Colorado springs.

[tkavan01]

Is there any skiing around colorado springs? How long of a drive is it to winterpark?

I'm looking for the next family move and there are lots of jobs in Co Springs, and it seems a little smaller town then say denver...

[newfD90]

Is there any skiing around colorado springs? How long of a drive is it to winterpark?

I'm looking for the next family move and there are lots of jobs in Co Springs, and it seems a little smaller town then say denver...

Trevor-

I've lived in the Monument area (unincorporated El Paso County) and worked in CS since I moved here in 97. To me, it's the best of all worlds. Monument is about 20 mi N of CS and 35 mi S of Littleton (S Denver). Bigger lots, more rural and you can head to the big city if you need some culture. No way I could live in Denver or CS. But that's me.

Basically, the majority of ski areas are within 2 hrs of home. I had a season pass to WP/MJ for a few years and usually made there in 2 hrs. But that's from Monument. Add half an hour from CS.

The backway to Breck (Hwy 24/9) is about 2hrs from CS and a way better drive than I70. Can't comment on Monarch as I've never been there.

Any more questions, fire away. Let me know if you come out; we'd be glad to help y'all out.

Good luck with the move!

[tkavan01]

the plan is slowly evolving day by day, i'm hoping to relocate by next spring... a 2 hour drive doesn't seem too bad is there any closer "smaller" mountain skiing?
I've heard the mountain biking is good too, any comments about that?

[newfD90]

the plan is slowly evolving day by day, i'm hoping to relocate by next spring... a 2 hour drive doesn't seem too bad is there any closer "smaller" mountain skiing?
I've heard the mountain biking is good too, any comments about that?

What's your background? Seems like we're always hiring: http://www.rtlogic.com/rtlogic_careers_jobs.php

Well, there's always the old Pikes Peak ski area, but you get to earn those turns. :) Cucharra used to be kinda close, but it's closed down. You get used to driving lots out here. Eventually, two hours will seem like nothing.

In the last few years I've transitioned to road biking, so I'm no expert. But, there's tons of trails. Here's some of the more popular:

http://www.trails.com/activity.asp?area=13690

[Rod Hayward]

Hi Trevor!

Chance is spot on, There are parts of CS where it would be okay to live, but they have experienced their share of "sprawl" too. If you can get out of town a little it's nice to have a little space around you. Monarch is closer, an hour-ish away (I haven't timed it) and has a smaller mountain feel to it. Crested Butte and Wolf Creek are more accessible from CS than the Denver area too, so they have a different feel to them. If skiing and mountain biking are your life, you could do worse, but maybe CS could be a stop on your way to somewhere further into the hills too.

One day, all N.A.S. D-90's will live in Colorado, anyway. It's inevitable.....why fight the urge?

Git yer ass out here!

:)

[tkavan01]

One day, all N.A.S. D-90's will live in Colorado, anyway. It's inevitable.....why fight the urge?

Git yer ass out here!

:)haha, mines already spent time in cali, so i guess CO, and somewhere in the north east like nh or vt

[Hans]

Hi Trevor!

Chance is spot on, There are parts of CS where it would be okay to live, but they have experienced their share of "sprawl" too. If you can get out of town a little it's nice to have a little space around you. Monarch is closer, an hour-ish away (I haven't timed it) and has a smaller mountain feel to it. Crested Butte and Wolf Creek are more accessible from CS than the Denver area too, so they have a different feel to them. If skiing and mountain biking are your life, you could do worse, but maybe CS could be a stop on your way to somewhere further into the hills too.

One day, all N.A.S. D-90's will live in Colorado, anyway. It's inevitable.....why fight the urge?

Git yer ass out here!

:)


I hate you all.

Will somebody PLEASE hire me? I'm loyal, hard working, intelligent, and made of candy!

[flippedrover]

One day, all N.A.S. D-90's will live in Colorado, anyway. It's inevitable.....why fight the urge?

Git yer ass out here!

:)
Ha I'll end up in Northern cali at my parent's house err my house by then.

[Seanh]

Trevor,
My wife and I moved from Oella (Ellicott City) to Woodland Park in 1998. The benefits are the weather, the proximity to skiing and cycling (road and mountain) and the focus on outdoor fitness. The cost of living is also lower in El Paso County when compared to Howard County. The one thing that was hard for us was the VERY strong conservative political and religious climate. There are places to hide from it if you choose but local politics and education are heavily influenced by these beliefs. I don't know where you stand but It was quite a shock for us. I was born and raised in Howard county and brought up in a liberal environment of diversity and religion but just was not prepared for the heavy conservative influence. We have since moved to Eagle County which we feel is a better fit for our family but there is a warm place in my heart for El Paso and Teller County. That being said, Breckenridge and Monarch are within 2 hours of the springs and the ridding in the hills nearby is good. Backcountry skiing on Pikes Peak was always a fun springtime adventure. If I were to move to the springs I would look into Manitou Springs. Manitou had a great mix of people and beliefs. We still have many friends in El Paso County including a real estate agent so if you are in need of info please let me know.

[bterpstra]

Is there any skiing around colorado springs? How long of a drive is it to winterpark?

I'm looking for the next family move and there are lots of jobs in Co Springs, and it seems a little smaller town then say denver...

Don't write off Denver too quickly. The important thing is to get your tail out to CO. You might prefer the Springs, but if that weren't possible, I would rather settle for Denver than wait for the perfect opportunity while living in, say, Cleveland.

Depending on your budget and housing expectations, there are decent somewhat more rural feeling communities up in the hills. Kittredge and Evergreen are both good places to live. Cost of living is an issue of course, but it will be just about anywhere. Good housing can be found in the $400k area and sometimes cheaper if you are willing to make some sacrifices. Commuting to Lakewood/Golden from Conifer is also perfectly doable and lowers the cost of living a bit more.

Plus, you're then only 45min to 1 hr from skiing! I can be at Vail in 90 minutes and completely miss traffic on I-70 without waking up at half-past-too-dang-dark. I can also drive to my old office in downtown denver in less than 50 minutes at rush hour.

[newfD90]

Forgot to mention that El Paso County is extremely conservative. It's land of 2.5 churches and kids per household. My Wife and I are looked at like we have some uncurable disease when we tell people we don't have kids.

However, taxes and the cost of living are way higher in other front range counties. We looked hard at Douglas county a few years ago, but the taxes (personal and property) were 2x. The foothills communities around Denver are nice. I've got a buddy thats lived in Conifer for the past 5 years and commuted to Denver. But, he's sick of the commute and is looking at moving closer to Denver. He'd probably sell you his house!

Affordability vs. Commute vs. Politics. Pick 'yer poison!


One day, all N.A.S. D-90's will live in Colorado, anyway. It's inevitable.....why fight the urge?


Rod is correct! I see more Rovers on the road here than anywhere else. We have a great Rover community out here. The Solihull Society is here as well as some great independent shops. Pikes Peak Rovers in the Springs and JC's Rover in Denver. Heck, even the dealers (4) are good!

[tkavan01]

400k is alot of money! I was hoping to find a job far enough away from town that i could ride my bike in and have it only take an hour...

[newfD90]

400k is alot of money! I was hoping to find a job far enough away from town that i could ride my bike in and have it only take an hour...

More than likely it'll be the other way around. The job will be in town and you'll be living out of town. Do some searches on realtor.com

[bterpstra]

400k is alot of money! I was hoping to find a job far enough away from town that i could ride my bike in and have it only take an hour...
$400k is quite a bit. You can drive that down a ways - check out Realtor.com like a prior poster mentioned. Conifer has cheaper digs, and as long as your job is on the far western burbs (Lakewood, Golden) it's doable. Some areas down near Castle Rock may still be affordable. Depends a bit what you're looking for - townhome vs 4 bedroom McMansion, etc.

Unfortunatly, CO is getting expensive.

As far as riding your bike in - no problem. Just make sure your bike as "Honda" written on the side of it. Comments re: El Paso county being conservative are also correct. I voted for Clinton (twice) so I'm legally not allowed to own property down there anymore.

[Emerson00]

You guys are making me jealous... if it weren't for a desperate need to be near the ocean, we'd be in CO by now - and I've never been there: we just want someplace different to move. Tired of the DC 'burbs, want mountains and ocean. Anyone need an engineer and land surveyor? Maybe we could leave the boat here and "commute"... Colorado has always looked like an opportunity, and my brother's work takes him there periodically. He's looking to go out there, too.

Is there any boating scene out in CO?

[JimC]

You're thinking about Washington state.

[Seanh]

Lake Dillon in Summit county has a hugh sailing vibe with a marina and such. The place is F$%%$$# cold but Breckenridge/Keystone/A-basin are within 10 minutes. You won't miss the Easter Shore/Western shore a bit.

[tkavan01]

So the axe is starting to grind at my current company, anyone have a hookup for software engineering work in Colorado? I specialize in real time C and C++, as well as migrating and integrating applications from HP-UX, Solaris to Linux...

[Oxcart13]

Trevor - email resume to bamm13 at mindspring dot com and give me some idea of what you are looking for - big company, small, etc. Although, all my contacts will be in and around Buckley AFB. No promises, but happy to ask around. Mark

[chris snell]

Trevor, you should give Utah a look. Lots of mountains, deserts, best powder in the world, and plenty of tech jobs. I don't know of any UNIX development jobs personally but I'm sure there are lots of them here. I'm hiring for senior Linux systems admins and network guys right now. The Rover scene is pretty strong here, too.

[tkavan01]

Trevor - email resume to bamm13 at mindspring dot com and give me some idea of what you are looking for - big company, small, etc. Although, all my contacts will be in and around Buckley AFB. No promises, but happy to ask around. MarkThanks, word of mouth is always better then going through HR, I'm polishing up my resume right now so it'll be a few days before I'm happy with it...
I'll work for a big or small, although my skillset seems better suited to small (I do everything and like doing it) I'd prefer to be as far from the center of town as possible but will take just about anything, I have enough work to get me out to december/january, so i figure i best get looking if i don't want to be desperate come the holidays

Trevor, you should give Utah a look. Lots of mountains, deserts, best powder in the world, and plenty of tech jobs. I don't know of any UNIX development jobs personally but I'm sure there are lots of them here. I'm hiring for senior Linux systems admins and network guys right now. The Rover scene is pretty strong here, too.My wife lives for chocolate and beer, that makes Utah way down on her list unfortunately, I'm stretching with Colorado... Also I"m a far better developer then a Sys Admin, I always wind up programming around the flaws and setups of our linux systems rather then muching with the OS to get it going...