Moving to Denver : )

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Specializes in Med/Surg, Tele, Critical Care.

Hi everyone! I'm an ADN student in Texas and I finish in May 2009. I grew up in Centennial and my husband and I are fairly certain we want to move back up to Denver after I graduate.

I have a couple of questions.. first of all, I will be taking the NCLEX here in Texas, so would I have to take it again up there or can I get my license transferred?

I saw the thread on the best hospitals in Denver, and I'm considering Denver Health, although I'm not sure about living in the area. The only area I really know is Centennial and I'm not sure what other parts of town would be a good place to go?

And last.. I am going to get my BSN online as soon as I can. There is a school here that I have all the pre-reqs for that only has five meetings for the one year program. I'm not sure if it would be best to go ahead with that program and fly back for the meetings or if I should wait and go to one up there? I heard you have to be a Colorado resident to do it and I have no idea how long it would take to be considered a resident?

I know I have a lot of questions, but I'd appreciate any input : )

Thanks! I wish I was already up there, it's so humid and hot right now!

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Specializes in Triage, MedSurg, MomBaby, Peds, HH.

Hi Kittyfeet and welcome back!

What part of Centennial are we talking about? Parts of it are pretty commutable to Denver Health. Parts of Centennial are very uncommutable though so it just depends on where. I hate telling people I live in Centennial because it's like saying I live in Arapahoe County.

What price range are you looking at and how much house do you need? There are some excellent neighborhoods very close to DH (Denver Country Club, Cherry Creek, Governor's Park, Cheesman Park, Congress Park, Wash Park, DU) but their median prices for a 3 bedroom 2 bath with a 2 car garage are outrageous, even with real estate values dropping. Especially compared to TX prices. The best way to check this out would be to compare your current zip code with those surrounding DH at http://www.city-data.com/ It gives you all sorts of information about potential neighborhoods.

The different counties' property tax rates vary widely too so don't forget to figure that in when you're estimating housing expenses.

For looking at homes for sale online, this site is more quickly updated than the Realtor.com site: www.recolorado.com.

Your Colorado residency is one year from the date of your legal residence here. Once you move back, make sure you replace your license plates and driver's license right away. If you price it out between out of state tuition and flying back to Texas you'll be able to figure out which is more economical.

Good luck and congratulations on your upcoming commencement. That must be such a relief.

Feel free to PM me if you have any other questions.

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Specializes in Med/Surg, Tele, Critical Care.

I lived pretty close to I-25 and Dry Creek Rd. I'm used to commuting pretty far.. (most people in Houston live about 30 miles away from their jobs from what I've seen) but I am nervous about driving a long way every day in ice and snow! I would love to live in the same area I lived in before, but it's not a requirement. I'm always up for something new and I'd even like to try living downtown. We will probably be renting for the first year, to simplify things.

I am thinking it might be a good idea to wait out the one year for residency. I won't have to spend the money on flying and also I noticed a lot of jobs offer tuition reimbursement for people who have worked 6 months or longer. The plus to the flying though, would be getting my BSN sooner and visiting my family.

Thanks for the input, I'll check out those areas : )

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Specializes in Triage, MedSurg, MomBaby, Peds, HH.

I'm at Dry Creek and Holly :) You'd be very commutable to any of the hospitals here.

Good idea about waiting out the one year. I did this when I moved back here from Florida. And yes, many of the hospitals here offer tuition reimbursement.

Downtown is really fun...and another alternative close to DH that I'd forgotten would be the Highlands. I love it over there, cool funky shops, restaurants, coffee houses, etc.

Good luck with your move!

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