[Precision]

Well, I've never even been before but I've always been fascinated by it and am considering leaving New England for it. I obviously have some concerns with a move like that but I just sold my 330 to downsize to something more reasonable as far as operating costs, and I literally can fit everything I own in the back of it. The only debt I have consists of student loans and while my job credentials are not sparkling they are also not weak either.

I've got a significant amount of restaurant experience, sales experience, I'm an army veteran, I substitute teach, coach high school hockey and I am an academic senior in college although I'm 27 I am just in search or a more pure area, quality of life and the people around me. I want to be a pharmaceutical sales rep when I graduate but unfortunately my aid for undergrad has been capped so ill have to take a break from school unless I get hired at a place that will pay for me to finish or offer me some soft or tuition benefit.

It seems like that would be a good place to go even though I'm anything but a liberal. It seems like a nice balance of scenery, outdoorsy stuff and less glitz, glam and shining lights. Any input would be great. A fellow I work with now said I'd want to put myself in the Colorado Springs/Denver area to make the job thing work out much easier.

[JLed79]

I was born in Denver but left at a young age. I've been back a few times and I love it. I grew up in Alaska but live in upstate New York now. I would definitely take the vibe and outdoor surroundings of the Denver area over the northeast. My two cents.

[skinrock]

I briefly lived in Colorado for about 4 months after living in Michigan for my entire life. It had also been my dream to get out west and enjoy what a state like that had to offer. Luck would have it that I started hanging out with a coworker who had previously lived there, and he convinced me to go on a trip there during our extended Christmas break one year.

Needless to say, I was convinced right away. The Rocky Mountains are a stunning sight to behold, everyone was nice and it just felt welcoming. I moved to Longmont a few months later. Unfortunately, instead of taking a job there, I continued to work remotely for the same company in Michigan, which ended up getting acquired by a company in San Francisco, so my stay was cut short and I had to move to California (not complaining too much). My goal is to end up moving back there, though.

Denver/Colorado Springs is nice, but Denver is obviously their major city. When I drove through there a couple times, it felt like a standard major downtown area. If you want scenery and less glitz/glam, I think you'll want to stay out of the immediate Denver area. CO Springs is about an hour south from Denver. I only went their for hiking and what-not. It's where Pike's Peak and Garden of the Gods are, which are awesome to check out, but I'm not sure what living is like. I'm sure they have a school in that area, but I think north of Denver might be better for you - if you look in the area around 30 minutes north of Denver, there's about 3-4 cities that have quite a good mix of residential and commercial, you can travel between them quickly, and they put you close to the entrance of Rocky Mountain National Park.

Personally, I would check out Longmont, Boulder and Fort Collins. CSU is located in Fort Collins, and it's a little more of a college town, but it's still pretty cool. Nice main walkable stretch with shops and bars. Boulder is more techy and up and coming, and might be a little pricier living-wise, I'm not exactly sure. Downtown Boulder is really cool. Very walkable, tons of shops and restaurants, but not overwhelming like a major city (no pollution, not overly crowded, etc). There's a really cool section where there could be a 4 lane street, but it's all sidewalk and you have shops and restaurants on either side. I went to CO for the outdoor aspect as well, but it was still fun to hang out there a couple times.

As I mentioned, I lived in Longmont while I was there. I rented an apartment for about $800, which was a little more than what I paid in Michigan, but it was bigger and of course the view was better. The thing I loved the most was traffic was always pretty light, but it felt like a decent city - not some rural town with only one grocery store. Plus, the main street out of my apartment led directly to the RMNP entrance, so I went there almost every weekend.

I'm sure with your restaurant experience, you could land some kind of job in any of those places. Longmont I would say has the least substantial "downtown" stretch, you might find more of a variety of places in Boulder or Fort Collins. Again, it really comes down to what you can afford housing wise. Boulder is definitely drivable from Longmont, though, about 25-30 minutes depending on how far away from CO-119.

All that said, if possible, I would recommend a weekend trip there to get your own feel for it. Everything I just said is my personal opinion, and obviously I was only there for a short time. I would search for types of businesses that you could work at or check craigslist, and maybe line up a couple interviews even. It would be an invigorating experience to just move and make it work, but the guy I told you about at the beginning - he ended up in Michigan for that reason, he tried it out in Colorado and it didn't work out. At the very least, check out the rent and how many places you could potentially work at in the surround area.

Here are some pics to help motivate you

[Precision]

It would be ideal for me to have a roommate but I don't have any friends there obviously so that could be tough, I'd rather not move in with someone crazy or something lol. I need a change of scenery bad.

[JasonCSU]

Colorado resident here and yes, this is a fantastic place to live especially if you enjoy the outdoors. I can't think of many other places I would want to live actually. Having some of the world's best skiing right in my backyard, I would only consider moving somewhere with comparable mountains nearby, or somewhere tropical on the ocean. We also get 300+ days of sunshine a year and the mountains also have some fantastic back roads that are great fun to drive.

Personally, I would recommend living in Denver or the surrounding area over Colorado Springs. Don't get me wrong, the Springs is a nice place with some beautiful scenery, but it is also more conservative with all of the mega churches and nearby military bases around. If you have ever heard of Focus On The Family, the Springs is where they have their headquarters. Basically, if bible thumping isn't your thing, you may not enjoy living in Colorado Springs. Boulder and Fort Collins are also nice places, both of which I have lived in. They are both college towns, so there will probably be a high competition for jobs during the school year depending on what you are looking to do. Boulder also has a very high cost of living compared to the rest of the front range. Oh, and if you are a beer lover, Colorado is a great place to be with all of the various breweries around the state.

[M3Denver]

Come one down Golden is a awesome mountain town just outside of Denver (20 min drive) it's my favorite place. Boulder would be up there but it's full of extreme hippies and weirdos!!
Denver is America's hidden gem most ppl think it's country hicks and farms only out here an cold. I hope they all keep thinking this so it doesn't get over populated.

[Tronner]

Been living here for 13 years, and I've traveled all over the country. I honestly can't think of a better place to live than Denver. As has been mentioned, people here are very welcoming, the weather is actually WAY better than the midwest / east coast (lived in Philly and Nantucket for a while), and there is so much to do. Denver is the smallest big city I've ever been in. I can hardly go out downtown without running into at least a friend or two somewhere - everyone knows everyone through someone else and it's typically a great group of people.

One option for you - I'm about to move up to the mountains for the summer to work at a golf course. I have a place in Centennial, CO (about 15 minutes south of downtown on I-25) that will sit empty over the summer. If you're looking for a place to rent short-term while you get a lay of the land and figure out where you want to live it might be a decent situation. The place is furnished and I'd just keep my bedroom set up in case I come down from the mountains for a night - otherwise you'd have the place to yourself.

[Bodie217]

do it! I went to Colorado/Denver for the first time last summer, and went again in December/January, and will be going again next month. Definitely moving there within a couple years. coolest place in america

[amanda hor$t]

you know, we get coors light in cali also

what's the deal with weed being publicly legal there? so the city cops don't care but the feds can still bust you? though it's all over the news and the feds have done no busting. so is it legal or not? maybe it's legal if obama likes you but if you're on the hate list (like taxes) then they'll lock you up in prison for having a gram. selective policing.

[PSUSMU]

Denver is a very ugly city IMO. I would much rather like to live in Boulder.

[Colt]

People in Colorado are nice as fawk. Everyone where I live will flick you off if they have the chance to

[JasonCSU]

Originally Posted by R Grubba Balls

you know, we get coors light in cali also

what's the deal with weed being publicly legal there? so the city cops don't care but the feds can still bust you? though it's all over the news and the feds have done no busting. so is it legal or not? maybe it's legal if obama likes you but if you're on the hate list (like taxes) then they'll lock you up in prison for having a gram. selective policing.

Well, Coors wasn't the beer I was refering to. There are many other better beers available from all of the various breweries around. Regarding ammendment 64, while it did pass, it is not technically legal yet untill they hash out all of the details on where you can smoke and how you can buy non-medical pot. I believe the only things initially included in the ammendment were how much you could legally have on your person, and how many personal plants you could grow in your home. It's obviously still not legal on the federal level, and I believe the feds have said they are not concerned at the moment as they have other issues to deal with. My guess is that if other states pass similar ammendments, the feds will eventually look at legalizing and taxing to get their share of revenue out of it.