Possible relo to CO, are you guys still accepting appications?

[SeanP]

Howdy, thought I would bounce in from the Sierra Chapter.

I am not sure if CO is still open to relocated CA folks, but Marni and I are giving serious thought to getting out of here. It's just too expensive to live on one income and raise kids here.

I was hoping that some folks here could give some guidance. Here's some of the stuff we are looking for in location:

1) Ability to buy a 2000 SF house for under $300K (no HOA's please, i still make a lot of racket with my heep).
2) Not more than .75-1.0 hour from DIA in case I find a job that needs me to travel from there a bit.
3) Decent schools for the kidlets
4) Somewhere I can find a job with a small to midsized technology company. I know there are a lot of these between Westminster and Boulder so we are looking up north.

Does anybody have some input and does anybody have any contacts with recruiters or tech companies? I have a sales/sales management background.

THanks

SeanP and Marni Lane (and Emma!)

 

[Kaczman]

I hope you understand you will be required to put the Jeep in storage when you get out here. Everybody knows the Colorado Crew does not wheel.










Seriously, requirements 1-3 should be pretty easy to accomplish. I'm not sure on how strong the tech companies are right now. Hopefully one of the cube-dwellers will chime in.


-Jon

 

[old_man]

The high tech community around here really sucks. Over 4000 degreed high tech jobs have been lost in the last couple of years. The average income for a EE has dropped something like $20k a year. Good luck. What's your background? Maybe I can steer you in the right direction.

 

[JohnJohn]

Howdy, thought I would bounce in from the Sierra Chapter.

I am not sure if CO is still open to relocated CA folks, but Marni and I are giving serious thought to getting out of here. It's just too expensive to live on one income and raise kids here.

I was hoping that some folks here could give some guidance. Here's some of the stuff we are looking for in location:

1) Ability to buy a 2000 SF house for under $300K (no HOA's please, i still make a lot of racket with my heep).
2) Not more than .75-1.0 hour from DIA in case I find a job that needs me to travel from there a bit.
3) Decent schools for the kidlets
4) Somewhere I can find a job with a small to midsized technology company. I know there are a lot of these between Westminster and Boulder so we are looking up north.

Does anybody have some input and does anybody have any contacts with recruiters or tech companies? I have a sales/sales management background.

THanks

SeanP and Marni Lane (and Emma!)

Hey got you phone call...returning it tomorrow.

 

[hjeepxj]

For everything but the work (cause I dont know) Arvada may be a good consideration for yah. :cheers:

 

[logdog]

The high tech community around here really sucks. Over 4000 degreed high tech jobs have been lost in the last couple of years. The average income for a EE has dropped something like $20k a year. Good luck. What's your background? Maybe I can steer you in the right direction.

Tom, why beat around the bush? Just say what you really feel and tell him we already have too many Californians here. :gag:

 

[COXJ]

i second the to many cali floks out here. just playin with ya. but a good place to look also is out off of e470 out east of denver. i work for a sub out there and houses for the most part are good bang for your buck and awsome schools out here and perfect yuppy factor for a cali transplant. :gag: up just north of thourton? sp is good to excpt for trafic and most tech jobs are well in tech senter down south or just over there in interlockin off 36 and 287. o and to reidorate the crappy tech sector here i know from my dad outsorcing has become the rage. well hope you make the right decision we would love to have another jeeper out here even if you are from cali.

Will

 

[Led]

I think we need to put it up to a vote, wait maybe we should start taking applications and charge an entry fee.. aperwork we should be able to get back to you in 6 to 8 months thank you for your intrest :wave:
Led

 

[COXJ]

im with Led. :wave:

Will

 

[YETI]

Colorado SUX!!! PLEASE TELL ALL YOUR FRIENDS!






HA HA

 

[SeanP]

Thanks for the replies, guys. I think.

Just to clarify, I'm an Iowa boy that has lived in cali for the last 10 years. When I moved to cali, I stopped in Denver and almost stayed in 95. I don't defend the selfish CA fawks that I soooo desparetly want to escape. Feel free to calibash all you want.

I have spent the last 10 years in sales and sales management in technology companies (y'all probably know StorageTek in Louisville, worked for them for 3 years). I launched some worldwide distribution channels in digital video industry and have a boatload of experience quickly ramping revenue for new companies.

However....

I started Advanced Metalwerks this year with an investment into a CNC plasma cutting table, pan-and-box brake and (soon) Tig welder. I have some customers in CA that I can service from CO but the business isn't to the point where I can support my family full time. Certainly not in CA cost of living and housing, that's why we want to move to a cheaper area that is still close to mountains and wheeling. If I had my druthers, I would just do the metal biz full time but I need something to bring in income for the time being.

JohnJohn, looking forward to your call. I have some products coming to market that are right up your alley.

That's my story and I am sticking to it.

SeanP

 

[Yucca-Man]

Sean, if you're looking for a lower cost-of-living than Cali and can run the business from anywhere, Colorado probably isn't the best choice. Our cost of living rivals that of many places in Cali, and like Tom and others have pointed out the tech field around here is pretty weak these days...

Aurora / Centennial isn't a terribly expensive area to live but HOAs are the orer of the day around there. North of DIA along the I-76 corridor might work though for slightly cheaper housing and a smidge more property.

 

[Grant]

SeanP

Forget your idea of living close to DIA and your scope will widen considerably.

This is the west so an hour's drive gets you a whole lot further than an hour of sitting in traffic in Cali. Ft Collins/Loveland area is still growing like crazy, and if you live near I-25 then DIA is still only a little over an hour away. I live in the foothills and am 78 miles from DIA, early Sunday morning that takes 1 hr 10 min. But in traffic it can take 2 hours.

I used to travel A LOT and the DIA drive is never too unpleasant, or there are great bus and limo rides if needed.

Denver sucks, CO Springs sucks, Boulder sucks big time. Look to the smaller towns. With all that Cali equity you will find CO cheap property wise. Can be $$$ cost of living, but that largely depends on where you choose to live.

I live 15 miles out of town and that drive takes 30 minutes, and the scenery is a damn side better than driving down the interstate.

Fabrication shops are not thriving out here either. Over 200 machine shops have closed in the last 3 years on the front range. So competition for work is tight. However, if you are doing your own product and are in a pretty specialized market you can still make a killing.

Don't let all the out of work tech guys scare you, the reality is nobody in that field is going to enjoy the heydays of the late 90's again. But if you are good at what you do, then you will find work here. Just don't expect Cali type wages.

HTH

Grant

 

[SeanP]

Grant,

Nice to hear from you again. Good points that you make.

We have been looking around the Longmont area online. Looks like brand new houses are under $300K and 240-275 is the sweet spot. I don't want to be in Denver, that's for sure. It really depends upon what job I get whether the DIA commute will be a PITA. I don't expect CA wages, but with the smaller mortgage and lower cost of living (it is a LOT cheaper to live in CO than Nor Cal FWIW), there are a lot of jobs that would be attractive to me that I couldn't consider in CA. Bummer about all those Fab shops. Bet there's some good deals on used TIG welders

One other question:

I have an old 75 CA smog-exempt 3/4 ton chevy that has a new, healthy SBC in it. What are the smog laws for old vehicles out in CO? Is there a cut off where you don't have to smog any more? If I have to pass smog, I will just sell this rig in CA.

 

[XJEEPER]

So you don't want to come to Utah? The Wasatch Front area meets almost all your criteria, the wildcard being solid employment in your field. Lots of Tech companies in Utah and Salt Lake Counties, may want to check them out as an option. We have lots of local wheelin options, greatest snow on earth.......and Moab is 3.5 hrs away.........

 

[Kaczman]

You can check the smog requirements here: http://www.aircarecolorado.com/requires.htm
It looks like you'll need to pass a tail pipe sniffer.

How far are you willing to commute? I'm 15 min. from DIA, the housing is cheap (around 300K for a house and a couple acres), and 30-45 minutes to Denver, Boulder, Longmont, and Ft. Collins.

-Jon

 

[ChuckD]

So you don't want to come to Utah? The Wasatch Front area meets almost all your criteria, the wildcard being solid employment in your field. Lots of Tech companies in Utah and Salt Lake Counties, may want to check them out as an option. We have lots of local wheelin options, greatest snow on earth.......and Moab is 3.5 hrs away.........

Yea Sean and you can talk to Gary for that special UT hookup!

 

[SeanP]

Yea Sean and you can talk to Gary for that special UT hookup!

You mean that Gary knows where to get the good beer in UT

:laugh3:

SeanP

 

[FarmerMatt]

I here Columbine is a great school for the munchkins....

 

[YETI]

So you don't want to come to Utah? The Wasatch Front area meets almost all your criteria, the wildcard being solid employment in your field. Lots of Tech companies in Utah and Salt Lake Counties, may want to check them out as an option. We have lots of local wheelin options, greatest snow on earth.......and Moab is 3.5 hrs away.........

Don't forget to mention all the inbreed mormons.

J/K