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I just wanted to post and say if you are considering a move and have the financial means to do it and have a job and all that's holding you back is fear: do it!
If you don't have the financial means and want to make a move, figure out how to get in a better fiscal place, research jobs, and then consider it.
Here is my story:
I've spent years on city data longing for a different place to live. I grew up in New Mexico and live there almost my whole life. I hated it. Now I have tons of friends who love it there and it's not that I think it's a bad place but I knew in my bones it wasn't right for me. I hated day in and day out of sun. Some people love it but not me.
I would research places I dreamed of starting a new in: Washington State, then North Idaho then Colorado. I visited those forums for years reading what residents had to say, the good and the bad. I was scared to leave what I knew for the unknown.
Husband and I started formulating a financial plan to move just as an in case (I'm a creature of habit and letting go of the city I grew up in was hard even though I did not like the climate. People thought we would never leave).
But having kids makes you think of things in a different way. We have a child who has special needs and our city was not helping him at all. The resources were few and far between. So we got serious about moving, the motivation was for helping him.
We got everything lined up and after all of those years researching on citydata and the web and after saving, we did it. We moved our family!
It was hard at first, getting everything on the timeline. The movers, selling and buying a new house, finding new doctors, learning a new routine, getting use to the lay of the land. I was a basket case for a while, and yes it was overwhelming.
Now, 9 months later, I'm so happy we did it. Our kids are thriving, our family life is better and I'm so very happy in a different climate, I almost cried when it snowed for 45 minutes this past week and it's only October. I love weather and I've got it now. I love the forest and mountains and I've got them. My kids have the services they need. We had to sacrifice for an older and smaller home but it was worth it.
So if you are really in your gut feeling you need to move, do it. Find a way, make a plan. Realize it may take years to come to fruition. But it can happen. Be honest with yourself about what you want. Do you want a big city, humidity, good cuisine? Really evaluate all the places you are interested in and compare it to a prioritized list of wants you have. No place is perfect but if you are honest, you can find a good match. And then research, research, and ask questions. People on here aren't shy about telling the pros and cons of their area.
I know where we ended up would not be a top place for a lot of folks, but we couldn't be happier.
I wish you luck on your new adventure. It's scary but it can be awesome.
Last edited by DoodlemomCoS; 10-09-2016 at 10:14 PM..
My wife and I are wanting to move. I'm afraid of moving to another place, due to the cost of living, finding a job, be welcomed...etc. We have no kids at home, she's 43, I'm 39. However our oldest is planning on moving with us and his fiancee. We live in Louisiana and totally sick and tired of the intense heat, very little winter, and the politics of this state. Which has left a very nasty taste in our mouths, for what we've been through. We are looking to start our lives fresh. We're tired of being flatlanders haha, for the land is.....flat. We'd have to go north for a taste of hills. We know that we want to move to a mountainous area, a place that snows in the winter so we could experience a white Christmas, forests where we can hike through and hunt. I've expanded our search to a slightly higher cost since they're moving with us. We are raising animals and we're planning to have a slight self reliance homestead. The main thing that is stopping us from moving anytime soon is we're waiting for someone to buy our trailer and land. So...we're just looking around now for a state with above weather and geography to call our new home.
Doodlemom: Your tale is very inspiring. I too have been on City Data, looking for different areas to move to; one of them is Colorado Springs. I have been "looking" for several years, never doing anything about it. My first choice was Raleigh, NC, which I now know I cannot afford.
My situation is different. I am in my 70s now, having wasted 10 years living in Arizona desert, with no love of cactus. Fear is the motivation that keeps me here. I have not found the stuff to do here that seems to be in Colorado.
So, may I ask you: Did you rent before you bought? How did you find the particular area to move to? What if the only homes I can afford are in SE Colorado Springs, which everyone says is crime ridden? Did you sell your previous home first? Was it easy to make friends there? There is a great senior center there which I would immediately join, so am not afraid of doing this alone.
My house here has alot of equity but getting it sold is a problem. I tried a year ago, had zero offers after 31 showings. Not even a lowball. And I do need the funds out of the house in order to buy another. I am not a condo lover; a private yard is important to me. Would renting first be good?
HELP ! Any suggestions you have will be appreciated. I want to do this. I need to do this. But so many obstacles. TIA
Phxbob, our situation was pretty complex. We needed to be in a specific school boundary area for our kids and we have 4 labradoodles (thus my screen name). No one was going to rent to us with 4 large dogs and there were very few rentals in the area for the school we needed to get our kids into anyway. Therefore, we opted to buy. And we learned the hard way that the market is very fast here. For instance, a house would list and an offer would be put down in less than a week. We lost out on a few properties (now I'm happy because I think the house we purchased is a great home for us) because we could not get up to the springs fast enough to see it in person and then make an offer. So we worked on getting our house ready to sell in NM and as soon as we saw our house that we ended up buying we drove up the next day.
So the market in a lot of the springs is tight. I would consider renting if you can.
Head over to our forum and ask questions and we can help you out. I don't know much about the SE side but overall the town is pretty safe. I'd suggest asking questions on our CoS forum.
People are pretty friendly here. Some say it's conservative here but I've met mostly "live and let live" kinds of folk.
I'm sure you can make this happen but I would suggest coming out a few times. We spent Time here a few long weekends to see how it felt to all of us. It gets cold here and we are high altitude. We are in the process of talking my folks into moving up here. My parents miss us and the grandkids and visit often. It's cold for them in the winter though but they said they can take it. They are in there late 60's.
Message me if you have specific questions about CoS and I'll do my best to steer you to the right info.
It's never too late to love the life you want.
Best of luck.
I relate to your messages. I, too, have been hoping and researching a move 1000 miles west for the climate and mountains and a newer looking city, away from the prairie and congestion of a large city. I am retired and alone and have some money saved and nothing but memories to hold me back--and a sister. But I am very nervous about going, and my savings may not be enough to last the rest of my life with the spacious apartment that I need.No, I don't know anyone there either.Rents are more $$ than I figured, having just returned from there. I can afford it at least for the next 10 years but perhaps not beyond that. Because I don't think anyone would hire me anyway
I cannot move to a smaller place. My other option is to move to another area in my midwestern state.
Besides, how do you pack up your stuff if there is no place in your home to put it?
Procrastination feels like a vice to me. You may send me a PM if you like.
Renting is probably a good choice if you can afford that. I found out last week that prices in the Denver area are not cheap
especially for 2-3 bedrooms. And very competitive with other renters. Maybe also COS. Affordable housing subsidized is a possibility and cheaper but there are waiting lists to get in there--if you have low income.
You should be able to find an inexpensive 1-2 bedroom to rent...don't know the COS market.
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