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My wife and I are seriously contemplating a move to the Denver area within the next 2 years. We currently live in the Orlando area (Windermere) and have grown tired of the beaches, theme parks, bugs and the awful humidity. When the weather is pleasant (as limited as it is), we like bike riding and hiking on trails; basically being outdoors and not near masses of people.
I moved to Orlando from NY about 18 years ago, but my wife has always lived in FL. We have no children (just 2 dogs) and don't plan on any. I'm in construction project management and hold a BSME while my wife is in pharmaceutical sales. Together we make very decent money.
We're both flying up there at the end of April to see how we like it; she's been there before and LOVED it. Going to stay 2 nights in Denver, 2 nights in Boulder and 2 nights in Colorado Springs to try and get a feel for the region.
-Can anyone provide any insight on either of our job markets? We would want to move out with at least one of us having a job lined up.
-we like living in a nice house, and don't mind being on the outskirts of a city; we actually prefer it. Probably looking at homes in the $500-upper $600s. What are some of the areas that we should look at on our trip? Brighton seems to pop up on our radar often.
-our vacations typically involve driving to the mountains for a week and renting a cabin to take in nature; I'm assuming there are areas like this within a few hours of Denver?
-traffic...its gotten very bad in Orlando; much worse than when I moved here almost 2 decades ago. Are there any areas that should be avoided due to really bad traffic?
-clear skies. We have taken a real liking to amateur astronomy over the last year. Are there any areas that tend to have dark skies (minimal light pollution)?
-bugs & dangerous animals. FL has bugs. Everywhere. What is the bug situation like in CO? Are mosquitos a problem? Also, we take our 2 Pekingese dogs everywhere. They go on hiking/walks when we go, but have to use a lot of caution as gators and venomous snakes are everywhere here. What would be the biggest threats to them in CO?
-Ive read a lot of people say they feel isolated in the Denver area; can anyone elaborate on why this is?
We're both flying up there at the end of April to see how we like it; she's been there before and LOVED it. Going to stay 2 nights in Denver, 2 nights in Boulder and 2 nights in Colorado Springs to try and get a feel for the region. Boulder is very expensive. If it's not in the budget check out Loveland and Fort Collins instead.
-Can anyone provide any insight on either of our job markets? We would want to move out with at least one of us having a job lined up. - Job market is strong. Especially in construction. I don't know anything about Pharm sales. I highly recommend lining up a job before moving.
-we like living in a nice house, and don't mind being on the outskirts of a city; we actually prefer it. Probably looking at homes in the $500-upper $600s. What are some of the areas that we should look at on our trip? Brighton seems to pop up on our radar often. - You are going to be shocked when you realize how little $500k buys in Colorado. Brighton is a newish area and you will get the most for your money there, but that's because it isn't very exciting. I would start a seperate thread with specifics about housing needs.
-our vacations typically involve driving to the mountains for a week and renting a cabin to take in nature; I'm assuming there are areas like this within a few hours of Denver? - Definitely. The mountains are very busy in the summer though.
-traffic...its gotten very bad in Orlando; much worse than when I moved here almost 2 decades ago. Are there any areas that should be avoided due to really bad traffic? - We got traffic too! The worst area in i-25 in downtown Denver. I-70 on the North side of Denver is about to get reworked and that will cause huge delays for years. I wouldn't move here to escape traffic.
-clear skies. We have taken a real liking to amateur astronomy over the last year. Are there any areas that tend to have dark skies (minimal light pollution)? - People from all over the world go to certain places in Colorado for the lack of light pollution. I'm not an expert, so check google.
-bugs & dangerous animals. FL has bugs. Everywhere. What is the bug situation like in CO? Are mosquitos a problem? Also, we take our 2 Pekingese dogs everywhere. They go on hiking/walks when we go, but have to use a lot of caution as gators and venomous snakes are everywhere here. What would be the biggest threats to them in CO? - Coyotes. Keep them on a leash and you will be fine.
-Ive read a lot of people say they feel isolated in the Denver area; can anyone elaborate on why this is? -
Denver is a loooong way from anything else. Check out google maps and get driving directions to interesting big cities from Denver.
The Greater Orlando area is over 2.8 million people covering over 100 different suburbs, exburbs, and townships. Denver's metro is 3.4 million covering several dozen cities. Throw all the tourist traffic into the mix in both areas and traffic is not much different. The number of interstates in the Orlando area is massive compared to CO in general and Denver in particular. Population density in CO is also radically different as most of our population is built around the major metro areas. 45 minutes out of the city and you will have significant drives between other population centers, which will typically be low four digit figures. This is considerably different than FLs density where there are numerous exburbs of high performing schools and extremely nice housing and a small town nearly every 15-20 miles apart.
Construction project management and pharmaceutical sales - yup, there are jobs in these areas. Certainly recommend not only national job boards like Monster and Indeed but local boards like Connecting Colorado to look at the job situation. Building requirements in Boulder and El Paso counties are much more strict and they tend to have fewer starts and less major projects than what is typically found in the Denver metro. Healthcare and medical services are booming which means supporting industries are also flowing suite.
$500-600k for housing - Boulder avg home price is $1m. Prices will drop radiating out from there with price spikes in the more affluent Denver neighborhoods, and continuing to drop in average price through Douglas County (town of Castle Rock) and into El Paso County (city of Colorado Springs) where the average is just over $300k. All areas will have a range of housing from $100k crap shacks to multi-million dollar estates, although Boulder average will be the most expensive. In Denver there are town nearer the mountains which have more rural feel to them as there are similar areas west of Colo Spgs and throughout Douglas County.
Weekend vacations in the mountains are common and popular and range from small hotels, B&Bs, to major glitz resorts, and remote cabins. Activities also range greatly. Like Orlando, CO has long been a vacation destination and we have the activities to support it. Because of population density here, you will find a 3 hour drive in CO may not be nearly as stressful as 3 hours through central FL and have considerably fewer interchanges to deal with. Depending, of course, on your tolerance of high altitude driving. Going over mountain passes can be both thrilling and frightening to some people because of multi-thousand foot possibility of rolling off the side of a mountain that goes with your 100 mile views.
Astronomy activities, the town of Westcliffe, between two mountain ranges southwest of the city of Pueblo, is a designated dark sky zone. This has been a concerted effort in the community with even local ranchers getting on board have most people using special lighting to reduce refraction into the night sky. Of course with the population centered in metro areas along CO's Front Range, this also means a couple hours outside of these cities improves night viewing considerably, although you can still see the halo glow of these metros from a couple hours away.
Bugs here are much smaller, less numerous, and considerably less aggressive. We do have roaches, termites, mosquitoes and spiders but not the variety or size you are used to. However we do have quite a few larger predators. Coyotes, cougars, bobcat, lynx, bears, snakes are all in the mountain areas and are being see more commonly in suburban areas as the population increases. Deer, elk, and moose also can be seen regularly and can similarly be confrontational with domestic pets. However, most of these tend to avoid humans and are not a constant threat that lie in wait like alligators, although I would not recommend letting your pets wander in the wild without you being a few steps away. Snakes are snakes, but the variable temps in mountain areas can make them less of an issue that on the prairie east of the mountains or in the lowland areas like FL where temps stay warm.
Denver and the CO Front Range metros are a day's drive away from other major areas like Omaha, Kansas City, Salt Lake City, and Phoenix. This makes some people feel isolated. Your mileage may vary depending on what sort of stimulus you need to feel entertained. Denver regularly gets stops by nearly any tour of any artist or performing group and there are nationally recognized museums with varying displays all the time.
-bugs & dangerous animals. FL has bugs. Everywhere. What is the bug situation like in CO? Are mosquitos a problem? Also, we take our 2 Pekingese dogs everywhere. They go on hiking/walks when we go, but have to use a lot of caution as gators and venomous snakes are everywhere here. What would be the biggest threats to them in CO?
-Ive read a lot of people say they feel isolated in the Denver area; can anyone elaborate on why this is?
When we moved here, we assumed we'd get a place with a large screened porch like we had with our east-coast home, but screening is pretty rare here. Most people just sit on their open patios or decks, even at dusk. Mosquitos are around, especially near bodies of water, and there are cases of West Nile in the state every year, but I think these have mostly been north of Denver. It depends on where you are. We ran into an especially bad mosquito situation at Great Sand Dunes one summer. Never camping there again. I live in a suburban area in the southeast Metro and I've maybe felt a mosquito once at my home in the four years we've been here. We do have regular sightings of coyotes and rattlesnakes in our neighborhood, so you have to keep your pets with you and on the trails. Mountain lions have been seen in our community as well, but they keep to themselves and haven't caused any problems since I've been here. They just make for interesting discussion on Nextdoor.
I think the isolation comes from the fact that you can't hop in your car or on a train be in a major metropolitan area in a couple of hours, like people from the East are used to doing. Some people are bothered by it and some aren't. It's not a big deal to me.
-Ive read a lot of people say they feel isolated in the Denver area; can anyone elaborate on why this is?
Brighton is one of the least desirable cities in the least desirable direction. Look all over. Colorado Springs (out of the cities you mentioned) will give you the most bang for your buck. I second the recommendation to check out Fort Collins/Loveland (in addition to Longmont and Greeley, because....why not). All of the northern cities are acquired or suited tastes IMO (including Boulder, they are not for everybody).
Yes, you can go rent a cabin. Check out Tabernash during summer.
Traffic has gotten worse, especially in the last 1-2 years if I'm going to be truly honest. Central and South Denver along I-25, and north of I-70 along I-25 (Thornton and northward), along with I-70 east of downtown have it the worst. Everywhere else is pretty mild traffic-wise compared to most cities this size.
Everywhere I've lived here has had poor night skies. If you've never been to the Mojave Desert in CA, you should go take a telescope out there, you may not even need one.
No bugs. Miller moths for a very brief period. Monarch butterflies too. I don't think I've ever had a mosquito bite in CO. Ants and flies are pretty infrequent too. Rabbits are quite a nuisance. I've seen a skunk in my front yard, and we have foxes, snakes, deer, and elk roaming around (along with the occasional bear).
Denver/Front Range is kind of out here all by itself. It is very much like living in an isolated small town (even though it is made up of relatively large cities), and is its own thing unto itself. Anything derived from anywhere else feels imported, watered down, and possibly out of place. The Front Range is just a thin strip of population along mountains with nothing else terribly nearby. You can't drive to another city quickly for a change of pace, because there aren't any. Sure, you can fly to LA, SF, Seattle, or Chicago in two hours, but Salt Lake City, Omaha, Kansas City, and Albuquerque are all very far, and aren't even on our level, so there isn't much desire to travel to any of them (I hope this makes sense).
Here is a quick list of large cities within an 6 hour drive of Orlando:
Tampa
Miami
Atlanta
Jacksonville
Charleston
Savannah
Large cities within 6 hours of Denver:
Albuquerque
This is funny. I completely agree. Other than the Springs and Boulder maybe. BUt we felt so secluded in CO. WE have moved all over and liked Denver overall, but could not help feeling trapped. We like to travel by car too often and never seemed to go anywhere when we lived there because we could not get anywhere interesting in a half days drive.
BUT... i can see why the OP wants to leave FL. We are currently in Tampa and not loving it either. It is hard to put into words without offending people, but it is simply trashy all over here. Everything fells stuck in the 80s and early 90s. Run down faded buildings, corny decor, nothing is clean or manicured in regards to green spaces, infrastructure/roadways are horrendous, etc.
OP - Denver is ok. Not my favorite. Dont believe anyone who tells you that its 70 degrees in the winter, snow in the morning golfing by noon type talk. It gets just as cold in Denver if not colder as it does in MN or other cold states. Just as much snow ass anywhere and it sticks around. When we lived there it snowed from early November to early may with no exaggeration. During the December/Jan months it was constantly in the single digits up to about 40 on good days,, but a far stretch from the 70 people would brag about.
I would just do a lot of research about the area first and ask yourself if it is truly what you are looking for. If you want to escape the bugs and humidity but still like warmth, then consider places like NM and AZ
OP - Denver is ok. Not my favorite. Dont believe anyone who tells you that its 70 degrees in the winter, snow in the morning golfing by noon type talk. It gets just as cold in Denver if not colder as it does in MN or other cold states. Just as much snow ass anywhere and it sticks around. When we lived there it snowed from early November to early may with no exaggeration. During the December/Jan months it was constantly in the single digits up to about 40 on good days,, but a far stretch from the 70 people would brag about.
This can easily be proven or disproven with weather records. It’s has never consistently been in the single digits for two months in my lifetime. We often get 1 or 2 one week periods of single digits. They are not consecutive. It has also hit 60s in every December/January.
When were you here? You’re absolutely exaggerating. It’s nowhere near like Minnesota and I will prove this if you supply a year. . It does however get cold and snowy occasionally. If you don’t like that, you shouldn’t move here.
To clarify...it *can* snow any time from September and into May (and very occasionally beyond that); it does not snow from (any month) to (any month).
Quote:
it was constantly in the single digits up to about 40 on good days,,
Please explain how that even works...?
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I live in a suburban area in the southeast Metro and I've maybe felt a mosquito once at my home in the four years we've been here. We do have regular sightings of coyotes and rattlesnakes in our neighborhood, so you have to keep your pets with you and on the trails. Mountain lions have been seen in our community as well, but they keep to themselves and haven't caused any problems since I've been here. They just make for interesting discussion on Nextdoor. 
