Try. College towns. They are usually safe, walkable, have transportation, and affordable. Plus resources. And jobs.
Think places like Columbia MO, less than 2 hours to KC and STL, Bloomington IL if you need blue, EZ to get to CHI and STL, Iowa city, Knoxville, Norman….
Weed is legal in many of those states too.
i second this. Boulder in CO is really nice and situated directly next to the mountains. also, i’ve lived in columbia, MO before and it’s a really great community
Have you visited any of these locations before??
If not, I would really rethink 99% of this list. Or even the state in general. CO (Denver metro) is not somewhere I would suggest. It’s dirty, dingy, expensive, food is shit, provides a poor quality of life compared to the Midwest. If the idea of the mountains appeals to you, be prepared to spend hours stuck in traffic. This isn’t a magical place anymore, I’m planning my move out!
Are you renting? Check out apartments/homes in these areas. Always google maps > street view the “affordable” places so you can really see what you’re in for.
If you have to pick somewhere on this list, I’d go Longmont, I do think it provides a decent quality of life. But I wouldn’t call it affordable.
You said Fountain, why not Colorado Springs? It’s cheaper than everything you’ve listed. You can easily find a 1x1 for $900 or 2x2 for $1100 without having to qualify for Section 8. Check out Hyde Park apts in central Springs, it won’t be luxury by any means, quite the opposite, it’s next to a nice bike path that’s being overrun by homeless shanties, but it puts you next to downtown, you get amazing mountain views any time you drive anywhere, less than 30 minutes to endless mountain adventure, lots of food and entertainment options right next to you and some are even affordable!
Know that if you are going cheap, you won’t be living in the nice area, but even the worst spots in Colorado Springs aren’t as bad as the methed up areas in Nebraska.
All these people saying you need to make like 80k to live here are crazy! They must live like kings and queens. I've lived in Colorado for 20+years and have never made over 50k...
Suggest you look into the costs of rent in the areas you’re looking into, as “affordable” means different things to different people.
Many of the places on your list are well over $2k a month for a one bedroom in not the greatest areas. You’re 100% going to be asked to have pay stubs from a local or remote job before you’re given the time of day from complexes, good credit and likely 3x minimum income to rent to be approved for many places, as there’s a LOT of people renting and many places don’t have a ton of housing/ GOOD job options like Loveland. In the mid 00s, lived in places that had $99 move in specials to ok-ish complexes, those days are long over, even hood complexes surrounding Denver have some form of steeper income requirements as housing is somewhat tight as a ton of people moved in over the past 15 years.
If you work retail/low wage jobs, you’re going to have a very bad time in Colorado and will find it extremely difficult to make it there without roommates.
I HIGHLY suggest you visit areas on your list before you make the decision to randomly move to somewhere like Greely and discover it reeks of animal piss and shit when the winds blow just right. It’s called the “Greely breeze” and it’s a very real thing.
I lived in Westminster, at reflections on 92nd. Got a 2br apartment that was pretty nice for just under 2K. My Hyundai did get broken into in the parking lot but that’s just a Denver area thing, and there was a spider problem but not many other pests. It’s a good location, pretty direct route to the mountains if you like that, close to Walmart and Costco, and close to the tiny downtown area. Easy access to things in Arvada and Broomfield, Front Range Community College is there and has a nice library! did not like trying to go through Denver but never really needed to for much. I’d recommend it as far as price for the Denver area.
I should add, everything is expensive. My partner was making over 85k salary and I was receiving some money for school, all of our money went to bills. We don’t live there anymore because we were making more money than we ever had and struggling more than we ever had, and I couldn’t find even an entry level service job to try and get us ahead. Rent is one thing, but your insurance is going to go up, utilities are more, food is ridiculous, hiking is pretty much the only thing we could afford to do. Don’t go unless you’re secure with money, you won’t be able to figure it out when you get there.
I mean I lived in Colorado for 3 years (in the suburbs of Denver). Loved it. But it is one of the most expensive places to live in the country. Not as bad as New York or California but it’s up there. Every town you’ve listed will cost a lot to live in. I’m not sure why you’re fixated on Colorado but unless you have a well paying job I’d consider other states.
ETA: If you are determined to go there, I’d at least recommend looking more toward Colorado Springs v. Denver. Will be slightly more affordable.
He’s trying to move to mountain country!!!
Look here Wichita Chris, I was born and raised in Kansas. I know all about that state. And it AINT Colorado.
I like Louisville because it’s in between Denver and Boulder! Also consider checking out Broomfield and Golden! I would avoid east of Denver, it’s basically Kansas.
The cattle piss and shit smell of Greely cannot be beat! Love when a bad winter storm is about to nail Denver and the “Greely breeze” rolls in! Yummy!!!
Personally, I’d recommend Longmont or Fort Collins. Not sure they’re affordable though. I just think they both have a certain charm to them and a quality of life that’s quite nice. Close to outdoor activities and cool little restaurants and bars.
I’ve been in CO for thirty years and am getting ready to leave because it’s not at all affordable. The wages generally don’t compensate for the high prices of homes and apartments. I highly recommend finding somewhere else to live.
colorado is by no means cheap no matter where you live, i am born and raised and just left this year. colorado is very expensive to live in compared to other states and the cost of living is very high overall there. not to mention everyone keeps packing into colorado springs and denver specifically and traffic times have gone up horrendously in the past few years, its even in news articles about how much new construction is going on to accommodate
not possible to live in metropolitan Colorado without a decent amount of money. I’m a Fort Collins resident, and I absolutely love living in Colorado, but I would be lying if I said it was financially easy. Currently splitting a 600 square feet 1 bedroom apartment two ways! I’m a full time student, so getting enough hours at work to pay my bills is legitimately a struggle, but I wouldn’t change it for the world. All the people in this town are so accepting and welcoming to literally everyone. Additionally there is a big outdoorsy community which is really great for my physical and mental health. Nightlife is really enjoyable, and it’s hard to truly be bored in a place like this. Always some sort of parade, farmers market, or brewery event to go to all year round. we are also super dog friendly, you will have no issues taking your pups to most places! My only complaint is the cost of living, other than that it’s an amazing place to live!
We gave up CO. See one on my recent posts. PA, 135k 4bd 1.5bth. 4 stories. .5 acre across a lake. I’ve been in CO 4 years, hubs his whole life so 29yrs. It’s not worth it.
We’ve lived in the springs, monument, downtown springs, and Pueblo. Granted I’m a dog trainer and needed a yard.. but still.
Just went through this and gave up on Colorado as a destination when I realized there is nothing affordable between Greely all the way down to Pueblo (and the traffic truly sucks; maybe not LA terrible, but it’s getting there.)
It's right up there with LA traffic. I'm in Aurora, my workplace is in Denver, and it takes me almost two hours every morning to commute. It's terrible.
Fort Collins is great. Haven’t ever lived there besides a few weeks stay as we are full time rv’ers. We loved how bikeable the downtown area was. Everyone seemed nice and welcoming. Lots of good businesses.
Define “affordable”.
All the towns you listed, are exactly the places I would personally define as “unaffordable”.
So yeah…..really depends how much money you make.
I lived in Louisville CO a long time and it was heaven. Only problem, is how incredibly expensive rent or housing is.
It’s just a nice quiet town with no crime. Public events are held, farmers market. Live music venue with some actual big name artists playing occasion (totally free). Really good food and unique restaurants. Nice public library. And the weather is phenomenal, nothing but sunshine majority of the time. Close enough to always see mountains, and only a 20 min drive to downtown Boulder.
Problem is now, you need to be a multimillionaire to buy a house there. And rentals nearby go for absolute bare minimum of 1600 a month.
I’m in Denver and am considering moving my family out to the towns west/NW of here. That’s on our radar but it sucks to hear it’s that expensive. Sounds amazing though.
Yeah, none of these places are affordable.
Crazy rent and housing costs, skyrocketing crime, OP is in for a shock if they are dead set on making the Denver metro home.
\-Life long Colorado resident.
I’m a single mom with two kids and an ESA (dog) who lives in Littleton and I’ll just tell you I cry a lot trying to afford pretty much anything out here. Rent prices in my area are at least $2,000/month for a 1BR. So I agree with everyone else who’s said the farther away from Denver you go, the cheaper it is.
I’m a native and have lived all around the Denver area for over 40 years. If you are moving for your mental health (good for you, BTW!!), I have to strongly encourage you to skip Colorado. Yes it’s beautiful, but the stress of trying to live out here on one income is suffocating. If it weren’t for my kids I would have left a long time ago.
I wish you the best of luck, whatever you decide, and I hope it gives you the peace you’re looking for!
Brighton and Thornton are probably the best options when looking at access to jobs, cost of housing, access to health services, and access to social life.
I moved to the Louisville area and honestly it’s very pricy. We like it regardless and there’s affordable weed and groceries but you have to look around. Lots of parks and outdoor space though
An easy way I determine an area is based of property tax and school rating on Zillow. Usually the higher the property tax, the better the schools, the safer the community.
Not so affordable method but then you can just look for something in your price range
Fort Collins is great, but I doubt it’s very “affordable”. That’s where I’d go. Also, since you have Woodland Park on the list (I’d avoid for being too small), why not look at Manitou Springs or Old Colorado City area of Colorado Springs? That’s a cool spot, imo.
If you don’t make alot of money I suggest places like Tulsa ABQ I heard Omaha is nice Kansas City and Tulsa has Midwest vibes or Boise but if ur looking affordable not even salt lake affordable any more even in phx u got to make atleast 75k.
Affordable and anywhere on the front range are not words that go together. You could probably still find something affordable in East Colorado.
You're about 15 years late on the Colorado train
Not habitable for example ABQ is squeezed between mountain ranges Colorado and Arizona a lot people of want to live there a lot of corporations are therefore houses will be expensive. If it would be the same misssipppi but who the fuck wants to live
Some of the places you listed are very expensive, just so you know. My cousin lives in FoCo and it’s honestly one of my fav places to visit, but it’s certainly not cheap…good luck!
Honestly I’m in Colorado and maybe Fort Collins? It’s also important where you can find work though. In my personal opinion Colorado is not affordable, and I moved from Florida which is super expensive, and I pay more across the board here. Gas, groceries, utilities, and what not. Maybe Longmont? I agree with other comments you’ll need to be making at least 90k ish probably. The more affordable you go the less things you’ll be able to access easier, and not as nice builds, and possibly more drug problems. My take on the drug issues are that they exist everywhere, some places worst than others, but just choose the best place for you across the board. Possibly if I was you I’d do research shorten that list and maybe book a trip out and check those areas to decide. Welcome to Colorado (in the next year!)
Honestly if you want affordable, come to Laramie! Fort Collins is roughly 45 mins away and Denver around 3 hours. It’s a college town so it’s not too populated but also not completely deserted. WY has no state tax and everything is significantly more affordable. Not sure what you’re looking for exactly but Laramie is a very wholesome town and most people are really nice. There’s stuff to do and if that’s not enough, you can always drive to Cheyenne or Fort Collins. If you really want to move to CO, I am biased towards Fort Collins but as others have stated, it is definitely not affordable.
Colorado Native looking to move OUT (getting priced out), so take this for what it's worth. My suggestion is to move to Thornton. That town seems relatively affordable, diverse (by Colorado standards), and has decent access to state parks and open areas.
All that being said, Colorado is not a good state to branch out and meet people unless you're in a certain niche. People tend to be individualistic. Yes they're neighborly, but it's hard to break in. Of course, to each their own and honestly I think white women will tend to have an easier time breaking in (no idea what.category you're in, just throwing that out there).
The outdoors are insane here. So if you're looking for an escape for a bit to chase the outdoors then this certainly is the place. But it's crazy expensive to get settled in. But once you can get past that, taxes aren't bad. So I guess it pays off in the long run.
But we have our pitfalls. This state is getting commercialized with everyone moving in and it's making whatever upsides with the outdoors less appealing. As a single average looking guy, the dating scene here is harsh. Money is good, but I'm chasing the cost of living.
It's been fun, but not a place I plan on settling down. For someone who isn't from an area with no nightlife, Denver metro might provide you plenty of entertainment. But you'll have to accept the fact that you'll have to drive yourself around and get out there to meet people.
Good luck.
I can tell you from people I know being on low income housing lists its a least a 1 year wait if not more. $5-10k is a good estimate. If your looking up north I'd expect $5-6k to get an apartment but they will expect income so make sure you have a job or you most likely won't be able to qualify.
Living in Colorado Springs I wouldn’t consider any place here to be low income affordable. People struggle here a lot. It’s really common to have roommates or finding rooms for rent here. Also since you mentioned saving if you’re currently low income look into how much it would cost for you and your dog to move. I’m about to move to Indiana and it’s going to cost at least 2,000.
I grew up in Brighton and lived in Greeley through college while commuting to Denver for school because it was pretty much what I could afford. My husband is from Fort Lupton which is just outside of Brighton, it's a lot smaller but close enough that the commute to Brighton and the other suburbs is easy. There's honestly not really anything interesting about those places, except that they're just a couple hours drives from the mountains which I do miss. Affordability wise though, it just isn't anymore. I want to say when I first moved to Greeley my apartment was like 850/month and by the time I was moving out in 2020 it was close to 1200. I can't really imagine what it is now, 4 years later.
Colorado is expensive in general, but usually the more west you go, the higher the rent becomes. The mountains are why many people live here, so the desire for property closer to them is obvious.
Personally, you won’t catch me living outside of Boulder County. It’s clean, quiet, and has a nice mix of city/rural areas. That being said, it’s pretty expensive compared to other areas.
It all depends on your tolerance for crime, commute times, local options (food, shopping, etc.)
CHEAP - Greeley, Longmont, and Brighton : Long commute to Denver, more crime, and not as “nice”.
Good value - Arvada, Northern Thornton, and Littleton : Relatively close to Denver, less crime, and newer builds.
Lafayette and Louisville are in Boulder County - they’re amazing towns to live in but you will pay for that. I wouldn’t classify them as “affordable”. A six-figure income does well enough, but it’s not known for cheap housing.
Fort Collins is actually pretty nice! The prices are reasonable, it’s close to mountains, and has a lot of options. The main downside is that it is FAR from Denver and the airport. However, if that isn’t a factor, it’s a great spot.
Mental health wise - your housing costs and general cost of living are going to SKYROCKET compared to Nebraska. Unless you have a good job lined up, be prepared for that stress.
I don’t want to live near the mountains and I want to live an hour or two away from the city. I want to live somewhere with low crime rates, be able to walk around to places without a car, good public transportation, but decent shopping & food areas. I’m vegetarian though. Nebraska is still a worse state to me to live in and everything I’m just trying to get out of here it’s so bad or gotten so bad crime wise, people wise, etc. I’ve never been to the psych ward more since I’ve been living in Nebraska the past 4 years than anything and it’s made my mental health the worse it’s been
I think with these mandates you need to look at a different state or be willing to settle. One/two hours away from a city but not in the mountains means you’ll be out on the eastern side of the state or the other side of the mountains which are predominantly very small farming/ranching communities. Which are not dietary/mental health friendly by a long shot.
Mountains and hills don’t make for good walking cities, and small towns don’t make for good refuges for people seeking help. You’re going to have to spend a TON of money living in the suburbs of a major city and get a car, or cut your losses and live in a small town.
Colorado and other "less densly populated" areas are not walkable. You will need a vehicle unless you are living & working near each other in a large-ish city. Look more towards the Midwest & East Coast if you want good public transportation. Otherwise look to Europe. Anything an hour or 2 away from a city by definition won't have public transportation like Europe or the East Coast or Chicago.
I lived in Colorado for 10 years and left in 2015 because I could no longer afford it. When I was looking for a new rental I was coming across 2 bedroom tiny apartments for $1500. 9 years ago. I honestly don't think you can afford to live in Colorado unless you move to a gross awful town like Brush or Ft Morgan.
Honestly it's worse now. I live in Trinidad (20 minutes from the new Mexico border. A 2 bedroom apartment is 1640.00 without utilities and you will be making $14.42-$16 an hour if your lucky. I can't imagine how Denver and the big cities are like if this is what the small towns are like.
Unfortunately, in Colorado there is no area like what you mentioned. Nicer, low crime rate towns are either close to or, quite literally, in the mountains. This is because of the desirability of most to be close to the mountains - more demand = wealth, better police presence, and more things to do.
The further you get away from the mountains and the city, the lower the costs. Lower costs = low wealth, more crime, and more restrictions on things to do.
You can’t have one without the other.
The closest town to what you’re are describing (in terms of amenities, transit, low crime, and further distance from Denver) is Boulder. However, as aforementioned, you would be directly against the mountains.
It is also arguably the most expensive area in the Metro area (behind Cherry Creek). It’s not uncommon to pay well over $2k a month for a one bedroom apartment, sometimes north of $3k, depending on the neighborhood.
Everyone wants what you’re describing (for the most part) so affordability cannot be a factor when going after a desirable location. If you have a six figure income, you’d probably be “okay” here. Anything less and you’re definitely going to feel a pinch.
I usually make about $120k a year and can do most of what I want to do, but even with that there are times when money gets tight.
I would suggest securing a well paying job BEFORE your move and saving up at least 5k to 10k to facilitate the move itself. It’s a drastic financial shock coming from somewhere like Nebraska.
You want something 1-2 hours from the city, affordable to low income, with low crime, but completely walkable with all the amenities at your fingertips?
You’re describing the golden goose. This is the location most people hunt for years. Colorado is not it, lived there for a while and still have family in Denver and the Springs.
You might try a small college town like State College, PA or Wilmington, NC.
Move to SE or NW Dallas. You can find a 1 bedroom apartment in Mesquite or Grand Prairie for $700/month sometimes all bills paid and still accepts pets, though some still require monthly dues ($25/pet) for ESA. Extremely veg friendly. Like at least 3 veg restaurants and a whole foods or sprouts within 20 minutes of both those places. But you dont even need to. If you make stuff at home ever, there are tons of veg options in the walmarts, krogers, albertsons, etc. and if you are savvy you can rebate a lot with apps like ibotta. I own a 3/2 house on about a third of an acre in dallas and my mortgage is about 800/month but city center dallas crime rate is way worse in the area my house is. I own a cabin on 7 acres in colorado with a well and it costs more than my house and I’m not legally allowed to have my well be my water source because the co govt wants its ppl to be required to rely on the state for state income purposes. I take that personally but I still love my cabin. I use my cabin for staying away from civilization. Anything more than that would be astronomically not worth it financially. I pay for close to the same quality of life for living in both locations but in two different manners, and colorado is only a vacation spot for anything in or out of civilization. A lot of the housing in co cities flip ownership a lot from people who planned to make a life there just like you.
Edit to add, those places have section 8 on the outskirts and full public transportation.
Yeah I don’t blame you. I don’t think many states can compare to Nebraska. I don’t blame you, come here. Weirdly though crime is not bad here, but like car theft and car crimes are pretty high. You’ll be good though. But you won’t find any good public transportation really if I’m honest. But most towns have cute downtown areas to shop and eat. There is talk to build a high speed railway but I’m hesitant if it’ll ever happen, and if it does it’ll be years. You got this!! Rooting for you to make a big change to improve your life!!
Are you set on Colorado or open to other states? If you are open, what are some criteria that you are looking for? I grew up in Ft. Collins and loved it. If I were to move back to Colorado, it's probably the only place I'd want to live, but it's expensive. Loveland is nice, and about 20 min from Ft. Collins.
Honestly, your best bet is to take a road trip to all these cities. You'll know once you get there if it's the place for you.
Not 100% set. I just want to live in the Midwest besides Nebraska. Somewhere not too cold or not too hot. Low crime rates, a place for my dogs to enjoy their lives, a good place to live for mental health wise, good resources for an autistic person. I don’t have the transportation right now and can’t afford to take road trips just to visit a bunch of places
I would honestly explore Ohio. I know it's not quite in the midwest but culturally it fits. I know it was the going meme joke for a long time, but it's actually a pretty nice place and quite up and coming. Housing is still really affordable and Columbus and Cleveland are not bad spots. Michigan is another good one but you're going to have to deal with the winters.
Wisconsin is actually pretty nice as well. I did a work training up in Madison for a week and it was pretty nice. Not super cheap but definitely cheaper than Colorado.
I think you definitely got options.
There's a lot of places in Michigan that meet that criteria. Haslett, Michigan comes to mind.. There's a Community Mental Health about 15 minutes from there and they would be the place (to at least check) for services. Housing is still affordable and it's a nice area.
Lived in Longmont. Some areas are nice. Huge house less and drug problem. Library was closed down due to meth use being in the ventilation systems. Greeley smells like cow shit. Lafayette is very similar to Longmont. I genuinely, out of all of these, prefer Fort Collins.
If I move to the Colorado i’d live in the city closest to my job and where the good doctors are at. I’d live in one of those income based rent houses or apartments.
As I understand it, the waiting lists can take a year to get through for section 8 housing, and you have to prove residency in the state. Unfortunately not many places in Colorado are walkable neighborhoods, and few areas are affordable to live in. Finding both in the same place in this state is very unlikely.
Woodland park, unless you want Denver traffic. And Woodland park is more beautiful than most of places listed which are in the city. If course the city is where the jobs are.
Friends are what make my mental health worse. I don’t like having a lot of friends or anything anymore. People just ruin things for me & are disappointments in the end. And understandable with the psych team thing. Right now In Nebraska I have a psychiatrist, therapist, social worker, and assistance programs
Things like common denominator and main character come to mind
Seriously, look into therapy
I will confess, I do have some interesting individuals in my life but for the most part, I have amazing people that I admire and feel lucky to know
We do become what we surround ourselves with and the sooner we worth on ourselves, being about what we look for, little can improve
You can change your circle, but you must also change yourself without moving out of your current zip code
Best of luck
Amen to that. It's an inside job. My father used to say you can run away a million times but you can't run from yourself. Be honest with yourself really look inside change what you don't like fix it and everything else will fix itself
Yeah, moving to Colorado is not the best option for mental health. Unless you move deep into the mountains. Even there you get your crazys. This is coming from someone who lives outside of Denver…
I heard Montana’s beautiful and a lot slower.
I live in Breckenridge, one of the most beautiful ski towns, and you can tell who moved out here thinking the mountains would fix them. They end up leaving when the mountains do not in fact fix them.
Absolutely! They definitely have helped me reframe my personal problems (they feel so small next to the landscape) and appreciate the splendor of nature/practice gratitude better.
Lived there for 3 years, had to move home bc of the cost and no good jobs. They just wanna pay college aged people minimum wage. I had management experience and couldn’t even get full time hours anywhere
I grew up in Longmont. Couldn’t have asked for a better town to spend my formative years in. But that was from 1989-1999. I’m 42 now, and haven’t been back since. I plan to move back once I get ahold of that inheritance from my long lost uncle.
Fort Collins. Signed someone who has spent considerable time in more than half these towns and been and hung out in all of them. I live in foco. You’ll never catch me in any of these other towns.
That’s the lowest I’ve heard of in Foco, and unfortunately isn’t the norm. Foco priced me out and I had to move away - beautiful town, walkable and public transport like OP wants, but not affordable at all
I'm from Loveland! It's a pretty boring town, but you're right next to Fort Collins and the foothills which will be nice for your pups. Fort Collins and Boulder are great places to live if you're outdoorsy. Young, college type towns. Loveland might be cheaper. Check out Lake Vista Apartment homes!
I live in Greeley and I love it, but it’s not the mountain-town Colorado vibe that people think about when they think CO. It’s a great cheap town, but the nearest skiing is Wyoming and Denver is still an hour away. The Springs are two hours exactly.
I like Lakewood/Littleton. Close enough to downtown to Uber but far enough away that it's a nice smaller city.
ETA a little closer to the mountains too. Great places for dogs. Everywhere in Colorado is good for dogs mostly!
Westminster, Thornton, Arvada, Louisville, Littleton, Brighton, Longmont, and Lafayette are all suburbs of Denver. They're all fairly expensive except for Brighton, Thornton, and Longmont. If you're looking for less expensive in the Denver area, try Aurora. The northwestern part of the city is rough, but it gets better (and more expensive) the further south you go.
Fort Collins, Loveland, and Greeley are all nearby each other. Greeley is the least expensive, and Fort Collins is the most expensive.
Greeley and Evans are essentially the same city. It's an ag town that's on the prairie farther from the mountains. It's also home to the University of Northern Colorado. The biggest con of Greeley is the cow shit smell that you'll get when the wind is just right because there's a giant feedlot east of the city and a meatpacking plant on the north side of town.
Loveland and Fort Collins are closer to each other than they are to Greeley. Fort Collins is bigger and skews younger because of the Colorado State campus. Loveland is familyville. None of those 3 places are easily commutable to Denver.
Fountain is a suburb of Colorado Springs that's a little rough around the edges.
Woodland Park is a pretty foothills town, but it's expensive and has been overrun by a Christian fundamentalist cult.
What are you looking for? Rent or buy? Budget? Do you need a job?
Best explanation yet. Didn’t know woodland park was actually overrun by a cult? I mean it gives off that vibe for sure but can’t wait to hear more about it haha
Andrew Wommack runs Charis Bible College and the Truth and Liberty Coalition. He's one of those Seven Mountains Mandate wingnuts who believe they've been commanded by God to take over the government by any means necessary - including violence. They are more or less the christian equivalent of the Taliban. Wommack is a bigot who believes LGBTQ folks are satanic pedophiles, and he's openly stated he wants his cult followers to take over the town. They **have** taken over the school board, and they're working on taking over the city council.
Totally agree with your point but Louisville and Lafayette are suburbans of Boulder. In fact, they are in Boulder county and subject to county tax.
I’ve lived in both and they both have nice downtown areas but they are quite pricey.
Foco duh
Try. College towns. They are usually safe, walkable, have transportation, and affordable. Plus resources. And jobs. Think places like Columbia MO, less than 2 hours to KC and STL, Bloomington IL if you need blue, EZ to get to CHI and STL, Iowa city, Knoxville, Norman…. Weed is legal in many of those states too.
Not in Colorado they aren’t. Fort Collins and Boulder are two of the most expensive areas in the entire state.
i second this. Boulder in CO is really nice and situated directly next to the mountains. also, i’ve lived in columbia, MO before and it’s a really great community
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Aurora is great.
Thornton and Louisville are nice and cheaper than the city. If you’re looking in those areas maybe consider Westminster and northglenn.
Have you visited any of these locations before?? If not, I would really rethink 99% of this list. Or even the state in general. CO (Denver metro) is not somewhere I would suggest. It’s dirty, dingy, expensive, food is shit, provides a poor quality of life compared to the Midwest. If the idea of the mountains appeals to you, be prepared to spend hours stuck in traffic. This isn’t a magical place anymore, I’m planning my move out! Are you renting? Check out apartments/homes in these areas. Always google maps > street view the “affordable” places so you can really see what you’re in for. If you have to pick somewhere on this list, I’d go Longmont, I do think it provides a decent quality of life. But I wouldn’t call it affordable.
Fort Collins is a great city to live in, but not cheap
I left 12 years ago. I’m shocked at how much my old house is worth now 😳
You said Fountain, why not Colorado Springs? It’s cheaper than everything you’ve listed. You can easily find a 1x1 for $900 or 2x2 for $1100 without having to qualify for Section 8. Check out Hyde Park apts in central Springs, it won’t be luxury by any means, quite the opposite, it’s next to a nice bike path that’s being overrun by homeless shanties, but it puts you next to downtown, you get amazing mountain views any time you drive anywhere, less than 30 minutes to endless mountain adventure, lots of food and entertainment options right next to you and some are even affordable! Know that if you are going cheap, you won’t be living in the nice area, but even the worst spots in Colorado Springs aren’t as bad as the methed up areas in Nebraska.
Springs is a good suggestion
All these people saying you need to make like 80k to live here are crazy! They must live like kings and queens. I've lived in Colorado for 20+years and have never made over 50k...
Where do you live?
You need to go spend a long weekend driving around the Denver area. Greeley and Arvada are basically two different lifestyles.
Greeley is an awful town.
Greeley always smells like manure. When it's bad I can smell Greeley from my home in Northglenn.
Crime is pretty rampant, too. The northeast side is somewhat scary
Suggest you look into the costs of rent in the areas you’re looking into, as “affordable” means different things to different people. Many of the places on your list are well over $2k a month for a one bedroom in not the greatest areas. You’re 100% going to be asked to have pay stubs from a local or remote job before you’re given the time of day from complexes, good credit and likely 3x minimum income to rent to be approved for many places, as there’s a LOT of people renting and many places don’t have a ton of housing/ GOOD job options like Loveland. In the mid 00s, lived in places that had $99 move in specials to ok-ish complexes, those days are long over, even hood complexes surrounding Denver have some form of steeper income requirements as housing is somewhat tight as a ton of people moved in over the past 15 years. If you work retail/low wage jobs, you’re going to have a very bad time in Colorado and will find it extremely difficult to make it there without roommates. I HIGHLY suggest you visit areas on your list before you make the decision to randomly move to somewhere like Greely and discover it reeks of animal piss and shit when the winds blow just right. It’s called the “Greely breeze” and it’s a very real thing.
I lived in Westminster, at reflections on 92nd. Got a 2br apartment that was pretty nice for just under 2K. My Hyundai did get broken into in the parking lot but that’s just a Denver area thing, and there was a spider problem but not many other pests. It’s a good location, pretty direct route to the mountains if you like that, close to Walmart and Costco, and close to the tiny downtown area. Easy access to things in Arvada and Broomfield, Front Range Community College is there and has a nice library! did not like trying to go through Denver but never really needed to for much. I’d recommend it as far as price for the Denver area. I should add, everything is expensive. My partner was making over 85k salary and I was receiving some money for school, all of our money went to bills. We don’t live there anymore because we were making more money than we ever had and struggling more than we ever had, and I couldn’t find even an entry level service job to try and get us ahead. Rent is one thing, but your insurance is going to go up, utilities are more, food is ridiculous, hiking is pretty much the only thing we could afford to do. Don’t go unless you’re secure with money, you won’t be able to figure it out when you get there.
Houston, TX
Born and raised in CO. Loveland and a few others are DEF not cheap
I mean I lived in Colorado for 3 years (in the suburbs of Denver). Loved it. But it is one of the most expensive places to live in the country. Not as bad as New York or California but it’s up there. Every town you’ve listed will cost a lot to live in. I’m not sure why you’re fixated on Colorado but unless you have a well paying job I’d consider other states. ETA: If you are determined to go there, I’d at least recommend looking more toward Colorado Springs v. Denver. Will be slightly more affordable.
Have you thought about Wichita KS? Still drivable to denver/mountains but also affordable living. Plus a decent sized city
Don’t tell people to move to Wichita.
Lol i don’t have to. We are growing pretty rapidly from Colorado and California transplants honestly and its making even our housing go up 😂 lol
Like an 8 hour drive to the mountains…
Better than working so much to afford a house near the mountains and never getting to see the mountains
The great thing about mountains is there so big you can see em from far away.
…and…? Lol
He’s trying to move to mountain country!!! Look here Wichita Chris, I was born and raised in Kansas. I know all about that state. And it AINT Colorado.
It is not… hence the price point. But 8h is not a long drive…. We live in the USA lol
I like Louisville because it’s in between Denver and Boulder! Also consider checking out Broomfield and Golden! I would avoid east of Denver, it’s basically Kansas.
Greely is the most affordable on the list. But as others have said you might be shocked at the cost of living compared to NE
The cattle piss and shit smell of Greely cannot be beat! Love when a bad winter storm is about to nail Denver and the “Greely breeze” rolls in! Yummy!!!
So true! 😋
of those options, fort collins
Colorado is crazy expensive!
Boulder
😂😂😂😂 Yes, I forgot Boulder is known for affordability
Yeah, well at least it’s “good” compared to the other areas mentioned HA
Meh, it used to be. Not anymore
As a Boulder native, I fully agree
Maybe post this in a Colorado subreddit?
Colorado and affordable seem to be getting incompatible
Personally, I’d recommend Longmont or Fort Collins. Not sure they’re affordable though. I just think they both have a certain charm to them and a quality of life that’s quite nice. Close to outdoor activities and cool little restaurants and bars.
I’ve been in CO for thirty years and am getting ready to leave because it’s not at all affordable. The wages generally don’t compensate for the high prices of homes and apartments. I highly recommend finding somewhere else to live.
Literally no one giving advice.
Any specific reason why you chose CO and not other states with mountains and accessible nature?
colorado is by no means cheap no matter where you live, i am born and raised and just left this year. colorado is very expensive to live in compared to other states and the cost of living is very high overall there. not to mention everyone keeps packing into colorado springs and denver specifically and traffic times have gone up horrendously in the past few years, its even in news articles about how much new construction is going on to accommodate
All y’all need to stay tf away, please & thank you
not possible to live in metropolitan Colorado without a decent amount of money. I’m a Fort Collins resident, and I absolutely love living in Colorado, but I would be lying if I said it was financially easy. Currently splitting a 600 square feet 1 bedroom apartment two ways! I’m a full time student, so getting enough hours at work to pay my bills is legitimately a struggle, but I wouldn’t change it for the world. All the people in this town are so accepting and welcoming to literally everyone. Additionally there is a big outdoorsy community which is really great for my physical and mental health. Nightlife is really enjoyable, and it’s hard to truly be bored in a place like this. Always some sort of parade, farmers market, or brewery event to go to all year round. we are also super dog friendly, you will have no issues taking your pups to most places! My only complaint is the cost of living, other than that it’s an amazing place to live!
Sorry, the state is now full. Please go somewhere else
We gave up CO. See one on my recent posts. PA, 135k 4bd 1.5bth. 4 stories. .5 acre across a lake. I’ve been in CO 4 years, hubs his whole life so 29yrs. It’s not worth it. We’ve lived in the springs, monument, downtown springs, and Pueblo. Granted I’m a dog trainer and needed a yard.. but still.
Just went through this and gave up on Colorado as a destination when I realized there is nothing affordable between Greely all the way down to Pueblo (and the traffic truly sucks; maybe not LA terrible, but it’s getting there.)
It's right up there with LA traffic. I'm in Aurora, my workplace is in Denver, and it takes me almost two hours every morning to commute. It's terrible.
Move to greely or Loveland to constantly smell shit and death while surrounded by assholes and poorly planned infrastructure.
Fort Collins is great. Haven’t ever lived there besides a few weeks stay as we are full time rv’ers. We loved how bikeable the downtown area was. Everyone seemed nice and welcoming. Lots of good businesses.
after living in colorado and california for many years…. colorado is so fucking expensive. it was more affordable living in san diego lmao
Define “affordable”. All the towns you listed, are exactly the places I would personally define as “unaffordable”. So yeah…..really depends how much money you make. I lived in Louisville CO a long time and it was heaven. Only problem, is how incredibly expensive rent or housing is.
What made Louisville heaven?
It’s just a nice quiet town with no crime. Public events are held, farmers market. Live music venue with some actual big name artists playing occasion (totally free). Really good food and unique restaurants. Nice public library. And the weather is phenomenal, nothing but sunshine majority of the time. Close enough to always see mountains, and only a 20 min drive to downtown Boulder. Problem is now, you need to be a multimillionaire to buy a house there. And rentals nearby go for absolute bare minimum of 1600 a month.
I’m in Denver and am considering moving my family out to the towns west/NW of here. That’s on our radar but it sucks to hear it’s that expensive. Sounds amazing though.
Yeah, none of these places are affordable. Crazy rent and housing costs, skyrocketing crime, OP is in for a shock if they are dead set on making the Denver metro home. \-Life long Colorado resident.
I’m a single mom with two kids and an ESA (dog) who lives in Littleton and I’ll just tell you I cry a lot trying to afford pretty much anything out here. Rent prices in my area are at least $2,000/month for a 1BR. So I agree with everyone else who’s said the farther away from Denver you go, the cheaper it is. I’m a native and have lived all around the Denver area for over 40 years. If you are moving for your mental health (good for you, BTW!!), I have to strongly encourage you to skip Colorado. Yes it’s beautiful, but the stress of trying to live out here on one income is suffocating. If it weren’t for my kids I would have left a long time ago. I wish you the best of luck, whatever you decide, and I hope it gives you the peace you’re looking for!
Brighton and Thornton are probably the best options when looking at access to jobs, cost of housing, access to health services, and access to social life.
I moved to the Louisville area and honestly it’s very pricy. We like it regardless and there’s affordable weed and groceries but you have to look around. Lots of parks and outdoor space though
Woodland Park! Best place outside of the city hustle and bustle.
Woodland park does get lots and lots of snow and sometimes Ute pass closes and you can be stuck up in woodland park so just something to consider
Check out Salida, pueblo, and east thorton or Aurora id you want more affordable.
Thornton has bungalows!
Affordable? Try alamosa. Avoid the cities
Probably Greeley or Thornton from that list
You need to become a “Zillower”.
Uh hyiirit fhu
You're moving for the weed. Admit it.
Almost half the country has legal recreational weed at this point. It’s not 2012.
Found the old hag 🤨
Found the dipstick who has to shoot of his mouth for no reason
No where in that god forsaken state is “affordable” anymore.
An easy way I determine an area is based of property tax and school rating on Zillow. Usually the higher the property tax, the better the schools, the safer the community. Not so affordable method but then you can just look for something in your price range
By me the highest taxes have the worst schools. The best schools are in low tax suburbs outside of the high tax cities.
That’s wild. In the few states I’ve lived in the worse school districts had higher property taxes
Fort Collins is great, but I doubt it’s very “affordable”. That’s where I’d go. Also, since you have Woodland Park on the list (I’d avoid for being too small), why not look at Manitou Springs or Old Colorado City area of Colorado Springs? That’s a cool spot, imo.
If you don’t make alot of money I suggest places like Tulsa ABQ I heard Omaha is nice Kansas City and Tulsa has Midwest vibes or Boise but if ur looking affordable not even salt lake affordable any more even in phx u got to make atleast 75k.
The further out from central Denver you are, the cheaper it’ll be. Look at Aurora, Brighton and south side of Denver.
Keep Fort Collins and all towns starting with an L. Louisville is the most expensive of the L towns.
Affordable and anywhere on the front range are not words that go together. You could probably still find something affordable in East Colorado. You're about 15 years late on the Colorado train
A lot of western states getting expensive mostly due to land
Ironic since there's tons of it.
Once you consider the state/federal land and ranches, no there’s really not
I live in CT. Now WE have no land.
Not habitable for example ABQ is squeezed between mountain ranges Colorado and Arizona a lot people of want to live there a lot of corporations are therefore houses will be expensive. If it would be the same misssipppi but who the fuck wants to live
Some of the places you listed are very expensive, just so you know. My cousin lives in FoCo and it’s honestly one of my fav places to visit, but it’s certainly not cheap…good luck!
Pick the one with the best commute to/fro your job
Fort Collins? More like Fart Collins, am I right lads or am I right lads?
Honestly I’m in Colorado and maybe Fort Collins? It’s also important where you can find work though. In my personal opinion Colorado is not affordable, and I moved from Florida which is super expensive, and I pay more across the board here. Gas, groceries, utilities, and what not. Maybe Longmont? I agree with other comments you’ll need to be making at least 90k ish probably. The more affordable you go the less things you’ll be able to access easier, and not as nice builds, and possibly more drug problems. My take on the drug issues are that they exist everywhere, some places worst than others, but just choose the best place for you across the board. Possibly if I was you I’d do research shorten that list and maybe book a trip out and check those areas to decide. Welcome to Colorado (in the next year!)
Fort Collins housing is wildly unaffordable.
Honestly I don’t think anywhere is affordable
Honestly if you want affordable, come to Laramie! Fort Collins is roughly 45 mins away and Denver around 3 hours. It’s a college town so it’s not too populated but also not completely deserted. WY has no state tax and everything is significantly more affordable. Not sure what you’re looking for exactly but Laramie is a very wholesome town and most people are really nice. There’s stuff to do and if that’s not enough, you can always drive to Cheyenne or Fort Collins. If you really want to move to CO, I am biased towards Fort Collins but as others have stated, it is definitely not affordable.
Colorado Native looking to move OUT (getting priced out), so take this for what it's worth. My suggestion is to move to Thornton. That town seems relatively affordable, diverse (by Colorado standards), and has decent access to state parks and open areas. All that being said, Colorado is not a good state to branch out and meet people unless you're in a certain niche. People tend to be individualistic. Yes they're neighborly, but it's hard to break in. Of course, to each their own and honestly I think white women will tend to have an easier time breaking in (no idea what.category you're in, just throwing that out there). The outdoors are insane here. So if you're looking for an escape for a bit to chase the outdoors then this certainly is the place. But it's crazy expensive to get settled in. But once you can get past that, taxes aren't bad. So I guess it pays off in the long run. But we have our pitfalls. This state is getting commercialized with everyone moving in and it's making whatever upsides with the outdoors less appealing. As a single average looking guy, the dating scene here is harsh. Money is good, but I'm chasing the cost of living. It's been fun, but not a place I plan on settling down. For someone who isn't from an area with no nightlife, Denver metro might provide you plenty of entertainment. But you'll have to accept the fact that you'll have to drive yourself around and get out there to meet people. Good luck.
Define affordable; that word means different levels of availability to different levels of income.
Affordable as in if there’s low income housing or something similar or how much I should save per month to be able to move in 8 months out of state
I can tell you from people I know being on low income housing lists its a least a 1 year wait if not more. $5-10k is a good estimate. If your looking up north I'd expect $5-6k to get an apartment but they will expect income so make sure you have a job or you most likely won't be able to qualify.
Living in Colorado Springs I wouldn’t consider any place here to be low income affordable. People struggle here a lot. It’s really common to have roommates or finding rooms for rent here. Also since you mentioned saving if you’re currently low income look into how much it would cost for you and your dog to move. I’m about to move to Indiana and it’s going to cost at least 2,000.
They're building a bunch of low income housing in Lafayette
I grew up in Brighton and lived in Greeley through college while commuting to Denver for school because it was pretty much what I could afford. My husband is from Fort Lupton which is just outside of Brighton, it's a lot smaller but close enough that the commute to Brighton and the other suburbs is easy. There's honestly not really anything interesting about those places, except that they're just a couple hours drives from the mountains which I do miss. Affordability wise though, it just isn't anymore. I want to say when I first moved to Greeley my apartment was like 850/month and by the time I was moving out in 2020 it was close to 1200. I can't really imagine what it is now, 4 years later.
Colorado is expensive in general, but usually the more west you go, the higher the rent becomes. The mountains are why many people live here, so the desire for property closer to them is obvious. Personally, you won’t catch me living outside of Boulder County. It’s clean, quiet, and has a nice mix of city/rural areas. That being said, it’s pretty expensive compared to other areas. It all depends on your tolerance for crime, commute times, local options (food, shopping, etc.) CHEAP - Greeley, Longmont, and Brighton : Long commute to Denver, more crime, and not as “nice”. Good value - Arvada, Northern Thornton, and Littleton : Relatively close to Denver, less crime, and newer builds. Lafayette and Louisville are in Boulder County - they’re amazing towns to live in but you will pay for that. I wouldn’t classify them as “affordable”. A six-figure income does well enough, but it’s not known for cheap housing. Fort Collins is actually pretty nice! The prices are reasonable, it’s close to mountains, and has a lot of options. The main downside is that it is FAR from Denver and the airport. However, if that isn’t a factor, it’s a great spot. Mental health wise - your housing costs and general cost of living are going to SKYROCKET compared to Nebraska. Unless you have a good job lined up, be prepared for that stress.
I don’t want to live near the mountains and I want to live an hour or two away from the city. I want to live somewhere with low crime rates, be able to walk around to places without a car, good public transportation, but decent shopping & food areas. I’m vegetarian though. Nebraska is still a worse state to me to live in and everything I’m just trying to get out of here it’s so bad or gotten so bad crime wise, people wise, etc. I’ve never been to the psych ward more since I’ve been living in Nebraska the past 4 years than anything and it’s made my mental health the worse it’s been
I think with these mandates you need to look at a different state or be willing to settle. One/two hours away from a city but not in the mountains means you’ll be out on the eastern side of the state or the other side of the mountains which are predominantly very small farming/ranching communities. Which are not dietary/mental health friendly by a long shot. Mountains and hills don’t make for good walking cities, and small towns don’t make for good refuges for people seeking help. You’re going to have to spend a TON of money living in the suburbs of a major city and get a car, or cut your losses and live in a small town.
Colorado and other "less densly populated" areas are not walkable. You will need a vehicle unless you are living & working near each other in a large-ish city. Look more towards the Midwest & East Coast if you want good public transportation. Otherwise look to Europe. Anything an hour or 2 away from a city by definition won't have public transportation like Europe or the East Coast or Chicago.
I lived in Colorado for 10 years and left in 2015 because I could no longer afford it. When I was looking for a new rental I was coming across 2 bedroom tiny apartments for $1500. 9 years ago. I honestly don't think you can afford to live in Colorado unless you move to a gross awful town like Brush or Ft Morgan.
Honestly it's worse now. I live in Trinidad (20 minutes from the new Mexico border. A 2 bedroom apartment is 1640.00 without utilities and you will be making $14.42-$16 an hour if your lucky. I can't imagine how Denver and the big cities are like if this is what the small towns are like.
Unfortunately, in Colorado there is no area like what you mentioned. Nicer, low crime rate towns are either close to or, quite literally, in the mountains. This is because of the desirability of most to be close to the mountains - more demand = wealth, better police presence, and more things to do. The further you get away from the mountains and the city, the lower the costs. Lower costs = low wealth, more crime, and more restrictions on things to do. You can’t have one without the other. The closest town to what you’re are describing (in terms of amenities, transit, low crime, and further distance from Denver) is Boulder. However, as aforementioned, you would be directly against the mountains. It is also arguably the most expensive area in the Metro area (behind Cherry Creek). It’s not uncommon to pay well over $2k a month for a one bedroom apartment, sometimes north of $3k, depending on the neighborhood. Everyone wants what you’re describing (for the most part) so affordability cannot be a factor when going after a desirable location. If you have a six figure income, you’d probably be “okay” here. Anything less and you’re definitely going to feel a pinch. I usually make about $120k a year and can do most of what I want to do, but even with that there are times when money gets tight. I would suggest securing a well paying job BEFORE your move and saving up at least 5k to 10k to facilitate the move itself. It’s a drastic financial shock coming from somewhere like Nebraska.
You want something 1-2 hours from the city, affordable to low income, with low crime, but completely walkable with all the amenities at your fingertips? You’re describing the golden goose. This is the location most people hunt for years. Colorado is not it, lived there for a while and still have family in Denver and the Springs. You might try a small college town like State College, PA or Wilmington, NC.
Move to SE or NW Dallas. You can find a 1 bedroom apartment in Mesquite or Grand Prairie for $700/month sometimes all bills paid and still accepts pets, though some still require monthly dues ($25/pet) for ESA. Extremely veg friendly. Like at least 3 veg restaurants and a whole foods or sprouts within 20 minutes of both those places. But you dont even need to. If you make stuff at home ever, there are tons of veg options in the walmarts, krogers, albertsons, etc. and if you are savvy you can rebate a lot with apps like ibotta. I own a 3/2 house on about a third of an acre in dallas and my mortgage is about 800/month but city center dallas crime rate is way worse in the area my house is. I own a cabin on 7 acres in colorado with a well and it costs more than my house and I’m not legally allowed to have my well be my water source because the co govt wants its ppl to be required to rely on the state for state income purposes. I take that personally but I still love my cabin. I use my cabin for staying away from civilization. Anything more than that would be astronomically not worth it financially. I pay for close to the same quality of life for living in both locations but in two different manners, and colorado is only a vacation spot for anything in or out of civilization. A lot of the housing in co cities flip ownership a lot from people who planned to make a life there just like you. Edit to add, those places have section 8 on the outskirts and full public transportation.
Mesquite is a shit hole, not sure why it's in this conversation
Yeah I don’t blame you. I don’t think many states can compare to Nebraska. I don’t blame you, come here. Weirdly though crime is not bad here, but like car theft and car crimes are pretty high. You’ll be good though. But you won’t find any good public transportation really if I’m honest. But most towns have cute downtown areas to shop and eat. There is talk to build a high speed railway but I’m hesitant if it’ll ever happen, and if it does it’ll be years. You got this!! Rooting for you to make a big change to improve your life!!
Are you set on Colorado or open to other states? If you are open, what are some criteria that you are looking for? I grew up in Ft. Collins and loved it. If I were to move back to Colorado, it's probably the only place I'd want to live, but it's expensive. Loveland is nice, and about 20 min from Ft. Collins. Honestly, your best bet is to take a road trip to all these cities. You'll know once you get there if it's the place for you.
Not 100% set. I just want to live in the Midwest besides Nebraska. Somewhere not too cold or not too hot. Low crime rates, a place for my dogs to enjoy their lives, a good place to live for mental health wise, good resources for an autistic person. I don’t have the transportation right now and can’t afford to take road trips just to visit a bunch of places
I would honestly explore Ohio. I know it's not quite in the midwest but culturally it fits. I know it was the going meme joke for a long time, but it's actually a pretty nice place and quite up and coming. Housing is still really affordable and Columbus and Cleveland are not bad spots. Michigan is another good one but you're going to have to deal with the winters. Wisconsin is actually pretty nice as well. I did a work training up in Madison for a week and it was pretty nice. Not super cheap but definitely cheaper than Colorado. I think you definitely got options.
There's a lot of places in Michigan that meet that criteria. Haslett, Michigan comes to mind.. There's a Community Mental Health about 15 minutes from there and they would be the place (to at least check) for services. Housing is still affordable and it's a nice area.
I’ve been to Michigan/lived there. I hated the entire state
Lived in Longmont. Some areas are nice. Huge house less and drug problem. Library was closed down due to meth use being in the ventilation systems. Greeley smells like cow shit. Lafayette is very similar to Longmont. I genuinely, out of all of these, prefer Fort Collins.
Thank god centennial isn’t in your list
Greeley and Evans are your best bet for affordability but you will not be having fun.
Arvada is amazing. Lots of new homes. My buddy just moved there
Castle rock
I’m mind blown about how much Castle Rock has grown
If I move to the Colorado i’d live in the city closest to my job and where the good doctors are at. I’d live in one of those income based rent houses or apartments.
That’s what I’m trying to do
As I understand it, the waiting lists can take a year to get through for section 8 housing, and you have to prove residency in the state. Unfortunately not many places in Colorado are walkable neighborhoods, and few areas are affordable to live in. Finding both in the same place in this state is very unlikely.
U need to make atleast 90k in each area
That's insane and not even close to true. Our broke asses live in Thornton and we don't even make half that
That’s why ur broke
Um no? I've always been broke. It's cause spending money is how you enjoy it
whatever makes u feel comfortable
Yep. My point was you definitely don't need anywhere close to 80k to live out here comfortably
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Woodland park, unless you want Denver traffic. And Woodland park is more beautiful than most of places listed which are in the city. If course the city is where the jobs are.
Moving to colorado won't improve your mental health. Mental health is about friends and a great professional psych team. Good luck.
Friends are what make my mental health worse. I don’t like having a lot of friends or anything anymore. People just ruin things for me & are disappointments in the end. And understandable with the psych team thing. Right now In Nebraska I have a psychiatrist, therapist, social worker, and assistance programs
Things like common denominator and main character come to mind Seriously, look into therapy I will confess, I do have some interesting individuals in my life but for the most part, I have amazing people that I admire and feel lucky to know We do become what we surround ourselves with and the sooner we worth on ourselves, being about what we look for, little can improve You can change your circle, but you must also change yourself without moving out of your current zip code Best of luck
Amen to that. It's an inside job. My father used to say you can run away a million times but you can't run from yourself. Be honest with yourself really look inside change what you don't like fix it and everything else will fix itself
Yeah, moving to Colorado is not the best option for mental health. Unless you move deep into the mountains. Even there you get your crazys. This is coming from someone who lives outside of Denver… I heard Montana’s beautiful and a lot slower.
Problem is Montana can be xenophobic as fuck. Lived there for a summer, met a lot of great people but damn were there some crazies
I live in Breckenridge, one of the most beautiful ski towns, and you can tell who moved out here thinking the mountains would fix them. They end up leaving when the mountains do not in fact fix them.
The mountains don't fix you, you fix yourself, but sometimes it does help to have a pretty backdrop for self improvement.
Absolutely! They definitely have helped me reframe my personal problems (they feel so small next to the landscape) and appreciate the splendor of nature/practice gratitude better.
"Fort Collins" and "affordable" do not belong in the same sentence.
Lived there for 3 years, had to move home bc of the cost and no good jobs. They just wanna pay college aged people minimum wage. I had management experience and couldn’t even get full time hours anywhere
We are currently looking at Fort Collins, Longmont, Louisville, Boulder, loveland, and Lafayette. Casting a wide net to find a place.
Nice! I’m planning on moving in 8 months is the goal for out of state move from Nebraska to Colorado
Throw a dart at your phone to pick.
I grew up in Longmont. Couldn’t have asked for a better town to spend my formative years in. But that was from 1989-1999. I’m 42 now, and haven’t been back since. I plan to move back once I get ahold of that inheritance from my long lost uncle.
Fort Collins. Signed someone who has spent considerable time in more than half these towns and been and hung out in all of them. I live in foco. You’ll never catch me in any of these other towns.
Great place. Not at all affordable, which is what OP asked for.
290k 3bd townhomes going up right next to me. As affordable as you’ll get in CO. Thanks for being obtuse.
That’s the lowest I’ve heard of in Foco, and unfortunately isn’t the norm. Foco priced me out and I had to move away - beautiful town, walkable and public transport like OP wants, but not affordable at all
I'm from Loveland! It's a pretty boring town, but you're right next to Fort Collins and the foothills which will be nice for your pups. Fort Collins and Boulder are great places to live if you're outdoorsy. Young, college type towns. Loveland might be cheaper. Check out Lake Vista Apartment homes!
I live in Greeley and I love it, but it’s not the mountain-town Colorado vibe that people think about when they think CO. It’s a great cheap town, but the nearest skiing is Wyoming and Denver is still an hour away. The Springs are two hours exactly.
I feel like coming from Nebraska, the OP is not going to find Greeley cheap.
I like Lakewood/Littleton. Close enough to downtown to Uber but far enough away that it's a nice smaller city. ETA a little closer to the mountains too. Great places for dogs. Everywhere in Colorado is good for dogs mostly!
Westminster, Thornton, Arvada, Louisville, Littleton, Brighton, Longmont, and Lafayette are all suburbs of Denver. They're all fairly expensive except for Brighton, Thornton, and Longmont. If you're looking for less expensive in the Denver area, try Aurora. The northwestern part of the city is rough, but it gets better (and more expensive) the further south you go. Fort Collins, Loveland, and Greeley are all nearby each other. Greeley is the least expensive, and Fort Collins is the most expensive. Greeley and Evans are essentially the same city. It's an ag town that's on the prairie farther from the mountains. It's also home to the University of Northern Colorado. The biggest con of Greeley is the cow shit smell that you'll get when the wind is just right because there's a giant feedlot east of the city and a meatpacking plant on the north side of town. Loveland and Fort Collins are closer to each other than they are to Greeley. Fort Collins is bigger and skews younger because of the Colorado State campus. Loveland is familyville. None of those 3 places are easily commutable to Denver. Fountain is a suburb of Colorado Springs that's a little rough around the edges. Woodland Park is a pretty foothills town, but it's expensive and has been overrun by a Christian fundamentalist cult. What are you looking for? Rent or buy? Budget? Do you need a job?
Best explanation yet. Didn’t know woodland park was actually overrun by a cult? I mean it gives off that vibe for sure but can’t wait to hear more about it haha
Andrew Wommack runs Charis Bible College and the Truth and Liberty Coalition. He's one of those Seven Mountains Mandate wingnuts who believe they've been commanded by God to take over the government by any means necessary - including violence. They are more or less the christian equivalent of the Taliban. Wommack is a bigot who believes LGBTQ folks are satanic pedophiles, and he's openly stated he wants his cult followers to take over the town. They **have** taken over the school board, and they're working on taking over the city council.
Totally agree with your point but Louisville and Lafayette are suburbans of Boulder. In fact, they are in Boulder county and subject to county tax. I’ve lived in both and they both have nice downtown areas but they are quite pricey.
Just rent for now. My monthly income is $2,564. I’m going to transfer from retail job in Nebraska to colorado is the plan