Colorado or Texas? (Denver, Fort Collins: crime, houses, landscaping)

[kmimi]

I know a lot of folks on the site I have been to both places so I'm asking for your advice… Both my husband and I are originally from Texas that have been away since we were teenagers. We now live in Colorado which is beautiful in the summer. We love the proximity to Parks and mountains (but we only really go in the summer because we dont ski) and all the sunshine and dryness. However the 6 to 7 months of cold and snow and wind are hard to take. I hate how it gets dark so early in winter! We are in a position where we got into a great house before the big boom here in northern Colorado. However my husband has a job opportunity in Dallas. I prefer warm to cold, but we love living in the outskirts of big city. We are active vegetable gardeners and love the idea of yearround growning . When we were in Texas last weekend we saw tons of mature trees and rosebushes- i cant get my rose bushes to survive and im really trying!!!. We are in a tough spot because wherever we choose to move, I have to stay for 25 years until I retire because I am a teacher and our retirement is through the state and does not transfer from state to state. We are just at a big turning point and we are trying to decide if we should stay here in Colorado or go to Dallas. We have made a pros and cons list and I favorite parts about Texas are no snow, year around gardening, lots of job opportunities, Texas pride and you get more for your money in terms of housing. We also have family there (my parents are in CO) The pros of living in Colorado are the summer months, lower population (co has 5.6 mill, DFW has 6.8 mill!!!) and the fact that we got in before the rush of people and if we leave now we probably can't afford to live here anymore! Some of our friends and family in Texas have said… Stay in Colorado! However these are the people who have only been to Colorado in the summer and don't understand what it's like the rest of the year. I know the summers are hot in Texas, and we used to live in Phoenix so we no heat. My husband is from Houston and I went to school in DC so we know humidity. I know this is the Denver forum and it will mostly be CO lovers who can't wait to ship some Texans back!!!! just looking for some input from other world travelers (ive moved a dozen times in my 29 years all over the US) because I am really on the fence!!!!! Please be nice. Thanks in advanced!

[kmimi]

PS my husbands job opportunity is in Grapevine and we are looking at living on north Fort Worth in new developments there...

[davebarnes]

If you like Texas, then move.

[poppunk]

Colorado: Lethal force is not justified for defense of property.
Texas: Lethal force is justified for defense of property. And neighbors property. And probably any reason you feel like.

If this is important to you, pick Texas or Florida.

[ajr1995]

In your case, I would go with Dallas. It seems like your Heart is in Texas, and you don't want to live in a place you don't love.

[TCHP]

Originally Posted by poppunk

Colorado: Lethal force is not justified for defense of property.
Texas: Lethal force is justified for defense of property. And neighbors property. And probably any reason you feel like.

If this is important to you, pick Texas or Florida.

Colorado does have a castle doctrine; CRS 18-1-704, Use of Deadly Force Against an Intruder.

"...any occupant of a dwelling is justified in using any degree of physical force, including deadly physical force, against another person when that other person has made an unlawful entry into the dwelling, and when the occupant has a reasonable belief that such other person has committed a crime in the dwelling in addition to the uninvited entry, or is committing or intends to commit a crime against a person or property in addition to the uninvited entry, and when the occupant reasonably believes that such other person might use any physical force, no matter how slight, against any occupant."

Texas may allow you to blow away anyone, anytime, for anything, but Colorado is far from not allowing lethal force for defense of property.

kmimi, it sounds like you're leaning more towards Texas than Colorado. Maybe its time to take the money and run. I'd say it depends heavily on your tolerance of population in Texas vs cold, dry, brown months in Colorado. Snowfall and winter here is a big variable. Some years will be nasty, some will be mild. You aren't getting any younger in the process so dealing with it during those heavy snow years will only become more burdensome.

[goofygrin]

Just moved from dallas.

Warm is the wrong word. Imagine 60+ days straight of triple digit heat and high humidity.

And it doesn't snow, it ices. And have you seen the hail pictures and videos?

Housing is cheaper, but if you drive for an hour, with no traffic from grapevine you'll still be in the metroplex.

It's unbearably flat and devoid of landscaping and open spaces. The new builds in any part will have sticks for trees and houses packed to each other.

No state income tax, ridiculous property taxes (my house here is worth 50% more but the taxes are 1/3 of my house in dallas), highly pretentious people, high religious indoctrination.

Lots of job opportunity.

I lived in Dallas from 98 to 16. As I matured and thought about how I wanted to raise my kids and what my values were, I realized that dallas didn't support those.

[poppunk]

Originally Posted by TCHP

Colorado does have a castle doctrine; CRS 18-1-704, Use of Deadly Force Against an Intruder.

"...any occupant of a dwelling is justified in using any degree of physical force, including deadly physical force, against another person when that other person has made an unlawful entry into the dwelling, and when the occupant has a reasonable belief that such other person has committed a crime in the dwelling in addition to the uninvited entry, or is committing or intends to commit a crime against a person or property in addition to the uninvited entry, and when the occupant reasonably believes that such other person might use any physical force, no matter how slight, against any occupant."

Texas may allow you to blow away anyone, anytime, for anything, but Colorado is far from not allowing lethal force for defense of property.

kmimi, it sounds like you're leaning more towards Texas than Colorado. Maybe its time to take the money and run. I'd say it depends heavily on your tolerance of population in Texas vs cold, dry, brown months in Colorado. Snowfall and winter here is a big variable. Some years will be nasty, some will be mild. You aren't getting any younger in the process so dealing with it during those heavy snow years will only become more burdensome.

I'm attempting to exaggerate in both directions for fun, otherwise this doesn't belong here.

[kmimi]

Originally Posted by TCHP

kmimi, it sounds like you're leaning more towards Texas than Colorado. Maybe its time to take the money and run. I'd say it depends heavily on your tolerance of population in Texas vs cold, dry, brown months in Colorado. Snowfall and winter here is a big variable. Some years will be nasty, some will be mild. You aren't getting any younger in the process so dealing with it during those heavy snow years will only become more burdensome.

I think you are correct – we are leaning more towards Texas but it is just so close! Our home has appreciated greatly – about 70% . This all started when we were talking about taking the money and applying it to a lower-priced home on the outskirts DFW. We are finding homes with a small chunk of property- new- 30 min commute- for $180-220k. We are finding that the property tax in Texas is actually less than our cost of Colorado state taxes. We live up near Fort Collins and I actually work in Wyoming where the weather is worse but they never cancel school! So I have to make the scary trip by myself because the district is too foolish to cancel school (all it will take us one law suit...). Some people like my husband can just call in on bad weather days and other folks like my parents are retired and don't have that luxury ! When i first mived here we went a month where it wasn't above freezing. I think my parents are going to stay here… It is a great place for retirees! But when my husband and I are working in the winter months and we leave each morning in the dark and come home in the dark it makes me long for living down south. Arizona was the best! No daylight savings time! It is just so hard to leave here because it is beautiful and we got in before the bo it is just so hard to leave here because it is beautiful and we got in before the boom... Trying to figure out my priorities! My husband's job offers on the table but won't be there forever so we are on crunch time to make a decision. I need to let my school now about my intention for next year by next Monday!!!! Ahhh!

Thanks for your input everybody! Keep it coming!

[denverian]

Dallas really isn't a gardener's dream. You still get winter (a shorter version), and honestly, the summers are just brutal. I lived in San Antonio for a couple years and at least there, the winters were rather pleasant, and you could garden in the winter. But holy sauna in the summer!! It just wasn't ever pleasant to be outdoors for about 7 months straight.

Texas is cheaper, but I couldn't take the "Texas Pride" (culture) that maybe you can tolerate. Nor could I take the politics there. Or the ugly landscape (flat).