More relocation... (Denver, Colorado Springs, Fort Collins: rental car, real estate, rental)

[cloudnine88]

Alright, here it goes:

My husband and I currently live in Southern California (redlands area to be exact), and are looking to move. We are a fairly young couple and are just really sick of this area about now.

First i'll give some cons (in our opinion) about this area (and most southern cali actually):
-crowded (and it keeps comin)
-pollution (we don't prefer having to use our teeth as filters)
-people...it's hard (NOT rare) but hard to find nice, genuine people here nowadays.
-cost of living - housing has gone down yes but is still too much.
-weather - Would like to have actual seasons, not 100 one day and 70 the next.

not as important, but still cons:
-traffic, it's everywhere
-road rage..again, it's everywhere.
-roads, having to dodge potholes, dips, bad pavement jobs mostly anywhere you go.
-construction (i know this will be almost anywhere but its gotten out of hand here).

So, I think that's about it - ha! The only real major thing we like about the area is the fact that you're typically not more than 45 mins away from most entertainment/amusement/store/mall/ect that you could want.

Just looking for opinions/suggestions. We are considering C Springs, Fort Collins/greeley/loveland, or Austin (only because I've heard nothing but great news about it, however we would like snow.).

So...in closing I just want to list a few things we are looking to find in moving:

-good buyers market, good community/safe.
-nice, friendly people
-clean air
-outdoor activities, scenery, greenery
-pet friendly, we have & love BIG dogs
-A change in weather - really looking forward to the snow.
-decent job market (he works for UPS im going into graphic design)
-still some sense of nightlife, entertainment, fun, ect.
-stores/shopping still generally close by.

So how about some opinions/suggestions?? Thank you in advance!

[Tom Emmerling]

I think both Fort Collins and Loveland would offer you what you are looking for. This area offers lots of outdoor activities, shows, shopping and more. You can live in smaller towns in the area to avoid the congestion of the city or you can live in Loveland and Fort Collins which compared to California is probably nothing as far as traffic and congestion. You will get all the seasons here also along with friendly people. I have been to Texas and although there are friendly people there I am still drawn to Colorado for the beauty of the mountains. People will tell you that the job market is not the best here. Because of the University here it is a very educated work force which in turn produces competition. There is a large UPS store here and with all the new commercial building going on I would think both of you could find good jobs. It would be worth your time to take a trip to this area and see everything for yourself and make sure it is appealing to both of you.

[cloudnine88]

Thank you!! I should have mentioned - we do plan on taking a road trip this summer, which is why i'm trying to narrow it down to CO of TX. I'm pretty sure at this point we'll be making our way up to CO, but it's not 100% yet. It's good to know a smaller town like Loveland still has much to offer - that was something I was unsure about. Thank you for the info!

[StealthRabbit]

Greenery ?? in TX or Colo ?? Maybe you should come to the PNW for a preview trip for that... or to south central Colo.

plan your Colo trip in early Aug (though it won't be green, usually done with that by early / mid July)
Loveland High Plains Arts Council - Sculpture in the Park

I lived in Loveland / Masonville for 25 yrs, (with my Great Pyrenees dog) pretty decent place and good community, you can always hop to Ft Collins, Boulder or Denver (Cheyenne or Laramie too) for events. All are EZ to get to. I like the Snowy Range west of Laramie as a pretty 'get-away', and I would venture to Thermopolis, WY and Tetons, or Black Hills on a 3 day weekend. For evenings in the summer to cool off (or for elk bugling in fall) you can run up to Estes Park and Rocky Mountain NP (~30 min).

Check Colo Spr if you want a bigger town, It is more affordable and less like CA than Boulder. (which is quite nice, but spendy and too close to Denver for clean air) More snow that Ft C or Loveland.

It is really cheap to do a Colo vacation, I'm going next week... $160RT air (from Portland,OR) and a $16 / day rental car I will stay in guest homes ~ $10/night, or camp (tent) in State parks. I need to run up to WY (Veedauwoo) to watch the stars, we haven't seen them since Aug. (but it's green)

for TX,

I'd also look at San Marcos and San Angelo, or if you can do a smaller town... Bourne or Fredricksburg The City of Fredericksburg, Texas Official Web Site or Fredericksburg, Texas - Visitor & Real Estate Guide to Fredericksburg, TX

but do be advised... no state income tax, but high property tax in TX
CO ranks #23 TX #41 in state taxes, but do check with the assessor, as I have friends in TX that pay more than I do (~$12,000/yr, just for the stink'in house taxes...)

Should be able to pick up some housing deals either place in the next couple years. tho, desirable spots will never get to 'bargain' pricing.

[RangerDuke08]

From your list it's better off in Denver/Boulder and its suburbs, we do get our fair share of traffic/construction certainly not as bad as California and although all of CO is growing quite fast, but Springs and Fort Collins area would be a lil too far for you from all the action and the job market has slowed down a bit your best bet would be Denver where the job market is fairly good. The UPS station is in Commerce City, sort of a bad neighborhood but only about 10 min from downtown Denver and several other suburbs.

[cloudnine88]

Originally Posted by janb

Greenery ?? in TX or Colo ?? Maybe you should come to the PNW for a preview trip for that... or to south central Colo.

plan your Colo trip in early Aug (though it won't be green, usually done with that by early / mid July)
Loveland High Plains Arts Council - Sculpture in the Park

I lived in Loveland / Masonville for 25 yrs, (with my Great Pyrenees dog) pretty decent place and good community, you can always hop to Ft Collins, Boulder or Denver (Cheyenne or Laramie too) for events. All are EZ to get to. I like the Snowy Range west of Laramie as a pretty 'get-away', and I would venture to Thermopolis, WY and Tetons, or Black Hills on a 3 day weekend. For evenings in the summer to cool off (or for elk bugling in fall) you can run up to Estes Park and Rocky Mountain NP (~30 min).

Check Colo Spr if you want a bigger town, It is more affordable and less like CA than Boulder. (which is quite nice, but spendy and too close to Denver for clean air) More snow that Ft C or Loveland.

It is really cheap to do a Colo vacation, I'm going next week... $160RT air (from Portland,OR) and a $16 / day rental car I will stay in guest homes ~ $10/night, or camp (tent) in State parks. I need to run up to WY (Veedauwoo) to watch the stars, we haven't seen them since Aug. (but it's green)

for TX,

I'd also look at San Marcos and San Angelo, or if you can do a smaller town... Bourne or Fredricksburg The City of Fredericksburg, Texas Official Web Site or Fredericksburg, Texas - Visitor & Real Estate Guide to Fredericksburg, TX

but do be advised... no state income tax, but high property tax in TX
CO ranks #23 TX #41 in state taxes, but do check with the assessor, as I have friends in TX that pay more than I do (~$12,000/yr, just for the stink'in house taxes...)

Should be able to pick up some housing deals either place in the next couple years. tho, desirable spots will never get to 'bargain' pricing.

That's a very good vacation deal! And it sounds like it will be a good one

See we've been to southern CO, just not central or northern yet so all we've really known of it was green & beautiful with fresh air, haha. Either way, I know without even going there first, that the atmosphere is better than CA.

I will def. check into those other recommended places, thank you! and yeah, that's a wholeeee lot for property taxes in TX. I will ask my sister a little more about it (she's lived there for 20+ years). Thank you!

Originally Posted by RangerDuke08

From your list it's better off in Denver/Boulder and its suburbs, we do get our fair share of traffic/construction certainly not as bad as California and although all of CO is growing quite fast, but Springs and Fort Collins area would be a lil too far for you from all the action and the job market has slowed down a bit your best bet would be Denver where the job market is fairly good. The UPS station is in Commerce City, sort of a bad neighborhood but only about 10 min from downtown Denver and several other suburbs.

It's good to see someone say something about the UPS station/hub. I knew it would exist out there it was just a matter of where, and it's good to know it's actually around (my husband will be glad to know). Thank you for the info!

[staywarm2]

Originally Posted by cloudnine88

Alright, here it goes:

My husband and I currently live in Southern California (redlands area to be exact), and are looking to move. We are a fairly young couple and are just really sick of this area about now.

Just looking for opinions/suggestions. We are considering C Springs, Fort Collins/greeley/loveland, or Austin (only because I've heard nothing but great news about it, however we would like snow.).

So how about some opinions/suggestions?? Thank you in advance!

You might want to forget Austin. I've never been there but have heard they have a terrible pollen problem part of the year, called the "Cedar Fever." If either of you has allergies, it could be difficult. That's why we crossed it off our list!

[Count David]

I'm very familiar with where you are coming from (I grew up in Riverside), and where you might be going to (I live in Colorado now). I've been here a little over a year now and I'll try and help either validate/invalidate what you hope will be different here.

-It's not crowded outside of metro Denver or Colorado Springs
-Smog here is nothing compared to what you'd find in Southern California
-People here are quite aloof, not necessarily the waving, bring you a fruitcake, invite you everywhere, helping people in need kind of folks; people are reserved, and tend to be more obsessed about themselves, but not in the materialistic SoCal kind of way
-Cost of living is much better, you'd be able to afford a higher standard of living here

Originally Posted by cloudnine88

-weather - Would like to have actual seasons, not 100 one day and 70 the next.

-I thought this was funny, that is exactly how the weather is here. But you will get snow, and 4 seasons, sometimes in the same day. The temperature variances exist throughout all seasons.

-Traffic is better in Denver than LA/OC/IE; Colorado Springs traffic, however, is the WORST I've ever seen for a city that size. Fort Collins/Loveland have minimal, small-town style traffic.
-Drivers are terrible here too, a lot of tailgating and pressure to speed, but fairly infrequent cutting across 4 lanes of traffic in one fell swoop
-Roads can be bad here too, they take quite a beating
-Construction is fairly common, they set it up so you don't have enough time to merge, you might find yourself driving straight towards cones sometimes

Out of your candidates, I would choose Fort Collins or Loveland. They are close enough to each other to practically be the same place, and seem to have everything you are looking for. I've never been to Greeley or Austin, TX, so I can't comment on those. Colorado Springs would be close to my version of hell, so I can't recommend it.

Good luck, and I hope I've been of some assistance

[cloudnine88]

^Well thank you! Good to know you know where we're coming from, so you can understand what we're trying to get away from. I'm curious, what's the current 'average fluctuating gas price' over there?

[Count David]

I think it's currently in the $3.80's for a gallon of 85. Maybe $3.95 or so for 87.