Moving from Louisiana to Fort Collins area...Need Advice, tips, etc... (Pueblo: for sale, to rent)

[jwright]

My husband and I have finally decided to move from Shreveport, Louisiana to Fort Collins, Co. My husband fell in love with your state years ago, while he was in college (he went to Co on a road trip with a friend); I myself have never been there. We both decided that when we graduated college and got married that we would move anywhere in Colorado. However...life threw us some curveballs but now we are at a point in our lives that it is now or never to pursue some of our dreams.

We are looking for advice, tips, any input from those of you that live in Colorado re: living there, best schools, best places to live, eat, shop, churches (we are Christians). I have never driven in snow. The closest I have come in contact with snow was when Shreveport/Bossier got about 4 inches in 2001 but was gone the next day. My husband and I love the cold weather, my poor children have never seen/touched snow.

Please help us... We have our home up for sale as of today!!! As soon as it sells...we are hittin the road! We are so excited! Thanks!!!

[Mike from back east]

Originally Posted by jwright

...Please help us... We have our home up for sale as of today!!! As soon as it sells...we are hittin the road! We are so excited! Thanks!!!

Everything you seek is right here along the Front Range, from Fort Collins to Pueblo, and it's all good.

Best to rent a year, scope out the areas, so much to choose from.

Having a job is key. Right now, it's tough to find work in most places of the country. If you can nail down a job, the rest is not hard.

Read some of the key threads in the indexes of these forums to get a flavor.

[Mike Weber]

Congratulations on your decision to move to our beautiful area. I hope your home sale goes smoothly and quickly.

For Fort Collins specific information, there are several threads here that you will find helpful. The public schools are very good, as are some of the private offerings. The public school info can be found here:
Welcome to Poudre Schools!

The town has many excellent churches. Your best bet would be to visit several in order to find a nice fit for your family.

For shopping and dining, we have many of the larger national chains, as well as some fantastic local eateries and shops. Depending upon your dining preferences, you can find great local options ranging from upscale (Sonny Lubick's Steakhouse) to mid-range (Austins, Coopersmith's, Stonehouse, East Moon) to inexpensive (Rasta-Pasta, La Luz), and those are all in the Old Town area.

Your kids will enjoy the snow. Fort Collins does not seem to get as much of it as many parts of the state. (Last year we were mountain biking in January in shorts.) Snow driving will take a bit of practice and patience, but is not difficult. Just remember that having four-wheel drive does not mean that you will be aboe to stop any faster.

Moving here to rent for a while, or making some exploratory trips are a great idea.

Good luck with your move.

Mike

[whirnot]

[quote=Mike from back east;10055136]Everything you seek is right here along the Front Range, from Fort Collins to Pueblo, and it's all good.

Best to rent a year, scope out the areas, so much to choose from.

quote]

I think that pretty much sums it up.

[deadwood43]

Originally Posted by jwright

My husband and I have finally decided to move from Shreveport, Louisiana to Fort Collins, Co. My husband fell in love with your state years ago, while he was in college (he went to Co on a road trip with a friend); I myself have never been there. We both decided that when we graduated college and got married that we would move anywhere in Colorado. However...life threw us some curveballs but now we are at a point in our lives that it is now or never to pursue some of our dreams.

We are looking for advice, tips, any input from those of you that live in Colorado re: living there, best schools, best places to live, eat, shop, churches (we are Christians). I have never driven in snow. The closest I have come in contact with snow was when Shreveport/Bossier got about 4 inches in 2001 but was gone the next day. My husband and I love the cold weather, my poor children have never seen/touched snow.

Please help us... We have our home up for sale as of today!!! As soon as it sells...we are hittin the road! We are so excited! Thanks!!!

I miss the SOUTH so much!!! We have been in CO 10 years now, and all I can say is be careful what you ask for. When we moved up here, I had only been in alot of snow a few times but it is extremely easy to drive in the snow. When it rains though, you better watch out for these drivers because they don't know how to drive when the streets are wet. We have mostly been shocked by the greed and the rudeness of the people here in Greeley and the surrounding areas. You would not believe some of the articles that were written and published by people in CO regarding Hurricane Katrina. Believe me, some of them consider Southerners to be poverty stricken and low class. One teacher told my son's class to read a chapter "unless you're from Mississippi and don't know how to read." He did apologize and didn't know before his remark that we are from south Mississippi. Shows you a glimpse of the rudeness and ignorance. My husband spent alot of time in Shreveport and I have spent a little time there. I wouldn't trade the grandness of the south for CO any day. THE ONLY REASON I LIVE HERE IS BECAUSE MY HUSBAND'S JOB IS HERE.

[bproven]

Originally Posted by deadwood43

I miss the SOUTH so much!!! We have been in CO 10 years now, and all I can say is be careful what you ask for. When we moved up here, I had only been in alot of snow a few times but it is extremely easy to drive in the snow. When it rains though, you better watch out for these drivers because they don't know how to drive when the streets are wet. We have mostly been shocked by the greed and the rudeness of the people here in Greeley and the surrounding areas. You would not believe some of the articles that were written and published by people in CO regarding Hurricane Katrina. Believe me, some of them consider Southerners to be poverty stricken and low class. One teacher told my son's class to read a chapter "unless you're from Mississippi and don't know how to read." He did apologize and didn't know before his remark that we are from south Mississippi. Shows you a glimpse of the rudeness and ignorance. My husband spent alot of time in Shreveport and I have spent a little time there. I wouldn't trade the grandness of the south for CO any day. THE ONLY REASON I LIVE HERE IS BECAUSE MY HUSBAND'S JOB IS HERE.

Total opposite experience for me. I'm originally from south Louisiana (lived there for 20+ years) and I love it here. Of course I don't live in Greeley. Maybe that is the problem Unfortunately, those Southern stereotypes exist b/c (I hate to say it) many are true. I do agree that the South is a friendly place, but the education standards and standard of living are lower.

Regarding Katrina - lots of places griped about Katrina, not just CO. Heck I did and I'm from the region and lived thru that storm (but was smart enough to evacuate). How that scenario played out was ridiculous and IMO Louisiana rested on their laurals for years thinking it would not happen - unfortunately the crappy planning bit them in the end. I won't hijack this thread discussing this, but a lot of the criticism is well placed.

Also remember that every region has their own little quips about other regions. The southerners gripe about northerners, people in CO gripe about Texans and Californians, etc. And then we have the ribs against Greeley from people in Fort Collins/Loveland ( ). I don't take these things to heart. i know its tough as a southerner, but sometimes you gotta relax...

In my opinion there is no town/city perfect - CO and even (gasp) Fort Collins. You make the place enjoyable if it fits you and you give it a chance. I think CO and especially FC are great. Quality of life is much higher here than what I was used to. Outdoor activities, community activities galore, the great weather, etc. For me I would never go back other than family - most of my family still live in Louisiana so I can only see them a 1-2x a year. I do miss that.

TO THE ORIGINAL POSTER: You can search on my username if you want as I posted quite a bit in this forum regarding a lot of what you ask. in particular my experiences coming from the same area. In general I agree with the others (except deadwood) : Make sure you nail down a job before you move. If you are in the housing market - rent first and get a feel for the area before buying a home/condo/whatever. Your preferences on where you want to live will change once you get around the city and become familiar. I also highly encourage you to drive (or better yet bike) around all the major areas of the city. The best way IMO is to just hit the bike trails (Spring Creek trail, Poudre trail, etc) and ride all over the city to see what you like. That is what my wife and I did. You can get a map from the city website. The trails are dedicated and awesome. A big difference from the south. With the nice weather and low humidity you can explore quite a bit. Either way you go, good luck and welcome to the area!

[deadwood43]

We have discovered that the standard of living is much higher in the south than the Lafayette or Greeley, CO area. Unless you believe the pretentious lifestyles around here are high class. Ha! We do enjoy the mountain views here in Colorado, but we also enjoy alot of acreage and privacy that much of the south has to offer. We love freedom, and that is hard to come by around here. We are overwhelmed that Co is such a police state. Our dog barked for less than a minute @ 2pm and it costs us $395. PLEASE!