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Where to live?

Original Post
Chad Miller · · Grand Junction, CO · Joined Nov 2006 · Points: 150

Well I'm in an interesting position; I have three potential job offers in three different areas of Colorado! I would like to get people's opinions on the areas.

I'm a backpacker, climber (weekend warrior, nothing hard), and general outdoor enthusiast.I would like to get people's opinions on the areas in terms of outdoor fun, climbing, backpacking, and anything else you think I should know. So here are the three areas.

Grand Junction - I currently live here, love it.(Cost of living base)
Louisville - never been (Cost of living +39%)
Breckenridge - visited for a long weekend, I should take up skiing (Cost of living +44%)
Fort Collins - never been (Cost of living +12%)

If you have an opinion on one of these areas share it!

Jim Fox · · Westminster, CO · Joined Jun 2014 · Points: 50

I live in Westminster, which is pretty close to Louisville. Nice to be close to big city and all that it has to offer but still outside the big city. Very close to Boulder. Thousands of climbing routes nearby.
RMNP and surrounding areas not far and offers decent backpacking and great climbing.
Skking/mountains accessable with moderate drive times.

Downside- traffic, congestion, higher cost of living (my home value has increased 25% in last 1-2 yesrs), suburban culture

Chad Miller · · Grand Junction, CO · Joined Nov 2006 · Points: 150

Thanks Jim!

Jon Zucco · · Denver, CO · Joined Aug 2008 · Points: 245

I wouldn't be able to pass up living in Breck if the job offered paid enough to support reasonable standard of living. Hiking-wise, it's prime location. Not to mention the skiing etc. But it leaves a lot to be desired in the way of proximity to good climbing.

FoCo is a great town, but the good nearby climbing is limited to bouldering I think. Maybe I'm wrong.

Louisville is pretty close to RMNP, BoCan, Eldo, etc. as Jim mentioned, but I personally don't care for the town itself.

What about the jobs themselves? Which one are you most excited about?

Good luck with your decision.

Malcolm Daly · · Hailey, ID · Joined Jan 2001 · Points: 380

Chad,
You don't say how important the COL is to you in your new job. If a +39% increase in manageable, I'd say move to Louisville. It's a great town with a cool downtown scene. Best part? It's only 12 minutes from Eldorado.

If COL is important, them choose Ft. Collins. I lived there for 20 years and love the place. centrally located between Boulder, Estes Park and Vedauwoo, it's also got great local bouldering plus all the stuff up in the Poudre Canyon. Backcountry skiing up on Cameron Pass is awesome but if you enjoy the lifts, plan to add an hour to your drive time from Denver.

Beware, FoCo is two towns in one, roughty split by Prospect Ave. South of Prospect the town devolves into a suburban shitshow complete with shopping mall sprawl, traffic jams and multiples of every "lifestyle" chain store and big box hell. North of Prospect, FoCo retains it unique charm and is loaded with fun restaurants, breweries (Boulder, eat your heart out) funky street scene and many cool small bungalow-style houses.

Good luck.
Mal

Dallas R · · Traveling the USA · Joined May 2013 · Points: 191

My choice would be Grand Junction. Lower COL, diversity, milder winters. An hours drive in any giving direction gets you to a different environment. It's not a tourist destination.

mark felber · · Wheat Ridge, CO · Joined Jul 2005 · Points: 41

I lived in Summit County for quite a few years. The winters can get long, and the county is flooded with tourists for a good part of the year. On the positive side, there are great opportunities for snowshoeing, X-C skiing, backcountry skiing and yes, using the ski resorts. Summers are great for hiking, mountain biking, road biking trail running, etc., but the summers are a bit brief. The advantage to FoCo and Louisville are that you can access all that Breck and Summit County have to offer fairly quickly (as well as RMNP and all the Front Range hiking and climbing spots), but not have to live in quite such a harsh winter environment for quite so much of the year.

Finding climbing partners in the Front Range is a lot easier than in Summit County, and the climbing is definitely better along the Front Range.

Guideline #1: Don't be a jerk.

Colorado
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