Need help narrowing down an area in CO... (Denver, Fort Collins: ski resorts, homes)

[mes3fils]

Hi,
We are going to relocate 'somewhere' when my husband retires from being a police sgt...in less than 4yrs. We are interested in CO as one of our possible choices.

Here is what we are looking for in a place to live:

more to the west side of Denver I guess(?) where it's less flat
good schools (our two smallest will be entering elem school at that time)
mtn views/skiing within less than 45min away
moderate snow each year
outdoor activities
~2000sf home w/basement for under $300k in a neighborhood
closeby to restaurants, shopping, movies etc.

I guess maybe a 'valley-like' area, if there are any???

Thanks a lot!!!

[tfox]

It sounds like you want to be in the foothills or mountains, if you want something that's "less flat" and moderate snow doesn't bother you. Morisson and Golden both have "valley-like" settings and are both on the edge of the foothills. Evergreen is in the foothills/mountains and also has a valley like setting, and is commutable to Denver, but only barely. Beyond that you probably can't commute.

I think Evergreen is probably more what you're picturing, but Morisson and Golden will both be closer.

You have a couple of problems getting what you want, however:

Unfortunately, being with "45 minutes" of a ski resort is hard to do. On a great day with no traffic (which is rare), you can't get to the ski resorts in less than an hour from the western suburbs of Denver. The two exceptions would be Loveland (at the divide on the tunnel), and Eldora, which is just west of Boulder. Loveland is about 15-20 minutes closer to Denver than the other resorts, but on the same congested i-70 road. Eldora is not on i-70 and is much closer than the other ones, but is a little small. If your primary interest is in terrain parks, there is a terrain park in Evergreen that just opened this season.

Also, foothills communities tend to be a bit more expensive. You will be able to find a 2000 SF place in Evergreen for about 300k, but it will be hard -- single family homes start around that price and go up well into the millions from there.

[mes3fils]

What features of the following requirements does Ft. Collins fill? Please be specific in the ones it does and does not cater to....

Here is what we are looking for in a place to move to:

more to the west side of Denver I guess(?) where it's less flat
good schools (our two smallest will be entering elem school at that time)
mtn views/skiing within less than 45min away
moderate snow each year
outdoor activities
~2000sf home w/basement for under $300k in a neighborhood
closeby to restaurants, shopping, movies etc.

I guess maybe a 'valley-like' area, what type of geography does Ft. Collins have?

Thanks.

[tao]

I don't know much about Fort Collins, but you can find homes that meet your criteria in Superior, Louisville, and Broomfield.