L.A. to Ft. Collins? (Denver, Colorado Springs: find a job, public schools, camping)

[ryanms3030]

My wife and I are thinking about relocating in the next 3-5 years (due diligence).

We are in our mid-late 30's and expecting our first child any day now. We really don't want to raise our child in L.A. and REALLY don't want to send her to public schools here. We are just staring to research what would be a good place to target and what we have come up with so far are Colorado or Pacific NW. Now, my wife has been to none of these places. I have spent a couple of months in Portland, OR for work but that's the extend of my experience but we do plan on some mini vacations between now and deciding to move to scope out areas. She is born and raised in L.A., I am originally from Boston but have been in L.A. for 10 years.

We hate the traffic, the people, the smog etc. We are both outdoors people. We spend a lot of time hiking and camping and I am an avid cyclist. So basically we want the opposite of where we live now but we do want to be someplace close in proximity to mountains. My wife also has terrible allergies so hopefully we find a place that improves here quality of life.

The other important factor of course is jobs. We are not independently wealthy. My wife is currently not working and not planning on going back to work any time soon. I work in technology/media/audio visual world within motion picture and television industry. While I have a lot of specialized skills to my industry, I have a lot of generalized corporate AV, IT, project management skills etc. A bigger city like Denver or Seattle (or even Vancouver) may have more job opportunities for me but we would really prefer a small city where we can have more of a rural lifestyle.

Is Ft Collins someplace that is worth looking at for us?

[Mike from back east]

Yes, Fort Collins is worth considering, so is Colorado Springs and especially the Denver metro area as Denver is the one major city for 500 miles in any direction; that's where you'll most likely find a job in your field. Right now Denver is very expensive but in 3-5 years it could all change.

[bluescreen73]

Fort Collins is a great city, but from a job perspective the market up there is incredibly weak. You'll have considerably better odds finding employment in the Denver/Boulder area.

[ryanms3030]

Thanks all. I know desire to be in a less populated area vs job prospects is a delicate balance. Boulder definitely seems nice on paper but I understand that it is also very expensive.

[Sunderpig2]

I agree strongly with bluescreen73 as far as the job situation goes. Coming from a large city, it has been very frustrating and disappointing trying to find decent and good-paying work anywhere near Fort Collins. I now see that it makes better sense to live in or close to bigger cities, save up, and eventually plan for that "ideal, smaller town" more for retirement years.

Unless you have lots of money, know someone on the inside of a company that you can get into, and/or have family nearby, I don't think this area makes sense, other than for retirement. And I can't imagine not having both adults working, although some are able to somehow pull that off. The jobs on average do not pay as good as larger towns. I've continually lost money since moving here, and look forward to moving my family back to where it isn't such a battle making things work financially. In hindsight, a few vacations here would have been enough to enjoy the area, without the loss of so much savings.

Also, even though the driveability of the smaller towns is great, it does get a little boring sometimes. It's also easy to miss large bodies of water (coast, large lakes, etc.) if that is something in your background.

[thitzler]

Fort Collins is a great town. I recommend you visit as soon as possible to determine if it is a location that you like. I do not know about the employment possibilities as I am retired, but there are several large employers in the area. And, by all outward appearances, the local economy is doing well. Get with a recruiter. Surely you can find something in 3 - 5 years. If you want quality of life, it is hard to beat this area!