Looking to move to Ft. Collins area (Denver, Fort Collins: real estate, apartments)

[Airon]

Thanks for anyone who reads and responds to this - I have a couple of questions.

My current career background is in the DoD contracting business as an Engineer. Will I have issue getting work in this area?

I will be moving my family (wife/3 kids) first and eventually plan to build a studio-esqe room or something to move my soon to be retired father in. How's the land out there for homes? Will there be enough room to "add-on"?

I'm also curious about the severe weather in the area. Between the severe floods in Boulder and Forest fires, how does this part of CO fare in relation to those areas? I'm used to Tornadoes and Earthquakes so those don't really bother me.

[Heidi60]

Hopoe you like strong winds!

[Airon]

Originally Posted by Heidi60

Hopoe you like strong winds!

That's fine with me!

[StealthRabbit]

What is you engineering discipline?
What area are you coming from?
What is your main draw to FC?
What is your specific draw to CO?
Age of kids ? (elementary or HS)
Prefer city or rural?
These ? will helpful in getting U a direct responses.

There is land, (for a price) and many places with M-I-L apartments in Basement / over Garage, or shop with apartment. Zoning / permits can be a hassle so ALWAYS try to find what you want before adding the expense / cost basis / trouble to a new home. I always make sure I have 2 separate living spaces as I did elder care for 30+ yrs + will eventually need a spot for myself (MY Caregiver can live in the BIG house).

Be advised that Ft Collins area has many (~10,000) un / underemployed engineers and technical workforce - Ex-HP, Kodak, IBM, Storage Tech, and supporting businesses.

There is work, but for DoD, largely centered in south Denver or CoSprings (Making Castle Rock, Monument and CoS worth looking into). Climate / access to recreation is quite similar in all.

I like FC cuz it is closer to WY (open space / less crowds), but CoS is closer to Southern CO (summer camping) and much closer to Skiing (Downhill).

Many options.

[IowaGirl144]

I'm also an engineer looking to relocate. I am a mechanical engineer with 7 years of experience as the same job. I'm just looking for a completely different city than what I'm living in...30,000 with horrible weather in the middle of nowhere. Plus I am worried about the long term outlook on my job.

I use to live in a college city about the same size as fort collins so I believe I would adjust well. I jsut need to find a job, a decent house and a place to keep my horse.

[lurtsman]

Originally Posted by IowaGirl144

I'm also an engineer looking to relocate. I am a mechanical engineer with 7 years of experience as the same job. I'm just looking for a completely different city than what I'm living in...30,000 with horrible weather in the middle of nowhere. Plus I am worried about the long term outlook on my job.

I use to live in a college city about the same size as fort collins so I believe I would adjust well. I jsut need to find a job, a decent house and a place to keep my horse.

Your name is Iowagirl. So I'm guessing the college city you reference is Ames, metro 90. Fort Collins is definitely larger, but it won't be shockingly larger. (Iowa City is smaller and might feel like more a transition).

You are right that the weather in Iowa is terrible. I lived there for years and it really sucks. Waking up and realizing you are in Iowa is one of the most depressing things on the planet.

With that said, you'll probably love fort collins. It is one of the best small cities in the country. It regularly is featured on best places to live, and it has a combination of lakes and mountains that is virtually unavailable anywhere else in the united states. Being in Fort Collins, you won't feel like you're in the middle of nowhere anymore. When you want a bigger city experience, it's only an hour to Denver, so you'll have access to all kinds of world class shows and events.

[IowaGirl144]

Actually I am from Iowa City. The Iowa City area is considered to have around 150,000 and wikipedia states Fort Collins at 170. Iowa City is also usually on the list of best places to live and it has the real estate prices and property taxes to prove it. Atleast Fort Collins doesn't seem that expensive.

[Sunderpig2]

Originally Posted by IowaGirl144

I'm also an engineer looking to relocate. I am a mechanical engineer with 7 years of experience as the same job. I'm just looking for a completely different city than what I'm living in...30,000 with horrible weather in the middle of nowhere. Plus I am worried about the long term outlook on my job.

I use to live in a college city about the same size as fort collins so I believe I would adjust well. I jsut need to find a job, a decent house and a place to keep my horse.

I'd recommend that you do lots of research and homework, and visit the town first, before relocating. I too am an engineer, and though the town is much larger than your 30,000 (maybe around 144,000), there doesn't seem to be an overwhelming amount of engineering jobs. That might be my biggest complaint against the town on a personal level.

The weather can get horrible here too. I'm thinking of periods of drought, and hail. My vehicle got damaged a few nights ago from a bad hail storm. Last year, a storm tore up a garden that was off to a great start.

That it's often labelled a "college town" may not be quite relevant. The town doesn't seem much like a college town compared to others I've lived in. So much of the town has grown all around it, that the college now seems like just a small portion.

Not trying to be negative or pessimistic, just trying to be real and helpful. Best of wishes and luck!

[IowaGirl144]

There are currently about 4 jobs that I find interesting on monster right now. I am visiting there next weekend as an excursion from my vacation. My current house is a fixer upper which is about 80% done so that's a big detterant for me transfering right now but I keep thinking about how I bought it when I knew it was a pile.

[StealthRabbit]

Definitely get a job with Woodward or similar. Might as well ask at Walker Lawnmower too (Timnath) Really like those guys. I had several ME friends that worked at Teledyne (once upon a time). Consider HacH Chemical too. (They make instrumentation).

There are still about 50,000 unemployed engineers in Ft Collins (From Kodak, IBM, HP, Storage Tech, ...) But they are getting a bit old and outdated, after looking for work since those layoffs that started 20 yrs ago. Many engineering start-ups were formed, but didn't create the jobs that a Fortune 100 can. About 50,000 jobs were lost in Colorado as these big companies 'downsized'

If I were to be looking again... I would try NREL in Golden, CO, But If I were Young.. and LOTS of earning yrs left... I would be in WY, SD, AK, or WA. Great 'outdoor centric states with NO INCOME tax, and much higher ME wages than Colorado. I left Colorado at age 28 for a no income tax State, and that was a big help in availing 'Early retirement' (Pre age 50). Age 35 would have been about right for 1st retirment, and this would have been possible if we had 2 incomes.

Retire early, retire often! (Too much fun to only do once)