Thinking of making a CO move

[evoracer]

I am looking for input on areas in CO. CA is just becoming a very difficult place to live. I have been here my whole life, but man, I need a change. I have never been to CO, but hope to make it out to visit this year. Anyway, what I want to know is if anyone who has lived in Southern or Central Coast of CA has moved there (or is familiar with the general cost of living here) and can give me the reletive cost of living, and pay rates. I am a ASE master mechanic, specializing in Japanese and Euro cars. I make about $60K here, and still can't afford to buy a house and it is driving me CRAZY!! I have seen jobs on Craigslist in Denver in my field that pay between $25-35, which is pretty good, around what I make now, and house prices $200K LOWER than here. But I know NOTHING about CO, not to mention Denver. I am not locked into Denver though. Anywhere I can make a good wage and my wife can find a job in the child counsling/development/education field. Also with such an active reef club I have to assume the LFS supply can't be too bad out there either, right? Any help that can be offered would be greatly appreciated.

[tkeracer619]

I moved here from NC so im not familiar with CA. Its a great place to live, and enjoy life. There are houses everywere you could buy with 60k income. I suggest you visit and enjoy yourself.

The LFS's are pretty nice, not sure what you have though. Im sure your LFS get to cherry pick stuff from the wholesalers.

[evoracer]

I have been looking at homes online I and agree with you. The prices are incredible there. I think we are going to take a trip out this year. Now how to convince the wife that sub 30 degrees isn't THAT cold....

[FishnWishn]

I moved from San Diego in '83. Originally from Hawaii. Love it here. No beaches or ocean but my tanks give me the taste that I need and the mountains make up for the rest. It is getting crowded but not like S. Cal. You can breath fresh air and see blue skies on most days ( there are some bad days), not that thick gray crap that gets in your eyes, lungs, and skin. Nice LFS's here but not the selection that you have in S. Cal.
Unfortunately the cost of living is still high in Denver compared to most cities/states besides California. There are a few job opportunities in both your fields. Cherry Creek S.D., Douglas Cty S.D., and Jefferson Cty S.D., are are IMO the top 3 school districts, with Adams cty right up there. With all the dealerships and shops in Colorado I don't think you would have problems finding employment anywhere in the state.
Right now there are alot of great deals to be had in the housing market. With the problems of forclosures and mortgage company crisis the market is going on a downward trend but looking to come back up. Not so good for sellers but great if you are in the buying market. I am also a Real Estate Broker so if you want to see a few houses while you are here I can email you some listings that are on the market.

[rkl303]

Make the electricity bill for the chiller that much cheaper. My friend was a mechanic but now he is going back to school for accounting or finance as he doesn't want to end up with a bad back, but i believe he was make around 45 or maybe a little more a year.

[mbunakeith]

stick with denver if you are thinking of moving here. if you go outside of that the cities are pretty small and may make you go into culture shock. i am a mechanic also and the closer to denver you live the more you will make. i live in fort collins and the dealers here just dont pay like they do in denver. expect to make $25 an hour in denver. denver is pretty diverse. i would recommend just jumping out here and renting a place with no long term deal. scout out areas and then buy in an area you like.

p.s=if you move here, you will have plenty of neighbors from california so you wont feel too homesick.

[bmb527]

I moved from Montana to CO to escape the flood of people from CA we were getting, now I guess I gotta get used to you all coming to Co. Well at least your a reefer, just don't bring too many friends with you! Come check it out, you will love it. I lived in Riverside for 8 years and since moving here, I would never thi.
think of going to CA again
Bill

[The Grim Reefer]

I left Orange county in the early 90's and arrived in the Denver area last year. As far as I am concerned you could take the whole metro area and flush but I hated to move back to the big city after 13 years in Montana I am a prisoner of my wife's job. It was either live in the metro area or make her commute 40 miles to work.

I actually find the metro area to be kinda similar to the LA area only less. Less of the good but also a lot less of the bad. There is plenty to do and open spaces are closer. Lots of sunny days and yes, they can get cold but it's still pretty tolerable. I live in the south part of Aurora which is affordable and a pretty decent place to live. Haven't heard a gunshot since I've lived here Unless you are a hard core beach bum I couldn't imagine you wouldn't like it here.

PS, How bout those Raiders Bill?

[bmb527]

Grim,
Now if only the donkeys lose today! The Raiders will no longer be in last in the AFC West!!
Sorry 4 the hi-jack!

[evoracer]

Well I havn't lived in SoCal for years, I am in San Luis Obispo, which is 4 hours north of LA. I really want to move for three reasons:
-BUY A HOUSE!! Hard to do around here these days. Median home price in the area is over $600K.
-Seems like a great place to raise a family.
-SnowboardSnowboardSnowboard!!

I would miss the ocean, as I can see it from my back porch and my High School was on the other side of the dunes from the waves, but I'd get over it. I think I am going to make a few phone calls to dealers tomorrow.

[The Grim Reefer]

I bought a house last year. 1 bath 2 bedrooms upstairs, half bath 2 bedrooms, laundry room downstairs. 1600 and some odd square feet overall. Built in 1978 1 1/2 car garage on a corner lot across from an elementary school. $185,000.

Its a decent place. Could use new carpet and doors inside. Has 100% copper plumbing, stucco and brick exterior. Not deluxe but not el cheapo either. Tri levels are better deals but I am gimped up and cant do stairs.

[Clown-N-Around]

I know a lot of people move here from CA, I have lived here all my life, so I am not one of them, but I know if is sort of a standing joke about the Californication of Colorado.

I moved to Portland OR for a couple years but moved back because you can't beat the sunshine here. It may get colder than CA, but the sun always comes out which I really like.

I recently moved from Ft Collins to the Denver metro area and really like it. Mostly because of job closeness, but also because of the range of things available to do.

Keep in touch and I will gladly hook you up with frags, etc. if you make it out our way

[karid]

I grew up in the bay area, moved out here for grad school in '97. My boyfriend in college went to CalPoly (I went to Santa Cruz) so spent a bit of time in SLO.

So far, it's been 11 years and haven't made it back. Mostly because of the standard of living - you can actually afford a nice house here! My sister her husband both work and are still renting in Pleasant Hill, and my brother and his wife can barely afford a tiny house 3 bd/1ba that backs up to 680. Very sad. With kids and a dog - you can't beat it here. Trails, dog parks, off leash dog trails, big yards (on the older houses), you can actually afford a house, etc. Gas is a little cheaper too. No beach -but the mountains are close.

Can't tell you much about pay scale as it totally depends on your industry. Geology jobs pay just a little less, not much difference though.

[Zooid]

I lived in California for 23 years both southern and northern. Housing prices in LA, San Diego, and ANYWHERE in the Bay area are far greater than they are here. However, I had a much better house in Roseville (Sacramento area) that we bought for less than $150,000. It had 3 bedrooms, 2 baths and a built in pool. When we moved out here, I was lucky to buy a 3 bedroom, 2 1/2 bath for just under $200,000. The area that you are in is extremely expensive, you could possibly qualify easier out here than in California.
Just a side note: I love Colorado and would NEVER move back to California. Didn't like the taxes or politics. And, I love the weather out here. I owned a winter coat when I lived in LA. I never wear more than a jacket out here.

[karid]

oh yea - tell your wife the weather is NOT a problem! It snows on/off from about Dec-March with a few showers in Nov or April/May. But usually it snows 1-2 days and then is sunny the rest of the week and so it melts off quickly. The occaisonal REALLY cold days, but not that often actually. It is very nice. This is not the midwest or Wisconsin :-)

[pherbert]

Originally posted by karid
oh yea - tell your wife the weather is NOT a problem! It snows on/off from about Dec-March with a few showers in Nov or April/May. But usually it snows 1-2 days and then is sunny the rest of the week and so it melts off quickly. The occaisonal REALLY cold days, but not that often actually. It is very nice. This is not the midwest or Wisconsin :-)

Not to scare Evoracer away, but are you forgetting about the three feet of snow a couple of days before Christmas, followed a week later by two feet, followed by six inches or so each weekend for the next six weeks that we had last year?

And Evoracer, are you sure you are not just moving here to get on the Rockies bandwagon?

[karid]

Yea, but that's the first time that happened in the 11 years I've been here. That is a bit unusual. Kind of fun too.

:-)

[Fenton2]

We get 300+ days of sunshine a year in Denver but unlike other areas with that much sun, we still enjoy 4 distinct seasons. This climate is quite nice, that issue should be an easy sell.

[goslugsgo]

I grew up in So Cal, went to UCSC and lived in Davis and the East Bay for over a decade before I moved out three months ago to get on the Rockies' bandwagon before the playoffs started.
Long story short...move out. It's a nice place to live and there's plenty of opportunities for your wife. Caveat: I haven't lived through a winter yet. ;o)

[evoracer]

I snowboard so BRING THE WHITE STUFF!!

[pherbert]

Originally posted by Fenton2
we still enjoy 4 distinct seasons.

...yes, sometimes all on the same day.

But I grew up in Michigan and have been to nearly every state in this country. Without a doubt this is one of the nicest places anywhere to live . For every wacky blizzard there are those days in January that hit 60. Wouldn't trade it for anything!

[Clown-N-Around]

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Originally posted by Fenton2
we still enjoy 4 distinct seasons.
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...yes, sometimes all on the same day.

very true!