Should I move? What's great about CO?

[STLGusty]

So I'm a proud member of the MidWest...home of corn fields, hot & humid summers, and cold winters.  I've always been proud to say I'm from Southern Illinois, but there just isn't much to do here.  I love the mountains - I love to hike.  That's always been the one thing (other hockey and ponies of course) that I've been completely passionate about.  I love Southern IL, but there's one thing we definitely dont' have - mountains.  Our trails here are pretty flat, lucklusters, and (in my opinion) pretty nonexistant.  There is some hiking in even more Southern IL (about a couple hours away), but it's just not the same as, say, the Rocky Mountains.  There's never been a more gorgeous place that I have ever been than seeing those snow capped mountains and hiking through their rocky paths.  Besides, the mountain air = no allergy me!  (who is currently blowing her nose off waiting for the Clairitin D to kick in, lol).  I just ENJOY being in Colorado.  I keep playing with the idea of moving out there...  (My husband has given me the green light - he's willing to move.  It's just up to me.  Figurers )

The major issue is that I have no family out there.  My entire family is here in the Midwest.  I know they'd come to visit and wouldn't hold anything against me if I'd go...but...yet I still feel like I'd be abandoning them.  The other major issue - the job market.  Right now I actually have a teaching job and my husband is working at a great company.  I have a business degree, so I could obviously just get a job wherever (even though I'd really want to teach)... I think it'd be possible to get two jobs out there, but dare we give up what we have now?  (Clearly there's no way I'd move without having secured a job out there first.)

So I'm open to any advice anyone has... AAAAND I'd love to here from some Colorado (or Wyoming if there's any) people!  What else is great about your state?  How's the housing or job market?  I think it'd a lot more expensive to live out there - which woudl be another issue.  I'm pretty lucky living the affordable life right now.

I knwo this is kind of a weird post...it's just what's on my mind right now and wanted to get it out there to someone.  (Also, I debated putting this in the WYP board, but wasn't sure since I was mostly just clearly my head and trying to hear what people thought.  It's not necessarily a problem, but mods, please feel free to move if you feel it'd be more appropriate there )

Will I ever move?  I have no idea.  It's a nice thought, but I don't know if I could ever pull that trigger.

[skyrocketneko]

DOOO EET!

I love CO 200x more than the other 2 states I've lived in (CT and NC). And I've been to most of them too. The mountains, the plains, the lack of humidity, there's just so much outdoor stuff to do. The people are pretty cool too.  I can't stop finding new things and going to new places.  And I have NO family out here. But they plan on visiting me soon! I don't even mind. This is really a great place for vacations.
I have a year pass to RMNP and I go there about once a week and just let my mind and body wander. It's nothing short of amazing.

The job market is not so good. Is it anywhere?  I've been looking for about 7 months now and nobody has invited me into an interview yet, but that will really depend on your major.

You can get houses for super cheap out here too!

[melodys_angel]

I would suggest looking online and trying to see if you can possibly stabalize a job out ther in the area you want to live in first, before knowing for sure if you want to move out.  It will help with stability and work as a base for you while you adjust.

If you are concerned about your family, talk to them--see what their oppinions are.  Even if its just something non formal and such, it can help with any doubts you have with reguards to 'abandoning' them, and im sure they will want to reassure you as well^^

Im sure, whatever you decide to do, it will be ok <3

[STLGusty]

Thank you, both!  It's always great to get others' opinions.  I had told my dad about maybe moving out there awhile ago, and he has no issues with it.  I think I'm the only one with issues leaving family, lol.  I definitely agree with trying to find a job out there for stability purposes first.  I'm such a worry wart when it comes to money and jobs   I guess it's not something I would do right NOW (especially since I'm on contract for the next school year here), but if there's something maybe out there for my husband and I to do...maybe in a year or so we can look more seriously.

Skyrocket - RMNP is my favorite place to be (or at least tied with the Great Teton NP).  Depending on where I would end up in CO, I'd definitely get a year round pass there, too.  There's nothing like a hike and a wander around in the mountains to de-stress.  I'm a stressball anyway (according to my husband at least ), so I think it'd be good for my mental health, lol!!  What part of CO do you live in?

CO is just so much closer to everything I enjoy doing

[skyrocketneko]

I live in Lyons.  It's right next door to Estes Park- but quiet and less than 1800 people live here.  We have tons of trails too- including hiking and mountain biking.  We chose this town because the houses are farther apart and not cookie cutter (every 3rd house is the same, on a tiny lot) than a lot of the bigger towns in the area.

Oh! And also because we're close to everything, but not on top of stuff. I can get to Denver in 45 minutes, Boulder in 15, Estes Park in 20, and Longmont in 15.

[kaoskat]

I have no idea. I've never been. Zen is there though, maybe she'll stop by with some thoughts.

[Eviecorn]

I know next to nothing about CO, but I know about cross-country moves away from your whole family.  Research, research, research - neighborhoods, standards of living, etc.  Also, what really helped me was reaching out in communities I was a part of to talk to people I knew who lived out there.  It really helped when I moved to Houston and led to lasting friendships.

[Aster]

DOOO EET!

I love CO 200x more than the other 2 states I've lived in (CT and NC). And I've been to most of them too. The mountains, the plains, the lack of humidity, there's just so much outdoor stuff to do. The people are pretty cool too.  I can't stop finding new things and going to new places.  And I have NO family out here. But they plan on visiting me soon! I don't even mind. This is really a great place for vacations.
I have a year pass to RMNP and I go there about once a week and just let my mind and body wander. It's nothing short of amazing.

The job market is not so good. Is it anywhere?  I've been looking for about 7 months now and nobody has invited me into an interview yet, but that will really depend on your major.

You can get houses for super cheap out here too!

I agree with most of what you said, it's an absolutely beautiful state and family will love to come visit you.

My brother was just looking into moving there, the job market is about the same as everywhere else, but he told me that housing was AWFUL. But I guess it'll vary depending on more specifically where.

Just be careful going to movie premieres...

[RockinPrettyBeats]

It's alright here. Are you looking to be in the city or somewhere else?

Just know, there are some shady neighborhoods. Of course, it's like that in any city. Boulder is expensive and Denver is fairly well priced. But I would say that if you are in S. IL then you know all about crazy cheap rent and homes. So I do think it will be a little more than what you are used to.

Have you ever stayed in a high altitude for a long length of time before?

[skyrocketneko]

We looked at some houses in Denver and were put off by the prices. The really old places were ridiculous. We got our house, which is quadruple the size of any we looked at for about $50k less. Lots of people buy the "bungalos" and "pop the top", meaning they buy the small one stories and make them 2 or more and resell them.  My fiance's brother got a decent deal on a house in the "Highlands" which is one of the good areas- but it needs lots of work. The traffic in Denver is terrible too, so thank goodness for the mass transit they have.  I prefer not driving in that area.

Boulder had some great houses, but you do have to be pretty loaded to get something decent. In Boulder, the main road (36) also turns into a nightmare during rush hour. Again, they do have an awesome mass transit system. I love going to Boulder- there is so much to do there. It's so pedestrian friendly.

RockinPrettyBeats, I still have trouble with the altitude thing. I find myself very out of breath when I do anything physical outside. I'm not in bad shape, either! But the only other states I lived in, I was below sea level, so that probably makes sense.

[Yurusumaji]

I'm from Michigan originally and just moved here from Texas. We love it here. We plan on buying a house and staying a while. Colorado is beautiful and if you are in any of the areas around Denver, you'll be close to pretty much everything. We're in Aurora. We can get to Denver in ~30 minutes.

The house market here is so-so. You can find some nicer houses on the cheap, if you're looking at the right time. It depends on what kind of budget you're on. You can always look at homes online within your budget range to get an idea of what would be available to you and if it would be comparable to what you have now.

I love having more than enough shops nearby, plus the reservoir and being surrounded by beautiful nature. Colorado really is a gorgeous place to live. I had never been before we moved here, but I'm addicted. I love it here. Of course I came during a terrible summer, but even so I'm constantly amazed by this place.

[ZennaBug]

I have no idea. I've never been. Zen is there though, maybe she'll stop by with some thoughts.

Kat's right, I was born in Colorado and have lived here my entire life. 

I absolutely adore it here and will probably never leave.  The summers can be pretty hot, but without humidity it's a lot easier to manage (I used to spend every July in Indiana with my grandma and lots of my cousins, our dry heat is not nearly as hard to handle as the muggy heat).  Winters aren't as extreme as many people seem to believe, you can generally walk around in jeans and a hoodie in December unless there's a cold front.  We do get snow, but if you're not in the mountains, it won't really impact your ability to drive or get out of your door.    The state is very sunny (they say 300 days a year) and when we have bad weather it passes quickly.

If you like being outside (like me), there's unlimited things to do here!  The mountains are great for hiking, picnics, wildlife watching, boating, rafting, etc. in the summer and then there's snowshoeing, skiing, and snowboarding in the winter!  We have outdoor concerts, lots of walking/biking trails, and lots of parks.  There's also a great hub for other activities and some great bars if you like the nightlife.  I live right at the border of Aurora and Denver, so I'm in a good spot to access the fun things the city has to offer and I'm less than an hour drive from the mountains.  For me, that's the perfect place to be.

The housing market is pretty good right now if you're planning on buying (we haven't, but it's only because we have no down payment at all saved up).  I can't say that the job market is booming, but it's bad everywhere right now.  From what I've heard, we have it better than some other states.

Living in some of the cities is super expensive (*cough*Boulder*cough*), but others are pretty affordable.  My area of Denver is priced pretty decently, as is most of Aurora.

I have always loved living here and it's unlikely that I'll ever leave.  I think if you do decide to come out, you'd definitely like it 

[Flitter]

I'd really just recommend visiting the areas and neighborhoods you're thinking about possibly moving to and getting a feel for it. A lot of people seem to love living in Colorado and think it's the greatest. Me, I think it's hell and can't wait until I can leave.

[STLGusty]

Thank you all for sharing so many thoughts and comments - I love reading them!  We've been on many camping trips to RMNP (and the Tetons in WY) for a couple of weeks.  During the last time, though, we swung by Colorado Springs and did Pike's Peak...mistake:  doing that on day one.  I spent the rest of my evening trying not to feel like dying, lol.  I was fine the next morning   I hadn't had any problem before or since, haha.   I do think the altitute would take some adjusting, but I think I'd eventually be able to adapt.

Ideally I'd like to be close enough to a bigger city where if something happened (needed a hospital, for example), it wouldn't be a huge haul...but I want to be far enough away to where I don't have the "city life."  45 minutes out from Denver, for example, might be a nice radius.  Currently I'm about 20 minutes from St. Louis (but the Illinois side is compleeeetely different than 20 minutes on the Missouri side ). 

I definitely know I'm lucky with the housing prices we have here in Southern IL...I don't know if there's any area in the country cheaper than here in the midwest.  We get a lot of bang for our buck.  For example, I have an all brick 1500 sq. foot house (with full, partially finished basement), two car garage, on ~a .5acre lot that we bought for $140k.  I doubt I'd be able to get that there, but obviously we've built equity and whatnot.  I know what I can live without (and likewise, what I can't live without, lol)!  I made the mistake of searching for houses for sale in Boulder (before I posted on here) and I'm like ho-ly craaap....can't afford that, lol. 

Well, regardless, even if I never move, I love hearing all the great things about the state and becoming even more familiar with various areas.  You guys are the sweetest for taking time to explain your thoughts!  I love it!!!  If anyone ever wants to move to Southern IL...I'm your go-to girl, lol.  (We're not exactly the most desired move-to location, believe it or not, lol).

[SourdoughStomper]

I can't speak for living there, but it's a nice place to visit. I have family in Creede and it's such a gorgeous little place. In the middle of nowhere, yes, but pretty all the same. I'd love to have a chance to visit there again.