?'s about Colorado

[Calzonan RN]

I am just starting NS in Jan so I've got some time to research a relocation. Currently I live in AZ and am really getting tired of the heat!! That and housing has skyrocketed, my electric bills could feed a small country, and the school system is one of the worst in the US. I'm considering moving to CO after I graduate. I've lived in Aurora a couple of times and my parents used to live in Boulder so I"m familiar with CO, but it's been a while. Right now I'm considering the Fort Collins area, my dh and I are going out there in July (school break) to look things over.

My main concerns are:

Schools- how good are the schools, I've got a 2.5 yo, 5 yo, and a 7yo, add two years to their ages for when I graduate. Right now my 7 yo is in a fantastic school, but when she finally gets to high school, there's not many good schools.

Cost of utilities- We're paying over $500 a month just for electric from May-October, for a 3500 sq ft house.

Hospitals to work at- I'll be graduating in Dec '07 and need to find a job that accepts new grads

Overall- just a good place to raise kids.

Thanks for any help,

Keli

[sddlnscp]

Sorry I don't know much about the area you are referring to. I live in SE CO - all I can tell you is that you won't escape the heat if you come to this area, we get lots of 100+ degree days - but you will be in for cold and snow-blown winters! I think Ft. Collins has much milder summers, although you still have the yucky winters. Not so sure about the schools - hopefully somebody that knows more will come along soon. Best of luck!

[chrissy91322]

I don't know much about the Ft. Collins area either. I think it's a little cheaper than metro Denver. I live in Littleton. I love the weather here. I think the real estate market is a little more than AZ. I just paid $300 to heat my 2000 square foot house, so it's not too much better here as far as that goes. There are hospitals here that hire new grads. I know I've seen ads at Littleton and Swedish both. I know the Douglas County Schools are great schools, but I don't know about anywhere else. Hope this helps a little.

Chrissy

[VividDreams]

We lived in Fort Collins a short while, but we really liked it and I'm keeping it in mind as a possible permanent location. My kids really loved their school, O'Dea Elementary. The libraries were nice, there are rec centers, etc. The town was clean with no pollution (compared to Denver area). The housing prices seemed lower than Denver/Springs areas but as far as utilities I don't know since we had all bills paid.

Hope this helps!