BEST/WORST PLACES TO LIVE IN CO?

You say that like a Prius is a bad thing? Others using less gas bothers you? Colorado Springs has a bad rap.

Probably similar to Austin.

60,000 people commute into Boulder every day, most wish they could live here but can't afford it so they sit in traffic.

I think Boulder is overrun with physical therapists, with CUs Physical Therapy program.

 

Boulder seems to be a cool place, when I went through there it seemed cool, but it's been a while and now could be pretty expensive.

Not moving anymore?

I'm not saying I have to live in the best area, I'm willing to drive a bit to work. I just don't want to drive clear across the map. I plan on being really active, and I just can't do a lot of the stuff I want to do here. I heard Denver is kinda dirty also. I'd like to live outside that area, with cleaner air

Nice!

Nothing wrong with a Prius. I wouldn't drive one, but that's just me. I didn't think about CU's PT program being right there in Boulder. I'm still in the exploratory phase in finding good areas, and areas to avoid.

 

Can't quite yet, have to keep working a bit longer. The wife thinks I could be a consultant, but I need some surety of income before I make that happen. Now, we did scope some properties and I think we might still buy and then rent it until we can make the jump. Coming from TX, property tax is way low up there. I know they have an income tax, but I think there's a play there of "living" in TX and having a house in CO.

 

I hear vehicle registration is through the freaking roof. Anyone have details on taxes and normal costs? I went to a calculator for cost of living and the cost of housing is substantially more than Texas. I was just curious about the rest.

 

I've lived and worked in/around Boulder for 18 years.

Boulder is not overrun with hippies. It is far, far too expensive for that. Liberal? Well sort of... more like a police state. Mostly it's people who can afford $1M houses. Think MILFs with $200 yoga pants, driving their Highlanders and Prius' to Whole Foods before they pick their kids up from private school. It's actually a very self-centered, snobby, "holier than thou because I'm healthier than you" population. I work on the outskirts of Boulder and only drive into the city if absolutely necessary. We lived right downtown for 3 years, and I wouldn't go back even if the house was free.

We are in Erie now, a 25 minute drive to Boulder and 60 minute to Denver (in rush hour). Erie's a great place- typical 1800 sq ft house runs about $300k. Jobs are scarce- but almost everyone you meet out here is an athlete of some kind so PT might be a good field.

Happy to help with any other questions.

 

My 2014 Taco was $450 for registration this year.

 

!!!! You know what it costs here? $60 for a whole year! I had heard it's freaking ridiculous, but dude that is incredibly high.

 

But when I'm in CO my world is just so much more mellow (no pharmaceuticals required) and everything I like to do is there. Going 4-wheeling around Dallas is a pain. Western states have BLM land and you can just go. CO has maps of 4wd trails all over the place.

 

Those are pricey houses, but I'm sure there are plenty of condos/single family houses that are reasonable. I knew that Boulder leaned to the left politically, but people who say that Boulder is "overrun" with hippies are probably extreme right wingers. Thanks for your input, I appreciate it!

 

STAY AWAY FROM PUEBLO!!!!!!!!

 

More info please

 

Well, when I visited Boulder, I definitely got a kind of "uppity" vibe from many people. Maybe because everyone there is in shape, good looking, and eats healthy. They have gluten-free shit everywhere. But that's all subjective to my own experience of course.

 

Just drove through Grand Junction/Fruita. Maybe it has some better areas, but it didn't seem that nice. Although, proximity to awesomeness in both CO and UT is really good there.

Coming out of the mountains headed east on I-70, the traffic headed west into the mountains was AWFUL. Backed up for miles. It was Saturday, though.

My parents live in Loveland, between Denver and Fort Collins. I haven't been to their place (always meet them somewhere else in CO), but apparently a lot of old folks live there. Good PT opportunities? Anywhere in that area between Fort Collins and Denver seems like it would be a good choice.

I could definitely do Durango if there was a job there.

I miss Austin, but it is a little lacking in variety of outdoorsy stuff.

 

I have lived in CO for 18 years. There are some very nice places to live, and also some very crappy places.
IMO, anything too far east of I-25 is out. Might as well live in Kansas. Flat, dry, hot and far from mountain activities.
I'm sure something like 85% of Colorado's population live on the front range. One of the posts previously said something about traffic on I-70. That is VERY common on weekends. In winter it is an absolute mess. I enjoy where I live (Colorado Springs) because I can avoid I-70 by taking smaller 2 lane state highways. Much more scenic. It may be more miles, but at least I'm moving, not stuck in bumper to bumper traffic.
I would recommend any mountain town, if you can find work. Buena Vista, Salida, Alamosa, Gunnison, Steamboat Springs, Leadville, Eagle... But most likely you will find work in or near a larger city (Denver, Springs, Ft Collins, Pueblo).
Personally Denver is too big of a city for me. If I would choose Denver, I would look on the west side. Golden is a nice town. Lots of hiking, biking, etc within 10 minutes.
I like Colorado Springs because of that reason...very close to any mountain activity (except skiing which is about 2 hr drive). My office is 1 mile to a large park (800 acres) where I run or bike almost every day. I am also about 2.5 miles from Garden of the Gods.
Yes, vehicle registration is expensive. It is based on how old your vehicle is and original purchase price. The older the vehicle is, the cheaper it is.
Homes are very reasonable in Springs. In the nicer part of town, you can find homes for just over $100/sq ft.

Hope this helps. Good luck on the job search and the move!

 

agreed. Super mellow here. If you like the mountains but not the commute to get to them. Everything is right out your back door!!

 

That gluten shit is nonsense. I have a buddy who runs marathons and is a health nut, I take his word that eating gluten free food is a racket. Appreciate your thoughts man.

I appreciate your insight. Denver is big, and I would like to live in a decent sized city. Honestly I don't want to live in Denver, but if I had to, it'd probably be on the west side somewhere. I have some friends in Parker, but I don't know if I want to live there either.

Mountains =

 

The Prius comment was in response to Ice Horse.

 

Yeah, most of us call BS on the gluten-free shit here. I know 2 people with celiac disease and they call BS too but enjoy the availability of more gluten-free because the poseurs want it.

 

My frikking 34 year old 200cc Vespa is near $50/year.

You can find condos/townhouses for $250k or so in Erie. Houses start at $300 though for the most part.

I have a jaw-dropping view of the mountains when I drive to work. I always tell people, it's $5 every time you look at the mountains. I've found wages to be decent here though. The housing market is nuts. Best bet, if you're planning to stay, is to buy in a new subdivision a bit further out. Our house was 200k 15 years ago, now it's 330. Check out Firestone and Frederick. Definitely the burbs though.

 

What is the bad rap the Springs has?

You never see South Park making fun of the Springs http://southpark.cc.com/clips/154822/college-know-it-all-hippies

Pueblo, was in the top ten of the highest crime rates in the nation

BTW there's a South Park episode on Pueblo too https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nqst9qn-fsw