Anyone move from San Diego (or CA) to Fort Collins (real estate, rental)

[BC999]

I am planning on moving to Fort Collins by the end of summer. I am a younger guy, in my 30's, and grew up living near the beach in San Diego so a move to Colorado will be a bit of a change. I am a surfer so it will be hard to leave the beach but as I have gotten older, I have had less time to surf and my local breaks these days are always crowded. I am also an avid outdoorsman and love fly fishing, hiking, camping, climbing, and recently got into mountaineering. I wouldn't mind bird hunting too...

I have pretty much committed to move to Fort Collins based on numerous visits throughout the year (January, April, and June). I have probably spent a total of 15 days there. I am curious if anyone from San Diego (or CA) can give me some info on what their move was like. In particular, I am curious about the following:

1) Do you have any regrets? Would you make the move again if you had the chance to do it over?

2) How was it adjusting to the weather?

3) How is the quality of life in comparison to San Diego, or wherever you came from?

4) Any other info would be much appreciated

Thanks for the input! I really appreciate it.

[Sunderpig2]

I'm from a different coast, but can say that I'm looking forward to getting back to the water! I do have regrets for moving the family here (FC), and wish we had stayed put, or moved not so far away from family, friends, and the coast.

The weather here took no effort to adjust to. Climate and quality of life are great here. But those factors are not as signficant as I once made them. Other factors have now outweighed them, as odd as that might sound.

[BC999]

Thanks for the reply Sunderpig! I am a bit worried about leaving the coast, but am hoping that the numerous rivers and reservoirs will allow me to get my water fix. I am into kayaking and boating, so hopefully this will help with the transition...

[Sunderpig2]

Keep in mind too that the sun is much more intense at 5000' compared to sea level. There is not as much wind and breezes as in other regions. Some years have been drought years where water levels are to low to work with. I remember seeing Horsetooth Reservoir look like Horsetooth Desert :-) It's hard to get quality, fresh seafood here too (obviously). The culture is different too. Very much Colorado-based, locally-based. California is often frowned upon, from what I've sensed. It's kind of weird to experience if you've never lived far from your native area. To go from fitting in to subtlely "being on the outside", sort of thing. Very much below the surface until it happens enough to be noticeable. Anyway, good luck to you, and best of wishes.

[UltrazGSD]

We moved here from Central California almost 4 years ago. The quality of life here is much better than from where we came from. It's also much more expensive. I have mixed feelings on whether I am glad we made the move. I'm glad for the safety, beauty, and opportunities for our kids, but wish I had researched a bit more on how much more expensive it was going to be for us. But coming from San Diego, that may not be the case for you, as I know it's fairly pricey there, too. I did have a hard time adjusting to the snow. It took about 3 years to really feel at home here, but now I love it! Though we may not stay long term, as my husband's job allows us to live anywhere and there's a lot more affordable places out there.

I should also add that I grew up going to the Sierra Mountains, and find the Rockies to be much different and not nearly as pretty, IMO. We've had a hard time finding the quality of camping and lakes that we were accustomed to back home. It's certainly beautiful here, but it's different. The city of Fort Collins itself is gorgeous, and we love it!

[BC999]

Thanks for the info UltrazGSD. Median home prices in the area that I live are in the $600,000s. It looks like you can get a decent house in Fort Collins for under $350,000, so it appears to be quite cheaper than SD.

Sounds like you made a good move overall. Every city has its pros and cons but generally speaking it seems like Fort Collins has most of what you are looking for...

[NBeener]

Lived half my life in San Diego (Mission Valley, Del Mar, Bay Park, University Heights). Moved to Fort Collins in October 2008.

My story is ridiculously unique* ... but ... there truly IS an undercurrent of anti-California sentiment in Colorado.

First month or so we lived here, based ONLY on my CA plates ... my wife and I got road-raged by a group of people in a van. Had to dial 9-1-1.

When we got back to the rental house and mentioned it to the neighbor, he cautioned me to get rid of the CA plates as soon as possible.

Climate is as easy to talk about as the numbers found on this site, and others. What's harder to say is whether or not you'll like it. There are a TON of outdoor activities here, and lots of sun. But it gets hot and it gets cold -- hot like Escondido, and cold like ... well ... nothing in SoCal.

Growth -- like in San Diego -- is a double-edged sword. You get more/better amenities, but real estate prices and traffic both go up.

Good luck !

* It's NFH Season.