Colorado Best Place to Live

[jaylsworth]

My girlfriend and I are looking to relocated to either Colorado, Wyoming, or Montana from Minnesota within the next couple years and I'm just looking for input on which areas offer the best fit for what we are looking for. She works for Wells Fargo so it would have to be near a town that has one of those, within a half hour would be best.  I'm hopefully going to be self employed by then. We both like to hunt, fish, camp, ski/ snowboard, and obviously ride dirtbikes. Looking for someplace near good singletrack.  Hopefully next summer we will be able to take a camping trip out that way and look at some areas.  Any suggestions would be great!

[mx4god]

Hmm, where in Minnesota are you comin' from? I wanted to move for good to one of those places up until about a year ago, but what stopped me is that the summers are too nice here, and I can do all of my hobbies here (not trying to convince you to stay). You starting up your own machine shop??

[jaylsworth]

I'm from SE and she's from the Twin Cities. I like it here but I know its not where I want to end up. We both have spent quite a bit of time in Rockys and the Ozarks and definitely want to be in the mountains. Yeah, machine shop it is, hopefully going to try and get into the gun industry somehow or another. How did you guess that?

[mx4god]

Hehe, because that's what I want to do, although not necessarily in the gun business. The old guy I worked with and learned from is helping his kid who is machining gun stuff. Nodak Spud is the company name, I believe, in Eden Prairie.

I would love to ride in the mountains, and every year my friends' family goes I can't because I'm busy or don't currently have a plated bike. That's about the only thing this state is missing..... Oh, and summers that last more than a month and a half.

[CQR]

Property taxes in Jefferson and Douglas counties are pretty high compared to places like Park county

[shortburb]

There's wells Fargo EVERYWHERE near denver metro. And Colo springs... And ft Collins...

I was born in NY. Lived in Rochester, Milwaukee, new Orleans and now denver for the last 10 years. As far as dirt bikes go, colorado is it. Get a cheap OHV tag and you can ride damn near anywhere. Not to mention 1/2 dozen mx tracks within 40 mins of denver.

The hunt/fish/camp stuff is also.... Second no none.

[mx4god]

Sorry to get off topic, but, that is a sweet looking Doberman, shortburb. ?

The one negative I found about Colorado is the lack of body of water. If you don't water ski/wakeboard then it isn't that big of a deal. My bro recently moved to Co. Springs and he really likes it so far. I'm hoping to take a short trip out there this winter for either a wind tunnel or ski vacation.

[shortburb]

Thanks. Atlas always goes to the track with me. He's 3.

True about water. No real place for decent sized boats. Just jet skies and ski boats.

[OldMechanik]

Thanks. Atlas always goes to the track with me. He's 3.

True about water. No real place for decent sized boats. Just jet skies and ski boats.

 

Gotta do Powell for anything good...great place, great partys.

[SilvFx]

Depends on how much money you have.  You really need to come out and take a look.  It appears Wells Fargo locations are all over Colorado.  If I were a Billionaire, i would pick the Aspen Wells Fargo bank or the Telluride Wells Fargo location.  Since I assume you are not, you will need to look at less scenic places in the mountains..

 

Based on what you said, I think the linch pin in the whole deal will be what is a big enough market for a machine shop.  Every town in the state has/needs a bank. 

 

From what you have said, I think you will want something on the western slope (i.e. west side of the continental divide) but any towns close to ski areas will be crazy expensive.  You might check out Gunnison, Montrose, Durango, Rifle, Buena Vista, Salida, Glenwood Springs, Steamboat Springs/Craig.  Some of the mountain communities are at least closer to larger bodies of water....but they are still very small compared to what you have in MN and they are cold water.  Summertime in the CO Rockies isnt any longer than in MN.  You will encounter the same thing in WY and MT.

 

The front range communities (Denver, Boulder, Ft Collins, Colorado Springs) are right next to the mountains, but are expensive and have 2 milllion of your closest friends living nearby and competing for all these things.

[denny49]

My girlfriend and I are looking to relocated to either Colorado, Wyoming, or Montana from Minnesota within the next couple years and I'm just looking for input on which areas offer the best fit for what we are looking for. She works for Wells Fargo so it would have to be near a town that has one of those, within a half hour would be best. I'm hopefully going to be self employed by then. We both like to hunt, fish, camp, ski/ snowboard, and obviously ride dirtbikes. Looking for someplace near good singletrack. Hopefully next summer we will be able to take a camping trip out that way and look at some areas. Any suggestions would be great!

sounds like Michigan is your best best for all your hobbies. Also we have one of the largest trail systems around and plenty of moto tracks, do some research, you won't be disappointed!

Denny

[SnowMule]

Sell the water toys and buy a snowmobile or two. ?

 

Know a bunch of guys that make the trip out here (Rockies) from MN a few times a year to go sledding... can't think of anyone from the mountains that makes MN a snowmobile destination.?

 

Except for maybe the snocross stuff.  Very little racing here compared to the flatlands out east.

[jaylsworth]

Thanks for all the replies! I agree the thing we need to do is come out and take a look around, I was just wondering what other peoples opinions are as a place to start. I wouldn't have guessed the prices would have been cheaper on the western slope, I guess it makes sense as your not so close to the Denver/ Ft. Collins/ Colorado Springs area. My best friend lives in the Denver metro area and there is no way I could live there. My closest neighbor is a mile away right now and that's just fine with me. But, obviously we have to get started somewhere and since neither of us is wealthy that means living in town for a while. We did look online at the Steamboat Springs area and that really tripped my trigger. As far as the machine shop business, luckily I don't plan on starting a job shop. I would like to become an OEM similar to my families business right now. So that is a small plus as you don't have to be so close to a metro area with bigger industries. But obviously there are limitations.

[jaylsworth]

Is there any one place in the state that has a lot of single track? That is mostly what I'm looking for as far as riding. And how about ice racing? Its pretty big here in the Minnesota/ Wisconsin area and right now is my main hobby in the winter. I would definitely be buying a snowmobile after moving out there, just another way to get out and see stuff and have fun. Snowmobiling here in the Midwest really sucks which is why I gave it up years ago and stick to riding on the ice now!

[redhurricane]

Rainbow Falls has an ice racing following, http://www.harrysroamersmc.com/#!ice-racing-colorado/c13ps

As for singletrack, there is plenty to keep you busy for a while here. If you are willing to drive a few hours in any direction, the options are unlimited.

[nrspence]

Shoot bud move to Utah. Legendary place to ride and work.

[SnowMule]

I don't know why anyone would willingly live in Wyoming.

 

 

 

 

I miss living there.  Still go back a few times a year.

CO's not bad, but the commies in denver are driving me out of this place with taxes, gun laws, OHV restrictions...

[SnowMule]

Everyone on this site seems so crazy right wing.  I'm not political, I don't have children of my own, I don't watch television, let alone the news, I don't vote...  So not much bothers me.  I always pictured Wyoming..  Flatter I guess, I'm not sure why considering the Rockies go well into Canada and it's directly North of Colorado.  Nice pictures, you pull them from google, or are those yours?

 

I don't know jack about Wyoming, I guess I was under the impression they're all a bunch of wannabe cowboys or something.  Y'know the type..  Ten gallon hat, fancy polished cowboy boots, big ass belt buckle, tight bright blue levi's... "Cowboy up" stickers on a damn Toyota.  I always just wanna spin em' around and tell em', "You understand that costumes are for Halloween, right.  Just once a year, buddy."

>no kids

>don't watch tv

had me until >don't vote. 

 

Rocky Mountains goes right through Wyo.  Snowy Range, Bighorns, Uintas, Yellowstone... Much like CO, the western half is pretty mountainous, while the northeastern half is ... flat and boring. 

 

The "wanna-be cowboys" thing really depends on where you go.  Cheyenne's got some trashy areas, plus CFD attracts a bunch of that type.  Laramie's college kids.  Rawlins, railroad.  Evanston, oilfield.  Riverton, indians (feather).  Cody, Sheridan, Thermopolis... pretty cool towns.  Rock Springs is a toilet.  Jackson's like Aspen/Vail, with all the commiefornians that buy land/cabins there.  It's still a very red state.

 

And I take 90% of the pictures I post.

 

Afton hillclimbs, '04:

 

Snowies,  March '10:

 

...and a few weeks later:

Rode about 2 miles that day.?  Couldn't hardly see anything, it was a struggle to keep sight of the guy 10 feet in front of you.  Spent the rest of the day with pizza and beers at the bear tree bar. ?

 

Elk Mtn in the distance, April '11:

 

[Donjholt]

Who. ever advised that its cheaper on Western Slope is just high. Maybe Montrose but other than that. Not good. Buena vista you can find a 800 sq ft home in town fixer upper for 200,000 with a .14 ac lot. Just ridiculous. Leadville and Fairplay sure. No work and cold as hell with wind. I rent in BV a 700 sg ft 1 bed 1 bath 750 and the garage is converted to a studio so landlord can use it as a motel fir all her friends passing through to mtn bike or ski. I will say this though if your a decent machinist and consider customer service a must you will do well. I dropped off a kx250 seat with new pad pan and cover at shop a month ago!

[mrgem]

The mountain west is all wonderful if you ask me. Moved to CO from the East in the late 70s and never looked back. Wyoming, MT, UT, NM, ID...All stunningly beautiful with enough opportunity for outdoors activities to satisfy anyone. Any of these states have enough off-road riding to keep you busy forever.

 

That said, I agree with the poster about the changing political and cultural climate. I moved here as a registered Dem and was changed over a period of ten years to more of a libertarian. Definitely NOT a GOP person.  

 

Back in the 70s, 80s and 90s, the non-coastal west was a great place to be if you were in to doing your own thing. But the last 15 years has seen a dramatic shift here in CO (and in MT and NM, I am told). Folks from the coasts have moved here en masse and have changed the culture.  It is quickly morphing from a hotbead of independence and self-reliance to a place more like the one I moved away from back in the 70s.

 

That said, you cannot beat the business opportunities of the Front Range of CO. The economy here is thriving and someone looking to establish a business could do much worse for a location.

 

Yes, there are a couple of million folks here -- but the state is huge and it is still not hard to find solitude -- or a good trail- in less than an hour.