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My wife, daughter and I are considering relocating from CA to Durango, CO and then eventually to the Fort Collins area. We've always loved Colorado for it's beautiful landscape, affordable cost of living and lack of congestion. However we have a lot of unanswered questions and since we don't know anyone in Colorado, we would like to hear your opinions.
Granted the cost of living in Colorado is significantly lower than in California, but can one really survive as a comfortable, middle class family going from California wages to Colorado wages? (I will be taking a $10 pay cut, $10,000 per year cut if I switch jobs and move to CO)
What's a good yearly salary to make in order to live comfortably, middle class, own a home, with shopping money and miscellaneous funds each month? $$$
My work would be in Farmington, New Mexico. Hows the drive from Durango to Farmington? How is life in Farmington and working in Farmington?
Gas, groceries, and utility costs?
What are the income taxes, sales tax, property tax?
How is the traffic (if there is any)?
Is there any crime? What are the worst places in terms of crime? Are there any areas in CO we should avoid?
How is life in Durango, CO?
How is life in Fort Collins, CO?
College in CO? What is considered the best?
Is there anything else I should know when considering moving to CO?
I will be visiting Durango shortly, is there anything I should check out while I'm there?
Any suggestions of your own would be greatly appreciated!
Average listing price of a house in Durango is over $700,000. It's very, very expensive to live there. Full of trustafarians and very wealthy part-timers.
A question was posed on this very subject on the Colorado forum. Go to page four and that thread is third from the bottom. I have a post in there as well. It won't answer all your questions, but it will give you insight on the travel issue. I lived there in the late 60's for a time (loved it); But for 2008, all I can say is get ready for sticker shock!
In Farmington you will live much more comfortably than California (Of course depending on where in Cali you are) but Durango will be not much of an improvement. DH and I went to Fort Lewis and it was a great school 25 years ago, can't say now...it's been too long. San Juan College is one of the best community colleges around. Our son went there for 2 years and then transfered to major univ and was well prepared and had lots of one on one attention for those 1st 2 years. Definately look at Aztec while you are here, it is a nice in between Farmington and Durango.
Seems kind of backwards. A lot of people (myself included) live in Farmington and work in Durango, because as has been said, housing is very expensive in Durango. I think $700k is a high end estimate, I know you can find descent condos for 350k-400k up there. Could get the same for well under 200k in Farmington.
As for the commute...geeh where to begin. There are 2 ways up/down. Highway 550 is the main way, but there can be quite a bit of traffic (The Colorado locals LOVE to drive 10-15 mph under the limit).
Basically ALL of Durango is under construction right now. Hwy 160/550 through Bodo Park area (south end of town) is all torn up right now and is a total cluster from 8am to 6 pm. I am not sure what they're doing, but they just laid some new cement on the southbound side.
A little farther south/east of that, right at the junction where 550 splits off to go south, they are doing a massive overhaul of that interchange. Right now, 550 is a 2-lane road that winds down the hill to a stoplight. The northbound traffic (from Farmington) gets backed up about half a mile up the hill under the current setup. They are building an overpass about half a mile east of there where 550 will be rerouted to cross over 160 before coming around to merge. I am sure it will be wonderful when done (in like 2 years), but right now is a mess.
Going even FARTHER south, to the CO/NM border, there is more construction. 550 is 4 lanes from ABQ all the way to the CO border, then becomes an overcrowded 2-lane highway with no shoulders or turn lanes. They have just begun to change that, and have the new lanes graded for about 3 miles, but no paving has begun yet. I'm sure the plan is to make it 4 lanes all the way to the new overpass, but that will be years in the making.
That being said, there is an alternate route you can take, depending on where you live and work. I like it (due to lack of traffic), though it's about 5 miles longer, there is generally very little traffic. It's called the La Plata highway, and it runs from the west end of Farmington up to Hesperus. To get to Durango, you can turn off of it at MM 15 in Colorado onto County Road 141, which runs 11 miles to Durango. 141 is pretty smooth sailing except for the last 4 miles or so into Durango, because there are a number of developments there, and it goes through a canyon. But if you are going the other way, from said developments, you'll be golden all the way to Farmington pretty much.
Hopefully this was more informative and less of a rant.
Gas is generally cheaper in Farmington, though right now they are about the same, 2.89-ish in both towns. I don't think utilities are too bad. In Farmington you will cool a lot in the summer, in Durango you will heat a lot in the winter. Pick your poison.
Crime is going to be a little higher in Farmington, but should not be anything to worry about, especially coming from California. I have not had issues with crime while living here.
I wouldnt like to make the drive from Farmington to Durango everyday in the winter,lets just say that.
Farmington is going to be alot cheaper than Durango but Durango is so much nicer of course, Farmignton is one of those cities that either you love or hate, for some it takes time to grow on you, its different, Aztec would be a better choice.
The biggest hazard making the drive in the winter is the other drivers. Most people in the Durango area have 4x4's, but they have no idea how to use them. They are still scared of the snow. I drive a Corolla, and have had no trouble making the drive with fresh snow.
Seems kind of backwards. A lot of people (myself included) live in Farmington and work in Durango, because as has been said, housing is very expensive in Durango. I think $700k is a high end estimate, I know you can find descent condos for 350k-400k up there. Could get the same for well under 200k in Farmington.
I bought a nice condo in Durango for $185. My friends just bought one, really nice, for $178...
What condos are you referring to? Theres some relatively new ones behind the Home Depot, and another cluster across the highway from Walmart. I think those may be in that price range, and would be alright as long as you don't mind living shoulder to shoulder with people and vice versa. They're about 10 feet wide and 3 stories tall, roughly. The ones I way referring to before are also in the Home Deopt area, but are a little larger and fancier.
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