Young Family looking to move from AZ to CO(within a yr) (Denver: to rent)

[jae_lynn04]

My husband and I are both in are late 20's and we have two young children. I work as a cna/caregiver in the health care industry and my husband is a manager at a auto body shop. We have been wanting to move for quite some time but had other things keeping us here in Arizona. But things are changing and we are beginning to plan our escape We are planning on moving in one yr. I am in school to become a lpn. We will move once I am finished.

My question is about job oppurtunities and also the cost of housing. I figure we will rent the first year, then buy a home. I have been told Denver would be our best bet as for work as well as affordability. Is that the case? My husband as lived all over the country but I have only lived in AZ. My entire family (5 generations) all live within 20 minutes of me. So it would be an adjustment but I believe I am ready to move. Any suggestions or helpful hints would be greatly appreciated.

[the3Ds]

Originally Posted by jae_lynn04

My husband and I are both in are late 20's and we have two young children. I work as a cna/caregiver in the health care industry and my husband is a manager at a auto body shop. We have been wanting to move for quite some time but had other things keeping us here in Arizona. But things are changing and we are beginning to plan our escape We are planning on moving in one yr. I am in school to become a lpn. We will move once I am finished.

My question is about job oppurtunities and also the cost of housing. I figure we will rent the first year, then buy a home. I have been told Denver would be our best bet as for work as well as affordability. Is that the case? My husband as lived all over the country but I have only lived in AZ. My entire family (5 generations) all live within 20 minutes of me. So it would be an adjustment but I believe I am ready to move. Any suggestions or helpful hints would be greatly appreciated.

I lived in Arizona for 7 years (then Florida) and now I am in Denver. The cost of living is pretty similar to Arizona (Phoenix's) standards BEFORE the huge housing boom and bust. It's about the same to register your car, a few cents more in Arizona to get gas (but you won't notice much difference) and the cost of homes is about the same for a good school district and a decent house. You will save by not having your air conditioning running 24/7 from May until October, but it all balances out when you pay for heat. Between Arizona, Florida and Denver, our paycheck doesn't go any further in either of those states. What you save in one area, you pay extra for in another.

IMHO, it is far better here in Denver than in Arizona. First, you don't have to live in Scottsdale to live in a nice area with good schools and low crime. Denver is not as spread out as Arizona...you can get from one side of the city to the other in about 45 minutes. You will also appreciate the seasons. It does snow here but the days of sunshine will surprise you. I think the people are nicer here and they will actually say they are from Denver as opposed to Arizonans who have lived there 30 years but still claim to be from Minnesota. I never understood that.

As far as family goes, it's not a great distance to travel when you want to see them. They won't be 20 minutes away but you seem to be itching to get out of Arizona (calling it "escaping") so I think it's more important to do what's best for your immediate family and worry about relatives later. I have family in Washington state, Oregon and Arizona and we see them often enough. It's also very cheap to fly to Phoenix. Between Southwest, Frontier and US Airways, we have never paid more than $130 to fly down there.

You are wise to rent first. We did the same thing and after living in Denver for a year, we really had a good list to work off of when we began our househunt. There's a lot of good places to live in the metro Denver area. I wave the flag for the Cherry Creek school district which is excellent and very large so there are a lot of neighborhoods (mostly middle class) to chose from. However, let your job location dictate where you eventually buy a home. Traffic is nowhere near as bad as it is in Phoenix, but that doesn't mean it's nonexistent and when there's snow...well, you could add on another 35-55 minutes to your commute. No reason to live too far away if you don't have to.

[jae_lynn04]

Wow! Thank you for all the helpful information. My husband and I are planning a short trip to Denver soon. I am so excited about this new journey. I am hoping to find work in a hospital or skilled nursing setting. I was wondering what would be the best hospital to work at? I would love to take advantage of any public transportation in getting to work. Thanks again!

[jim&heather]

My wife, 3 yr old, and I are flying to Denver tomorrow to see if we would like to relocate there soon. We live in Raleigh and it's great here, but I may have a job opportunity there, so we're coming to have a look. I would prefer to have a 30 mins or less commute to the major medical centers if possible (early morning surgeries), so any recommendations on general areas of the city - new housing, good schools, etc. to help us narrow our search would be great.

[the3Ds]

Originally Posted by jim&heather

My wife, 3 yr old, and I are flying to Denver tomorrow to see if we would like to relocate there soon. We live in Raleigh and it's great here, but I may have a job opportunity there, so we're coming to have a look. I would prefer to have a 30 mins or less commute to the major medical centers if possible (early morning surgeries), so any recommendations on general areas of the city - new housing, good schools, etc. to help us narrow our search would be great.

I'm not sure there is a "Major Medical Center" in Denver. I've lived in other states where there is a specific area that has the bulk of the specialty clinics and hospitals, but I haven't found that to be the case in Denver. There is a large campus of UCH that will soon have the VA and Children's Clinics, but that may not be what you are looking for.