Colorado or bust.

[lmilhan]

Hi all.

My wife and I currently live in southern NJ (and have most of our lives), and we absolutely despise living here. Everyone seems to be in a hurry and miserable, and the area has become so over populated that I dread even leaving the house on the weekends. Drs. are afraid to treat you for anything more than a common cold because everyone here seems to be "sue happy". The cost of living is preposterous (propety tax alone is $4,000 per year, and we are on the LOW end of the tax scale). Car insurance is unreasonable, and seems to go up every 4 or 5 months. You can barely buy a shack of a home in the $180,000 price range. We do not care for our neighbors (that's putting it politely), and people have moved into the neighborhood over the last 8 years that brought with them a criminal element, and has slowly turned the neighborhood into an increasingly unsavory place for us to want to live. You need a rifle or handgun permit to buy a freakin BB gun or air rifle - no I am not kidding. The pollen count, mosquitos, greenheads and fleas are so bad in the fall/summer time that we dread going outside at times just to take a simple walk, or make a steak on the BBQ. We cannot wait to escape from this place. I could go on and on. I hope I have made clear just how much we dislike this place.


We have done some pretty extensive research of places that we would like to live, and we have narrowed it down to Colorado. Colorado is calling us, but our knowledge of Colorado is just "internet smarts" - neither of us have ever even been to Colorado, but everything about that state appeals to us, and seems ideally suited to the lives we would really enjoy living.



Here are our tentative plans to escape from NJ (hopefully to be carried out within the next 2 years):

1) Decide WHERE in Colorado we would like to live - Colorado is huge, but we will be a bit limited, as I will likely have to move to a location in Colorado where my work has locations set up. I am willing to make a reasonable commute to these locations as well - let's say 35 minutes each way. Here are the locations that we would like to live in (or within a 35 minute drive/commute):

Aurora
Boulder
Castle Rock
Colorado Springs
Denver
Ft. Carson
Ft. Collins
Golden
Greendwood Village
Lafayette
Peterson AFB


2) Make sure that I have secured a job in or near one of the locations mentioned in step 1 before we move - duh!

3) Sell our house in NJ.


4) Rent a place in Colorado in (or near) the location we picked from step 1. We will rent until we find a house that we would like to purchase. We will not be in any huge hurry to buy our next house - we want to take our time and do it right without rushing things. We will be looking at houses in the $180,000ish price range. We will likely have upwards of $50,000 as a down payment.


But before I do any of those steps, we of course would like to educate ourselves more with regard to Colorado - and be sure that this is where we would like to live for the rest of our lives. As such, we plan on going on vacation to Colorado in May of 2010.


For those of you who currently (or have ever) live(d) in Colorado:

I am just looking for any pointers / suggestions and advice from you. Any wisdom that you could share with me would be greatly appreciated - things such as:

1) Any good books you can recommend for me to check out regarding Colorado? (Frommer's Guide, Best Of Colorado, etc)

2) Any advice or insight with regard to any of the Colorado locations I have on the list in step 1?

3) Any suggestions on which of those locations would best suit our personalities, and desired way of life?

To assist you with answers, here are some of our criteria, personality types, likes and dislikes:

We need to keep the purchase price of our next house at around $180,000ish. Keep in mind that we only require a modest sized house - it is just me and my wife, and there are no plans (or possibility) for us to have children. Minimum of 2 bedrooms, and would prefer 1 and 1/2 bathrooms.

We will require a bit of land - we have discovered that we can never ever again, under any circumstances, live close to neighbors. So an acre of land would be nice, but the more land (and the bigger the buffer between me and a the closest neighbor) the better. USPS, UPS and FedEx all need to be able to make it to my house to deliver packages.

We will require a minimum of DSL internet connection, but would prefer broadband connection (cable or fiber).


We love all things nature and outdoors - camping, hiking, wildlife photography, birdwatching, etc.


We prefer cold weather over extremely hot & humid weather. The summers in southern NJ can be long, and are at times absolutely dreadful (89 degrees with very high humidity). We no longer have any tolerance for weather like this and want to get away from it.


Although we would like to live in "the sticks" somewhere in Colorado, it would be nice to be able to drive 35ish minutes and get to some sort of civilization - grocery store and a Walmart (or equivalent) are the most important, and some restaurants and and a movie theater would be nice (but not a requirement). Bonus points if we are within a reasonable drive to venues with a robust music scene (although this is not a requirement, it would be great!).

It would be wonderful if we could actually find Drs. to treat my wife (properly) that are actually competent, and really care about their patients. We would be willing to drive hours for such help. I'm not sure how the medical community is in the state of Colorado, but I doubt there is any way it could be worse than it is in NJ. If it helps at all, my wife lives in chronic/crippling pain due to Ankylosing spondylitis, lower back problems and Fibromyalgia. Or at least, that's what the two dozen Drs. she has seen have come up with over the last 10 years. They seem to have a different diagnosis every time she sees a new Dr. It seems that their answer is to just keep her drugged up enough so she can at least barely cope with the pain from day to day. Way to treat the symptom but not the cause Doc. How FUN!

I digress.

So does such a dream world exist in Colorado? Or is there a place that even comes close? Or am I just fooling myself with a "grass is greener on the other side" fantasy?

Any/all insight, advice and comments are welcome and greatly appreciated.

Thanks!

 

[goober-george]

Hey, I have no experience with Colorado but, I know a great site that can provide you with the information you are looking for. Try it out. I found the site while I was trying to decide between staying in Iowa, or going to Texas. Hope it works well for you. I'd start a thread and just copy and paste your post from here to there.

*edit* Re-reading my post it sounds a little spammish but, I am a real person trying to help you out, just so you know, I have no affiliation with that site.

Colorado Forum - Relocation, Moving, Local City Discussions - City-Data Forum

 

[thisbenjamin]

lmilhan - I've never lived, but I've spent 5 months of my life in Colorado Springs, on contract and loved it. I love the weather, I love the mountains the people are fair enough to deal with and above all else the sense of stability I felt while being surrounded by some of the most beautiful country I've ever seen was amazing. If I can retire there one day, I will.

 

[ecclesand]

Bah...Colorado sucks!

I keed, I keed....

I would check out REcolorado.com - brought to you by Metrolist Inc. for your housing needs. I would start there. To be honest, $180,000 doesn't go as far here as it used to. If you have kids, the best school district in the area is Cherry Creek. Douglas County and Littleton schools are also very good. If I had a family member interested in moving here, I would advise the following:

1. Stay away from Aurora. It's a toilet.
2. Boulder is a college town and lot's of fun, but VERY expensive.
3. Castle Rock is a good place to look and the area is beautiful. It is about halfway between Denver and Colorado Springs.
4. I've never lived in Colo Spgs. Can't help you there.
5. Metro Denver. I would look in Littleton and Southwest Denver. There are areas north of Denver, but I've always preferred the southern part of town. If you want the northern part of town, the areas around the Interlocken Business Center are nice (Lafayette and Thornton).
6. Ft. Carson...military. I was in the Army for 4 years. No thanks.
7. Ft. Collins. Another college town. I've only been there a couple times in my life. It's in between Denver and Wyoming. Again, can't help you there.
8. Golden is a beautiful area at the base of the mountains to the west of Denver. If you can find a decent house for $180,000 and a large yard go for it. However, I don't think you will...it's pricey.
9. Greenwood Village and Centennial. This is the heart of the Denver Technological Center. Nice area overall. You may be able to find something in your price range here, but it will be an older style home. Not necessarily a bad thing considering many of the newer homes are built like crap. I would recommend looking here.
10. Lafayette...already mentioned in #5.
11. Peterson AFB is just north of Colorado Springs. Nice area, but have never lived there.

To summarize, I would look at Littleton, SW Denver, Lafayette, Castle Rock, Greenwood Village, Centennial, Golden, and my personal favorite...Highlands Ranch (just north of Castle Rock).

Hopefully more Coloradans will chime in with their preferences. You may want to contact a relocation realtor and see what areas they recommend. The REcolorado.com - brought to you by Metrolist Inc. website will give you a good idea of the house prices here. Good luck and let us know where you end up!

 

[MD1032]

That's southern Jersey for ya... I live up north in Howell and it's definitely a step above some of the places down there. My recommendation is to move north, even northern NJ would make you much happier, I'm sure, but heck, investigate CT, MA, and ME. Even upstate NY and most of PA are a huge breath of fresh air compared to some places in NJ.

 

[ecclesand]

I just reread your op (missed the no kids mention on the first read) and noticed you're looking for an acre of land. You're not going to find that in the metro area for $180,000 but you can in some of the outlying areas like Elizabeth and Kiowa (east of Castle Rock). I have often thought about selling the city homestead, buying a couple acres in the sticks, and having a prefab house dropped on it. That may be an option for you too.

 

[Benaiir]

Maybe a nice foreclosure? btw property tax here is 10k minimum

 

[Benaiir]

doublepost

 

[coredump]

My Mom has Ankylosing spondylitis. I'm sure every case is different but she has been successful in getting it medicated. Not just pain relief but a working treatment. There are side affect of course but life is comfortable. Best of luck.


I've lived in Fort Collins for about 10 years now. It's been listed as top city in the country to raise a family a few times. It's a college town which I think is a big bonus. Job market is always good and tons of restaurants. The mountains are just a few minutes away but the closest ski resort is over an hour away. I think we also have about 10 breweries so if you like beer this is a great place to be. People here love to bike and be active. The New Belgium brewery always has bike in concerts and movies.

Here is my opinions on a few other places.


Boulder - Boulder is beautiful and active. Think Hippies, lesbians, and pot. The city is extremely liberal. You can't "own" a pet because it's a companion. You wont be able to buy an empty lot for $180,000

Castle Rock - Nice. Close to Denver and getting bigger every day.

Colorado Springs - Nice place. Has the air force academy and I hear it's conservative.

Lafayette - Used to be small and quiet and now it's big and booming. Lots of old and new.

I really don't like the town of Greeley but if you want an acre for a decent price you might want to look at some of the areas around Greeley. You could Commute to Fort Collins in about 40 - 50 minutes.

 

[Uncle Erik]

Colorado is a beautiful state and I've enjoyed visiting numerous times.

However, your desire to live in the sticks and be close to civilization reminds me of Oregon. Maybe you've eliminated the state, however, it might be what you're looking for.

What makes Oregon unique is that the state draws a tight urban growth boundary around cities. Once outside the boundary, you can only have one house per five acres, sometimes 20. So the cities do not sprawl. I loved living there since you can get out of the city damn quick and see some countryside. If you live outside the boundary, you're guaranteed few neighbors and lots of nature. However, you can get back into the city pretty fast.

If I were you, I'd look into the tiny communities and rural areas off the I-5 between Eugene and Portland. $180k should get you some rural land within 30-45 minutes of Eugene, Salem or Portland. All three have good medical centers and hospitals and Eugene and Portland have terrific arts scenes. Salem has some arts, too, but it's a government town mostly. Still, Portland is 45 minutes from Salem and Eugene is an hour, so it's not a bad place at all.

I think you'd find the weather to your liking. It'll get hot for a week or two in July or August, but stays cool just about year round. Further, it rarely gets cold enough for ice and snow in the Willamette Valley. You can take your pick of outdoor activities - everything from the coast to the mountains is about an hour away.

Anyhow, give it some thought. I loved it up there and would still be there if it weren't for family obligations here in LA.

 

[lmilhan]

Wow, thank you everyone for your advice and insight!

Just an update, I forgot about how much lower property tax and cost of living will be in Colorado. As such, I will be able to swing $200,000ish for a home. That will hopefully open up a few more options.

Fort Collins seems quite attractive to us, but in my price range, we would likely have to settle for less land than I had originally hoped for...

 

[robm321]

Also, don't rule out North Carolina. It's a very desirable place.

Either way, good luck on your choice, and I hope the move goes smoothly when you finally decide on everything. Sounds like anything will be an upgrade in lifestyle.

 

[dbfreak]

In two years and with a rewire of my transformers to 220V, I'm heading back to Paraguay for peace, tranquility and where the dollar is still king.

 

[ericj]

Longmont is boulder-adjacent and seems like a decent place to live based on the times I've visited it - dunno about realestate prices there though.

 

[Sherwood]

1) You want to live in Morrison, CO. 35-45 minute drive to downtown Denver, and one of the most beautiful places in the country. It's not a proper "the sticks", but it may seem that way in comparison to South Jersey.

2) My wife has Fibromyalgia as well, as has had real success on a medication called Lyrica -- you should look into it, as it has changed both our lives.

3) If you decide to live in the prairie sticks rather than the mountain sticks, Ecclesand has a good suggestion. Kiowa and Elizabeth are nice, small, drowsy towns. As a bonus, I am a county administrator for those towns, so I could help you find some property. They're no more than 45 minutes from downtown Denver as well, though in the opposite direction from Morrison.

4) Colorado is a damned gem. It's my favorite state by a country mile. Second most award-winning beers produced per capita (behind Alaska), 300+ days of sunshine, under 35% humidity year 'round, the highest percentage of advanced degrees per capita in the nation, and a leader in sustainable energy AND low taxes. It is the best of everything.