Moving from Washington, DC to Fort Collins/Boulder (Denver, Westminster: apartment complex, for rent)

[Laura3462]

Hi there - I'm a 30 year old female who is moving from DC to the Fort Collins/Boulder area (I'll be traveling between the two cities for my job). I'm moving to the area without knowing anyone, and not sure if I should look more toward Fort Collins or Boulder. I have a pit mix, so finding an apartment for rent (with a max budget of around $1500) that allows pits is a must. I don't need to be in the heart of night life, but also don't want to be in the middle of nowhere. Are there any cities in between Fort Collins and Boulder you would recommend? Any help would be great!

[Sunderpig2]

Fort Collins and Boulder are quite a distance apart, so hopefully you've checked the mileage. Just a quick check using Google Maps, from the centers of the towns, they are roughly 60 miles apart, and over an hour of driving each way (and that's not including traffic). I-25 is often congested, especially between Longmont and FC, due to only being two lanes on both sides (a complaint of mine for a long time). If you had weird hours, that would help get around the heavier traffic in the morning and afternoon.

I'm a little familiar with Washington DC, having been there before. It reminds me a lot of where I lived before moving to Colorado. No town in CO will be similar to DC. Of course, you may not want similarity in many aspects, but one often desired aspect (warmth and green) will be missing much of the year. CO never has the lushnesh / dense trees / tall trees / etc. that you will find near the coast (any coast), and in the east and south. It's very dry here, and shows everywhere you look. Hopefully you have visited here before, to know what it's really like. It definitely has not turned out to be the "colorful Colorado" that I was hoping for.

Other towns to consider between FC and Boulder might be Longmont and Loveland. Both are relatively small towns, and will offer less things to do. Both to me feel "in the middle of nowhere". Even FC is too small in my opinion, but I come from a much bigger city (again, somewhat similar to DC).

The budget you mentioned for apartment rent would probably be fine, but hopefully you are keeping in mind other expenses too (electricity, water, gas, groceries, vehicle registration, etc.) I've found all expenses here to higher here than where I lived before, along lower general job pay, and much higher home costs. If you do the math, well, you will see where I'm going with the trends.

People seem to like dogs around here, but I never see pit bulls. That might get a shiver from some folks here... I don't know for sure. Anything/anyone out of the ordinary around here seems to create weird vibes from people. But then again, the breed does often get into the news, so many probably think about that and extra risks/liabilities. People here are conscientious about safety, so I will give credit where it is due.

If you provide more details of the kind of home you are picturing in your mind, and the activities you do in your spare time, that might help us with suggestions. Best of luck!

[Hipchik]

Here are the towns where breed bans are in effect Colorado - Breed-Specific Laws - DogsBite.org
I think Longmont might work for you. You'll find the cost of living much less expensive than the DC area!
BTW my fiancé moved to Boulder from MD many years ago. He appreciates the lack of humidity and bugs, hasn't ever mentioned or complained about "lushnesh / dense trees / tall trees". (Seems to bother some people though.)
The mountains and opportunities to spend time outdoors makes life here much more enjoyable for him.
Good luck to you

[Laura3462]

Thank you both for the replies!

Sunderpig - I'm looking for a one bedroom/one bath and was thinking about the Loveland area, like you suggested. I also saw some new apartments pop up in Greeley, which looks to be about 20 miles west of Loveland. Some of these apartments don't have breed restrictions, which is something I'm finding many apartments have. I'll be traveling to Billings, Montana to visit family (which I know if a good 6-7 hours), so living closer to Fort Collins appeals more to me than Boulder. I'm an outdoorsy person, who likes to hike and just be outside.

Hipchik - Thanks for the website! I'm looking to explore the outdoors more, and get away from the DC humidity.

[Hipchik]

You're welcome. If you prefer to be closer to Fort Collins, I'd look at Loveland over Greeley.
Here's another website with more info Colorado BSL Cities - ColoRADogs

[Laura3462]

Thank you for the suggestion.

[buckaroo17]

You said you would be splitting your time between FC and Boulder -- would you be in one more than the other? That might be a factor in terms of your home location.

It has been (too) many years since I lived in the Front Range, but I'm sure some things hold true. Boulder is crazy expensive housingwise (but if you've lived in D.C., the sticker shock might not be as severe), but is also is a very cool place (thus the high prices). As a Tshirt read: "Boulder: Three square miles surrounded by reality."

I also lived in Fort Collins, which is lower key than Boulder, less expensive than Boulder, but still growing and getting pricier.

Loveland is kind of the "main suburb" of Fort Collins, and Longmont is similarly connected to Boulder. Each is self-contained, but living in one or the other generally means heading to its "big city" for many things.

There are many smaller (but growing) towns inbetween, but that might be getting into "middle of nowhere," depending upon how you define that. It hasn't all grown together like metro D.C.

I'm sure it was a typo, but Greeley is east of all this, and farther away from either of your targets, so I don't know that I would recommend it.

Good luck.

[Mac2279]

Many Many Dog restrictions here, like when I lived in S.Florida where it's illegal to own Pit Bulls in that county. So be prepared for that to be your biggest issue, 2nd being housing shortage. Economically staying in DC is best option, but since you guys are set on the relocation there are plenty of towns in between FtCl & Bldr.

Loveland, Louisville, Lafayette, Longmont = I know it's like once person named all these towns "L"oved using "L's"..

And lastly Superior.

Best places I've found that essentially put you halfway between everywhere and give you everything you need, Bars, Restaurants, Shopping etc. are Broomfield & Westminster each are roughly 30+/- mins from Denver and maybe 40+/- from Fort Collins.

Plus property owners here are insane on their pet deposits. I have 2 cats and one of the highest I saw was $400 pet deposit for each cat, then a $25 per month per pet pet fee, neither being refundable...Hahahaha! I laughed them right out the room that was absurd even for a dog let alone a cat.

The state hasn't ever seen this kind of influx of people moving here, and many are taking full advantage of it and while it's expensive (Falsely so) it is worth every bit of $$ you spend, you just quickly learn want from need and where to trim the fat financially.

Ex. One of the Physicians I work with when I moved here 5yrs ago said there isn't enough time in the day or year to do or see everything this wonderful state has to offer. He said he and his wife are going to have to retire 10yrs earlier just so they can start to travel and see everything that they can't on a weekend trip.

[Laura3462]

buckaroo - I'm not sure if I'll be spending more time in Fort Collins or Boulder yet, but I will be traveling to Montana quite a bit, so staying more north would make sense. And yes, I meant to say Greeley is east, not west. Greeley has been one of the few locations where apartments allow pit mixes. There's a new apartment complex called The Loft at Saint Michaels, which seems pretty nice, but I'm worried that Greeley isn't a great town to live in. I looked back at some old forums (10+ years old, so I'm taking them with a grain of salt), and most reviews were negative about the town. Is there a general opinion of Greeley from Colorado residents?

Mac - I'll be sure to check out Broomfield and Westminister, thanks! Also, $400 deposit for a cat is pretty ridiculous, even for DC standards!

[Dreaming of Hawaii]

There is a very recent thread on this forum called "What do you think of Greeley" that was started in January of this year. The problem is that a lot of us have formed negative opinions of Greeley without having actually lived there or spent much time there. So, take all the comments with an open mind and do your own research when you arrive in Colorado.