Commute from Fort Collins to Laramie? (Denver: apartment, depreciation, schools)

[sarahb777]

Hello, I am a NJ native. My husband has a potential job in Denver. I have been accepted into a graduate program at the University of Wyoming. We are thinking Fort Collins is a good in-between place to live. We don't mind around an hour commute each, but are worried about weather/traffic making our commute longer or unsafe. What will the commute be like for me (Fort collins to Laramie) and for him (Fort Collins to Denver)?
Thank you,
Sarah

[barefootmeg]

From Fort Collins to Laramie you need to worry about ice or snow covered roads in winter. From Fort Collins to Denver it's more of a traffic issue.

I know a gal that lives just north of Fort Collins and commutes to Laramie, but she has a friend's couch to crash on if she gets stuck in a snow storm up there.

Given the amount of snow we've gotten over the past two winters, it's probably not too much of a problem... unfortunately. We really need more moisture.

[bluescreen73]

The other thing to think about is 287 itself. Be it how the road is designed, the route it takes, stupid drivers, heavy semi traffic, or weather extremes that road is dangerous. The accident rate is consistent with other roads in the state but the likelihood of being killed is much higher.

[Mike from back east]

It's about 130 miles between Laramie and Denver. IMO to live at a halfway point and both of you drive a daily round-trip is a dreadful commute for both of you, at least an hour each way, at least.

Even splitting the commute at a halfway point, you'll each be driving 65 miles one way, or 130 miles round trip EACH and 260 miles daily for the two of you, and at 4 days per week (200 days per year), that's a minimum of 52,000 miles per year of driving.

Driving 260 miles per day at 26MPG burns ten gallons of gas per day. At $3.50 a gallon, that's $35.00 per day, or $175.00 per week, or $700 per month, or $8400.00 per year. Wear and tear (depreciation) plus routine maintenance on your car(s) is worth about 10-cents a mile, or more, so that's a minimum of $2600.00 of depreciation per year, per car.

I recommend you get an apartment in Laramie for that $700/month, or even less, and let him live near his work in Denver. See this query on CL.

Denver can be done as a car-free existence, look up that thread in the Denver Index, under transit.

You can spend your weekends with him in Denver, or vice versa every other weekend.

Your extra 2 to 2.5 hours per day can be spent studying, or you can wait tables a few nights a week to help pay for the apartment.

Commuting of that nature is dreadful but can be done for a short period.

[StealthRabbit]

Yeah, consider this ^^^^^ daily commute to Laramie would be an issue. Maybe a couple times / week at most (If you are studying and researching and need TIME to do that.) Living apart and taking 4 day weekends together would be preferred to dragging in every night at 8pm and leaving at 6am.

[vegaspilgrim]

Keep looking for more jobs/ schools. Fort Collins to Denver, during standard rush hour traffic will take 1hr30min minimum, possibly over 2 hours. Fort Collins to Laramie via US-287 is a dangerous highway, not something you want to do every day.

[zoonik]

Unfortunately everyone is spot on with their suggestions against your plan. There are no towns between Laramie and Ft Collins and that stretch of road has some of the fiercest, most unpredictable winter weather in the state. I've seen blizzard conditions and 287 closed, while I-25 to Cheyenne was dry and wide open. That commute is arduous at best and and dangerous at worst. I would live in Laramie or find a different school.

[Get Bit]

Go where the income is at. Can you not get into another graduate program? My wife works for CSU, but is also going through their online program for her MS as she travels a lot overseas,etc..

Live in Denver and go through the CSU Global University Program..

Here is the link..

CSU Global Campus

[Davros]

Listen to Mike from Back East. Splitting the difference by living in Fort Collins will just make life miserable for you both every day. Unfortunately, some time separated during the week while you two get your careers worked out seems like the best option.

[Davros]

Originally Posted by Get Bit

Go where the income is at. Can you not get into another graduate program? My wife works for CSU, but is also going through their online program for her MS as she travels a lot overseas,etc..

Live in Denver and go through the CSU Global University Program..

Here is the link..

CSU Global Campus

Sometimes, people in graduate school get a stipend, so it may be income as well.

If these two can stand some time apart, it may be worthwhile for both of them to focus on career for now.

Also, the husband has a potential job in Denver, so that isn't income yet. The grad program on the other hand she's already been accepted to, so she'd be turning down something that's already there for something that's only potentially there.