Hi! My husband and I are wanting out of the South (we're in Charlotte, NC)! We've decided on CO but aren't sure where to start looking to choose a city...I'm a real estate agent and he's a computer programmer/software engineer so jobs won't really be too hard to find. Just need some guidance as to where to start looking! We love the mountains and water views. We were looking at the New England part of the country but decided that we like CO views better and know a few people that live there. If you have any advice on where (or even where I should look for more advice), please email me or reply! Thanks and have a great day!

I think the advice would be the same as you got for New England--find a job and look at the city. I don't think the economy in CO is exactly robust either. What are you escaping from in Charlotte?

Not escaping anything...just want more scenery!

If you are really moving for more scenery, you need to be more adventurous. If you don't have kids, pick up and go. Anyone who needs to ask all these questions should probably stay put.

What city IS an important question to ask. I wouldn't consider a move to Colorado until at least one of you has a job.

Colorado Springs and the Denver area are your best bets for high tech work. My husband is a high tech person and it took him 2 or 3 years to find a job in Durango. The other consideration for someone in high tech work is proximity to an airport hub. From Durango, we connect through Denver on United, or Phoenix on America West. This drives our costs up, because we are a captive audience, so to speak. Often, we drive 3.5 hours to Albuquerque to fly Southwest.

In Durango, there are a lot of realtors, and it is hard to break into the business here. It is worth some research to find an area that has a lower number of realtors per capita, but still has adequate growth for a realtor to stay busy.

We moved to Durango 7 years ago from Houston, and our house payment more than doubled while our income was cut in half. If we had known we would be making the move, we would have saved for around 5 years beforehand. It took us a couple of years to feel like we were secure enough to stay here. A joke in Durango is that people here either have no job and live in a huge house, or they have 3 jobs, 2 roommates, and live in a trailer.

When we were moving, I bought a book called the Colorado Newcomers' Guide, or something similar. It was quite helpful.

Why anyone would consider a move to another place based on advice from a travel website is beyond me. Everyone loves their place. That's why they live there. People should move for job opportunities, because they love the climate, because they have family, or because they are adventurous. Unless they are asking specific questions about a place, I don't understand these questions.

Thanks travellyn! Yeah, we're not going to actually move until he has a job where ever...I have also been in finance/banking for a few years so I can get a job pretty quick doing that if i need to. On some sites, I've found that the cost of living in certain places in CO aren't too much more than ehre in Charlotte... I'll check into that newcomer's guide too...Thanks again for all your help!

Triskele, I think you are smart to ask these questions. Typically the folks who respond on the Colorado "section" are pretty helpful.

As to the Mountain and Water views well water is hard to come by in Colorado. To be close to Denver and jobs the Genesee area is nice. Further west to the mountains jobs become very hard to find. There are many people with advanced degrees working for 10.00 a hour. Unless you and your husband can telecommute you will need to be in one of the bigger cities. I for one am not a fan of Colorado Springs, much to conservative for me.
I topped a thread from a while back on moving to Denver.

Not trying to dissuade you from a move, because we moved here from California and really like it, but there ARE some harsh realities in this state. Guess that's why it's still fairly pristine.

Computer tech people are a dime a dozen here, lots of jobs that have gone overseas or just been eliminated. The real estate market is overdue for a bust, as the price of the average home in Denver is almost $300,000, far out of reach for most average families. Our neighborhood is full of neighbors trying to sell their homes for inflated amounts, but the people who can afford 500k+ can afford to go build anywhere they like. No takers.

According to the Denver Post, the number one employer in Colorado is ...Walmart.

And get ready for sticker shock in the supermarket. It kills me to shop in Denver.

We have lived in Denver since 1979 and love it here. But, the job market is really tight and housing is really expensive. Having said that, if you're prepared for those two factors, Colorado is a great place to live. The weather is much milder than most peole think and the mountains are such a short drive away (although the roads can get really jammed). We live in historic Denver, which we prefer to suburbia (where it feels like Anytown, USA). There are still some beautiful old Victorian homes to be purchased and refurbished, but even they aren't cheap because they're close to downtown. The southern part of Denver is all new, chain stores, etc. Yech. It's cheaper to buy houses there, but you get what you pay for. And, while Genesee and Evergreen are pretty, the daily commute would be a killer if you're working in the city. Boulder is beautiful, but very much a college town and quite expensive housing. I agree that Colorado Springs is nothing much. You might take a look at central Denver neighborhoods-- Botanic Gardens, Country Club ($$$$), Hilltop, Montclair, Crestmoor, Park Hill (has a lot of fixer-uppers), Capital Hill (can be iffy).

Thanks again for all the insight! We're planning on visiting a few cities soon to get some ideas. Planning on moving in about a year so that we can sell our house here, look into how the job market is going, etc. in CO. All of you have been VERY helpful! Thanks!

I've lived in Denver for 10 years and like it very much. However, I must agree with what others have said about the job/housing market, grim at best.

I lived in Colorado Springs when I first moved to Colorado for about 3 years and unless you're a right-wing religious fundamentalist, skip it.

As far as water views, as we are landlocked; forget about that too. If you love the mountains, low humidity and the change of seasons, you'll probably love it.

DO line up jobs first!

Good luck!

I've lived in Colorado for 16 years--grew up in the Midwest--and love it; wouldn't live anywhere else. We're in the Ken Caryl area--southwest suburbs--and like being so close to the foothills. The average price home may be $300,000 as one poster said, but the median is a better indicator of affordability since a few high-end homes can really raise the average. Still, the median price has risen to around $240,000. About $155,000 for a condo. Boulder is in a beautiful setting but more expensive and very liberal, which may or may not appeal to you. Colorado Springs is in a beautiful setting too and less expensive, and also very conservative. You might want to consider Fort Collins or Loveland if you like something smaller. May be a little less expensive for housing, but not much. Good luck!

Sue