Moving to the mountains
Oct 6th 2012, 4:08 am
#61
Account Closed
Joined: Mar 2004
Posts: 2
Re: Moving to the mountains
Now, as far as the OP goes, if he's still around....
The city will make a good stepping stone. Jobs are relatively easy to come by there. I've never known any skier / rider to be truly happy with Denver though. Boulder, maybe kinda, but not Denver. But if it gets you in the country...
Other choices.... Salt Lake is waaaaayyy closer to skiing, and contrary to popular belief you can get pretty much any kind of alcohol you want. Boise... not bad. Seattle - wet, but a lot going on, and puts a lot of good skiing within a drive. Portland - skiing a little flatter, but a great vibe. Plus, spring and summer skiing in the Cascades is pretty hard to beat.
So, that out of the way... next step if the riding is that important - mountain town. You'll meet two kinds of people in mountain towns - those who live there, and those who are just passing through - even if it takes a few years for the temps to work that out. OP will need to network through the real locals, and they can be a notoriously ornery bunch - and they know everyone. Screw up in one western mountain town, and you've screwed up in them all. Learn to get into the backcountry stuff, and you'll start to meet the right people. If you don't step on people's toes (which is very easy to do), eventually people will start pointing you in the right direction, and things will start to work out. You'll probably never get paid what you would like, but you'll have a great time.
Oh yeah, and there are medium sized towns between the cities and the mountain towns. You may need more than one stone.
The city will make a good stepping stone. Jobs are relatively easy to come by there. I've never known any skier / rider to be truly happy with Denver though. Boulder, maybe kinda, but not Denver. But if it gets you in the country...
Other choices.... Salt Lake is waaaaayyy closer to skiing, and contrary to popular belief you can get pretty much any kind of alcohol you want. Boise... not bad. Seattle - wet, but a lot going on, and puts a lot of good skiing within a drive. Portland - skiing a little flatter, but a great vibe. Plus, spring and summer skiing in the Cascades is pretty hard to beat.
So, that out of the way... next step if the riding is that important - mountain town. You'll meet two kinds of people in mountain towns - those who live there, and those who are just passing through - even if it takes a few years for the temps to work that out. OP will need to network through the real locals, and they can be a notoriously ornery bunch - and they know everyone. Screw up in one western mountain town, and you've screwed up in them all. Learn to get into the backcountry stuff, and you'll start to meet the right people. If you don't step on people's toes (which is very easy to do), eventually people will start pointing you in the right direction, and things will start to work out. You'll probably never get paid what you would like, but you'll have a great time.
Oh yeah, and there are medium sized towns between the cities and the mountain towns. You may need more than one stone.
Here you are - jobs.
Oct 6th 2012, 5:14 am
#62
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Joined: Nov 2008
Location: Seal Rock, Oregon
Posts: 842
Re: Moving to the mountains
True in a way. I could move to San Jose or Orange County and make another $40K a year. On the other hand, I wouldn't have a 10 minute commute to work, own a 4 bed house on an acre for $200K and be able to forget about work at 4pm each day.
By and large, people who do move here don't move for the high pay or career prospects. Also, the rate of pay is right there in the job ad we placed. I don't believe in making people waste their time applying for a job without knowing what's on offer.
By and large, people who do move here don't move for the high pay or career prospects. Also, the rate of pay is right there in the job ad we placed. I don't believe in making people waste their time applying for a job without knowing what's on offer.
Oct 8th 2012, 8:34 am
#63
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Thread Starter
Joined: Oct 2012
Posts: 17
Re: Moving to the mountains
Now, as far as the OP goes, if he's still around....
The city will make a good stepping stone. Jobs are relatively easy to come by there. I've never known any skier / rider to be truly happy with Denver though. Boulder, maybe kinda, but not Denver. But if it gets you in the country...
Other choices.... Salt Lake is waaaaayyy closer to skiing, and contrary to popular belief you can get pretty much any kind of alcohol you want. Boise... not bad. Seattle - wet, but a lot going on, and puts a lot of good skiing within a drive. Portland - skiing a little flatter, but a great vibe. Plus, spring and summer skiing in the Cascades is pretty hard to beat.
So, that out of the way... next step if the riding is that important - mountain town. You'll meet two kinds of people in mountain towns - those who live there, and those who are just passing through - even if it takes a few years for the temps to work that out. OP will need to network through the real locals, and they can be a notoriously ornery bunch - and they know everyone. Screw up in one western mountain town, and you've screwed up in them all. Learn to get into the backcountry stuff, and you'll start to meet the right people. If you don't step on people's toes (which is very easy to do), eventually people will start pointing you in the right direction, and things will start to work out. You'll probably never get paid what you would like, but you'll have a great time.
Oh yeah, and there are medium sized towns between the cities and the mountain towns. You may need more than one stone.
The city will make a good stepping stone. Jobs are relatively easy to come by there. I've never known any skier / rider to be truly happy with Denver though. Boulder, maybe kinda, but not Denver. But if it gets you in the country...
Other choices.... Salt Lake is waaaaayyy closer to skiing, and contrary to popular belief you can get pretty much any kind of alcohol you want. Boise... not bad. Seattle - wet, but a lot going on, and puts a lot of good skiing within a drive. Portland - skiing a little flatter, but a great vibe. Plus, spring and summer skiing in the Cascades is pretty hard to beat.
So, that out of the way... next step if the riding is that important - mountain town. You'll meet two kinds of people in mountain towns - those who live there, and those who are just passing through - even if it takes a few years for the temps to work that out. OP will need to network through the real locals, and they can be a notoriously ornery bunch - and they know everyone. Screw up in one western mountain town, and you've screwed up in them all. Learn to get into the backcountry stuff, and you'll start to meet the right people. If you don't step on people's toes (which is very easy to do), eventually people will start pointing you in the right direction, and things will start to work out. You'll probably never get paid what you would like, but you'll have a great time.
Oh yeah, and there are medium sized towns between the cities and the mountain towns. You may need more than one stone.
The wife and I can be reserved even by English standards at times so mountain towns could make us rather isolated. Saying that, snow and beer brings us out of them shells like nothing else! I think the London commute just gets peoples defenses up.
Getting to ride in spring and summer would be great! We ride year round at the moment at the snow domes and get away during the winter to the alps. May have to look into the Cascades!
A lot of my wife's family are in the Fargo area so it'd be good to be close-ish to an airport. All going it be a balancing act!
Oct 8th 2012, 7:19 pm
#64
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Joined: Sep 2009
Posts: 13
Re: Moving to the mountains
Thought about Salt Lake City? Close to Park City. University town, surprisingly liberal, great scenery. We spent a happy year there living up on the Avenues - a gift after nearly three years in Doha!
Oct 15th 2012, 9:35 am
#65
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Joined: Oct 2012
Posts: 17
Re: Moving to the mountains
I didn't realise there are literally no indoor snow slopes in the US! Few under construction according to wiki -
Nevada - Las Vegas
New Jersey - Meadowlands Xanadu
North Carolina - Westmoreland Ski Resort
I'll need to find something to do with myself in the summer
Oct 15th 2012, 2:52 pm
#66
Joined: Sep 2012
Location: Dancing round my handbag
Posts: 2,673
Re: Moving to the mountains
White water rafting
Climbing
Hiking
Biking
Wherever you live, there'll be a lake for water sports. Not many beaches in the middle of the country, but we do have man made ones - just don't expect the tide to go out.
Climbing
Hiking
Biking
Wherever you live, there'll be a lake for water sports. Not many beaches in the middle of the country, but we do have man made ones - just don't expect the tide to go out.
Nov 5th 2012, 7:55 pm
#67
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Joined: Apr 2012
Posts: 1,603
Re: Moving to the mountains
Yes but those recruiters are largely full of s--t imx, I get harrassed all the time by people looking for people who don't do what I do but they're too thick when it comes to IT to understand I don't have the skills they're looking for.
Anyway I deal with people in the Denver area all the time, a lot of data centres are based there because of network latency (i.e. Colorado is in the middle of the country).
If working for or in a data centre appeals to you, you should be able to get a job eventually. Bit hard at the moment because the economy is in the toilet.
Anyway I deal with people in the Denver area all the time, a lot of data centres are based there because of network latency (i.e. Colorado is in the middle of the country).
If working for or in a data centre appeals to you, you should be able to get a job eventually. Bit hard at the moment because the economy is in the toilet.
Would you say building a new data centre in Denver is worth investigating at the moment? Say a 300 rack facility generating its own renewable power (15 MW)
Nov 5th 2012, 8:08 pm
#68
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Joined: Mar 2004
Posts: 2
Re: Moving to the mountains
15MW?
PV? Biomass, well too far and wind is better on the Eastern Plains.
That sounds very substantial.
PV? Biomass, well too far and wind is better on the Eastern Plains.
That sounds very substantial.
Nov 6th 2012, 1:34 am
#70
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Joined: Mar 2004
Posts: 2
Re: Moving to the mountains
Interesting.
I guess you know Vestas has cut back, in fact one of their employees who was laid off has featured in a Dem Political commercial.
I know somebody who has a small wind turbine on their ranch, 20kw?, I think it was essentially free through a grant but the maintenance contract costs nearly as much as the energy it produces.
PV from speaking to people seems a much safer bet due to the amount of sun we get. They were talking of setting up a Solar Farm nearby. Of course it all depends on subsidies, Excel still do this but I think they have scaled back their level.
There was a smart grid project in Boulder, which seems to have been a complete waste of time and money, the cynics suggest it was a sop to keep Boulder from doing their own thing.
The only Bio Gas project I remember reading about was in Weld County but I think their product was just added to the NG supply?
Biomass, well with the Beetle Kill there are miles and miles of it. I was told they were going to set up a large scale operation in the Springs, just wonder how the transportation costs would add up. Coal is cheap because of the railroads. $3 a mmbtu?
I pay nearly 11c a KW, I was told by somebody I met who is a consultant in the field that large users pay nearer 4c.
The big resource issue I see is Water. We have had a very dry year and unlike last year we are going into this one with low reservoirs.
I guess you know Vestas has cut back, in fact one of their employees who was laid off has featured in a Dem Political commercial.
I know somebody who has a small wind turbine on their ranch, 20kw?, I think it was essentially free through a grant but the maintenance contract costs nearly as much as the energy it produces.
PV from speaking to people seems a much safer bet due to the amount of sun we get. They were talking of setting up a Solar Farm nearby. Of course it all depends on subsidies, Excel still do this but I think they have scaled back their level.
There was a smart grid project in Boulder, which seems to have been a complete waste of time and money, the cynics suggest it was a sop to keep Boulder from doing their own thing.
The only Bio Gas project I remember reading about was in Weld County but I think their product was just added to the NG supply?
Biomass, well with the Beetle Kill there are miles and miles of it. I was told they were going to set up a large scale operation in the Springs, just wonder how the transportation costs would add up. Coal is cheap because of the railroads. $3 a mmbtu?
I pay nearly 11c a KW, I was told by somebody I met who is a consultant in the field that large users pay nearer 4c.
The big resource issue I see is Water. We have had a very dry year and unlike last year we are going into this one with low reservoirs.
Nov 6th 2012, 3:20 am
#71
BE Forum Addict
Joined: Apr 2012
Posts: 1,603
Re: Moving to the mountains
Interesting.
I guess you know Vestas has cut back, in fact one of their employees who was laid off has featured in a Dem Political commercial.
I know somebody who has a small wind turbine on their ranch, 20kw?, I think it was essentially free through a grant but the maintenance contract costs nearly as much as the energy it produces.
PV from speaking to people seems a much safer bet due to the amount of sun we get. They were talking of setting up a Solar Farm nearby. Of course it all depends on subsidies, Excel still do this but I think they have scaled back their level.
There was a smart grid project in Boulder, which seems to have been a complete waste of time and money, the cynics suggest it was a sop to keep Boulder from doing their own thing.
The only Bio Gas project I remember reading about was in Weld County but I think their product was just added to the NG supply?
Biomass, well with the Beetle Kill there are miles and miles of it. I was told they were going to set up a large scale operation in the Springs, just wonder how the transportation costs would add up. Coal is cheap because of the railroads. $3 a mmbtu?
I pay nearly 11c a KW, I was told by somebody I met who is a consultant in the field that large users pay nearer 4c.
The big resource issue I see is Water. We have had a very dry year and unlike last year we are going into this one with low reservoirs.
I guess you know Vestas has cut back, in fact one of their employees who was laid off has featured in a Dem Political commercial.
I know somebody who has a small wind turbine on their ranch, 20kw?, I think it was essentially free through a grant but the maintenance contract costs nearly as much as the energy it produces.
PV from speaking to people seems a much safer bet due to the amount of sun we get. They were talking of setting up a Solar Farm nearby. Of course it all depends on subsidies, Excel still do this but I think they have scaled back their level.
There was a smart grid project in Boulder, which seems to have been a complete waste of time and money, the cynics suggest it was a sop to keep Boulder from doing their own thing.
The only Bio Gas project I remember reading about was in Weld County but I think their product was just added to the NG supply?
Biomass, well with the Beetle Kill there are miles and miles of it. I was told they were going to set up a large scale operation in the Springs, just wonder how the transportation costs would add up. Coal is cheap because of the railroads. $3 a mmbtu?
I pay nearly 11c a KW, I was told by somebody I met who is a consultant in the field that large users pay nearer 4c.
The big resource issue I see is Water. We have had a very dry year and unlike last year we are going into this one with low reservoirs.
Currently we have built and operate a 7MW plant in Australia with a larger 12 MW plant going up in 2013 again in Australia.
Essentially Australia is based on Dairy based bio matter. This has allowed us to achieve alot of support from farming communities who are desperate to get rid of their environment problem - waste into water supply. The solar and wind are used on top of the base (due to their fluctuating supplies and our desire to refrain from loading a large bank of batteries.)
Nov 6th 2012, 4:38 am
#72
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Joined: Mar 2004
Posts: 2
Re: Moving to the mountains
The people I know who run Cattle, do Beef. I am not sure how much Dairy there is in Colorado.
The big issue has been the drought, most have significantly reduced their herds. The price of hay has doubled and more and many who grow hay in a normal year have had to let the cattle into their hay pastures. One guy I know who has reasonably old water rights said it would make more sense financially to grow hay than raise cattle. He has enough hay for the winter, he sold a lot of his cattle early on before the price dropped, others are really hurting. I do not know how many acres you need per cow, because we are semi arid I guess it is quite a few.
Pine is obviously lower in btu's than hardwood but there are thousand of square miles of it. It is going to burn somehow. It has reached the point where standing timber is not really worth anything, the added value is the cost of transportation and when used for heat, processing. There is a pellet industry and I have heard of biochar, not sure if anything is being done locally.
The big issue has been the drought, most have significantly reduced their herds. The price of hay has doubled and more and many who grow hay in a normal year have had to let the cattle into their hay pastures. One guy I know who has reasonably old water rights said it would make more sense financially to grow hay than raise cattle. He has enough hay for the winter, he sold a lot of his cattle early on before the price dropped, others are really hurting. I do not know how many acres you need per cow, because we are semi arid I guess it is quite a few.
Pine is obviously lower in btu's than hardwood but there are thousand of square miles of it. It is going to burn somehow. It has reached the point where standing timber is not really worth anything, the added value is the cost of transportation and when used for heat, processing. There is a pellet industry and I have heard of biochar, not sure if anything is being done locally.
Nov 6th 2012, 8:23 pm
#73
Forum Regular
Joined: Sep 2004
Location: Denver CO.
Posts: 46
Re: Moving to the mountains
well here's another Londoners experience of Colorado....
Overall it's a great place to live.
The people are really friendly and crime is fairly low. I lived in downtown the first year and didn't see anything worse than back in London. Don't lock my doors or alarm the car religously like I used to, much to visitors amasement. I work in IT in Douglas County and to be honest, the pay is fantastic but have been with the company for 12 years moving from Basingstoke. We hire folks and recently, I've heard how difficult the job market has been. Choice jobs will be tough to come by due to the amount of competition by the sounds of it but don't take that any other way than what people mention that have been out of work I deal with. I've been in the same team since I arrived back in 2002 so I'm not a good person to ask. If you can find the job you want, then I would advise living closer to Denver than the suburbs for regular nightlife as public transport is utter shite and cabs are $50 for me one way to downtown for a night out on the beers. I would avoid living in the mountains (and it was something I wanted to do when I first arrived) due to the fact that it's expensive, it's nothing like the apres ski of the French alps that I was used to and if the snow comes in down I-70 corridor, it will be a nightmare commute. I work with a few guys that live up in Silverthorne which is the first non-mobile home town on the way west from Denver and they stay in Denver when they work and return home at the end. These are shift guys which I know a lot of IT companies desire so it does work out, but if you are working 9-5 mon thru fri, do not live in the mountains as that will be hell. The weekends are busy at the resorts so if you can find shift work then you will be in heaven going up on a weekday and seeing around 30% of the traffic and bodies on the slopes. I have sat in traffic before for around 2 hours when the roads are bad heading up and the further west you head for ski resorts, and worse when returning as you pick up all the people coming home from closer resorts. On a good day though, I can make it in about 1 hour and ten mins to Keystone which is a good resort for boarders. Add on 20 minutes for Breckenridge which i don't think is as good a resort but has a much better town for atmosphere.
Colorado weather is perfect for me. Although hot in the summer, it's a dry heat which is bearable and the winters are never too brutal. The roads are cleared quickly and have once been snowboarding in the morning then on the golf course in shorts in the late afternoon.
Denver is nothing like what I've been used to. Imagine a London suburb like Harrow and that's it. As a whole, it's a sprawl of 'cookie cutter' suburban estates which is nice but you will miss London architecture and bustling activity. I'm happy to replace that to have snowboarding on my door step.
The summer I spend camping as much as possible. Never went when I lived in the UK and didn't think i'd enjoy it but here you can get lost in the wilderness and that is the most amazing feeling. Add that to the fact that there's nothing to do except drink beers and spend hours cooking (depending on fire bans) and it's a perfect weekend. Hiking is another big deal here as we have many 14k mountains to attempt along with 4x4 off roading which is a great time.
Ask anything else and I may be able to help you out. Personally, I'd live close to the front range giving you easy access to the slopes and this will also allow you to experience city life (albeit minimal) and find IT work with a bearable commute. (our traffic is nothing compared to M-25 misery fyi!)
Dannyboy
Overall it's a great place to live.
The people are really friendly and crime is fairly low. I lived in downtown the first year and didn't see anything worse than back in London. Don't lock my doors or alarm the car religously like I used to, much to visitors amasement. I work in IT in Douglas County and to be honest, the pay is fantastic but have been with the company for 12 years moving from Basingstoke. We hire folks and recently, I've heard how difficult the job market has been. Choice jobs will be tough to come by due to the amount of competition by the sounds of it but don't take that any other way than what people mention that have been out of work I deal with. I've been in the same team since I arrived back in 2002 so I'm not a good person to ask. If you can find the job you want, then I would advise living closer to Denver than the suburbs for regular nightlife as public transport is utter shite and cabs are $50 for me one way to downtown for a night out on the beers. I would avoid living in the mountains (and it was something I wanted to do when I first arrived) due to the fact that it's expensive, it's nothing like the apres ski of the French alps that I was used to and if the snow comes in down I-70 corridor, it will be a nightmare commute. I work with a few guys that live up in Silverthorne which is the first non-mobile home town on the way west from Denver and they stay in Denver when they work and return home at the end. These are shift guys which I know a lot of IT companies desire so it does work out, but if you are working 9-5 mon thru fri, do not live in the mountains as that will be hell. The weekends are busy at the resorts so if you can find shift work then you will be in heaven going up on a weekday and seeing around 30% of the traffic and bodies on the slopes. I have sat in traffic before for around 2 hours when the roads are bad heading up and the further west you head for ski resorts, and worse when returning as you pick up all the people coming home from closer resorts. On a good day though, I can make it in about 1 hour and ten mins to Keystone which is a good resort for boarders. Add on 20 minutes for Breckenridge which i don't think is as good a resort but has a much better town for atmosphere.
Colorado weather is perfect for me. Although hot in the summer, it's a dry heat which is bearable and the winters are never too brutal. The roads are cleared quickly and have once been snowboarding in the morning then on the golf course in shorts in the late afternoon.
Denver is nothing like what I've been used to. Imagine a London suburb like Harrow and that's it. As a whole, it's a sprawl of 'cookie cutter' suburban estates which is nice but you will miss London architecture and bustling activity. I'm happy to replace that to have snowboarding on my door step.
The summer I spend camping as much as possible. Never went when I lived in the UK and didn't think i'd enjoy it but here you can get lost in the wilderness and that is the most amazing feeling. Add that to the fact that there's nothing to do except drink beers and spend hours cooking (depending on fire bans) and it's a perfect weekend. Hiking is another big deal here as we have many 14k mountains to attempt along with 4x4 off roading which is a great time.
Ask anything else and I may be able to help you out. Personally, I'd live close to the front range giving you easy access to the slopes and this will also allow you to experience city life (albeit minimal) and find IT work with a bearable commute. (our traffic is nothing compared to M-25 misery fyi!)
Dannyboy
Nov 6th 2012, 8:31 pm
#74
Forum Regular
Joined: Sep 2004
Location: Denver CO.
Posts: 46
Re: Moving to the mountains
One last thought is to buy a place down in the suburbs and then a gettaway home in the mountains. The exchange rate is still good if you are bringing money over or selling up before you leave. My first home was around 250k for 1700sq ft with garden. More than enough for two people. This equates to 156,200 quid!. If you both have good jobs then you could look into getting a second place in the resorts but don't expect much for less than $300k (187k stirling).
http://www.trulia.com/CO/Silverthorn...e/price;a_sort
<1000ft for that money but if you are just sleeping there and out on the slopes and bars all day, you don't need much more.
http://www.trulia.com/CO/Silverthorn...e/price;a_sort
<1000ft for that money but if you are just sleeping there and out on the slopes and bars all day, you don't need much more.
Nov 6th 2012, 8:35 pm
#75
Account Closed
Joined: Mar 2004
Posts: 2
Re: Moving to the mountains
A friend of mine did something similar in Breck, said it was his worst move. He had expected to make money by letting it out but the net was very poor. Finally got rid of it.