Moving to colorado

Hello fellow climbers, I'm currently in the process of preparing to move to Colorado by January 1st-5th. Ive been looking at Colorado springs fairly heavily but my heart's not set on the place. I am a regular climber and am looking for a good area for such. I also need a place where I'll be able to find work. Seeing as I've never been to Colorado and i don't know a single person, I'm going out blind and could use some help with information. Anything would help... Thank you so much!!

What kind of work, what is your budget for housing, want to party/have kids in the suburbs/live in a hermit shack, tolerance for traffic, etc. Hard to recommend anywhere without knowing anything at all about you.

right off the bat, I would not recommend CO Springs. No offense to anyone that lives there.

Jon Zucco wrote:right off the bat, I would not recommend CO Springs. No offense to anyone that lives there.

2nd that

Third, but offense is intended. How about the Junction? That place sucks and needs some decent folks. The climbing is wow.

Yeah, I'll second Q on that; mostly on the grounds that you can get to the creek and rifle w/o much gas/time at all (which are both world-class areas for trad and sport respectively) & there are plenty of jobs out there. Denver and Boulder are rad, but expensive and have a bigger city feel.

Well, I live in maryland now so the wage is a little different here. But I install solar panels and have experience with construction. To be honest I don't really care what I do right now as long as I can pay my bills and climb. Right now I make 14 an hr and my single room apartment is 675/m.. I have a dog and some money saved and I'm just going.. I want to wake up to the.mountains honestly.. to be honest I'm in na, so no partying necessary. Im 20 and don't want kids lol.. Don't exactly wasn't a hermit shack but I don't need anything fancy. And I'm moving out there really because I'm tired of the city :/.

denver/boulder/golden...and yeah, avoid the springs. super conservative, heinous traffic, terrible city planning. good mtn biking, though.

lots of solar companies in boulder...not sure on denver. look up Lighthouse Solar and Namaste--they're two big ones in Boulder. also bella solar, etc....not sure if they're hiring or not, but be aware that the state lowered its credit program, so some of the solar companies are hurting....

good luck and welcome, bossman. ride your bike when you can to help cut down on the traffic, and save your car trips for getting up to the crags....you're gonna love it!

Denver metro is a nightmare for finding apartments right now. Larimer Co. (Ft. Collins) has 5% unemployment.

Geez, how judgemental. I moved to the Springs from NYC back in 2001, needed to get out of the city as well and didn't want to raise kids where I grew up.

There are pockets of conservatives and there are areas of libs to, but who gives a flying F. I live near Manitou. The traffic compared to the east coast isn't SHIT. You'll know traffic when you have to drive 2 hours one way to go 5 miles to work.Traffic around Denver is much worse, but I do agree with the planning aspect. Who the hell planned the Springs?

All those other areas are expensive. Living on the west side of the Springs is best if you were gonna move here. Closer to climbing, slightly cheaper and a cool mix of people. the Splatte is close, 11 mile canon, Garden of Gods (which is loaded with tourists) Not sure what you're looking for, but if you're in your 20's maybe Ft Collins would be best, big college town. Pretty cool area.

All in all you can't really go wrong with any of these places. Colorado is a sweet place to live. LIke most things in life, it's what you make of it. Good luck!

We have a solar city here in denver and a fair number of small shop companies. I like the urban environment so denver fits the bill for me. If you're looking to get away from the city I would tell you to head further west or consider FoCo.

Alex La. wrote:Well, I live in maryland now ....And I'm moving out there really because I'm tired of the city :/.

visit Golden & some of the smaller towns adjacent to Boulder

you should find at least 16'+ snow here in Jan -don't forget picks, sleds, everything down. Pack in min 2wks of food in case you get buried, it takes awhile sometimes to pull everybody out -welcome fellow climber!

Don't know what the outlook would be as far as solar occupation but Durango tops my list, true not an abundance of climbing compared to Eldo, Platte, Shelf, etc. but stellar climbing on a smaller scale. Plus close proximity to the Creek, great skiing, mountain biking and a definite small town feel, oh how I miss Dgo. Good luck

If you want to wake up to mountains, and be in them quickly I'll second Durango....by far my favorite spot in CO. Amazing back country skiing, ice climbing, fishing, etc.....not far from the creek. Definitely solitude out there...seems like the rock in the area is pretty good though I haven't climbed much there besides Ophir, which was sweet.
Good luck!

If you don't need to be very tied down and can handle rough/simple living, you might consider just bumming around Colorado for a little while. Maybe work at a ski area for the winter, raft guide in the summer, etc. That'll keep you in the mountains until you figure out what you want to do and where you want to go.

If you are tired of the city, think about Grand Junction. It is a smaller town that is a bit of a junkshow, but it puts you in both the mountains and the desert and as Q says the climbing is pretty unreal.

Don't just automatically settle for the front range without checking out some other parts of Colorado and the states around it.

Andrew Gram wrote:Don't just automatically settle for the front range without checking out some other parts of Colorado and the states around it.

for real! come out and bum around 'til you find a community you enjoy!

the roaring fork valley has it going on; more than most people realize.

rebecca yarmuth wrote:and yeah, avoid the springs. super conservative, heinous traffic, terrible city planning. good mtn biking, though.

You honestly believe the traffic in the Springs compares to the Denver/Boulder areas? Are you insane...perhaps in the membrane?

Of the entire front range I think Colorado Springs is on the cheaper side of things with good rock access and traffic is not too bad compared to anything north of the south intersection of 25 and 470. My mortgage is $550 a month and I can be in Eldo, CCC, Splatte, and Shelf easily within two hours (as long as I don't try to drive through Denver and don't go there or leave in that 9-7 period.) It does have some conservative elements thanks to Focus on the Family (why don't you focus on your own...) and a major military influence. I know there are solar companies down here I'm not in that field so don't know much about jobs.

All that being said Colorado is a big state. You won't get east coast traffic or cost of living. Rock is way more accessible. Anything will be an improvement.

Alex- If you install solar and are decent/reliable at all in construction, you should be able to find work all around.
Salida, Junction...

Hey thanks a ton everyone, I am so grateful to have everyones advise and support. I won't be leaving till about january first, so any further information would be graciously accepted. And again I really really really appreciate all of the positive feedback and hope for more, thank you.

I moved to the springs from Chicago and agree the traffic fucking sucks. Denver is also gay. Bum it for a bit and enjoy not being tied down. If your car/truck bummin work on organizing your shit. If work is your goal, I would suggest setting yourself up for success before you make the big move...

gunter wrote:Denver is also gay

Wow- I didn't know there were so many happy people there