeds do you get?

[JohnnyDenver]

The quaint little "downtown" area is always bustling with people and everyone seems to know each other. Evergreen Lake is also a hot-spot during the day.

And the traffic congestion and lack of parking spots (especially on weekends) is even more wonderful.

[Aussiegemma]

Originally Posted by Nicholas88

Your list is good, except i have to correct you on the lack of jobs in fact, the job market in Denver right now is great, the city is in a state of economic incline. Good luck to you!

Thanks Nicholas, good to know the job market is going well in Denver. I'm not too worried about getting a job and have some connections in the Tech Centre and also connections though some previous roles and professional networks.

[Aussiegemma]

Originally Posted by JWEvergreen

@Aussiegemma: Congrats on your decision to move to Colorado. Your post is what encouraged me to register on this forum so that I could comment to you and wish you the best!

It's very interesting reading everyone's different opinions about this great state. My family and I moved here from Florida in 2002. Our eldest daughter was just entering high school. We picked the suburb of Westminster as our launching pad. We can't complain about the educational opportunities. They are there to be had. She is now a RN working in pediatrics and urgent care.

8 months ago, we bought a house in Evergreen and sold our Westminster house. It's a much smaller community up here and the conveniences are not as abundant, but the pay-off is huge! We have over an acre and the wild-life is abundant. We can access a 700 acre mountain park from our back yard! The quaint little "downtown" area is always bustling with people and everyone seems to know each other. Evergreen Lake is also a hot-spot during the day. Be sure to pay a visit!

My biggest struggle with the move up here was the altitude, but given a few weeks... I got over that. I'll be the first to admit I don't like winter because I freeze! But the rest of the year is unbeatable!

The commute from where I live is about an hour to the airport or 45 min from Denver. 15 minutes max to I-70 east or west so you can get to where you want to go fairly easily.

To the comments posted regarding "collecting rain water". I read that the run-off from the rain/snow seeps into small cracks in the rock and leaks it's way into the wells that many of us depend on. If the water is collected into barrels, then the wells are deprived. And to the person that claimed you can't put a bowl of water out for the dog... what???

Hi JWEvergreen and thanks for your post. I haven't been on here for a while as I've been preparing for our immigrant interview which is scheduled in February. It's always good to read about families like yours settling well to a new State and city. It's a big change moving from Florida and it's great your daughter is going well. I've been looking at Real Estate mostly around Golden, Morrison and Evergreen but I worry about the commute from Evergreen getting down the mountain areas (I really struggled driving on the other side of the road and snow would be even more challenging). A smaller town would really suit us as we are in a town of 1,400 people now. Golden might be too big a town for us. The altitude does concern me slightly but most people seem to adjust just fine. Thanks again for your post!

[Aussiegemma]

Just a quick update for anyone following. We have booked our tickets to Honolulu on 8 June. It's a shorter flight from Australia and we'll have a holiday before flying to Denver to settle. We went to Honolulu when we started our 7 1/2 month trip around the USA in 2012 and this time we will explore the Big Island. Just need to have our interview and get the Visa and we have a lot to do including getting rid of all of our stuff!

[randomparent]

Originally Posted by mic111

Edit: Forgot to add a negative. The food. You won't find the variety and freshness of fruits and veggies that you get on the coast. We are a long truck ride so things get picked early and aren't as good. High altitude cooking is different and high altitude can affect how you taste the food also. Good side is that people aren't as overweight here as most of the USA.

What on earth?

I will admit that food-wise the California coast is extraordinary, but the Front arange has plenty of farmers markets and grocery stores that stock locally grown, organic produce. You may not find as wide a year-round selection as is available on the west coast, but it's not exactly a food desert here. Every part of the country has a slightly different food culture. Colorado has plenty to offer the adventurous palate, and recent years have hosted the opening of many an outstanding restaurant on the Front Range, from casual to fine dining. As someone who lived for years in the foodie heaven that is Sonoma/Napa, I'm very familiar with what's available there and how it compares to what's available here. Good seafood will be the greatest challenge, as it is everywhere in the center of the country. Other than that, though, I think even the most epicurean of transplants will ultimately be satisfied.

[bluescreen73]

Originally Posted by Aussiegemma

Just a quick update for anyone following. We have booked our tickets to Honolulu on 8 June. It's a shorter flight from Australia and we'll have a holiday before flying to Denver to settle. We went to Honolulu when we started our 7 1/2 month trip around the USA in 2012 and this time we will explore the Big Island. Just need to have our interview and get the Visa and we have a lot to do including getting rid of all of our stuff!

Thanks for the update. Happy Holidays and best of luck to you! I hope the next 6 months fly by for you.

[JWEvergreen]

Originally Posted by VileTat

How is your internet, is there Comcast in Evergreen and what typical speeds do you get?

We have Comcast up here and I can't complain about the service (much)