Thinking about Denver area vs Albuquerque NM

[lampost]

I grew up in Illinois too. The snow here is nothing like it back there. There it snows once in November and its on the ground until March/April. Here, it melts pretty quick.

I think its beautiful though. I'll go walking in a veritable blizzard one day and then a few days later its nearly 50 degrees.

You will LOVE the weather here. It doesn't get as cold as Chicago in Denver... Not even close if you ask me! I remember walking in the loop and wind whipping between the buildings when it was 0 degrees! Made things difficult. Furthermore, it doesn't get as hot here in the summer! Pretty close, but its not oppressively hot & humid like the Midwest.

Also, was gonna mention that Denver is a GREAT sized city! I left Chicago because the traffic and number of people drove me nuts. If I wanted to run an errand to Target or something on a Saturday there it was a 3-hour ordeal.

lampost Reviewed by lampost on 02-26-2010. Thinking about Denver area vs Albuquerque NM OK, New Mexico is doing a might fine job of convincing hubby and I to move there. BUT, Colorado is running neck and neck. Hubby has ms. Can't stand the cold, can't stand the heat. Both states have medical marijuana. Jim is preferring Colorado because he'll be able to get his meds easier than NM. Too cold and Jim hurts pretty good. Too hot and he melts. But, the weather is just a small factor in our decision. Give me a few good reasons why Colorado would be a better place to live. I Rating: 5

[grfxdsnr]

Lampost you have nailed Chi town pretty well! LOL

You guys are making this so easy and we appreciate it very much. Jim will be coming on eventually and introducing himself.

What about Denver areas to look at? I have been told by a VA patient advocate in Denver that her top three places are Brighton, Montebello & Centennial. I also heard through my brother that Littleton is nice and someone else told me Aurora. We don't want to live right in the city but close enough to get there easily.

Our budget is no more than $250g but would love to find something closer to $200g. Our goal is to own our house eventually with no mortgage. If anything has been taught today in this recession it is to save and don't buy more than you need. We already knew that.

Unless we find that awesome penthouse! Yeah, not gonna happen.

[denverbear]

Lampost you have nailed Chi town pretty well! LOL

You guys are making this so easy and we appreciate it very much. Jim will be coming on eventually and introducing himself.

What about Denver areas to look at? I have been told by a VA patient advocate in Denver that her top three places are Brighton, Montebello & Centennial. I also heard through my brother that Littleton is nice and someone else told me Aurora. We don't want to live right in the city but close enough to get there easily.

Our budget is no more than $250g but would love to find something closer to $200g. Our goal is to own our house eventually with no mortgage. If anything has been taught today in this recession it is to save and don't buy more than you need. We already knew that.

Unless we find that awesome penthouse! Yeah, not gonna happen.

stay away from montbello...brighten is ok in the newer part and actually it's priced right in a lot of areas for sure...centenial is very nice but expensive..
the north area Thornton/north glen is not bad but my preferance would be Thornton area.

[grfxdsnr]

stay away from montbello...brighten is ok in the newer part and actually it's priced right in a lot of areas for sure...centenial is very nice but expensive..
the north area Thornton/north glen is not bad but my preferance would be Thornton area.

Thanks. It's hard when you have never been there. Only the locals like you guys can give me the low down on the areas to avoid. :thumbsup:

Yeah we could visit, and we will, but there is no way we'd know what areas to avoid unless it is just down right awful on first look you know?

[lampost]

I wouldn't rule out the city! Check out some of the neighborhoods... it's definitely different from Chicago.

For suburbs here I'd check out Arvada and Westminster... both pretty nice spots and right between downtown and the mountains!! Golden is also really nice but maybe expensive. I don't really know much about housing prices, but those are nice areas. I think Lakewood is nice. I tend to like the west side of Denver because it's closer to the mountains, but there's nice areas over on the east side too.

[Denvertoad]

Try this forum for questions regarding Denver Metro area.

Colorado Forum - Relocation, Moving, Local City Discussions - City-Data Forum

Good luck with your decision!

[grfxdsnr]

Thanks!

[PufferLungs]

Of course we are Bears fan! Is there any other way?

Thanks everyone, keep it coming please. The cold and snow, we are used to but could do with less if you know what I mean. This year has sucked for everyone in terms of cold and snow. It's snowing in places no one expected!

So tell me, the snow average is higher in the Denver area than here in Chicago which surprised me a little. Our snow stays and never leaves for months unless we get that one day where it melts, kind of. I hear your snow usually melts quickly due to the sun. True?

The cold and snow of Colorado is MUCH different than the mid-western cold and snow you are used too. I was born and raised in the Kansas City area, which is basically the same climate as Chicago - hot and humid in the summer - cold as sh*t in the winter.

Colorado has an average of about 25% -- 40% humidity, depending on the season. It does not get sticky hot here like it does in the mid-west. It DOES get just a little bit hot in late July and August - but the humidity is barely over 30% or 35%. It's amazingly comfortable. You can actually go outside in the summer and NOT sweat while standing still under a shade tree. Can't say THAT for Chicago or any other mid-western town where the humidity is 80% ++ As soon as you go outside in July (Kansas City area) - you're instantly sweating. The humidity just collects on your body and it feels like your all sweaty and slimy in less than 10 minutes.

We are MUCH closer to the sun in Colorado, so it's only natural that the suns rays are going to be more intense. Not hotter - just more intense.

Yes, it does snow a lot here. And it melts almost as fast as it fell from the sky. We can get 8" of snow overnight and it'll all melt in a day or two if the clouds clear and the sun comes out. That's the beauty of living in Denver or any other city on the eastern side of the Rockies. Yeah - we get snow. Plenty of it. But 90% of the people in this country don't realize how fast it melts and warms up after the snow.

If ya want snow - just take a 45 minute trip up Boulder canyon or take Interstate 70 about 1hr west to Silverthorne - you in the mountains BABY!! Snow!! snow!! snow!! Snow everywhere!!!! When you get tired of the snow, just hop in the car and drive back down the mountain to Denver for some nice warm sun and T-shirt weather in the middle of February.

As far as I know - Colorado MMJ laws are much more relaxed. Maybe thats not the correct way to phrase it - but the point is - it's EASY to get hooked up with a good caregiver or dispensary here. From what I've been reading - it's NOT easy to find a dispensary or a caregiver in NM.

Colorado Springs is a military town. Not the best place to raise kids IMO. Anytime you have a military base - you'll have increased levels of crime (prostitution and illegal drugs). Thats not speculation or me talking out of my ass. Thats been a known reality for generations. I would not want to live in Colorado Springs simply because of that military base and also because of how bad the TRAFFIC sucks. Yeah, we got traffic in Denver - but it's not NEAR as bad as Colorado Springs.

Ft. Collins (60 miles north of Denver) is a college town. It's quiet and peaceful in the summer. Hip and exciting during the school year. Not much traffic and a much smaller overall population when compared to Denver or Colorado Springs. IMO it still has that small town feel without feeling like you live 100 miles out in BFE.

Denver is the big city. This is where the VA hospital is located. This is where the Childrens Hospital is located ( God Bless em - saved my kids life twice). The Pepsi center is here if you like hockey or basketball. The Broncos play at Invesco field. The Rockies baseball stadium is here too. Denver has done a great job of keeping their downtown alive and active. Downtown is where all the action is. Baseball stadium, basketball arena, football stadium -- all downtown or very close to downtown.

MMJ is EASY to get in the Denver area. Get your MMJ card and walk into any of a couple hundred different dispensaries in the Denver metro area. More selection of smokeable and edible herb than you can shake a stick at. Most of it is pretty decent quality for the buck.

[PufferLungs]

Thanks. It's hard when you have never been there. Only the locals like you guys can give me the low down on the areas to avoid. :thumbsup:

Yeah we could visit, and we will, but there is no way we'd know what areas to avoid unless it is just down right awful on first look you know?

Avoid Aurora and Broomfield at all costs. Both of those cities are NOT MMJ friendly.

Avoid Montbello. High crime.
Thornton is okay but the school system is Adams county. (more on that later)
Northglenn sucks (high utilities and poor street maintenance - again, Adams county schools - more on that later)
Brighton is okay - but it's 25 miles from Denver.

Your best bets are Arvada, Westminster, Golden for MMJ friendliness. But you don't have to live in those cities to get MMJ products.

I live in the north part of Arvada. I'm right on the edge of Westminster and Broomfield. LOVE IT! Easy access to downtown. Easy access to Boulder Turnpike HWY36, Interstate 25 and Interstate 70.

Jefferson County (Arvada, Lakewood, Westminster, Lakewood) schools are very good if you have children. Stay WEST of Sheridan Blvd if you want to live in Jefferson County.

Adams county (EAST of Sheridan Blvd) schools SUCK. They look good on paper because thats where a lot of the minorities live - so thats where the states spends all it's money on public education. But money spent does not always = expected results. Test scores indicate Jefferson county is a better school system.

[grfxdsnr]

Thanks Pufferlungs! Great information! Our kids are grown so we don't have to worry about schools. WHEW! Both will be graduated from college by May next year. So then it's just Jim and I and the open space to decide where we're going to settle.

We want near Denver because of the Va for sure. We don't want to be able to reach out and touch our neighbors house though! LOL I'll check those areas for housing. You guys are awesome!

Somebody help me with this. I am Jim's caregiver, I take care of everything for him, all his daily needs. I am a little confused by the caregiver definition and some dispensaries wanting you to sign over to be ones caregiver. Can someone explain what all that means? I looked at the law as it's written and I fit the description of a caregiver. How would a dispensary be a caregiver?