Entertaining the idea of moving to Co...advise

[squidward]

I'll be graduating college with a degree in Technology Education (shop teacher) next year and I've been putting lots of thought into where I want to go afterwards. Right now I'm in Wi, about an hour East of Minneapolis. The snow here sucks and I always end up driving 4-5 hours to the UP of Mi. There's no reason for me to stay here, and Colorado's always interested me, so I figured I'd start finding out more about it.

Based off of the next few criteria what area might interest me? I want to do a road trip out there this summer to check out some places.

1) Sledding, obviously. Big huge open climbs aren't exactly my thing. Boondocking and doing more technical climbs through trees and that get my blood pumping. Powder is always good. I don't need to be able to ride out of my backyard, but I don't want to have to drive too far. I've only got a 136" track now, but that can easily changed to a 144 or 151 for the hills.

2) Motocross. It's what I do in the summer. An area with some decent mx tracks is an absolute must. Areas for off-road trucks and such are an added bonus.

3) A town with a decent businesses infrastructure. Where I live now there are about 15,000 people and we've got a walmart, nice grocery store, a fleet farm, some fast food places, a few car/bike/sled dealerships.....Where I grew up it was 50,000 people and I HATED it, too many people and too much bs. On the other hand I don't want to live somewhere where you gotta drive an hour to buy stuff for around the house or for sled parts.

4) An area with a good school districts since that's my career path.

5) I wouldn't mind an area thats relatively warm in the winter but a reasonable drive there will be good snow. But I'm use to cold winters so that's not a big deal. If it's cold there's gotta be snow, unlike where I'm at now. It gets and stays cold, but rarely snows

In the near future I'll be applying for jobs so I'm trying to pinpoint some places to put more effort towards. Like I said I'd like to do a roadtrip so I can check places out, just need to get a list of places to go.

Thanks for any advise! -Scott

 

[AverageJoe]

I moved out here from MI last fall... Sounds like you need to check out Grand Junction on the western slope.. Nice and warm, but the Grand Mesa is a short drive away for great sleddin', and you can ride dirt bikes basically at the town limits.. My 2 cents... I'm up in the mountains, but the property has been in the family since 1923, so I'm a little partial... Oh yeah, and the GJ area always seems to be growing...

 

[Rprecision]

I have a friend who's wife has been seeking a teaching job for almost two years in the denver area. Student teaching is done, certificate, everything.......

Right now is a hard time for teachers, from what I have heard breaking into the union's is the other challenge. Public schools have had to lay off some full time most substitute and all part time. This has flooded the private schools.

Just food for thought, with the outragous cost of living in most (Not all) of the mountian areas you may want to adjust your expectations on a teachers salery. For the most part everywhere there is really good snow there is a ski area close by. This equates to the high costs.

Good luck, I have always wanted to live on the western slope

 

[backcountryislife]

Being a native cheesehead myself (from the home of ringling bros circus, yeehaw!) I can tell you that there is NO comparison in pay from the midwest to here. My wife is a teacher with a masters & national boards who makes about 5/8 what she would have back east.
It's pitiful but we live where we want to & love it. I also am quite a few notches up on the ladder from where I was in Madison & still make less than I did 10 years ago.

As for everything other than making good money in comparison to back home, I'd say Junction is probably the kind of place you're looking for.

 

[Steamboat-RN]

With teaching jobs in short supply, I would think you will have to just see what is available. If anything. Then check back to see what the area is like if you find something. Might have to compromise for a while until something better opens up.
Good luck in the hunt.

 

[PJ-Hunter]

Colorado is a beautiful place to live. Basically anywhere on the Western Slope will suit your motorsports desire.

But, with the economy the way it is, jobs are scarce and you are competing with literally hundreds of other applicants. The cost of living is not dropping even though alot of peeps are collecting unemployment.

 

[squidward]

Is the cost of living just stupid high everywhere on the west slope? Is it one of those things where you've got to get up into a mountain town for housing to be cheap, but then jobs are even more scarce? Right now my buddy and I are both interested in moving out there because we're both big sled junkies. What I did two years ago was bought a duplex so I've been living on the cheap/remodeling an investment. My buddy's a construction major, and I've got a decent amount of experience so doing something like that again would be more then do-able.

As for jobs there have been a few postings on our job boards looking for tech ed teachers in Co. Most of them complain they can't find qualified canidates. I'm pretty well rounded with real-life work experience and then school stuff so hopefully I've got a bit of something to offer.

Whats life like further east? Denver, Steamboat Springs, Fort Collins, Colorado Springs?

 

[duke1n]

I wanna go into teaching! I have a friend that teaches and plays golf every single day from May 30 to Aug the 30th. He basically has a 3 month vacation. He's been going to Indonesia the last few years and teaching over there. I make three times as much as he does is the only thing preventing me from becoming a high school math teacher lol. Another buddy is a teacher and coaches perennial state 5A basketball contender Thunder Ridge. He stays busy in the summer running basketball camps.

Front Range is good. Other than living up in the hills I would next prefer to live or NE of Denver in rural farm country towards Ft Lupton.

 

[BackCountryBob]

Gunnison, Montrose, Salida, Buena Vista all small towns with great outdoor activity but if I were single and young again I'd take a look at Wyoming--too many liberal imports in Colorado now

BacKCountryBob
Arvada, Co.

 

[PJ-Hunter]

Gunnison, Montrose, Salida, Buena Vista all small towns with great outdoor activity but if I were single and young again I'd take a look at Wyoming--too many liberal imports in Colorado now

BacKCountryBob
Arvada, Co.

The fawking liberals are everywhere now! Colorado has been officially infested with Californians and East coasters.

BTW, Steamboat is a freaking ghost town now. None of the contractors have pulled in any new work and new projects are getting shut down every day. It is a sad state of affairs in the NW block of Colorado. And Steamboat is a very liberal town now. What a waste!

 

[live2ride]

I see someone said Wyoming, check into pay scales for the 2 areas. I was told that teachers in Gillette, WY were some of the top paid in the US (only hear say but worth a look).

 

[SnoShark]

Not sure anymore...

But there WERE a few openings in Colorado Springs for that position a couple of months ago. Sledding opportunities are pretty much a 2hour minimum drive; up to 4-5hrs for the "good stuff." The moto. trail riding is closer however. I'm not positive on all of the tracks around and what they're like, but I know Denver obviously holds some - about an hour drive.

 

[squidward]

But there WERE a few openings in Colorado Springs for that position a couple of months ago. Sledding opportunities are pretty much a 2hour minimum drive; up to 4-5hrs for the "good stuff." The moto. trail riding is closer however. I'm not positive on all of the tracks around and what they're like, but I know Denver obviously holds some - about an hour drive.

All I know about is Thunder Valley, the national track, on the west side of Denver not far off of Inst. 70. I know nothing of other tracks. I'm not much into trail riding, at this time.

What do you consider "the good stuff"....I'm thinking this is a relative expression I'm 100% positive my "good" most Co. people wouldn't even bother getting their sleds out. All I know is trail riding sucks, but powder and doing technical climbs is awesome. I've never done any huge chutes. Natural (or somewhat tweaked upon) jumps I consider absolutely epic!

 

[XP-ModMan]

There is the Lakewood track of C470, there is the Watkins track out East of Aurora and the track on the side of I25 heading to Fort Collins.

Rampart Range is just south of Denver, never been there but i have heard that the single track is awesome!

The tracks are always crowded though!

 

[moquisgirl]

Rampart Range is just south of Denver, never been there but i have heard that the single track is awesome!

The tracks are always crowded though!

Single track @ Rampart??? It would be awesome if the (enter your own explicative) ATVs would stay off of it!!

 

[J-Fly]

Silvethorne is the best place to live if you like snowboarding and snowmobiling. There are a lot of places within 15 minutes, Keystone, Loveland, A-basin, Breck, Copper, Vail Pass, Montezuma, Spring Creek, all right here. And denver is only an hour a way. Rent is higher, but its easy to find a job.

Not sure what a liberal is, but if it is the opposite of republican, then good. There are not a lot of people that even give a **** about politics up here everyone just wants to ride.

 

[black swan]

As far as, single track Mesa Cty- Grand Junction has more dirt riding than anywhere in the state, imo. You can unload at the city limits and darn near ride to Green River Utah or Moab from Gj. On weekdays we ride 40-60mi of dirt and lucky if we see another bike! BLM in all 4 directions from town!

Did i mention the 800sq miles of sledding on the Grand Mesa?

Rampart, what a joke! and the tracks, who want to pay money to wait in line to hit a jump, just silly.....tracks out here are made in the BLM desert or people's backyard--Bohica!! no price for admission

 

[Zachcreek]

Gunnison, Montrose, Salida, Buena Vista all small towns with great outdoor activity but if I were single and young again I'd take a look at Wyoming--too many liberal imports in Colorado now

BacKCountryBob
Arvada, Co.

BV sucks, look at Burlington or somewhere on the eastern planes. Wind blows here and there is really no good restaurants (Not kidding there). Mostly tree hugging liberals. They live in fear with me every day....

 

[MtnDoo]

If you can't find politics in Summit County you either can't read or don't speak the language.
Not knowing what a "liberal" is? Ignorance is bliss...time to polish off the ol' Obama sticker eh?



I do however agree that Silverthorne is a great community and a nice area to live in.

Snowmobiling in Silverthorne is legal next to town roads per the books.
Just need to cross roads at a 90deg angle to direction of traffic.

Go ahead, give it a try.

LOL.

<<Silvethorne is the best place to live if you like snowboarding and snowmobiling. There are a lot of places within 15 minutes, Keystone, Loveland, A-basin, Breck, Copper, Vail Pass, Montezuma, Spring Creek, all right here. And denver is only an hour a way. Rent is higher, but its easy to find a job.

Not sure what a liberal is, but if it is the opposite of republican, then good. There are not a lot of people that even give a **** about politics up here everyone just wants to ride.>>

 

[Steamboat-RN]

As far as, single track Mesa Cty- Grand Junction has more dirt riding than anywhere in the state, imo. You can unload at the city limits and darn near ride to Green River Utah or Moab from Gj. On weekdays we ride 40-60mi of dirt and lucky if we see another bike! BLM in all 4 directions from town!

Did i mention the 800sq miles of sledding on the Grand Mesa?

Rampart, what a joke! and the tracks, who want to pay money to wait in line to hit a jump, just silly.....tracks out here are made in the BLM desert or people's backyard--Bohica!! no price for admission

Now Ray, we all know that the front range is the place to be.
All those millions crammed into a small area can't be wrong. Rampart must be the best place to ride. Why else would so many quads and bikers flock there every weekend? The western slope is just a bunch of farmers and oilfield workers. Nothing to see here. Just keep moving. And housing prices just keep going up. Who wants that? Front range prices are still falling. That's good, right?
The mesa never gets any snow either. It's in the desert and it is the worlds largest FLAT topped mountain. Can't be any good. How many days did we ride in untracked freshies all day and never see another rider?

Ray, you really have your priorities wacked.
BTW, how about some empty single track this weekend? Gotta stay close, no more than 30 or 40 miles out. I'm on call.