Atlanta to Colorado? Where in CO? (Denver, Colorado Springs: house, subdivision, allergies)

[1899]

Im a single male, no kids, working in a government IT position in Metro Atlanta. I love the outdoors and the scenery, primarily jetskiing. id like to have a try at a snow mobile, but no snow here. I need a place I can have some space, atleast a couple of acres, to work on cars, boats, etc. not too far from a major government job source. Right now, here in GA housing for me is around 150K for a 3BR/2BA if you look hard enough. I have horrible allergies, to the point my doctor is thinking of putting me on shots. Pollution is horrible here. He says CO is much better for allergies, so I looked into it. CO seems to be great for learning new outdoor activites. All people here in Atlanta do is mostly Football and Basketball and im not into that. Where in CO would be a good fit? Or am i priced out?

[jazzlover]

Short answer, for a couple of acres and a house near the major metro areas with larger agency government employment, you're probably priced out. A typical 3BR 2BA house in a suburban subdivision will be $200K to $250K plus, with little land. Add acreage and the price goes up fast.

You might check out Cheyenne, WY. It's a small city of around 55,000, is the state capital (with a lot of state IT), and still has relatively reasonably priced housing. Salaries aren't as high as the Front Range, but living costs are a little lower, and there is no state income tax.

Cheyenne sits at 6,200 feet elevation, has a relatively dry (albeit windy) climate, and cool pleasant summers. It's only 45 miles from Fort Collins and about a 100 from Denver. The National Center for Atmospheric Research out of Boulder (NCAR) is going to be building a super-computing center in Cheyenne in the next 12 to 24 months, too.

[tfox]

I live in Denver, and acreage is not all that common in Metro Denver, and where it does exist it is very expensive. If I were you, I'd focus on Colorado Springs area -- there's a lot of defense/federal jobs down there (though salaries can be lower), the housing is much cheaper than Denver, and acreage is more common.

[Rawlings]

Sorry, dude, but you're priced out. You need at least 200K to find what 3 bed/3 bath. And even then it's tough to find a nice area for that price...at least in metro Denver.

It's great if you're into outdoorsy stuff. But it isn't like everybody here is obsessed with the outdoors or anything. My experience is that Coloradans are more active and outdoorsy than other states, but it isn't as much as you may think. In other words, don't just come here for the outdoors lifestyle because you can just as easily find that in any other city and state.

Ironically, my parents are now in the process of moving from rural Colorado to Atlanta. My dad found a better paying job and he's been able to upgrade his housing by nearly 1000 square feet and he's only paying a little more than what he paid here. My parents love Atlanta.

My point is only that most folks live the same sort of life they do in Georgia--we work, get married, raise our kids, go to church, go out to eat, etc. We certainly ski a little more and hike a little more--but fundamentally I think you might be surprised how similar Atlanta and Denver are for sportsmen.

[1899]

Point taken. Ive always said that a little of everything is available in GA. Just trying to see what options are availible, now that im on my own with little responsibilities other than a mortgage, I mean ive lived here all my life.