talk to me about Colorado

[mtemm]

there is a chance dh may be transfered there...not sure exactly where, he would have the state as part of his territory so may be very flexible. I visited colorado as a child but don't really know anything about it. would love to hear pros and cons. if it makes a difference I am a sahm and have 3 kids...11 month old twins and a 3 year old. would like some place not too off the beaten bath, family friendly, low crime, fun things to do, etc.

 

[jellymanoffspring]

My sister lived in a nice town north of Denver called "northglen"

My brother has liver there for many years in Denver....he loves it!

 

[Microcell]

Denver has Casa Bonita!! There look like there are good neighborhoods there. It is like any metro. It is located on flat land and the mountains are within view (on non smoggy days) and maybe a 10 minute drive from downtown. The mountains are BEAUTIFUL!!! The mountains are west of town. Cherry Creek is a nice area I think the actual name of the subarb there is Aroura. I have not been there for 4 years, so I don't know if new areas might be better.

30 Minutes from Denver is Boulder- very college towny. Surrounded by mountains. Where Jon Benet Ramsey lived. Close to Estes Park, which is a fun area.

I also like Colorado Springs area as well, though it is a medium sized town (maybe 100,000 people at the most). It has Pikes peak. Near Loveland, which also looks like a nice town, but the High School is Colombine.

That area is always my favorite. Probably when you get there from Kansas it is breathtaking! The first 1/3 of Colorado is flatter than Kansas. Places to look would be Denver or west of Denver.

 

[jellymanoffspring]

Microcell...I love Casa Bonita!! Sadly I have not been there in MANY years!!

When we first went there and then came back east we used to talk about where we could open one up in NJ!!

HEY WDW could use a Casa Bonita!! can you imagine if they has a "cliff diver" in the Mexico EPCOT .......too cool!!

 

[Microcell]

I heard they are closing soon, if they have not already! I need to look it up, because I want to go to Denver this June to go there! They do need one in Epcot! Here is the Website: http://www.casabonitadenver.com/index.htm

Oh and about the Colorado Springs area, if you want to live near there they have The North Pole amusement park which is soo much fun for the young kids. They even get to touch the North Pole itself!!! There are many santa themed things there. It is at the bottom of Pikes Peak.

 

[G00fyDad]

Colorado is just breathtaking! I lived in Boulder, Denver, Loveland, LaPorte, and Fort Collins. I loved Fort Collins the most. Boulder was too full of Tofu eating college kids, Denver was WAY too huge. Loveland was kinda boring. LaPorte was too small. Fort Collins though was just right. Smaller than a big city, and lots to do. I especially liked the area around Horsetooth Resevior. If you get a chance you have got to go to that Casa Bonita! It is one of the coolest resteraunts that I have ever been to. If I remember correctly (14 years ago) it is 3 stories tall and has a cliff diver in the middle.

 

[DemonLlama]

My parents just moved to Colorado Springs. Their view includes the Garden of the Gods. We are going next Friday for the week of Spring Break and I can't wait. New to the area, they probably haven't heard of the North Pole park, but now I have! Thanks!

 

[G00fyDad]

Casa Bonita

 

[jellymanoffspring]

I heard they are closing soon, if they have not already! I need to look it up, because I want to go to Denver this June to go there! They do need one in Epcot!

.

Oh thats too bad if it closed..lots of fun!

In Colorado Springs Area .."The Garden of the gods" great hiking!

IF the OP wants to ask about any specfic area..I can pass the questions on to my Brother ...just mail me

 

[Microcell]

My parents just moved to Colorado Springs. Their view includes the Garden of the Gods. We are going next Friday for the week of Spring Break and I can't wait. New to the area, they probably haven't heard of the North Pole park, but now I have! Thanks!

The drive up Pikes Peak is not to be missed! On clear days you can see Kansas from the top! Our favorite thing to do is go up Pikes peak and throw snowballs in the middle of June!!! We take a couple of hours to get up there and stop along the way for the beautiful views. Then when we leave we go to the North Pole. It is a hit with the toddler to 6 year old crowd.

My MIL would kill me if I did'nt tell you that the drive up Pikes Peak can be scary at times, so use your gears to break so the brakes don't heat up. The switchbacks are the most scary and the lack of guard rails and paved road the last 2/3 of the way up!!! The road is very wide though, and heck they have a race up it every year!

 

[Sandy V.]

I live just north of the Air Force Academy between Colorado Springs and Denver. We've been here for 20 years and love it. If you have any specific questions, please feel free to pm me.

Pros:
Lots of things to do (sporting events, concerts, museums, etc.)
Great recreational opportunities
Low humidity
Sunny weather most of the time
Educated population
Lots of folks from all over; interesting people with varied backgrounds
Good school systems in general

Cons:
Housing and overall cost of living is higher than many other places throughout the country

 

[eeyore25]

I have lived in Colorado all my life (26 years) and I love it. I was born in Grand Junction, love that town. I then moved to Thornton, just a little ways from Northglenn and now I live in Brighton. I love living north (25 miles) of Denver. I am out of the way of the big city, but close enough to go to the big city, if that makes any sense. I would say just about anywhere in Colorado is good. I like living where I do because of the mountains. For just a short day trip to the mountains, we go to Boulder and that is not far at all.

If you have any questions, please feel free to email me or pm em. I can get you any info you need on Colorado and if I can't I can find something/someone that will.

Jamie

 

[AuntieM03]

I decided to try living somewhere other than California & ended up in Ft Collins. I loved it. If it weren't for missing my family I would probably still live there. It was close to Wyoming, and the weather was generally mild. I had never driven in snow so that was a challenge, but luckily it didn't snow alot.

 

[Pooh_Friend#1]

Okay I must have lived here too long and have taken advantage of Casa Bonita, because the food there is absolutely horrible nasty, microwave dinners!! But the atmosphere is so much fun. It has not closed yet, and I haven't heard any rumors about it closing until now. I was just there a few months ago and it was up and running. I guess I have a problem with Casa Bonita because my best friend worked there in High School and she told me MANY MANY nasty stories!!!

Obviously I am partial to CO because I have lived here my whole life, but I love it. I would say my 3 top areas to live outside the city (but not too far) is Highlands Ranch, Parker, and Castle Rock (all close to Denver and the DTC). The areas are newly developed so houses are a lot cheaper and are close to the foothills. I live in Littleton and will probably stay here because I work at the Fed Center in Lakewood.

On the weekends in the summertime I go down to CO Springs a lot. They have Cheyenne Mountain Zoo, 7 Falls, North Pole, Olympic training center, mining museums, lots and lots more. Some attractions in Denver is Water World, Coors Field, Pepsi Center, Invesco Field, Childrens Museum, Denver Zoo, Art Museums, Natural History Museums, Molly Brown House, the Auquarium, 6 Flags Elitche Gardens. There is tons to do here.

 

[Pooh_Friend#1]

Sandy V - Do you live in Monument, CO?

 

[Rajah]

Okay, since I'm interested in CO as well (looking at maybe moving in about 5 years), what are some places near the mountains that don't have snow 5+ months out of the year? Even better, that only get a little snow or a dusting of snow, but are within a few hours' drive of the mountains?

 

[Sandy V.]

Pooh_Friend#1 - I live right next door in Palmer Lake. Right in the foothills.

When the Air Force Thunderbirds do their flyovers for games and graduation, they fly right over my house!

Rajah, one of the common misconceptions about Colorado is that were hit constantly with snow all winter long. Actually, while we do have our "dumpers" from time to time, most of the time you can see some bare ground. Our "worst" months for snow are February and March most of the time. Of course, because of the elevation, the ski areas do get a lot more of the white stuff. But that's a good thing here - we like it when they get snow because of the tourists and the boost to the economy.

As far as just getting "dustings" and being only a few hours away from the mountains, Pueblo would fit the bill. But I like personally like Denver, Colorado Springs, Ft. Collins, Boulder, Loveland, Longmont, and other Front Range areas better. Ft. Collins is probably my favorite.

I also forgot to mention in my other post that another "con" is traffic. The I-25 corridor from Colorado Springs to Ft. Collins can be BRUTAL to drive. Just a small price to pay for living here.

 

[Rajah]

Define "Brutal"?

Ever been to Houston? How does that compare?

Thanks Sandy. My main familiarity with Colorado is the Durango / Silverton / Pagosa Springs / Telluride area, and those definitely get snow.

 

[momsully]

I am originally from Massachusetts but my husband and I have been in Colorado for 12 years. We have a 5 year old and 3 year old.

We live in Highlands Ranch which is south of Denver but only 1.5 hour drive from our favorite ski resort. While I work full time my neighborhood has a large number of stay at home moms. It is a family friendly area with good schools.

Sandy V. is right the weather in the metro Denver area is beautiful. While it may snow in the mountains it is sunny and 54 degrees today.

Feel free to email me with any specific questions.

 

[Mary Ellen]

We live just south of the Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs (pop. abt 320,000 NOT 100,000). Not too big nor too small. Plus Denver is only about 45 minutes away if we're looking for something there. Our local airport has nonstops to Denver, Dallas, Houston, St. Louis, Chicago, Salt Lake City, Las Vegas, Phoenix, Atlanta.... (those are just off the top of my head - places I've flown to). The Denver airport is about 1.5 hours away, but we rarely bother driving there. The cost of living is close to the national average, more expensive than many places, but also less expensive than many other places [duh].

We prefer the weather here to that in Denver - we get much less snow. About 250 days of sunshine and only 15-16" of precipitation/year and low humidity. The school district (Academy #20) where we live is one of the top in the state according to the rankings we see in the papers (Springs and Denver papers).

Anyway, the Springs has several web sites, Official City site and Convention and Visitors Bureau site.

Compared to other parts of the country, I-25 (outside of Denver) is NOT brutal. Like I said, it is only about 45 minutes from the north end of the Springs to south Denver.