# potentially moving to front range area...need info



## llama31 (Jan 13, 2006)

Hi there. there's a decent chance that i'll be moving from the Baltimore/DC area to the front range sometime soon.  I've been there a couple times but only saw the airport, Boulder and Ft Collins and some roads in between. So I am wondering what towns I should look into. Boulder is probably to expensive for us. I like Ft Collins but I don't know anything about the place.

Here are some early parameters:
1) I need to be in the northern Front Range area, definitely north of Denver, but other than that it's flexible because I'll be working somewhat independently.
2) no kids so I don't care about schools, daycare etc., but I do like walkable towns, access to trails, nice riding roads, some entertainment (restaurants, bars, music) nearby if possible.

There's a good chance we will rent a place, so that's a consideration. If we rent, I guess we'd look at places less than about $1800/mo. If we buy, we'd want to stay under $300k, probably closer to $250k

Any suggestions on where else to look? Lots of towns on the map and I don't know anything about them. Thanks.


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## SlowBikeRacer (Nov 7, 2005)

Where are you working? Don't waste your life and money commuting. Spend more time biking! 
Buy a Condo/Townhouse close to work. Energy cost are going up 10% next year, so avoid big old stupid houses in the burgs.


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## Bulldozer (Jul 31, 2003)

Loveland or Ft Collins would be worth considering. I'd rank FC at the top. Lyons is another consideration.


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## Pablo (Jul 7, 2004)

Most of the little towns on the Front Range come close to fitting the bill (except Boulder) if you live in the downtown area. Fort Collins is nice, but getting pricey and Boulder-esque. How big of a town do you want?


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## MikeBiker (Mar 9, 2003)

Your best bet would be to come out here and hook up with a Realtor. Spend a few days and get familiar with what is available in the various cities/towns. 

A Google search will quickly show you what asking prices are for various locations and house sizes.


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## wwicklund (Mar 6, 2008)

Longmont is a very nice place to be. Great routes all over the place from longmont, bike trails all over the city. Not too big, not too small.


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## llama31 (Jan 13, 2006)

*Not a concern*



SlowBikeRacer said:


> Where are you working? Don't waste your life and money commuting. Spend more time biking!
> Buy a Condo/Townhouse close to work. Energy cost are going up 10% next year, so avoid big old stupid houses in the burgs.


I'll probably be working from home mostly and when I have meetings, they will mostly be in Ft Collins or Greeley.


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## llama31 (Jan 13, 2006)

*Hmmmm...*



Pablo said:


> Most of the little towns on the Front Range come close to fitting the bill (except Boulder) if you live in the downtown area. Fort Collins is nice, but getting pricey and Boulder-esque. How big of a town do you want?


Not sure how big of a town I want. I don't want a big city. What I saw of Ft Collins was nice. I also liked Boulder but have been told that it's expensive. i guess I'd like something with a downtown offering some activities--restaurants, bars, shops, coffee shops etc. Do Longmont, Loveland or Lyons (other suggestions made so far) have decent downtown areas?

Obviously I'll visit before doing anything, but I want to start researching.


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## godot (Feb 3, 2004)

Fort Collins is great.
Windsor would put you about halfway to Ft Collins and Greeley
The rides down by Longmont are incredible.


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## Pablo (Jul 7, 2004)

llama31 said:


> I'll probably be working from home mostly and when I have meetings, they will mostly be in Ft Collins or Greeley.


Word to the wise, don't live in Greeley.  I work there tight now and used to live there. 

Windsor is about half way between Fort Collins and Greeley. The riding is pretty good. The town is small and nice, but doesn't have much of an established downtown like Fort Collins. 

Loveland is quaint, but lacks a great downtown (although it has one) and doesn't have much of a university influence. 

Longmont has more of a downtown, bike trails etc. Great road riding. I'm actually moving there in a few weeks, likely for a long time.


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## Pablo (Jul 7, 2004)

llama31 said:


> Not sure how big of a town I want. I don't want a big city. What I saw of Ft Collins was nice. I also liked Boulder but have been told that it's expensive. i guess I'd like something with a downtown offering some activities--restaurants, bars, shops, coffee shops etc. Do Longmont, Loveland or Lyons (other suggestions made so far) have decent downtown areas?
> 
> Obviously I'll visit before doing anything, but I want to start researching.


The older part of Fort Collins is nice, but the newer part to the south and east is getting sprawly and very suburbany. 

Lyons is really quite small. It's really more of a small town in my book.


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## llama31 (Jan 13, 2006)

*thanks*



Pablo said:


> Word to the wise, don't live in Greeley.  I work there tight now and used to live there.
> 
> Windsor is about half way between Fort Collins and Greeley. The riding is pretty good. The town is small and nice, but doesn't have much of an established downtown like Fort Collins.
> 
> ...


Sounds like Ft Collins (if it ain't too pricey) and Longmont will top the list for initial research and potential visit. I got a recommendation from a colleague who lives in the area for Windsor, so we'll check that out as well.

I should know by tomorrow whether and when this is going to happen. And I'll be very excited if it comes through. :thumbsup:


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## llama31 (Jan 13, 2006)

*Hey Pablo...*



Pablo said:


> Word to the wise, don't live in Greeley.  I work there tight now and used to live there.
> 
> Windsor is about half way between Fort Collins and Greeley. The riding is pretty good. The town is small and nice, but doesn't have much of an established downtown like Fort Collins.
> 
> ...


Are you a water lawyer? I remember someone in these forums saying they work in water law out in CO. Just curious. I work in water management/planning and that's what I'd be coming out there to do.


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## llama31 (Jan 13, 2006)

*thanks for the suggestions...*

I'll look into Longmont, Ft Collins, and maybe Loveland and Widnsor as well. 

If anybody else has other suggestions, please keep 'em coming...

thanks.


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## Pablo (Jul 7, 2004)

llama31 said:


> Are you a water lawyer? I remember someone in these forums saying they work in water law out in CO. Just curious. I work in water management/planning and that's what I'd be coming out there to do.


Yes I am. I'm moving to Longmont to work in a water law firm in Boulder.

I'd be interested to know what you do. PM me if you'd like.  

Let me know when you're in the area and who you might be working for.


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## Icculus (Mar 14, 2007)

The best downtown, food, nightlife, and drink will probably be in Fort Collins. The riding is superb. You could live in the other areas as mentioned above, but you should really check out Fort Fun.


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## DaveN (Jun 25, 2005)

I'll put another plug in for Ft Collins. I am biased though; I live here. There's lots of variety in the rides and many, many cyclists. Not only are there a number of different organized teams and clubs, but also an active group of advocates. (Check out the Bike Fort Collins, FC Cycling, FC Velodrome groups and orgs.)

As for real estate, that'll be all over the board. It depends what you are looking for. We moved here almost 10 years ago from Phoenix and didn't want a subdivision'ish kind of neighborhood, so we ended up just north of town in an older neighborhood on 1/2 acre. South of town is where there's been a lot of new construction and price appreciation. Downtown/Old Town is a great place to be ( I used to office there for my job, and I really miss it.) but the real estate is fairly pricey for those older, remodels. 

Your opinion will vary depending on what you are used to/coming from. The suggestion to drive around with a realtor is a good one.


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## ahaid (Apr 2, 2007)

My parents live in Ft Collins and I love going up there to visit. It's got a great downtown, MUTs going through the city and lots of trails in the foothills. The roads are very roadie-friendly and you can find great climbs as soon as you head west. When you visit, take a drive up the Poudre Canyon (Hwy 14) because it is beautiful this time of year.

Loveland is nice but just a little too disjointed for me. I'm not sure what kind of MUTs they have. The main street/downtown is still trying to pull itself together. The golf courses are very beautiful.

Stay out of Greeley, it smells.

Windsor is really coming together but it's on the east side of the interstate so you'll mostly have flat roads out there. Probably the cheapest housing there and it's on the rise.

Longmont is another great option. The downtown is good and the nearby shopping centers are brand new. When I was younger, Longmont had a white trash reputation but it's a lot better now. It is very close to Lyons and some amazing mountain roads.

Your other options are Frederick/Firestone, Erie, and Johnstown/Milliken. All will have affordable housing but not much of a downtown hangout. Erie is probably the nicest of those but it's the farthest from Greeley.


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## Bocephus Jones II (Oct 7, 2004)

llama31 said:


> I'll look into Longmont, Ft Collins, and maybe Loveland and Widnsor as well.
> 
> If anybody else has other suggestions, please keep 'em coming...
> 
> thanks.


Oh hell...look into Boulder also...what is your housing budget? You could also live in one of Boulder's bedroom communities like Gunbarrel/Lyons/Lafayette.


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## Bulldozer (Jul 31, 2003)

Here ya go. Take it with a grain of salt.

5 CO cities in the top 50


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## Bocephus Jones II (Oct 7, 2004)

Bulldozer said:


> Here ya go. Take it with a grain of salt.
> 
> 5 CO cities in the top 50


<table class="cnnwith220inset" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0"><tbody><tr><td class="cnncol1">2</td> <td class="cnncol2">Fort Collins</td> <td class="cnncol4">129,400</td> </tr> <tr> <td class="cnncol1">12</td> <td class="cnncol2">Highlands Ranch</td> <td class="cnncol4">102,600</td> </tr> <tr> <td class="cnncol1">50</td> <td class="cnncol2">Longmont</td> <td class="cnncol4">82,600</td> </tr> <tr> <td class="cnncol1">33</td> <td class="cnncol2">Loveland</td> <td class="cnncol4">61,100</td> </tr> <tr> <td class="cnncol1">44</td> <td class="cnncol2">Westminster</td></tr></tbody></table>

What was their criteria? Of all those places I personally would only consider Ft. Collins. Longmont=gangs, Highlands Ranch=restrictive HOAs, Loveland=far from anywhere, Westminster=...almost Denver suburbia.


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## MikeBiker (Mar 9, 2003)

Gangs in Longmont? The police just closed out one.

You don't have to worry about the Stoners Reeking Havoc gang anymore.


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## Bulldozer (Jul 31, 2003)

How we picked the Best Places to Live
Using statistics from data provider OnBoard and consultant Bert Sperling of BestPlaces.net, we crunched the numbers in order to zero in on America's best small cities for families. (Last year, we looked at small towns, with populations between 7,500 and 50,000.) Here's how:

*716*
Start with all U.S. cities that have populations of 50,000 to 300,000.

*544*
Exclude retirement communities, places where income is less than 85% or more than 201% of the state median, and those that are more than 95% white.

*332*
Screen out cities with high crime, big population declines, significant unemployment or job shrinkage, and long commutes.

*261*
Rank remaining places based on job growth, income increases, cost of living, housing affordability, school quality, arts and leisure options, safety, medical care, diversity and several ease-of-living criteria.

*100*
Factor in more data on the economy, jobs, housing prices, schools and taxes.

*22*
Visit and interview residents, assessing intangibles like sense of community.

*1*
Select Plymouth, Minn. based on the data and our findings.


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## jasper9 (Jul 2, 2008)

Wow, surprised by these responses. I was told "the closer you are to boulder, the happier you will be". Considering how cost prohibitive the Peoples Republic of Boulder is - Superior and Louisville areas are excellent. Right next to Boulder. Super close to both offroad rides, open space hikes, and many of the popular road rides. Bonus if you work in technology - despite layoffs at Sun the companies are hiring quite a bit.


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## llama31 (Jan 13, 2006)

*Fort Collins must be some town...*

What was their criteria? Of all those places I personally would only consider Ft. Collins. Longmont=gangs, Highlands Ranch=restrictive HOAs, Loveland=far from anywhere, Westminster=...almost Denver suburbia.[/QUOTE]

Ft Collins seems to get high marks all around--decent quality of life, not too expensive, good biking, college town...definitely top of my list. Assuming there are decent rental houses because we've decided that we will not be buying a place the first year (gotta see if we like it and how long we might want to stay).


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## Bocephus Jones II (Oct 7, 2004)

jasper9 said:


> Wow, surprised by these responses. I was told "the closer you are to boulder, the happier you will be".


I'm happier in Boulder, but for some they may want a bigger house or maybe they just can't afford any house in Boulder. I could have gotten 3-4x more house in Gunbarrel for the money I spent, but I didn't want to commute to Boulder all the time to do the activities I enjoy. While the housing market in these outlying areas has stagnated or dropped, my property continues to appreciate in value. YMMV of course. Whatever your priority is, go for it. I didn't have the furniture to house a 4000+ sq foot house and couldn't afford to heat and cool it if I did.


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## Bocephus Jones II (Oct 7, 2004)

llama31 said:


> What was their criteria? Of all those places I personally would only consider Ft. Collins. Longmont=gangs, Highlands Ranch=restrictive HOAs, Loveland=far from anywhere, Westminster=...almost Denver suburbia.


Ft Collins seems to get high marks all around--decent quality of life, not too expensive, good biking, college town...definitely top of my list. Assuming there are decent rental houses because we've decided that we will not be buying a place the first year (gotta see if we like it and how long we might want to stay).[/quote]

I tend to favor college towns in general--more culture usually and more liberal in general. Not everyone wants that.


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## SlowBikeRacer (Nov 7, 2005)

If you like doing climbs move to Boulder. We have a number of climbs on the edge of town. Lefthand Canyon is a great road with a bike lane up to Jamestown or up to Ward. Flagstaff Mtn just got a bike lane part of the way up it. Plus NCAR, Fourmile, Sunshine, Linden Hill, Lee Hill, Old Stage...

Non-climbing rides - 63rd and Marshall Rd., bike lanes are being added this year. Should be done by end of Summer. I think Lookout Rd by EOY or next year. Most of the roads north of Boulder have bike lanes.


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