How is life in Colorado?

[manic]

My wife and I are self employed.
We're to the point where we could work one to two days at a job per week and be very comfortable with living at an apartment.

We're working to the point of having to work no days at a job.

Compared to where I live, the price of living in Colorado is about a fourth more expensive for apartment-wise.

We some day want to get to the point in self employment where this can buy our house.

I'm 23 and she's 21. Neither of us use cell phones, facebook, twitter etc and we're not really into socializing with people.

I've heard that people in boulder are very nice and that's what we like.
Where we live now, no one opens doors for people, no one says excuse me, people will fart in public and sneeze in your direction, which I guess it's their life but I would like to live in a place where people don't really bother me, with their conversations or their rudeness.

Where I live, I can open a door for someone and they'll actually walk through without saying thank you. So my wife and I have come to the point of not being polite to people where we live but would like to live in a location where people are happy and greatful, where people just don't really get in the way of each other and we can continue our self employment in a really nice location with nice places to camp, take pictures, hike, bike etc.

I've read about Longmont but I can't find a lot of information with how nice the area is.
The furthest I've lived west are Nebraska and Oklahoma but those were a long time ago with Nebraska being the most recent when I was in 5th grade.

I've never been to Colorado though so I'm not sure about the area.
We want to be closer to the west so we can visit the Grand Canyon and other interesting locations.

I'm looking for a place where the air is fresh and clean, where there's a lot to do, but for now there has to be apartments.

Is boulder too much of a college town with a bunch of kids?
Is Longmont a nice place?
Are there any locations in the mountains or elsewhere that have nice apartments with a nice community?


How much snow does Colorado get?
How much rain?
Is traffic bad in certain cities?
Would a part time job be difficult to get and where?

Details would be nice for your experiences.

[Gabi]

I live in Colorado Springs. It's amazing here. Not only is Pike's Peak staring you down every day, but there are so many nice (and many FREE) things to do here, like the Garden of the Gods. (Google it. Hiking there is amazing and there's so many places to hike that you could either be surrounded by people or totally alone in different areas of the park.) It's so beautiful here! It's a very fit town, I believe. People hike, swim at the Y, jog everywhere, rock climb, bike on our bajillions of trails-- even in winter, those crazies.

Where you live here should depend on your personalities. If you're more liberal, Boulder and Denver are good options. Colorado Springs is pretty split-- it's half conservative because Compassion International and Focus on the Family are here.

I'm originally from Louisiana where people say "hello" as they pass you. That kind of thing doesn't happen here, but people from Grand Junction to Boulder and all in-between will hold open the door and say "on your left" while biking by, or ask you about your dog if you're walking one, etc.

Winter here and in Denver (because of the altitude) is very long and seems longer than it is. Snow starts late September. It often snows into May and will hail in the summer. It's cold here in winter, but it's not humid, so you get used to the cold in a couple of years and it will no longer chill you to the bone.
It rains in summer in the Springs (thunder storms, but they don't last very long like in the southern states), some years more than others. Droughts are pretty common here. We're in one right now, but if you live in an apartment, it won't affect you. (Home owners can only water their lawns certain days during a drought.)

Living is pretty pricey in Denver and Colorado Springs. I'm in a brand new luxury apartment, living alone with a cat, paying $950 a month, no garage, not including utilities, but washer/dryer are included. My friends live in decent apartments for $500 a month, no garage, not including utilities, no washer/dryer included.

The only natural disasters are forest fires (we had 5 AT A TIME last year all over Colorado, in which 2 people died, but only because they refused to leave their home and let it burn without them...). There are also blizzards, which make driving impossible at times, but the city is very good about using the snow plows the morning after it snows.
No hurricanes, earthquakes in Colorado, no tornadoes in Colorado Springs (not sure about elsewhere).

Colorado Springs is great because, even though it's a big city with a downtown portion (with, like, 2 skyscrapers, so it's not ugly), it's always clean. There is almost never litter (and when there is, it's usually because no one could clean it up due to the snow), and roadkill is gone by the next day.

Boulder is the party-school capital of the US (as voted by Playboy). It's famous for college kids getting high. It's a very pretty place (at least what I've seen of it-- having been there twice.)
Colorado Springs is pretty eco-friendly. Many people use fabric shopping bags, walk/bike to places, try to eat clean, etc.

Denver traffic is bad every day at the usual times-- 7am-10am, 3pm, 5pm-7pm, and after sporting events. Colorado Springs has bad traffic at those times, but not terrible.

I'm 19 and many of my friends are struggling to find work here in the Springs. If you have a degree, it's easier, naturally, but I've only been able to work one fast-food job (Jimmy John's), and my friends only get work through people they know.
Common places like restaurants/grocery stores are usually hiring though.

I'm about a 30-minute drive from the foot of Cheyenne Mountain and Pike's Peak. The zoo is amazing, the trails are gorgeous, our history is interesting (there's a free Pioneer Museum in downtown CS), and the people are pretty cool.

I wish you the best of luck wherever you move! With any more questions from an insider, message me any time!