Cities to move to...

[Jerm]

So I've lived in MO all my life and the wife and I are contemplating moving next year outside of the state...just wanted to get some thoughts from those who have lived elsewhere besides KCMO or thought about it too.

I'm kinda open to anywhere but I've had a few people tell me that out west is the way to go...heard Boulder, Salt Lake City, and Reno are all nice. Actually had a buddy tell me Wisconsin (Madison specifically) is nice too.

So if any of you were going to move elsewhere where would you suggest?

[DaFace]

Ignoring the Bronco stench, moving to Colorado has been the best life decision I've ever made. Our economy is (comparatively) thriving, our government is fairly moderate (albeit contentious as most governments are these days), our cities aren't excessively crowded, and I'd put the state in the top 5 in the country for outdoor activities. If you're a pot smoker, there's an obvious bonus there, but it's not a huge part of the culture either.

Drawbacks are mainly that everyone else is figuring this out too, so there are people everywhere. There are better states to live in if you don't like crowds.

As for Boulder specifically, it's a world of its own up there. It's gotta be one of the most liberal cities in the country, and it's also one of the more expensive cities to live in in Colorado as well. As a left-leaning centrist, it's a bit much for me even, but I know a lot of people who love it. Just be sure you know what you're getting yourself into.

[Jerm]

Originally Posted by DaFace

Ignoring the Bronco stench, moving to Colorado has been the best life decision I've ever made. Our economy is (comparatively) thriving, our government is fairly moderate (albeit contentious as most governments are these days), our cities aren't excessively crowded, and I'd put the state in the top 5 in the country for outdoor activities. If you're a pot smoker, there's an obvious bonus there, but it's not a huge part of the culture either.

Drawbacks are mainly that everyone else is figuring this out too, so there are people everywhere. There are better states to live in if you don't like crowds.

As for Boulder specifically, it's a world of its own up there. It's gotta be one of the most liberal cities in the country, and it's also one of the more expensive cities to live in in Colorado as well. As a left-leaning centrist, it's a bit much for me even, but I know a lot of people who love it. Just be sure you know what you're getting yourself into.

Where in CO do you live if you don't mind me asking?

I was thinking Boulder because I know it's close to the Rockies and that'd be awesome IMO...even though I'm surest anywhere in CO would be good for outdoor stuff.

[DaFace]

Originally Posted by Jerm

Where in CO do you live if you don't mind me asking?

I was thinking Boulder because I know it's close to the Rockies and that'd be awesome IMO...even though I'm surest anywhere in CO would be good for outdoor stuff.

I'm in a nondescript suburb north of Denver (Thornton), though I associate culturally with Denver since I work downtown and tend to do most of my city activities there.

It really just depends on what activities you're into. Fort Collins is a bike riding, beer drinking haven (though both of those are common throughout the state). Boulder is a great place for easy access to hiking and rock climbing outside your door as long as you have a positive reaction to dread locks. Denver is the "big city" and still has decent access to outdoorsy stuff if you're willing to drive an hour or so. Colorado Springs has lots of cool tourist destinations nearby, but is culturally dominated by military families and is much more religious than the rest of the state.

Of course, if you start getting outside of the Front Range, there are a ton of little mountain towns that would be fun to live in, but finding jobs there can be more difficult.

[bishop_74]

Originally Posted by DaFace

I'm in a nondescript suburb north of Denver (Thornton), though I associate culturally with Denver since I work downtown and tend to do most of my city activities there.

It really just depends on what activities you're into. Fort Collins is a bike riding, beer drinking haven (though both of those are common throughout the state). Boulder is a great place for easy access to hiking and rock climbing outside your door as long as you have a positive reaction to dread locks. Denver is the "big city" and still has decent access to outdoorsy stuff if you're willing to drive an hour or so. Colorado Springs has lots of cool tourist destinations nearby, but is culturally dominated by military families and is much more religious than the rest of the state.

Of course, if you start getting outside of the Front Range, there are a ton of little mountain towns that would be fun to live in, but finding jobs there can be more difficult.

Just to add to this I would NOT live in Boulder if you paid me huge sums of cash. I have never seen so much pretense in my entire life. They should change the name of that town to Arrogance. I live in Littleton (southwest Denver), and the mountains, cooler weather, and trails are no more than 15-30 minutes away depending on where you want to go. If you move here I would suggest any of the cities on the west side of Denver for quick access to all of the outdoor stuff. I can usually get a bike ride in after work and be home in time for dinner.

[Donger]

Originally Posted by bishop_74

Just to add to this I would NOT live in Boulder if you paid me huge sums of cash. I have never seen so much pretense in my entire life. They should change the name of that town to Arrogance. I live in Littleton (southwest Denver), and the mountains, cooler weather, and trails are no more than 15-30 minutes away depending on where you want to go. If you move here I would suggest any of the cities on the west side of Denver for quick access to all of the outdoor stuff. I can usually get a bike ride in after work and be home in time for dinner.

South Platte Trail?

[tredadda]

Originally Posted by DaFace

I'm in a nondescript suburb north of Denver (Thornton), though I associate culturally with Denver since I work downtown and tend to do most of my city activities there.

It really just depends on what activities you're into. Fort Collins is a bike riding, beer drinking haven (though both of those are common throughout the state). Boulder is a great place for easy access to hiking and rock climbing outside your door as long as you have a positive reaction to dread locks. Denver is the "big city" and still has decent access to outdoorsy stuff if you're willing to drive an hour or so. Colorado Springs has lots of cool tourist destinations nearby, but is culturally dominated by military families and is much more religious than the rest of the state.

Of course, if you start getting outside of the Front Range, there are a ton of little mountain towns that would be fun to live in, but finding jobs there can be more difficult.

Shush you! Too many people are moving there already. Don't need to make it worse, but in reality it is one of the best places in America to live. Can't wait to move back.

[DaFace]

Originally Posted by tredadda

Shush you! Too many people are moving there already. Don't need to make it worse, but in reality it is one of the best places in America to live. Can't wait to move back.

Yeah, that's part of the problem out here - it's great, but everyone else is figuring that out as well.

[JohnnyHammersticks]

Originally Posted by Jerm

Where in CO do you live if you don't mind me asking?

I was thinking Boulder because I know it's close to the Rockies and that'd be awesome IMO...even though I'm surest anywhere in CO would be good for outdoor stuff.

Boulder is small and super expensive. I love the town, just wouldn't want to live right in the middle of it. Parking is a real bitch, and homes are extremely pricey. In my opinion, if you want the best of both worlds, look in between Denver and Boulder, in places like the Broomfield, Westminster, and Louisville areas. You can get a lot more home for the money, and you're 15 minutes from both Denver and Boulder. I just bought a house in Westminster because I love being close to the Boulder Turnpike (HWY 36) right in between the 2 cities.

And you're right, any of those suburb towns are very close to lots of "outdoor stuff". Eldorado Springs state park is 10 minutes away.

[SAUTO]

Ferguson, mo.

[Jerm]

Originally Posted by JASONSAUTO

Ferguson, mo.

Independence is enough, I'm good.

[Rain Man]

Originally Posted by JASONSAUTO

Ferguson, mo.

Buy low, sell high. You'd be halfway there.

I saw a news segment the other day where Forbes had named a "coolest cities" list. The news talkers (CNN, I think) were reacting to it, and it was hilarious. You could tell they were east coasters, because they looked at the list below, and they only discussed New York, Washington, and Miami, and threw in Los Angeles as a "yeah, of course they're going to be on there". They then suggested that perhaps Charleston and Savannah should be added to the list.

I'm kind of glad that the East Coast people like where they live, because I'm glad to leave them there and not have them here.

http://www.myfoxdc.com/story/2621341...coolest-cities

1: Washington, DC
2: Seattle, Washington
3: Austin, Texas
4: Houston, Texas
5: San Francisco, California
6: San Diego, California
7: Denver, Colorado
8: Riverside, California
9: Boston, Massachusetts
10: Dallas, Texas
11: New York, New York
12: Oakland, California
13: Miami, Florida
14: Sacramento, California
15: San Antonio, Texas
16: San Jose, California (TIE)
16: Los Angeles, California (TIE)
18: Raleigh, North Carolina
19: Bethesda, Maryland
20: Santa Ana, California

Here's the original article: http://www.forbes.com/sites/erincarl...oolest-cities/

[Fire Me Boy!]

Originally Posted by Rain Man

Buy low, sell high. You'd be halfway there.

I saw a news segment the other day where Forbes had named a "coolest cities" list. The news talkers (CNN, I think) were reacting to it, and it was hilarious. You could tell they were east coasters, because they looked at the list below, and they only discussed New York, Washington, and Miami, and threw in Los Angeles as a "yeah, of course they're going to be on there". They then suggested that perhaps Charleston and Savannah should be added to the list.

I'm kind of glad that the East Coast people like where they live, because I'm glad to leave them there and not have them here.

http://www.myfoxdc.com/story/2621341...coolest-cities

1: Washington, DC
2: Seattle, Washington
3: Austin, Texas
4: Houston, Texas
5: San Francisco, California
6: San Diego, California
7: Denver, Colorado
8: Riverside, California
9: Boston, Massachusetts
10: Dallas, Texas
11: New York, New York
12: Oakland, California
13: Miami, Florida
14: Sacramento, California
15: San Antonio, Texas
16: San Jose, California (TIE)
16: Los Angeles, California (TIE)
18: Raleigh, North Carolina
19: Bethesda, Maryland
20: Santa Ana, California

Here's the original article: http://www.forbes.com/sites/erincarl...oolest-cities/

Oh, totally agree with Savannah. I'd move there in a heartbeat.

[Rain Man]

Originally Posted by Fried Meat Ball!

Oh, totally agree with Savannah. I'd move there in a heartbeat.

I've only been there once, and it seemed very nice. I just thought it was funny that 7 of the top 8 cities were west of the Mississippi and none of them were mentioned at all by the CNN people.

I missed how they got started on it, but they started slamming Tucson pretty actively, joking about it in a pretty uninformed way. I think I would prefer Tucson over Washington, DC. I would love to have those people draw a picture of what they think Tucson looks like, because I really think they were picturing some old West town with horses and wooden sidewalks and gunfights. They seemed remarkably uninformed about the western United States.

I'm also pretty sure that they didn't know what Los Angeles is. I think they were assuming that LA was the beach cities and not LA. I can understand generalizing about the metro area in general, but it really struck me just how myopic they were in their worldview.

[vailpass]

Originally Posted by Rain Man

I've only been there once, and it seemed very nice. I just thought it was funny that 7 of the top 8 cities were west of the Mississippi and none of them were mentioned at all by the CNN people.

I missed how they got started on it, but they started slamming Tucson pretty actively, joking about it in a pretty uninformed way. I think I would prefer Tucson over Washington, DC. I would love to have those people draw a picture of what they think Tucson looks like, because I really think they were picturing some old West town with horses and wooden sidewalks and gunfights. They seemed remarkably uninformed about western United States.

I'm also pretty sure that they didn't know what Los Angeles is. I think they were assuming that LA was the beach cities and not LA. I can understand generalizing about the metro area in general, but it really struck me just how myopic they were in their worldview.

Tucson takes a beating from Phoenix residents as well though for different reasons. I'm guessing you're assessment of the east coast talking head's knowledge is spot on...