I want to move to Colorado, but I have no idea where I should live.

[Idunn]

The picture changes if you intend to spend the first year in Colorado towards residency, and just enjoying it. Unless in love with city life, there are few reasons not to be in the mountains with easiest access to outdoor activities.

One caution to such an approach is that the job market is obviously largest along the front range. However that may not be much of a plus for someone not yet out of school, and not yet seeking a career. On the other hand, for more seasonal and informal work living in the mountains might even be a benefit, as many employers expect a more laissez-faire approach.

There are a number of places you might try this. One could be Durango, which if not a ski town, is still in a beautiful area with ready access to the ski areas of Purgatory and Silverton Mountain. Also, if you would eventually consider as much, perhaps at first, Fort Lewis College.

But for a plethora of outdoor activities you would be hard pressed to do better than Summit County. Within the southern portion of this small county are such towns as Dillon, Silverthorne, Frisco, Breckenridge, and more dedicated ski resorts of Copper Mountain and Keystone. All of them above 9,000 feet. Count on plenty of snow and cold. Aside from the ski areas of Copper Mountain, Keystone and Breckenridge, also iconic A-Basin. Not to mention just on the far side of Loveland Pass, the Loveland Ski Area. Or, not all that far to the west on the far side of Vail Pass, renowned Vail. All this as a sampler of what lies farther beyond. But the point that just within the close proximity of Summit County there is no shortage of great options in skiing. Then of course biking, hiking, kayaking, and all the other things that so many up there are into.

As one downside, expect housing to be expensive, not all that easy to secure on a limited budget, and likely less than ideal on such a budget as well. But a lot of people make it happen, for at least a season or two. Keep in mind, too, that places such as Keystone at least used to offer decent employee housing at a relative bargain.

The better time to move to such an area would be in late spring towards some type of summer employment, or possibly even more easily arriving in late summer towards winter employment with one of the ski resorts. Many of the positions will not pay all that much, but you might even save some money if your lodging arrangements are decent. Not to mention that a lot of these jobs come with the big bonus of a free season pass towards skiing. Probably more than any formal resumé or anything, the important thing would be to show up willing and able to work, and in a timely fashion. That means before October/November when one might just find a few crumbs or odd vacancy left.

If not unique in this, one other benefit of Summit County is their excellent and free shuttle bus service running between all popular places. It would not be hard to, and if living near one of these routes then one really could dispense with private transportation. It would still be nice to have one's own car, but possible to do without.

Many people dream of living in the Colorado mountains. Most of them only get as far as Denver or somewhere else along the front range. Assuming they even get as far as Colorado to begin with. But some few actually do realize this, maybe for a lifetime. Some others manage this for only a season or so, and maybe all intended. If the chance to do so, and not much reason not to, then in years to come one might wonder why they never did - assuming that unfortunate reality.

Besides which, after a year in the mountains school might have a whole new perspective.

[caringkatie00]

I recommend Lakewood, CO. I love it here! Majority of the area is nice warming. Lots of parks close to the Mountains about a 30 minute drive! About a 20 minute drive to down town depending on time of day! I have lived here my whole life and have loved it! I have also visited Grand Junction! Love it out there as well for country living! Famous for palisade peaches and grape winery! Cheaper place than Denver Tech Center! Mesa State College in Grand Junction is an awesome college as well.

[Skifreak189]

Samdarland, when I was 18, I packed up my stuff and moved out here after finishing one year of college with the same intention to make Colorado my permanent home and finish school out here. I spent a year up in the mountains working at A-Basin and am now 21 starting my junior year at Colorado State University in Fort Collins, CO, so I have been there and "done that" and am "doing it." Take it from me, simply moving here, living here for a year and getting your drivers' license changed [i]will not[i] get you in-state tuition. Under state law you are not "qualified" to establish your own domicile until you are 23 years of age unless your parents live here or you are "emancipated" meaning you pay all your own bills without any financial support from your parents, including paying for tuition. This was the only path left open to me and I am now working 40+ hours a week on top of a 16 credit hour load. The state law regarding this can be found here Prospective or Current Student - Colorado Higher Education Residency Guide. Click under the "qualified persons" link to see what I'm talking about. Can it be done? Yes, but only if you are willing to pay the price in long hard nights of work, lack of a social life due to work, and spending every free minute you have studying. Looking back, I would have chosen to finish at Tennessee Technologial University and [i]then[i] moved out here. However, only you can make the choice, just have all the facts presented before you make the choice so that you aren't setting yourself up for a massive disappointment.

[Luvs2Trvl]

What about School of Mines in Golden? They just had a news story on 9News about how in demand their graduates are (focus was mostly on mining though). They said they have an annual career fair which sold out 2 months before the event and 2/3rds of companies were from Mining and Energy Sectors. Not sure what your focus would be in Enviornmental Science but they offer it at School of Mines. Golden fits your description from being a smaller town but still very close to Denver and Boulder for concerts and city nightlife. It's also right at the base of the mountains and you have easy access to tons of skiing, hiking, etc... Because it's so close to other areas you wouldn't be limited to finding a job just in Golden. Looks like apartments in the immediate area are around $675 and up. Not sure how much you want to spend on tuition though. They list estimated IN STATE Tuition costs for 2011/2012 as $26,075 BUT this includes Room and Board, books and other fees/expenses. Out of state is almost double that so definitely best to work for a year.

CSU in Ft. Collins is also a nice college town but further from Denver area. CSU is estimated at $20,926 year with room and board as IN STATE Tuition.

[CosmicWizard]

samdarland wrote:

I want to move to Colorado, but I have no idea where I should live.

There is no place you SHOULD live. You have the freedom to live wherever you choose to live.

[jazzlover]

Originally Posted by Luvs2Trvl

What about School of Mines in Golden? They just had a news story on 9News about how in demand their graduates are (focus was mostly on mining though). They said they have an annual career fair which sold out 2 months before the event and 2/3rds of companies were from Mining and Energy Sectors. Not sure what your focus would be in Enviornmental Science but they offer it at School of Mines. Golden fits your description from being a smaller town but still very close to Denver and Boulder for concerts and city nightlife. It's also right at the base of the mountains and you have easy access to tons of skiing, hiking, etc... Because it's so close to other areas you wouldn't be limited to finding a job just in Golden. Looks like apartments in the immediate area are around $675 and up. Not sure how much you want to spend on tuition though. They list estimated IN STATE Tuition costs for 2011/2012 as $26,075 BUT this includes Room and Board, books and other fees/expenses. Out of state is almost double that so definitely best to work for a year.

CSU in Ft. Collins is also a nice college town but further from Denver area. CSU is estimated at $20,926 year with room and board as IN STATE Tuition.

Getting accepted to Mines is no easy feat, though, and any non-serious student--that is, anyone whose priorties tend toward going skiing, enjoying recreation, etc.--is damned likely to flunk out. There is a reason that Mines graduates are so highly in demand--employers know just how hard it is to get a degree from there.

[BayAreaHillbilly]

RE: Getting experience in environmental science.

Ohio probably has 100X as many Superfund sites as CO. Brownfield mitigation is huge. Why leave Ohio?