I mean in general? The job market? Are the four seasons great? The family atmosphere? Cost of living? Schools? Crime? Anything you know about it. I know nothing and don't know where to start.

By Karen~moderator on Tuesday, January 3, 2006 - 07:27 pm:

Thinking of moving??

By Mrsheidi on Tuesday, January 3, 2006 - 07:42 pm:

Cost of living: High
Would I pay a $1,500-$2,000 mortgage to live there? Heck ya.
I was born and raised there and it just depends on what city you are thinking about.
I wouldn't live any further south than Colorado Springs and any further east than the outskirts of Denver.
I would give my right toe to live there again...it's sunny most of the time and the skiing is fun!
Denver is SO much fun...fun people, and fun things to do for the family.
Alright, now I'm depressed...I miss it SO much!
Oh and your other questions:
Job Market: Tight
Four Seasons: Even in the winter, it's sunny and it melts! The sun is out constantly! And, in the summer, you can predict the rain to fall between 2-4pm for approximately a half hour.
Family atmosphere: Definitely. They have more parks than any other state we've been in. VERY outdoorsy...once again, it's sunny.
Schools...awesome...just awesome.
Crime? uumm, depends on what part of town...I can give some suggestions though.
heidi henkel at hotmail dot com
if you'd like to know anything else. I have plenty of friends and family that live there and my cousin even builds houses if you're interested.

By Cat on Tuesday, January 3, 2006 - 09:44 pm:

I tried to reply to you earlier, but our internet was down. I'm back.

Yes, I think the cost of living is high. Of course I'm from Michigan where it's relativly low. For what we're paying for our new house here we'd get a mansion (almost!) there.
Crime does depend on the part of time. Colorado Springs is kind of different. You'll have one neighborhood that's very high priced and "elite" and two blocks away you'll have one that's a lot less expensive and the crime will usually be much higher. There are parts of town that are better here than others. Heidi can give you the scoop on Denver and I can let you know about the Springs.
There is definitely a family atmosphere! I've lived in some places that aren't very nice--like don't look at the car next to you at a stop light for fear of getting shot! Here for the most part people are very kind. They're not the best drivers and I don't like the way the roads are set up (we have a lot of merg lanes and it seems people don't know how to use them!). The only place I've found where people aren't nice is Sam's Club. Don't ask me why, but that place brings out the worst it people!
I've posted many times about our crazy weather. Yes, there are four seasons here, but the temperature can vary greatly from one day to the next, and even within a day. My mom noticed the first time she visited and we went to the mall. It was daylight when we went in and we were in short sleeved shirts and very comfortable. When we came out the sun had gone down and it was COLD!!! Also, it could be 20 degress out and you'll have to turn your heat off in your car because of the "solar" heat. I do love having sunny days in the winter, though. And I was just telling dh yesterday (after my mom was complaining about freezing rain in MI) that we don't really get freezing rain. Sometimes we'll get a little sleet, but usually it's either snow or rain, not usually in between. It's funny when it's 45 degrees out and it's snowing! lol
The altitude takes some getting used to. It took me at least a year to be able to go up the stairs without getting winded! My oldest brother visited and could barely smoke a whole cigerette (sp). I told him he needed to move here for a month and quit! It's also very dry here. I had severly dry skin and dry sinuses for a couple years.
Dh retired from the Air Force just last fall and we decided to stay because we live it so much. I'm reminded daily of God's beauty (I have a great view of the mountains--Pike's Peak). It's a beautiful place and of all the places we could have gone, we chose to stay here. We plan to be in the house we're building for at least 10 years, hopefully longer.
If there's anything else you want to know, post or shoot me an email. cathyliz at bigfoot dot com

By Boxzgrl on Tuesday, January 3, 2006 - 10:04 pm:

Thanks for the info so far. I'll do some more reading online.

Karen- Not yet. We're contemplating ideas for if DH gets out of the military. We'd kinda like to leave CA and live somewhere more family oriented and somewhere where you get more for your money.