Posted by Jason Smith on April 27, 2006 at 11:02 PM
I'm going to make the move from the east coast (currently Raleigh, but also Charleston SC, and Florida) to Colorado. I am researching various places in Colorado to move to but I could really use first hand opinions of areas before I can settle on a location. I work for an ecotourism company and, thus, I am in and out of the country often. As a travelling individual and a nature lover, I have few, basic criterium for my decision:
1) I need to be relatively close (within an 1.5 to 2 hours) to an airport that flies regularly to LA, NYC, Miami, and Atlanta.
2) I would like to be in a location that I can engage in my outdoor activities without having to travel far, preferably straight out my back door:) Mountain biking, ww kayak, climbing, and (of course, nature photography). I am also kean to try x-country skiing.
3) Friendly neighbors.
Like I said, few criterium but important to me. I can't wait to get out to Colorado and start shooting with some of you, so hit me up with your suggestions please. I'm 22 years old, with a degree in zoology from NC State and love wildlife if that has any sway over suggestions. My internet browsing has peaked my interest in Boulder, Golden, and Denver but I'm open to anywhere. Hope to hear from you!
Posted by Nat Coalson on April 27, 2006 at 11:32 PM
Jason-
Congrats on the life changes! As for great places to live, I'd suggest:
Estes Park
Evergreen
Woodland Park
Boulder, Golden and Denver are very nice cities, to be sure, but they are cities. I live in Conifer, about 40 minutes outside Denver, and I'm totally hooked on mountain living. The occasional drive "into town" is well worth the lifestyle that mountain living affords. And believe it or not, it's less expensive to live in many mountain communities than it is to live within city limits (especially Boulder).
Best of luck, and let us know when you've arrived; we'll plan to do some shooting together!
Here's a shot looking out my back door (as the CCR song goes)...
Of course as Cities go I'd for sure recommend Colorado Springs as it is somewhat central to both the North and South along the Front Range and Just up a pass 30 min is Woodland Park, or you can look Near Buena Vista " Us Real Local Natives pronounce that as Beyuna Vista" and that would put you Near Dead Center of the State. The image above is from near Beyuna Vista in a little Village called Twin Lakes along Independence Pass.
Posted by Brent Murphy on April 28, 2006 at 12:56 AM
Do you need to actually live and work in the same place? That would really affect what your options are. There are some great places out here, but you may not be anywhere near a place to work. Personally, I would love to live up in the mountains, but my line of work kind of limits me to living in the Denver metro area.
That being said, my top choice would be: Evergreen. Lovely town, lots to do, very close to all kinds of outdoor activities, and close to the I-70 corridor. And not too far of a drive from Denver, if you need to hit the big city for any reason.
I think you should see if Nat is renting any space at his place - nice view!
Based on your criteria, I'd look hard at Conifer and Evergreen - reasonably close to Denver and DIA, but far enough away that you get the feeling of being further into the mountains. Boulder is obviously well known for it's nature-loving, outdoorsy image, and being a college town you've got a lot of folks your age and the night scene is great; houses in Boulder are ridiculously expensive; not sure about renting but given that it's a college town, I suspect you could find something to match your budget.
I personally like Golden a lot, but a very different feel than say Boulder. Boulder is 'trendy'. Golden is 'charming'. I live just on the north side of Golden - it's a nice location for accessing a lot of the mountain locations. Easy to get to I-70 to head up into the mountains there; or if aiming north towards RMNP, Indian Peaks Hwy 36 is easy to get to. There are a couple of canyons heading west from Golden - smaller communities than Evergreen or Conifer, but equally beautiful, imo.
There are some nice places further south as James mentioned, although if you can make it from Buena Vista to DIA in under 2 hours, you should just keep driving to NY, Atlanta or LA cause you're moving faster than a plane anyway.... The Springs might also be a bit of a stretch if you're making frequent trips to DIA, but Castle Rock might be worth looking into.
Are you planning on a visit before landing on a spot?
Posted by Scott Bacon on April 28, 2006 at 9:19 AM
Killer view Nat!
My answer is right along the lines of Rick's. If I were 22 again (oh, what a dream!), I'd want to be equally close to the outdoors and the nightlife. My personal choice (knowing what I know now) would be somewhere in the Boulder area for the same reasons Rick mentioned - cool town (unless you lean towards conservative, then the politics might bother you), good access to Denver and DIA, easy access to the hills. The downside is Boulder proper is very expensive. I'd look in the hills above Boulder - Lefthand Canyon, Sunshine Canyon, even up to Nederland. I work in Boulder and would be happy to give you a tour. If you're gonna be in town, drop me a note.
Posted by Chuck Peacock on April 28, 2006 at 9:57 AM
Your first requirement is very restrictive - bummer! That pretty much limits you to a 2 hr. radius around DIA. And unless you like living on the flat land cut that area in half. I guess the Colorado Springs airport doesn't have those direct flights?
I was going to suggest the Durango area but it's a good 200 miles to Albuquerque from there.
I'd personally suggest the Fort Collins - Loveland area although that's starting to push your airport limit.
Posted by Scott Buckel on April 28, 2006 at 10:59 AM
For me I would have to agree with Rick and Scott. When I was 22 I woudl have really loved to live in Boulder, much better than West Lafayette, IN. The only problem with Boulder is it is expensive.
Posted by Jason Smith on April 28, 2006 at 11:32 AM
After scouring the web and sifting through the heaps of info on the places you have all mentioned I realize that demographics and (mostly poor) photo's aren't depicting the places terribly well. I realize that I will not be able to gauge where I will would most like to live until I have seen it for myself and spent time in the various places mentioned. Really, it's a great justification to taking time (with my bike and my camera) to explore Colorado. I appreciate the suggestions and offers to show me around. When it gets closer to the time that I will be coming that way I will be sure to drop you a line. In the mean time, if you have suggestions for more specific parts of these towns (and surrounding regions) that are particularly friendly, nice, good trails/rivers, etc., I'd love to hear them so that I can better plan a trip to maximize my exposure to potential places to live.
Based on what I have read thus far and my web browsing I am leaning towards Evergreen and Boulder (and the less expensive area surrounding). My tentative plan is to initially move to a mild-budgeted area so that I can spend a year or two gauging the area without making any considerable investments. And since ecotourism is a rather seasonal occupation I will also be on the look out for a local job pertaining to my degree in zoology. In the past I have worked at zoos, wildlife reserves, and vet clinics. Since my experience is mostly in education and guiding, I'm hoping to find a job in one of the parks-- I love talking to people about animals and sparking some compassion for wildlife. If you happen to know of anything, please feel free to drop me a line-- I'll try anything atleast once and I'm pretty agreeable :) Thanks again for the advice and cheers to shooting with you in the future
--Jason
Posted by Tony Bouchard on April 28, 2006 at 11:51 AM
Hi Jason,
You should consider Fort Collins. I'm an hour from DIA and an hour from Rocky Mountain. The Poudre Canyon is only about 30 minutes away and is a great place for kayaking, climbing, mountain biking, cross country skiing, & snowshoeing. It's also a nice place to raise a family.
Oh Yeah? Well Colo Springs has the Highest Zoo without Chemical Alteration. And And the air is Cleaner here according to this Morning's Front page in the Gazette!
Posted by Rene Pirolt on April 28, 2006 at 12:40 PM
Jason,
You really can’t go wrong moving anywhere near the Denver area. I also moved out here from the east coast (Atlanta) about 1.5 years ago. My hobbies outside of Photography also include Climbing and Biking. I live in Evergreen and love it. You’d like the wildlife up here – our only traffic jams are due to herds of Elk crossing the roads!
Posted by Mel Ladewig on April 28, 2006 at 1:07 PM
As a frequent traveler, I would recommend that you live in the Dever Metro area. DIA is the 5th busiest airport in the country with domestic non-stops to almost every major and small city between LA and Chicago and non-stop servie to every major city on the east coast. There are a ton of options for accessing international routes as well. Colorado Springs will not service the airports you've listed with non-stop service most of the time, but you can certainly get there. Golden (Denver Metro area) offers excellent mtn. biking, road biking and kayaking out your back door. Skiing and other mountain activities can be reached in less than an hour. As Rick mentioned, it has easy access to I-70, 285, 40, 36 (via 93).
There are airports in most of the ski towns in the state with connecting service to DIA if that is more appealing to you.
Posted by Jack Brauer on April 28, 2006 at 1:11 PM
I'm a fan of Boulder.
I'd say there's more gorgeous women per capita in Boulder than in any city east of San Diego. It's truly amazing.
Posted by Chuck Peacock on April 28, 2006 at 1:48 PM
Jack's trying to add another important criterium.
And true, most resort airports fly into DIA but the connections can really be a hassle - believe me, and it's expensive!. Steamboat/Hayden even takes heavies with wintertime direct flights to Houston and Cincinnati. I think that changes annually though.
Posted by Brent Murphy on April 28, 2006 at 2:09 PM
A couple more things to add to my previous post: I love Boulder, and would have mentioned it, but I was taking housing costs into consideration. Definitely a great town for younger folks, but WAY out of my price range.
Anywhere around Denver metro will get you the activities you want, with easy access to cultural stuff (zoos, museums, sports, big burritos). But the more west you go, the more interesting the landscape becomes. I live in Thornton, and can easily head out for a day of hiking/biking, or whatever, but it would definitely be easier if I lived a little further west, like Boulder or Golden. The area around Morrison would be good, too. Lots of biking in that area, plus some quality Red Rocks scenery (of course, you'd have to deal with Red Rocks traffic on concert nights).
Really, it's tough to go wrong out here. Try visiting for a while and check it out.
Posted by Scott Bacon on April 28, 2006 at 3:33 PM
I was going to mention the Boulder "Betty" factor. But that would only serve to classify me as a dirty-old-man, so I won't.
Yeah seeing my 20 y/o Daughter is one of them Boulder Betty types you're talking about! LOL
Posted by William Burr on April 28, 2006 at 4:11 PM
At least take a look around Colorado Springs. From the north end, it is less than 2 hours to DIA if needed, but the Springs airport is sure easy to use. By the way, I can get you a free behind the scenes zoo tour, I worked at the Cheyenne Mountain Zoo for a few years, most of the time as an elephant trainer. You would laugh at the pay scale. Now I am a real estate appraiser, so can provide real estate info if you would like. I'll swap for nature photography knowledge and tips!
Posted by Scott Bacon on April 28, 2006 at 4:27 PM
James wrote:
"Yeah seeing my 20 y/o Daughter is one of them Boulder Betty types..."
D'oh!
Posted by Chris Whitted on April 28, 2006 at 9:01 PM
On the western outskirts of the Denver metro area would be the ideal location I'm thinking. Just depends on what "far" is to you (your whole sense of scale changes out here) and what kinds of outdoor activities/scenery. It's urban/suburban living, depending how close in you are, but it's also extremely accessible to everywhere else. It also depends on what kind of lifestyle you want as far as social/nightlife.
I'm now up in Fort Collins, and while it's a very nice town and still keeps its 'small' town atmosphere, the thing that has always struck me is that I'm now an extra hour away from everything in the mountains except RMNP.
I'm 55 and have lived on the Front Range of Colorado since 1978. Many of the posters here seem to be touting the Front Range area. I've had a great time living on the Front Range but the past several years remind me of my escape from San Diego in 1978. Too many people, too many lines. Traffic, Traffic, Traffic and the infrastructure is way behind. I'm moving to western Colorado to escape all of this. Pagosa Springs will be our new home town on May 19th, It meets most of your criteria but add about $300 to fly a puddle jumper out of the airport of Durango to DIA to make your connections.
Posted by Chuck Peacock on April 28, 2006 at 10:20 PM
Chris,
Say what??
Your an hour closer to Cameron Pass, Lake Agnes, Rawah Wilderness (Medicine Bows), North end of the Never Summers, North side of the Mummy Range. Give that Hwy. 14 a try! The view of the Medicine Bows from North Park is pretty impressive.
Posted by John De Bord on April 29, 2006 at 9:19 AM
Well here is my take ....Boulder is to expensive and a world unto it's own. Estes would be nice but 2 hrs max is NOT realistic in winter months to DIA, the roads can be pretty gritty up there. So my 2¢, I would suggest Roxborough Village. Enough country and enough city all wrapped up in one. Heck you even a great state park in your backyard.
here is a shot I took down there last year Roxborough
Posted by Les Barstow on April 29, 2006 at 1:04 PM
A number of people already mentioned Evergreen, which is a decent sized town and one of the few foothills communities with a full selection of shopping stores (and a good art fair scene...). I'm more partial to Conifer and Pine - along US-285 - and to the other pocket communities in the region. Coal Creek Canyon is nice; Gilpin County (my home area) is an oft-overlooked area with reasonable housing and some excellent natural access; parts of Clear Creek County are also great. Boulder County tends to be a bit more expensive, but don't overlook it; there are some truly great properties with natural experiences right out the back door; you might try Lyons...
1.5 to 2 hrs. from DIA is a pretty good radius; I'm at the top of Golden Gate Canyon, and it's only about 1.5 for me... You could probably live all the way out past Georgetown along I-70 if you're okay with 2 hrs. (and you don't want to get to the airport on a Sunday or holiday, or home from the airport on Friday night...)
I'd be more than happy to give you a tour of some of the area that I'm familiar with if I'm available.
PS - For some mountain areas, real estate is pretty hard (read: impossible) to locate on-line. If you're considering mountain properties outside of the larger towns (aka Evergreen and surrounding areas), you'll have to come look in person.
Discussion
27 replies1) I need to be relatively close (within an 1.5 to 2 hours) to an airport that flies regularly to LA, NYC, Miami, and Atlanta.
2) I would like to be in a location that I can engage in my outdoor activities without having to travel far, preferably straight out my back door:) Mountain biking, ww kayak, climbing, and (of course, nature photography). I am also kean to try x-country skiing.
3) Friendly neighbors.
Like I said, few criterium but important to me. I can't wait to get out to Colorado and start shooting with some of you, so hit me up with your suggestions please. I'm 22 years old, with a degree in zoology from NC State and love wildlife if that has any sway over suggestions. My internet browsing has peaked my interest in Boulder, Golden, and Denver but I'm open to anywhere. Hope to hear from you!
Congrats on the life changes! As for great places to live, I'd suggest:
Estes Park
Evergreen
Woodland Park
Boulder, Golden and Denver are very nice cities, to be sure, but they are cities. I live in Conifer, about 40 minutes outside Denver, and I'm totally hooked on mountain living. The occasional drive "into town" is well worth the lifestyle that mountain living affords. And believe it or not, it's less expensive to live in many mountain communities than it is to live within city limits (especially Boulder).
Best of luck, and let us know when you've arrived; we'll plan to do some shooting together!
Here's a shot looking out my back door (as the CCR song goes)...
That being said, my top choice would be: Evergreen. Lovely town, lots to do, very close to all kinds of outdoor activities, and close to the I-70 corridor. And not too far of a drive from Denver, if you need to hit the big city for any reason.
Based on your criteria, I'd look hard at Conifer and Evergreen - reasonably close to Denver and DIA, but far enough away that you get the feeling of being further into the mountains. Boulder is obviously well known for it's nature-loving, outdoorsy image, and being a college town you've got a lot of folks your age and the night scene is great; houses in Boulder are ridiculously expensive; not sure about renting but given that it's a college town, I suspect you could find something to match your budget.
I personally like Golden a lot, but a very different feel than say Boulder. Boulder is 'trendy'. Golden is 'charming'. I live just on the north side of Golden - it's a nice location for accessing a lot of the mountain locations. Easy to get to I-70 to head up into the mountains there; or if aiming north towards RMNP, Indian Peaks Hwy 36 is easy to get to. There are a couple of canyons heading west from Golden - smaller communities than Evergreen or Conifer, but equally beautiful, imo.
There are some nice places further south as James mentioned, although if you can make it from Buena Vista to DIA in under 2 hours, you should just keep driving to NY, Atlanta or LA cause you're moving faster than a plane anyway....
Are you planning on a visit before landing on a spot?
My answer is right along the lines of Rick's. If I were 22 again (oh, what a dream!), I'd want to be equally close to the outdoors and the nightlife. My personal choice (knowing what I know now) would be somewhere in the Boulder area for the same reasons Rick mentioned - cool town (unless you lean towards conservative, then the politics might bother you), good access to Denver and DIA, easy access to the hills. The downside is Boulder proper is very expensive. I'd look in the hills above Boulder - Lefthand Canyon, Sunshine Canyon, even up to Nederland. I work in Boulder and would be happy to give you a tour. If you're gonna be in town, drop me a note.
I was going to suggest the Durango area but it's a good 200 miles to Albuquerque from there.
I'd personally suggest the Fort Collins - Loveland area although that's starting to push your airport limit.
Based on what I have read thus far and my web browsing I am leaning towards Evergreen and Boulder (and the less expensive area surrounding). My tentative plan is to initially move to a mild-budgeted area so that I can spend a year or two gauging the area without making any considerable investments. And since ecotourism is a rather seasonal occupation I will also be on the look out for a local job pertaining to my degree in zoology. In the past I have worked at zoos, wildlife reserves, and vet clinics. Since my experience is mostly in education and guiding, I'm hoping to find a job in one of the parks-- I love talking to people about animals and sparking some compassion for wildlife. If you happen to know of anything, please feel free to drop me a line-- I'll try anything atleast once and I'm pretty agreeable :) Thanks again for the advice and cheers to shooting with you in the future
--Jason
You should consider Fort Collins. I'm an hour from DIA and an hour from Rocky Mountain. The Poudre Canyon is only about 30 minutes away and is a great place for kayaking, climbing, mountain biking, cross country skiing, & snowshoeing. It's also a nice place to raise a family.
You really can’t go wrong moving anywhere near the Denver area. I also moved out here from the east coast (Atlanta) about 1.5 years ago. My hobbies outside of Photography also include Climbing and Biking. I live in Evergreen and love it. You’d like the wildlife up here – our only traffic jams are due to herds of Elk crossing the roads!
René
There are airports in most of the ski towns in the state with connecting service to DIA if that is more appealing to you.
I'd say there's more gorgeous women per capita in Boulder than in any city east of San Diego. It's truly amazing.
And true, most resort airports fly into DIA but the connections can really be a hassle - believe me, and it's expensive!. Steamboat/Hayden even takes heavies with wintertime direct flights to Houston and Cincinnati. I think that changes annually though.
Anywhere around Denver metro will get you the activities you want, with easy access to cultural stuff (zoos, museums, sports, big burritos). But the more west you go, the more interesting the landscape becomes. I live in Thornton, and can easily head out for a day of hiking/biking, or whatever, but it would definitely be easier if I lived a little further west, like Boulder or Golden. The area around Morrison would be good, too. Lots of biking in that area, plus some quality Red Rocks scenery (of course, you'd have to deal with Red Rocks traffic on concert nights).
Really, it's tough to go wrong out here. Try visiting for a while and check it out.
D'oh!
I'm now up in Fort Collins, and while it's a very nice town and still keeps its 'small' town atmosphere, the thing that has always struck me is that I'm now an extra hour away from everything in the mountains except RMNP.
I'm 55 and have lived on the Front Range of Colorado since 1978. Many of the posters here seem to be touting the Front Range area. I've had a great time living on the Front Range but the past several years remind me of my escape from San Diego in 1978. Too many people, too many lines. Traffic, Traffic, Traffic and the infrastructure is way behind. I'm moving to western Colorado to escape all of this. Pagosa Springs will be our new home town on May 19th, It meets most of your criteria but add about $300 to fly a puddle jumper out of the airport of Durango to DIA to make your connections.
Say what??
Your an hour closer to Cameron Pass, Lake Agnes, Rawah Wilderness (Medicine Bows), North end of the Never Summers, North side of the Mummy Range. Give that Hwy. 14 a try!
here is a shot I took down there last year Roxborough
1.5 to 2 hrs. from DIA is a pretty good radius; I'm at the top of Golden Gate Canyon, and it's only about 1.5 for me... You could probably live all the way out past Georgetown along I-70 if you're okay with 2 hrs. (and you don't want to get to the airport on a Sunday or holiday, or home from the airport on Friday night...)
I'd be more than happy to give you a tour of some of the area that I'm familiar with if I'm available.
PS - For some mountain areas, real estate is pretty hard (read: impossible) to locate on-line. If you're considering mountain properties outside of the larger towns (aka Evergreen and surrounding areas), you'll have to come look in person.