Relocation Windsor vs Wellington (Denver, Fort Collins: transplants, for sale, real estate)

[4Williams]

Hello,
We are a family of 4 and have 4 dogs currently in Southern California. We visited Loveland, Ft. Collins and Wellington. We love Loveland and especially Wellington because the town is small and quaint. I am very nervous on relocating. We are worried on work for my husband also. We have 2 children daughter 7 and a son 6. Any advice on schools and neighborhoods for a safe environment for my family?

[tfox]

Originally Posted by 4Williams

Hello,
We are a family of 4 and have 4 dogs currently in Southern California. We visited Loveland, Ft. Collins and Wellington. We love Loveland and especially Wellington because the town is small and quaint. I am very nervous on relocating. We are worried on work for my husband also. We have 2 children daughter 7 and a son 6. Any advice on schools and neighborhoods for a safe environment for my family?

Don't worry about safety. There's virtually no crime in Fort Collins, Loveland, Windsor, or Wellington at all. It's a very safe place for families. What little crime there is in the area tends to be your student/alcohol related stuff near CSU.

As for jobs, the area has a fair number of jobs but they tend to not pay as well as the Denver metro area or even the Boulder area. That's one reason why a lot of people commute south, something I would NOT recommend. Fortunately, cost of living in Northern Colorado is somewhat lower than the Denver area to partially compensate.

As for Windsor versus Wellington, the two towns are similar in that they are both are farming/ranching towns turned into bedroom communities. However, Windsor has for reasons I can't fathom been labeled "high end" with high prices to match. It's a nice enough community, but I can't understand why it's priced higher than Fort Collins or Loveland. Wellington, on the other hand, is considerably cheaper than Fort Collins and the rest of the area due to its remote location -- you'll almost certainly have to commute to at least Fort Collins for work and most of your shopping as well. Not only is housing cheap, but land is cheap too -- so if you like the idea of lots of land, it might be the way to go.

[StealthRabbit]

maybe consider Severance, Timnath or Berthoud, as your employment and commute will probably be reasonable, as well as costs and quality of life.

I have no idea how Windsor ended up in the 'High-end'

Having just returned from my 're-relocation' search trip to the area I am very concerned that the region is overbuilt (and still building at a very fast pace), especially industrial / commercial. 'The Group' publishes a real estate info sheet (vital signs) and shows some alarming trends for vacancies (for an investor). I doubt there will be a huge decline in values, but.... I can see stuff sitting vacant and for sale for a VERY long time. I survived 2 previous Real estate downturns in Co, but what concerns me is the loss of substantial 'skilled / high pay / long career companies, (Kodak. IBM, HP, Teledyne, Samsonite...) and a focus on 'Affluensa' (buy and Buy, and accumulate) but limited employment, especially for the previous high pay and security.

Could be a long winter, Buy wisely

[whymsy2008]

Oh my God, to whoever posted the first reply. There are VERY obvious reasons Windsor has it over Wellington. For one, people take pride in their homes in Windsor. Few and far between seem to do that in Wellington! Go down a few of the streets and you'll catch on fast. People are far dirtier in Wellington. Take it from me, having been born in Fort Collins,and unfortunately raised in Wellington, I know a thing or two about it. Windsor is a decent, well-run town. I know people there are pleased and RELIEVED to have moved out of Wellington. Wellington has a bad reputation, and deservedly so. The town government does a poor job, and petty things go on within it. And why on Earth are all of you transplants from California gravitating to Colorado?! No offense, but you are destroying Colorado.

[oregongary]

Are there any apartments in Wellington? I am moving from Oregon and will be commuting to Cheyenne.
Thanks, Gary