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Thread summary:

Relocating to Colorado: Denver, cost of living, job market, cross country moving, hiking.

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Old 09-23-2007, 06:30 PM
 
6 posts, read 19,790 times
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Hi all,
I'm new to this forum thing.....
My husband and I currently live in Michigan, but are very interested in moving to the Denver area (as it appears many others are as well) We have visited Denver a few times and fell in love with the beauty of the mountains and the active lifestyle Colorado offers. We feel that it would be a great place to raise our two children, ages 10 and 8 because of the quality of life. I have so many questions to ask, I don't know where to start, but the whole idea is a very complex one because we don't have jobs out there.

The first matter relates to place. We thought Highlands Ranch would be a wonderful community for family life as well as the active lifestyle with all the open space and trails and recreation centers. Then, I just discovered Loveland (although I've NEVER actually been there). I see that it was voted best place to raise a family,and also best place to revitalize your life. That caught my attention and upon further research online it seems like a wonderful community as well. I would like to ask anyone out there to give me a feel for the type of people that live in Loveland. I'm a little nervous that it would be too "small-town" for us. We live in larger city now, and we're very liberal people. I know I couldn't handle living in a place that was very conservative.

Also, my husband and I don't have jobs lined up in Colorado. From the research I've done it appears that you need to live in Denver before they would consider you. The chances seem to be quite slim that companies hire out-of-state people. Is there anyone out there who has been in a similar situation that could give us any advice on a gameplan. The move is definitely something that we want to do, but it is so scary to give up secure jobs here before finding ones out there. If it was just us, the risk would be easier, but we do have kids.

Help! Anyone??!!
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Old 09-23-2007, 08:20 PM
 
Location: Foot of the Rockies
90,297 posts, read 120,759,995 times
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There has been a good deal of talk on this forum about job-hunting from out of state. Try doing a search, using words like "jobs", "employement", and your respective professions. Some people use headhunters. It depends on your profession.

Loveland is nice, and I'd live there if I could. However, it may be harder to find a job there, depending on what you do for a living. You do not need to live in Denver if you work there. There are many nice suburbs on the edges of the metro area. I don't know much about Highlands Ranch and the south end of town.
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Old 09-24-2007, 07:15 AM
 
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Thank you for your insight. My husband works in manufacturing for the auto industry here in Detroit. I am a realtor. What worries me is the pay scale out there. It seems like salaries aren't very much (especially in the manufacturing field). My husband has some college, but never got his degree. He does have 13 years of experience in his field, and he's currently in HR. We're thinking that a total career change might be in order, but it is scary.
We're looking to simplify our lives. Buy a less expensive house and take advantage of all the outdoor "free" activities" and the beauty of the mountains. I certainly don't want to move out there and work harder for less though. Some of these posts are scaring me slightly.
Is Loveland considered a "small town"? Keep in mind I don't know anything about it at this point, so I'm not judging. I would just like some input because like I said, I enjoy being around progressive people.
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Old 09-24-2007, 07:33 AM
 
Location: Highlands Ranch, CO
616 posts, read 3,005,216 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by pittnurse70 View Post
Loveland is nice, and I'd live there if I could. However, it may be harder to find a job there, depending on what you do for a living. You do not need to live in Denver if you work there. There are many nice suburbs on the edges of the metro area. I don't know much about Highlands Ranch and the south end of town.
Highlands Ranch is a very nice area for raising kids. We moved here 4 years ago and like the area, amenties that it has to offer and the Dougals County schools. It is also close to the Denver Tech Center (DTC) and Denver area job-wise.

Job hunting can be pretty rough from out of state. I was able to arrange a telecommute with my San Diego company, which made the transistion easier. If that is not an option, then as pittnurse suggested, there are lots of job hunting discussions on this forum that you can search through.
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Old 09-24-2007, 07:48 AM
 
Location: Foot of the Rockies
90,297 posts, read 120,759,995 times
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The only "free" activities in the mtns are hiking, driving around and some camping at very primitive sites.

Loveland both is and isn't a small town. It is just north of Longmont, which is sort of the end of the metro area, but it's not isolated. I don't think you will find a cheaper house than you have in Michigan unless you downsize.
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Old 09-24-2007, 07:57 AM
 
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When I say free, I mean walking, hiking, running, biking, and day trips to simply enjoy the outdoors with our kids.
We live in a 2000 sq. ft. house now that is worth about 400,000. I was seeing homes on Realtor.com that were between 2000 and 3000 or more sq. ft for in the 200,000s. But again, our incomes would be cut. We don't mind downsizing at all.
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Old 09-24-2007, 08:11 AM
 
Location: Foot of the Rockies
90,297 posts, read 120,759,995 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by andgirl4 View Post
When I say free, I mean walking, hiking, running, biking, and day trips to simply enjoy the outdoors with our kids.
We live in a 2000 sq. ft. house now that is worth about 400,000. I was seeing homes on Realtor.com that were between 2000 and 3000 or more sq. ft for in the 200,000s. But again, our incomes would be cut. We don't mind downsizing at all.
I am not familiar with the Loveland housing market. There may be houses up there at that size for that price. There aren't very many like that here in the metro area.

Your kids are just getting in to the phase of life that involves sports and school activities. You could live just about anywhere in the US and have the same lifestyle. Believe me, I've been there, done that. We didn't get up to the mnts to see the autumn leaves for 7 yrs b/c my kids were doing fall sports in high school. That is just one example.
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Old 09-24-2007, 11:02 AM
 
66 posts, read 247,037 times
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There are a lot of places in between Loveland/Ft Collins and Denver you may want to consider.

We just bought in Firestone and would suggest you look in that area. You're about 30-40 minutes to Denver and 30 minutes to Ft Collins. So both area's are in play as far as jobs.

Another nice thing about the Firestone/Frederick area is you can find a house with a little land. Houses generally run a little cheaper there. Great views of the mountains too!

good luck!
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Old 09-24-2007, 03:45 PM
 
2,756 posts, read 12,976,875 times
Reputation: 1521
Quote:
Originally Posted by andgirl4 View Post
The first matter relates to place. We thought Highlands Ranch would be a wonderful community for family life as well as the active lifestyle with all the open space and trails and recreation centers. Then, I just discovered Loveland (although I've NEVER actually been there). I see that it was voted best place to raise a family,and also best place to revitalize your life. That caught my attention and upon further research online it seems like a wonderful community as well. I would like to ask anyone out there to give me a feel for the type of people that live in Loveland. I'm a little nervous that it would be too "small-town" for us. We live in larger city now, and we're very liberal people. I know I couldn't handle living in a place that was very conservative.
Yes, Loveland has a bit of that small-town-America feel about it. It's got a lovely setting with several lakes in town, and an easy drive to Rocky Mountain National Park. There's always been a lot of retirees in town for some reason. Recently, however, most of the new growth has been among families, many of whom are seeking a more affordable alternative to the more expensive Boulder County to the south.

As for politics there, the town alternates between Republicans and Democrats, so there's a lot of balance there. You're not likely to find much (if any) activism on either side of the political spectrum, but particularly not on the left. If you're looking for that, Boulder County is probably a more likely bet.

Highlands Ranch, if voting history is any guide, is considerably more conservative than Loveland or for that matter, most of the state. So, I guess I'm a bit surprised that you're considering Highlands Ranch if you are afraid Loveland is too conservative.

Fort Collins, due to the presence of the college, is going to probably have a bit more left-wing influence there, as well as a bit more diversity of population.
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Old 09-25-2007, 01:06 PM
 
32 posts, read 148,008 times
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I have a background similar to your husbands. I had some college but no degree. I took a severance from Fedex after 18 years and moved between Loveland and Fort Collins. You can find a job, but the pay will be more than half what you make anywhere else. I have now been looking for BETTER work for 4 years. Hundreds apply for every job so it is tough to stand out. Also in my not so good low paying job I'm a hiring manager and I tend to hire locals. Many that come for other states tend to leave and go back after coming to terms with the job market, the weather, or lack of family. Good luck....
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