Where should I move?

Question

I love mountains. Like CA but is way to expensive and weird.
I don't like rain, so, no Oregon. Wyoming really does not have too much to offer when it comes to jobs. Arizona is too hot. I live in this flat Chicago area, and I really hate it. I was thinking of Colorado lately, but I don't know what region is the best when it comes to mountains+jobs...My husband does heating and cooling, so he would be O.K. there, I guess. What do you think of Colorado, if anything?

Answer 1

Colorado is an excellent place to live and work (although I can't say it doesn't have its "weird" moments, but that's what I love about it!) I can't imagine that it would be difficult to find jobs in HVAC with all the construction that goes on here, especially around the bigger cities of Denver, Colorado Springs and Ft. Collins. The weather is totally awesome all year-round, the cost of living is much less than CA and the scenery can't be beat. The people are very friendly (versus East Coast where I'm from). You'd do well to investigate job opportunities first via www.monster.com or the online classifieds of the Denver Post.

Answer 2

If you love mountains, you would love Colorado. There are jobs up in the mountains but only in certain industries, mainly tourism. For jobs, I would recommend Denver or Colorado Springs. We live in Denver and we have a nice view of the mountains. It would take us about 1 1/2 to 2 hours to actually be up in the mountain resort areas. There are a lot of things to like about Colorado, people are pretty friendly, and if you're moving from Chicago, the cost of living is probably a little bit lower. If you like outdoorsy stuff, there are a lot of things to do. Definitely visit first, some people have a hard time adjusting to the altitude and how dry it is here. It's also very sunny (about 300 days a year) and we were surprised to find it snowed less in winter than we expected (the mountains get most of the snow) and how hot it can be in summer (it's already hit the 90s several times this year).

Answer 3

Do you want to live in the mountains, or just nearby? Being in the HVAC industry, your husband will have an easier time of finding a job in one of the major metro areas, IE, Denver, Colorado Springs, Fort Collins, Grand Junction, and Peublo.

Depending upon where you live in CA and where you move to in CO, cost of living could be less, more or about the same, so don't automatically think it will be cheaper - unless you're coming from Beverly Hills.

Best advice I can give being a CO native, and former CA resident - visit four times first - once for every season - because Colorado has four distinct seasons, unlike the two most of CA has - Hot and Wet. And remember, if you don't like the weather in CO, wait a day, it will change.

Also consider Reno NV - climate wise it is ranked very similar to Denver.

Answer 4

I didn't have the best experience in Colorado, and neither did a friend of mine. The cost of living there is also higher than expected and the people were not quite so friendly. That is a limited experience though.Pittsburgh, PA has hills/ mountains and is pretty and decent in the socio-economic area. Wisconsin is also a scenic area and surprisingly as cultured as Chicago. I am heavily considering Eastern Massachussetts and Portland, OR. I know you don't like the rain though. Sacramento, California is better cost of living . One of my FAVORITES is Albuquerque, New Mexico....it is high desert, so not too hot or too cold, has mountains and scenery. Not too much rain and moderate climate and cost of living is also reasonable; especially for rent and real estate. Good luck to you both!

Answer 5

Well, if you like mountains and not alot of rain i would say Colorado. My relatives live there and i have traveled there numerous of times and it is beautiful. If you're looking for a town close to the mountains but, not too close try looking in Littleton. It's a very nice town and the schooling is pretty good. I would say for jobwise, it's good there is many jobs they have to offer. When I go there my aunts house is in a perfect neighborhood great for kids, if you have any, and there is much to do. In the winterthey have skiing and snowboarding down the beautiful, Rocky Mountains. ANd in the summer you can chill out by the pools and water parks and go up to go sight seeing up high in the Rockies. If you have ANY questions just contact me, at [e-mail] and I will gladly answer them.

Answer 6

I lived in Durango, CO back in the 80's and thoroughly enjoyed the outdoors there. It's located in the SW part of the state and pretty small tourist town with skiing, golf, hot spring baths, hiking, horse back riding, fishing, hunting, hang gliding...
The area has beautiful four seasons and the fall colors are spectacular. There's a great narrow gage steam train that takes you up the mountain to Silver Springs and it's quite an experience.
Even if you find the pace too slow, you have to get out there and visit either summer or winter

Answer 7

I lived in Durango, Colorado and it was absolutely fantastic. If you can stand the winters that you get in the Rocky Mountains, I think you should really check that town out. It has a good college there, so you get the laid back, but progressive attitude from the college kids. I just can't say enough good about the town. We're just not there now because of all the snow, and as we're getting older, it was just a bit much of snow shoveling for us.

Answer 8

We live in Colorado, north of Denver. It's nice because we are an hour drive from denver, a 45minute drive from the mountain, and an hour drive from Wyoming. We have the best of everything here, if you have any questions that I may be able to answer about Colorado, e-mail me :)

Answer 9

I like it just fine. Another place to consider is New Mexico. Also Arizona is fine if you live in the mountains around Flagstaff, at least in terms of not being too hot. What other considerations? Big city? Then you probably want to be in Denver. If you prefer small cities/towns then there are lots to choose from.

Answer 10

Can you afford Sante Fe, NM? True, it's desert but it doesn't get really hot there and the shopping is marvelous. It's one of my favorite places. Colorado is nice though. Too much snow for me.And I am a native of Chicago.
What about Reno, NV? Nice there too. Short drive to Lake Tahoe.