Move to Denver suburbs (Thornton, Broomfield: sales, real estate, lease)

[Shellysocal]

I know everyone says find a job first but its not realistic. I wont be able to fly or drive down from CA for each interview. And even if that was possible most jobs wont give out of state applicants the time of day. My ex hubby was in the military so Ive moved around and know how it does. I plan on moving first. Ive done it that way with everywhere Ive ever lived. Only time it backfired was when I moved to Temecula. There were no jobs there. I looked for a year and eventually had to give up and leave.

[TCHP]

Originally Posted by Shellysocal

I know someone mentioned Colorado Springs which I do plan to visit but I'm not a huge fan of the military presence which I'm sure many of the jobs being military based...my father was in the military and my ex fiancé was in the military and then my husband was in the military and just maybe a coincidence but all of them were Cheating because of all the travel opportunities and meeting new people while away from home. That's left a bad taste in my mouth.

FWIW, only 10% of the jobs in Cos are active duty military. There may be another 10% of the population on top of that number that is retired military, military contractors, or civil service so 80% of the population here does something else. But, compared to places that have zero to a percent or two, like Denver, that can seem like a lot. Even Denver has military personnel, but the 80 thousand employed by Buckley AFB tend to really get lost in the sea of nearly 3 million people of the Denver MSA.

[janeh777]

If you want to work at the Park Meadows Mall, look at Centennial and Aurora as your best chance to find reasonable housing. Beware the traffic, but if you are working retail hours you should miss the worst of it. Good luck!!

[Coloradomom22]

Originally Posted by Shellysocal

I know everyone says find a job first but its not realistic. I wont be able to fly or drive down from CA for each interview. And even if that was possible most jobs wont give out of state applicants the time of day. My ex hubby was in the military so Ive moved around and know how it does. I plan on moving first. Ive done it that way with everywhere Ive ever lived. Only time it backfired was when I moved to Temecula. There were no jobs there. I looked for a year and eventually had to give up and leave.

Only problem is that it could be very difficult to qualify for a rental without a job.

[AZmama13]

Regarding snow vs humidity- I would love to hear opinions on this as well! We are hoping to relocate soon, we have been living in Southern AZ and Las Vegas for the past 10 years. I grew up in the Midwest and I can say that I pick 115 degree summer (dry) heat any day over a humid 90 degree day in Missouri. I'm hoping to feel the same about dry cold vs humid cold.

[TCHP]

Colorado has long been known in the skiing world for its champagne powder, the result of very low moisture content snowfall that is light, airy, and you sink into up to your waist. Compared to the heavy, wet, mid-western snow, it is considerable different. Some snow days, shoveling the walk can be done with a push broom or electric blower.

[Shellysocal]

Yikes... hoping Im not sinking into snow up to my waist! That would ruin a lot of good shoes. And Im hoping to get a way higher paying job than the mall since Im quite qualified. Ive done data entry, sales, customer service, with many years in management. However due to my visible tattoos I find that my call center customer service jobs are easier to get than dealing with customers front and center at places like malls, which is fine since those jobs under pay anyway. I would like to shop at park medows though. Might even be a decent weekend sort of job.

[TCHP]

No, we don't get waist deep snow with any regularity in the city. I was referring to skiing. I'm sure we've all seen those videos of Colorado skiers in waist deep powder that is flying everywhere as they glide through it.

Except for March and April, the snow here tends to be relatively light. The additional moisture in the spring means it gets heavy and slushy in those two months.

Driving in the snow is a skill not unlike personnel management. Your first supervisor job you had to learn a lot of stuff. You'll do the same with driving in the snow.

[Katarina Witt]

Originally Posted by Shellysocal

I'm really loving all the feedback. Found lots of homes on zillow in thorton in my price range. Im open to any suburb within 30 min drive to denver, in case I need to commute there for work. I would prefer to work and live in the suburbs but I know most jobs are usually in the city. Im okay with that. But all my free time is spent outdoors so I definitely want to be near hiking trails or lakes to walk around or just somewhere I can have a glass of wine and watch the sunset. Do you have a problem with bugs in the area? Luckily we don't have those issues in Southern California but I know it would really limit my outdoor recreation if I move somewhere with a big mosquito problem, like when I was in Dallas Texas I had fire ants biting me and leaving welts which really was discouraging for outdoor activities :/ working in the mortgage industry currently I do have people tell me how they are moving out of Colorado towards Florida because the snow is too much but I personally think I would rather deal with snow than humidity. it's hard to say for sure because I'm from Cali and we have neither. I just want a simple life. To be able to afford a two bedroom home, enjoy natural beauty and outdoor activities, and just be able to find a decent paying job - nothing over-the-top extravagant. If I could make some nice friends in the process and find an animal shelter to volunteer at that would be great. My taste might be a little old fashioned... I love farm houses and barns and cottages and cabins much better than the fancy mansions of California, although our beaches offer some beautiful sunsets. I would love to hear from other Colorado residents that are from out of state, and how long it took to adjust to the snow. I don't dislike snow but I'm just not used to it, and just a little nervous learning to drive in it.I know someone mentioned Colorado Springs which I do plan to visit but I'm not a huge fan of the military presence which I'm sure many of the jobs being military based...my father was in the military and my ex fiancé was in the military and then my husband was in the military and just maybe a coincidence but all of them were Cheating because of all the travel opportunities and meeting new people while away from home. That's left a bad taste in my mouth.

Downtown is a job center, and I don't know the mortgage industry, but there are jobs everywhere in the metro area. In 37 years, I had one job that was based D/T and that was a visiting nurse job, so I wasn't really working in the city. DH has never worked in the city and he's in IT.

Bugs are not an issue. Some mosquitoes in the summer, but nothing like Minnesota.

Originally Posted by AZmama13

Regarding snow vs humidity- I would love to hear opinions on this as well! We are hoping to relocate soon, we have been living in Southern AZ and Las Vegas for the past 10 years. I grew up in the Midwest and I can say that I pick 115 degree summer (dry) heat any day over a humid 90 degree day in Missouri. I'm hoping to feel the same about dry cold vs humid cold.

The cold isn't *that* different anywhere, because cold tends to be drier anyway. We came here from Illinois, which is very humid; that's my comparison.

[pikabike]

Originally Posted by Shellysocal

Ive been looking to relocate from CA for a while. Its too expensive for me to own a home here or just not always live paycheck to paycheck, and I dont like the endless summer. I love CA beaches and palm trees but I think I can give them up if the trade off is being able to get a home and build a savings account.

I moved to WA and it was too dark. I didnt see the sun for most of winter. I dont mind overcast days, but this was black sky. I got depressed and moved back, despite the affordable nice townhouse I had on the lovely tree lined quiet street. I then moved to TX but it was humid and I was attacked by the biggest meanest red fire ants that left welts on my body. Im currently back in CA and think Ive narrowed it down to CO (denver suburbs). Im not a city girl. I dont like traffic, smog, crime, large homeless population, unkept streets.... I like the mix of rural with suburban. I just have to be in driving distance to jobs. Hopefully 30 minute commute to 45 min max.

I have not visited CO yet but Im planning a trip. The pros being still lots of sunshine. But without endless summer. I think snow would be okay as long as there is sun to keep you warm and keep the snow melting, even tho people warn me that weather charts are not reflecting the chill factor. Homes are affordable there, according to zillow. The downside being no beaches and nature looking brown rather than green due to lack of rain. I notice a lot of people have rocks in their garden instead of grass and its so bland looking. Im hoping there is other natural beauty and outdoor recreation that makes up for it.

I am in love with the lone tree mall... (park medows) so gorgeous. Im looking at Parker, Westminster, Arvada, Aurora. Hope I spelled those right! I have found 2-3 bedroom homes there for $300K or less, studio apartments around $1k a month, and 1 bedrooms (the decent ones with washer and dryer and air and heat) about $1,200k. Now I know minimum wage is much lower there than CA but I did a salary search for my field and it looks like average pay is about the same, 30,000K a year as a non manager. And I have lots of manager experience so hopefully can make more than that. A manager in my field can make about $60K. Customer service / call center.

I'm currently in the Mortgage industry but have a resume that includes 15 years of customer service management, retail and office jobs, some data entry. Im in my 30s, divorced, no kids, love to travel, read, shop, try new resturants. Im vegetarian, christian church attender, I like hiking or walking around the lake, I love animals and volunteer at the rescuesl, I love fresh air and trees... minus the bugs. I hate bugs!! I love camping. I enjoy my quiet time. Love to get my nails done and hair done and enjoy nice wine. I have tattoos. In CA jobs are accepting of that and thats important. I love football and basketball games. Easy to get along with, love making new friends with other down to earth people, but not big on the "singles" scene.

Is this a Personals ad?

If you only think snow would be tolerable if the sun is shining and melting the snow, CO is the wrong state for you. Sometimes it snows and is gray for two days in a row. We had a couple of those stretches this winter. It isn't typical but it can happen.

And forget about that melts-right-away myth. Sometimes it does, sometimes it doesn't. Snow is part of the CO package; you take the good and bad together, and anyway that PITA snow is what provides WATER for the gazillion humans.

BTW, I agree with the poster who said get the job first and then look for an apartment. But the best thing would have been to start by visiting...in winter, because it sounds like you really dislike snow.