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Moving to CO Front Range - Need Advice
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So It is looking as though I will be getting a long term job in Estes Park starting in close to a month. I will be moving to CO with my wife from Bozeman, MT and am looking to see what Mountain Projects opinion is about certain locations. Currently, we are considering either Longmont or Loveland, but are SUPER open to some of the smaller towns closer to Estes Park. From what Ive been reading it seems like there are good and bad aspects to both towns. Currently we are leaning towards Longmont due to the closness of CU Boulder. Tell me what I need to know guys! :) |
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I lived in CO for many years and during that time nary did I have a problem. Eventually, I moved due to marijuana deregulation. There was already an underlying transit and traffic problem and deregulating marijuana made it much worse. Loveland is probably a better option. Longmont used to be affordable but that went the way of the dodo. |
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Lyons? Close to Boulder and Estes Longmont is nice. Loveland too. Anywhere you go will be expensive unfortunately. I've lived in Westminster 23 years and cost of housing has gotten ridiculous.Traffic is also much worse and there are crowds pretty much anywhere I go these days. Can't lock the gate but too many folks moving here. I plan to move somewhere smaller some day soon.... |
Jim Fox wrote: Bozeman has gotten to be the exact same way. Although I can imagine the front range is quite a bit busier, it might be a culture shock :p Lyons seems like it would be great, doesnt seem like there is any long term rentals there though unfortunatly. It also seems as though every 1 bedroom apartment in Longmont under 1000$ doesnt look like the best part of town.. Nevertheless Im super excited for the change of scenery! |
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Yup! Traffic is a big deal. Again this is aggravating by marijuana usage. At least Boulder county has considered removing non-essential traffic lights. |
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Traffic here is pre-school/kindergarten compared to other parts of the country. |
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If you are going to work in Estes Park, why not live in Estes Park? |
Dean-o N! wrote: Everyone’s driving slow listening to the Dead and eating chips? |
Getoutside wrote: It doesnt seem like there are any affordable rentals from what I can see? We also like the idea of being close to either Boulder or Fort Collins, but are not opposed to Estes Park |
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new bouldering gym opening in about a week in Longmont if fresh plastic is a priority. |
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17 years in the front rage, and here's my take on it. Commuting up and down the hill will get old fast, it's really hard on your vehicle, and you'll spend a ton on gas. Count on a few scary snow drives a year. Whatever extra you spend on renting in Estes would probably be less than your fuel and maintenance costs. Losing 2 hours of your day, every day commuting really adds up. Longmont has some nice parts and some trashy parts, and plenty of trashy individuals. Loveland is a bit more quaint, but small. I would consider living in Loveland before Longmont. Fort Collins is a bit far to be efficient, but is a cool town. If you can find a cabin around Allenspark, Meeker, or somewhere else along the peak to peak highway, you might enjoy the mountain living and less crowds, but winters can be long (and beautiful). Lyons is a cool town, well located, but had some serious flood damage a few years back (don't buy a house on the flood plain). The weed is good... legalization didn't really change the number of smokers, it just changed where they purchased it. |
Dean-o N! wrote: Honestly, some of the most pathetic trolling attempts from this guy... |
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It's also important to note that, at least for the past few years, 34 is only open in the summer. Which means living in Loveland, for half of the year, you'll have to drive down I-25 to Lyons/66, which adds quite a bit of commute time. I would second just living in Estes. If you want to go to Boulder once a week for fun, it's an hour away, which is a lot less draining if you're not commuting 1+ hour one way to work every day. |
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Highway 34 has been under a huge renovation project from the Flood damage. This is the second winter of road closures. It has caused significant lifestyle changes for Estes Park and Canyon residents. The road will open at the end of May, and the project should be concluded next December: https://www.codot.gov/projects/floodrelatedprojects/us-34-big-thompson-canyon-1 Factor this into your decisions. What will you be doing in Estes? |
darkchocolatemntn wrote: You can take county back roads west of Loveland (a shortcut if you live on the west side of Loveland, otherwise HW 287 is a good route to 66) ) to get to Lyons. |
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It’s gonna have to be Lyons, if there’s nothing in Estes. Then when the Hwy 34 work is done, you could try Loveland. I wouldn’t want to make the drive to Estes from either FC or Longmont. That would get brutal. You could also look at Nederland. |
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Dude, I had this idea a couple of years ago, it involves buying a sprinter van and becoming a gluten free vegan. So what you want to do is to put $30-60K into a buildout, I know it sounds very similar to a RV, but its not! you should try this. Seriously, then you can tell everyone that you are living out of a van and you might even be able to blog about it. Just a thought. |
Jim Turner wrote: Made a similar move a few months ago (BZ->Boulder). People here are cool, but weird. (They, seem awful into talking about themselves? But apparently that's the pot they smoke here and nowhere else in the country, right Dean?) If you don't have an SO that needs a city for a job, try Ned, Ward, one of those little ones. Rents really high, as opposed to obscenely high. Traffic isn't as terrible (caveat, haven't seen summer here yet.) There are some characters out and about, but also more normal people IMHO. |
Steve Sangdahl wrote: Yeah, there are lots of areas on both coasts (especially East coast) that are far worse. I lived in Miami once and traffic there was significantly worse there (26 yrs ago) than Denver is now. However, part of the reason I moved West was to enjoy the wide open spaces and not to have to sit in endless traffic jams everywhere I went. What used to be a 1.5 hour drive home from skiing in the mountains can now be a 3-4 hour slog in stop-and-go traffic. Popular crags have lines waiting to get on routes, etc. Still far from the worst place to be but has changed a lot since I came here 25 yrs ago |
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Allenspark, Drake, Glenhaven, good options for those that don't need the convenience of city life |
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It's often the case that people take internet potshots at Longmont but it's one of the most affordable places if you like to ski and climb. It's also improving. Most of what's been said here is accurate: Traffic is mellow by coastal standards, a daily commute from Longmont to Estes would be tough but not impossible, Lyons is great but there's never much available to rent or buy (so look hard), the local mountain towns are funky and mostly great. HWY 34's closure and the various flood repair work has been difficult for the locals and tourists alike for several years, but the end of that is coming. West side of Longmont may be the ticket for your first 6 months here while you learn? I've lived in Longmont, Boulder, and Lyons for over 18 years. Send me a private message if you'd like more advice or to talk. Good luck! |
