Considering moving to CO, planning a scouting trip (Denver, Colorado Springs: how much, new home)

[licadee]

Married with 2 boys under 3 yrs old, planning on homeschooling

VERY Into natural living/health

Lived in Chicago area our whole lives and SICK TO DEATH of the GMO corn and soybeans EVERYWHERE we look. Also sick of the non-diverse wildlife. Squirrels, birds and rabbits. *YAWN*

Husband is an electrician, I am a SAHM with a MS in environmental biology

Not really looking to be in a super populated area

Any suggestions for where to scope out when we vacation there this summer? Thanks so much!

[Dreaming of Hawaii]

Obviously you will need jobs if you move to Colorado. I suggest that you read through the many threads on the Colorado economy, especially those discussing where jobs are going to be more plentiful. There are some threads on living in the more rural areas of the state, too. You've got a wealth of information and opinions awaiting you.

[Arrby]

How much time do you have available? A weekend? A week? Weeks?

What is it about Colorado that attracts you, particularly? There are other mountain states: Idaho, Utah, Montana, etc.

What is "super populated"? Coming from Chicago, you may think Denver is suburban living.

To give you any useful suggestions we need some context.

[StealthRabbit]

Glenwood Springs, or Colorado Spings if you want something a bit bigger. (Front Range from Denver (CastleRock and north) is QUITE crowded and very smoggy / brown cloud.

I would suggest avoiding that if you are looking for CHANGE.

FWIW... I would consider doing some RESEARCH on moving to areas in NICE parts of Colorado that might have some PT positions within your Major (i.e. Glenwood Springs... Montrose, Gunnison, Durango, Alamosa...a few gigs / yr to supplement your 'travel / field trip' budget) We homeschooled and the 6-12 week field trips and living in International places, and on a NICE island in Canada were a few of the SMART and memorable things we did as Home School parents.

Couple other 'good ideas' was having our kids design and build their own NICE RURAL homes while in Jr High. (from scratch... including digging the holes and getting septic installer's license.) all electrical all plumbing... (I believe that kids are mostly DONE with formal EDU by age 12, and BOYS need to be BUSY with their hands while in Jr High). Consider moving to a state that pays for FREE college instead of High School if you pass an entrance exam. (Washington State did this for our kids). They learned some tremendously valuable skills. They were both tutors to adults, and had some wonderful professors. Their Photography prof was an ancient guy that was a previous war correspondent. This week I am enjoying excellently composed pics from a son who is now in NZ. I wish I knew 1/2 as much as my kids. (They taught me a lot.)

Also... consider AK, WY, and SD all which would be higher on my list (If I were in your position). MT and ID will do as well. (I was in Colorado for 25 yrs, and still am there several x / yr and love it, BUT... not the spot I would head if I had a choice and a young family. (and desired to find a new home, career, and happiness). It is really QUITE crowded and has a lot of pressure on freedom and recreation. (Political and population). It is targeted as a battleground state, which is WAY sad, as there will be contention till it sways to California / Left coast vote. (coming quickly). THEN... fiscal financial / social troubles follow.

[brown_dog_us]

What is your price range?

[licadee]

We will have about a week, so far.
Denver is too populated. We live in a suburb with 20,000 and it seems to be getting to big for our tastes.
Mountains and wildlife attract us to CO
Price range is VERY up in the air right now.

Thanks!

[licadee]

(Meant two weeks, not a week. And we will be going out more than once before we decide. Likely a few times)

[Arrby]

Since you are interested in the mountains, that leaves out everything east of I-25 - almost half the state. Even so, there would be an awful lot left to cover. With the time available, I would take a look at the Ft. Collins area, drop back down to I-70 through Rocky Mountain National Park and Granby, loop west and north on US 40 up to Craig, then back down to Grand Junction, Montrose, down to Durango (do NOT miss Mesa Verde!!), back over to Pagosa Springs and then back north on 285 to Buena Vista and US 24 east to Colorado Springs. You will want to vary this route significantly if you have job prospects in a particular area. With more time and repeat visits I would take in the Trinidad/Walsenburg area and definitely take a look at Canon City.

The traditional advice is to steer people to communities where there are the most jobs, but by definition these are all going to be larger cities. However, it is also true that you do not need lots of jobs, just one. I would suggest you begin by looking into employment possibilities and then spend your time looking at those communities.

Another approach is to look at some of the smaller communities within commuting distance of the larger population centers. For example, Palmer Lake, Black Forrest, Woodland Park, and Penrose near Colorado Springs. Or perhaps one of the unincorporated areas near Ft. Collins. The problem which must be faced is that taking a job in, say Rifle (to pick a smaller community at random), means that if that particular job does not pan out you will likely have to move.

But I would not limit myself to just Colorado.

Finally, the mountain towns in the summer are not the same in winter. Days are short, cold is intense, outdoor activities become limited or even dangerous. Some (Ouray, Leadville) change rather dramatically. Others (Canon City, Durango) not as much.