Maybe moving to Boulder/Denver areas next year.....

[naturegirl7]

Looking like moving to CO is a major possibility for next late next year - likely the Denver or Boulder areas. From looking online - I am leaning towards Boulder, but depends on where DH gets a job.

I am wondering if you can tell me more about it.

Weather? How cold is it really? How much snow do you really get? Are the roads maintained well during storms?? I grew up in PA and it was not.

Vax exemptions seem easy. Hsing seems easy too. Are they really?  Do either area have ACTIVE HSing group - specifically active secular or non-christian groups?

Are homebirths legal? Any fabulous HBMWs or birth centers around there??

Any recommendations for specific areas - affordable, safe, family friendly, crunchy? and for that area - What is the rental/housing market like? General prices for stuff like rentals, gas, etc?

Do you have Whole Foods or something similar for groceries? Organic farmers markets?

We will need a new acupunturist who is amazing with kids, a new chiro (someone who focuses on the Grostic tech or gentle cervical adjustments), a new homeopath, a new kinesiologist, etc for my son and his major food allergies....Oh yeah, a family doc or even a ped who is very AP and alt. med friendly....

How is the economy?? Are there alot of health care jobs out there right now (I am a nurse and DH will soon be a ultrasound tech)?

Asthma - does there seem to be alot of asthma issues? DS had a serious asthma attack when we went back to PA/NJ a few years ago, and has occasional flares up when he is seriously sick - but otherwise has no asthma in FL. I am worried that another state might make his asthma worse....some places are known for being "good" or "bad" for respiratory illness and asthma - not sure where CO fits into this (I am hoping good cuz the air is so much cleaner...but not sure how the high altittude effects things)

ANything else you think I should consider?? Thanks!

[joycenjackiesmom]

I can only respond to some of your questions.  We moved to the foothills west of Denver 16 years ago from NJ.  Most years we get the most snow in the fall and spring (Oct, Nov and March, April)  with smaller snowstorms in the middle months.  There are exceptions to this--a few years ago we had some bigger storms in December two or three in a row.  I find the roads here much better  than I did in NJ (or in PA when I was in college).  They can get bad when it is actually snowing and it can be coming down so fast that they can't keep up but the roads typically dry up within a day of the snow so you don't get the pile up of ice on the streets.  There are exceptions to this---places where it is very shady and not well traveled can stay snow covered.  I have only stayed home a few times due to snow mostly because my child's school was closed and mine wasn't.  We can get amounts from less than an inch like we had last night to the 5 feet we had in one storm in 2003.  A few storms of 1-2 feet occur in a typical season.  You most likely won't find the cold to feel as cold as PA because the air is drier--wearing layers is essential.

I had a neighbor who was a homebirth midwife but I don't know the specifics around homebirth in CO.  I had my births in a hospital with a nurse-midwife.  I felt more comfortable with that option as I am an hour away from the closest hospital in good weather and both of my births were at times when snow was a good possibility.  

I meet more and more people all the time who homeschool and know some of them are part of co-ops so again I know they exist but I don't know any specifics. I happen to teach in a public school and both of my girls attend schools in the same district but I also support the decision to homeschool.

We do have Whole Foods in CO.  Vitamin Cottage (it may be Natural Grocers) could also be an option for you.  There are lots of farmer's markets in summer and into the fall--the types of produce may be a little different from what you see in PA and the tomatoes are nothing like what you get back east but they do taste much better from a farmer's market than any place else.  I would be suprised if there wasn't an organic one especially in the Boulder area.

I paid 2.73 per gallon for mid grade gas last night. 

You might google Colorado Parent Magazine or check  9 News Mom's Like Me to find out more info too.

I hope this helps at least a little.

[Realrellim]

Weather? How cold is it really? How much snow do you really get? Are the roads maintained well during storms?? I grew up in PA and it was not.

It's not cold most of the time.  It was 70 on Friday.  It snowed on Tuesday and again today.  They're forecasting 40 and sunny for tomorrow ("sunny" usually means feels warmer than forecasted temperature) and possibly 60 next week.  There's usually a nasty cold spell in December with temperatures in the 20s and a March or October blizzard every few years (occasionally they happen in the usual winter months, but March is a really common time to have one).  Those aren't a big deal because the Front Range just shuts down and honestly, it's kind of fun.  Snow tends to melt here within a few days because the sun heats things up.  Every once in a while we'll have  a winter where we have snow in the front yard the whole time (that area is shaded by our house in the winter), but it always melts in the back.  As far as the roads:  what I was told when I first moved here was that if you can't drive through it, the city is shut down.  That's pretty much true.  They do sand and plow, but they don't have nearly as many plows as they did when I lived in Chicago.  So secondary streets (like neighborhood streets) can be slushy for a day or two while we wait for the snow to melt off.  If you go into the mountains, chain laws will be in effect. 

Vax exemptions seem easy. Hsing seems easy too. Are they really?  Do either area have ACTIVE HSing group - specifically active secular or non-christian groups?

Vax exemptions are easy.  I just signed off on one for my kindergartner last month.  She's mostly vaxed, but it doesn't really matter.  We don't homeschool but I have a lot of friends who do.  Homeschoolers are located in both the Denver and Boulder areas and lots of places in between.  Also keep in mind that Boulder and Denver are really close together (45 minutes on the express bus to get from south Boulder to downtown Denver).  I only know one homeschooler who is Christian, so yeah, there's plenty of homeschoolers who aren't.  I don't believe they label their groups as "non-Christian" though, because they're usually not into excluding people based on religion.  If you're wondering whether the homeschool groups are Christian-based, then the answer is no.

Are homebirths legal? Any fabulous HBMWs or birth centers around there??

Yes they're legal.  There is one birth center, and yes there are fabulous HBMWs.

Any recommendations for specific areas - affordable, safe, family friendly, crunchy? and for that area - What is the rental/housing market like? General prices for stuff like rentals, gas, etc?

The entire area is pretty decent.  It's all safe, IMO and family friendly.  Crunchy depends on where you are, but I find the area overall to be crunchy-friendly even if not everyone thinks like me.  Lafayette, Erie, Superior and Louisville seem to be favorites.  I live in Westminster and like it a lot.  Where you choose to live will affect the price you pay for housing. 

Do you have Whole Foods or something similar for groceries? Organic farmers markets?

We have Whole Foods, Vitamin Cottage, Sunflower Market and Sprouts (I'm proud to say that three of the four are located within 3 miles of my house!)  There are also farmer's markets in several areas.

We will need a new acupunturist who is amazing with kids, a new chiro (someone who focuses on the Grostic tech or gentle cervical adjustments), a new homeopath, a new kinesiologist, etc for my son and his major food allergies....Oh yeah, a family doc or even a ped who is very AP and alt. med friendly....

There are plenty of alternative practitioners in the area.  And plenty of MDs.

How is the economy?? Are there alot of health care jobs out there right now (I am a nurse and DH will soon be a ultrasound tech)?

We're suffering from the slow economy just like everyone else, though the jobless rate has been lower than many other states.  Health care is a good profession to be in right now.

No idea on the asthma issue.  Colorado is where people used to come for TB, so ???  National Jewish is *the* center for respiratory illnesses and it might be worth looking at their website for more information.

Also, I wanted to point out that lots of people commute from Denver to Boulder and places in between.  There's a bus that runs from Boulder to the Fitzsimmons campus (where University Hospital and Children's Hospital are located) in Aurora.  There's an express bus that runs from Boulder to downtown Denver.  It just gives you an idea of how many people choose to live in one place and work in another.  (DH takes the bus out to the Fitzsimmons campus; I take one of the express buses when I teach downtown.)  It's not ideal for everyone, but I thought you should know that it's pretty common for people to commute.

[Growing Mamas]

Before moving to the foothills above Boulder 8 months ago, the coldest place I had ever lived was Virginia. So I was wondering about the weather, too. I've figured it out, though. About every 1.5 weeks this winter, the temp would gradually creep up to about 60, and then a day or two later, we'd get 8 inches of snow. I've found it rather easy to adjust to. (A down jacket and pair of Sorel boots helped). Yesterday we had a record high of 81, and today we got a thunderstorm with snow & hail. 

Some of the things that sound crazy to a southern girl have become more normal to me (I'm putting the kids in the car for school and it's 1 degree outside, or school is closed because it's too cold for the buses to start in the morning, or kids are in school, but there's "inside recess" because they can't play outside if it's under 20). Honestly though, the dry, sunny cold is very do-able. I went back to Memphis for Christmas and froze in the gray, moist 40-degree weather.

The roads get plowed, sanded, and it's business as usual. It's fun out here, hope your move goes smoothly!

[bonjourmama]

Hi, bumping this thread. My dh might be getting a job in CO. Well we are crossing our fingers. What do you CO mamas think about the Littleton area?

[BlueLeaf]

I live in Englewood, which is just north of Littleton. I think the south suburban area is lovely and a lot of fun. There are a lot of parks and open spaces. What are you looking for specifically?