Contemplating a move from Colorado

Dsnow9

Well-known member
Joined
Oct 29, 2019
Messages
3,453
Location
Colorado
I have been seriously contemplating moving over last year or two but have been trying to hold my wife back. She has been ready to move for a while. We currently live just outside Denver and it’s about time. I am an arborist (tree monkey) and she works on the internet doing health and wellness stuff. I would like to stay in my profession as I own my own business now but I’m not entirely opposed to changing careers. I have told her my only criteria is the ability to hunt big game preferably on public land and she would love to homestead.

For those of you that have moved recently or those that will never move. What part of your state do you prefer and why? If you had to choose somewhere else to live where would it be?
 
What are the reasons you want to leave? Does leaving make sense in terms of the long-term well being of you and your family—especially kids? What—besides hunting big game on public land—are you looking for in a place? Do you have a spot in mind that you and your wife would both be happy in? What about a support network nearby? Job opportunities? These are the big questions my wife and I have been chewing on for the last couple years. We set a plan in place last year and are actively working on it now—just met with our realtor tonight to go over plans for listing in the spring.

If you’ve got a place in mind that checks all of your boxes, squares with your family, and, at the risk of sounding really cheesy, makes your heart sing, then dude, go it. Life’s too short to sit around and wonder. Folding your business and trying to start from scratch would be tough though. It’s definitely a risk. That would be enough to stop lots of people, and I completely respect that.

Best of luck in whatever you guys decide!
 
What are the reasons you want to leave? Does leaving make sense in terms of the long-term well being of you and your family—especially kids? What—besides hunting big game on public land—are you looking for in a place? Do you have a spot in mind that you and your wife would both be happy in? What about a support network nearby? Job opportunities? These are the big questions my wife and I have been chewing on for the last couple years. We set a plan in place last year and are actively working on it now—just met with our realtor tonight to go over plans for listing in the spring.

If you’ve got a place in mind that checks all of your boxes, squares with your family, and, at the risk of sounding really cheesy, makes your heart sing, then dude, go it. Life’s too short to sit around and wonder. Folding your business and trying to start from scratch would be tough though. It’s definitely a risk. That would be enough to stop lots of people, and I completely respect that.

Best of luck in whatever you guys decide!
Thanks for the feedback, we are just at the beginning of the process but dragging at both of us for a while. The only thing stopping us is we haven’t found the place yet! And we have taken all those things into consideration in the move.

I currently work for the city of denver and run my business on the side, the hope would be to start up my business in the new location.
 
Thanks for the feedback, we are just at the beginning of the process but dragging at both of us for a while. The only thing stopping us is we haven’t found the place yet! And we have taken all those things into consideration in the move.

I currently work for the city of denver and run my business on the side, the hope would be to start up my business in the new location.
Sounds like circling a bunch of potential spots on the map, then taking a giant road trip might be in order! That could be fun. Unless your kids hate being in the car like mine do…
 
To your specific points. I will never move because we're still close enough to family to get their help. Honestly, I'd like to be closer, but they have poison oak down there and I hate the stuff (actual reason why we don't move closer). Once we had kids being close to family was like a #1 consideration. Other reasons we're not going to move are: schooling, close enough for a weekend trip to the ocean, no freeway in or out of town (reduces influx and giant box stores), proximity to epic landscapes (1 hour drive to THs). We currently live in the best spot in the state, hands down- not even a close second.

However, if I had to move it would be to... I'll PM you.
 
i think the odds that my wife and i would leave colorado would be about 90% higher if both of our families weren't here.

as we start to think about having kids, the 45 to 75 minutes (or 120 minutes depending on time of day) distance from both of our parents feels like too much.

are your families here?

but honestly, we do love it here, and the most realistic thing we'd try to do is move to the mountains if family distance was no object. there are actually some realistic options on that front with our job situations.
 
I have been seriously contemplating moving over last year or two but have been trying to hold my wife back. She has been ready to move for a while. We currently live just outside Denver and it’s about time. I am an arborist (tree monkey) and she works on the internet doing health and wellness stuff. I would like to stay in my profession as I own my own business now but I’m not entirely opposed to changing careers. I have told her my only criteria is the ability to hunt big game preferably on public land and she would love to homestead.

For those of you that have moved recently or those that will never move. What part of your state do you prefer and why? If you had to choose somewhere else to live where would it be?
We pulled out of Littleton last July 2020 and never looked back. Struggled for 7 years in CO. If I had to do CO again it would be on the other side of the state, or bust. That being said I don't think I'll ever go back. We are currently in Iowa, and I am using my low cost of living to save up cash for a land purchase in the next 3 years for somewhere awesome. I'll give a hint, it's not Colorado or anywhere back east. Lol, PM me if you want.
 
i think the odds that my wife and i would leave colorado would be about 90% higher if both of our families weren't here.

as we start to think about having kids, the 45 to 75 minutes (or 120 minutes depending on time of day) distance from both of our parents feels like too much.

are your families here?

but honestly, we do love it here, and the most realistic thing we'd try to do is move to the mountains if family distance was no object. there are actually some realistic options on that front with our job situations.
Both of our families are in Colorado, that being said, what we want out of life isn’t in Denver anymore. I grew up in the mountains and would love to be back in the mountains but there are a number of reasons why I don’t think Colorado is a good long term decision for us.
 
Man they give you a goat tag and you wanna up and run off on them. 😂 jk. Hope it works out good for you. Homesteading sounds cool.
 
Brother, if you find that last, best place, send me a PM. 2020 and, remote work seems to have vaporized most of them in the mountain west - unless you don't have to worry about making a living.
The Flathead is well discovered, Bozman was already shifting, if you think North Idaho has gotten expensive, you'll be shocked by Boise and the surrounding valley. Utah has a unique culture and has gotten super hot w/ real estate too.
I truly wish you the best.
 
I worked as an arborist in Longmont for a few years before getting my elementary teacher's license. I don't see my wife and I moving anytime soon but I can 100% sympathize with why you would want to. I used to live in Fruita and I miss almost everything about it compared to the Front Range. If I had my druthers I would probably move us just north to southern WY, somewhere in Idaho (the amount of public land is unreal), or SW Montana (my first time out west was as a 17 year old volunteer at Ennis National Fish Hatchery), although the real estate in all of those places obviously isn't as accessible as it once was. I would have a very, very hard time leaving the Mountain West.

If I were you, knowing the tree game, I would get yourself a QS license and focus on tree health/chemical injections wherever you move. It seems like the margins on that work are much better and more sustainable for your body than climbing. Or you could find some one man operation in a small town where you want to go and just go work for him for a few years and take over his business/client list with time.
 
Wife and I moved from NH to WY. Left family, friends everything. Life there was lacking. Our kids are grown and married so we figures time to be selfish.

We drastically underestimated how hard it is to be far from EVERYONE. Left 20 year friends, family etc

Now coming up on 3 years we also are far from our grandson. It's hard. Trying to figure out how to afford spending 3 months or so starting Thanksgiving back in nh
 
I have been seriously contemplating moving over last year or two but have been trying to hold my wife back. She has been ready to move for a while. We currently live just outside Denver and it’s about time. I am an arborist (tree monkey) and she works on the internet doing health and wellness stuff. I would like to stay in my profession as I own my own business now but I’m not entirely opposed to changing careers. I have told her my only criteria is the ability to hunt big game preferably on public land and she would love to homestead.

For those of you that have moved recently or those that will never move. What part of your state do you prefer and why? If you had to choose somewhere else to live where would it be?
I have been seriously contemplating moving over last year or two but have been trying to hold my wife back. She has been ready to move for a while. We currently live just outside Denver and it’s about time. I am an arborist (tree monkey) and she works on the internet doing health and wellness stuff. I would like to stay in my profession as I own my own business now but I’m not entirely opposed to changing careers. I have told her my only criteria is the ability to hunt big game preferably on public land and she would love to homestead.

For those of you that have moved recently or those that will never move. What part of your state do you prefer and why? If you had to choose somewhere else to live where would it be?
Wife and I are looking in Myrtle Beach north. 40 years in one place ,I'm ready. My son can handle the shop.
 
We have twins with special needs who each have multiple appointments every week for services and health needs. Nearly all those appointments are in Des Moines, so it would be impractical for us to move very far away. We live on the edge of a small town that is about 40 minutes from Des Moines. Living in a state with good healthcare and services for these 2 kids and being near a large metro area to be able to access care and services are our top two priorities in deciding where to live. Even after the twins are grown up one or both may continue to need support from us, in which case we will be living nearby. Likely no retirement destination move for us, which is perfectly fine. We are beyond blessed to have the opportunity to be able to raise and support them as long as we are able to - that is what we signed up for when we adopted them.

If our situation was different and I could pick anywhere in IA my favorite part of the state is south central. It is hilly, mix of pasture, grass crops, row crops, and timber. Very pretty country with lots of deer and turkeys.
 
An Arborist, you say? You want to check out NW Montana, make a vacation of it...
We'll provide you a nice 5th wheel, including $200 per cord quartered @ 16" - stacked. Probably around 5 cords.

Stay a week, enjoy MT. We'll provide free electricity, internet, water nice shower, even has a stack washer/dryer... whatever bells & whistles it comes with. We're in Whitefish, outside of town.

Thread 'Looking For Worker(s) Firewood On Site! NW MT' https://www.hunttalk.com/threads/looking-for-worker-s-firewood-on-site-nw-mt.308605/

20210707_063857.jpg
 
I grew up in the mountains and would love to be back in the mountains but there are a number of reasons why I don’t think Colorado is a good long term decision for us.
I also grew up in the mountains of CO and am planning on moving back. Other than exorbitant real estate prices and an increasing population, what are the other reasons you don’t think CO is a good long term location for your family?
 
PEAX Trekking Poles

Forum statistics

Threads
110,805
Messages
1,935,069
Members
34,883
Latest member
clamwc
Back
Top