Well, I have been thinking about this for a while but this year’s Colorado/Utah/Telluride experience has finally done it - I must move to Colorado and I’ve given myself two years to do it.
So, question for all you folks - where in Colorado should a current east coaster (though I’ve also lived in LA, Dallas, and Charlotte) move to?
Right now, my top choice is Boulder. My goal is to keep my same job which means I will need to be near an airport.
So, I wanted your thoughts on best places to live - again, keep in mind that I am not retiring in Colorado, but moving there. Appreciate your thoughts!
Evidently the rain in Dallas prevented us from getting into Dallas, which we all wished we never made it too as it turned out.
Thankfully the folks at the new Smugglers were much more accomodating than the idiots who work for American Airlines (and if anyone reading this works for American Airlines I will not appologize: your company has the worst customer service I have ever seen)(my one retreat from my previously stated position of never intentionally belittling anyone)
Yeah, Mark, sorry to hear about you getting stranded… AGAIN.
Back to BB…
Grand Junction could be worth a thought… it’s a couple of hours from Moab for biking, a couple of hours from Aspen for skiing, and a couple of hours from Telluride for festivating!
That was kind of my thinking - why should I be in a funk any day of the year? I shouldn’t! How do I minimize that likelihood? Move to CO where the highest % of festivarians reside. :hop :hop :hop
Boulder is a great choice, for bluegrass it could be the best (or lyons, nederland). Example: Tomorrow is Waywords (and I hear Jeff Austin may be dropping in). Rockygrass is 12 mile away, and there are FREE bluegrass shows/jams nightly.
But my second choice would be Grand Junction, just cause I know alot of GREAT western slope folks.
Yea…
That was the one poor thing about living in Junction, never real steady supply of national talent.
There are a few good local acts, and occasionally will get some big names, but not real steady, maybe one every few months.
Country Jam is miserable, maybe Rock Jam is better, I don’t know.
But it’s great for outdoors (biking, climbing, camping, hiking, rafting).
If you are looking for nightlife, it’s still struggling in that department.
But the Front Range is only a 4 hour drive.
Hey Billy. Great thread!!! Daniela and I both live in Grand Junction. It’s great because it’s big enough to have at least one of every store you need but small enough so you can be completely out of town in 10 minutes or less. Right now we are having a boom due to the natural gas industry but there’s other opportunities here as well. And, as it as been mentioned, it’s close to Moab, Telluride, Aspen and other places too numerous to mention. I can be in any sort of terrain on earth in 2 hours or less: Alpine, desert, aspen forest, evergreen forest, on a river, in hot springs, on a sandy beach (fresh water though), rolling hills, badlands, etc etc. And it’s right on I-70, so is easy access too.
We do have a decent music scene, but it varies. The talent coming through town has improved in the last few years, but with Telluride and Aspen being so close it’s easy to hit weekend shows in either place too. We’ve been to Aspen twice in the last year for concerts.
Billy Baby!! Come on over!! We’d love to have you. Here’s my take: I have to say the music scene in GJ is lacking a bit still. It’s getting better though, and I still manage to find a lot of great live music. The thing is I lived in Denver for ten years, and if you are used to city life with tons of choices for great food and live music, GJ will disappoint you. I moved here for the f*cking amazing outdoor opportunities, not the social or cultural aspects. That being said, you always have to give up something to get something. Denver, Boulder, and the surrounding areas are fantastic for live music, food, clubs, fashion, and culture, but lacking in other areas. The traffic and pollution are bad, and it takes a lot more time to get out of the city to get to outdoor activities. I guess it depends on what is important to you. I moved to GJ from Denver to get the quality of small-town life, and was tired of the crime and traffic. GJ has everything I need in the great outdoors, and I find the music. I just have to look a little harder than I did in Denver. It’s up to you. Either way, look me up when you get here!! :flower :flower
Thanks for taking the time and putting forth your thoughts on GJ! :flower
Denver is not a consideration for me - Daniela, you mentioned crime/pollution/access to outdoor stuff being challenging in Denver but is that also the case in Boulder?
I always saw Boulder as having considerably better access to outdoor activities but please educate this east coaster on the topic. Also, I was hoping that Boulder does not suffer from pollution and crime. (but hell, coming from Washington, DC, everything is an improvement)
Thanks, again - it’s really difficult deciding where in heaven to live.
