Colorado dreaming? Advice for mountain transplants

Lee and I like to say that we fell in love in the Colorado mountains. Our first road trip together was to Colorado Springs where I had a business meeting with a freelance client. We drove from the Springs through the mountains, looping through Denver and then all the way back to Dallas (where we were both raised). There is nothing better than the feeling of Colorado highway driving, watching the mountains rise and fall along the horizon.

I’m pretty sure it’s generally understood that a good majority of Texans want to move to Colorado at some point in their lives. And Lee was no exception. Up until our first road trip, he had only ever seen Denver when he was in town with his touring crew. So, he had seen the mountains from afar, but never up close.

Luckily for him, I had lived in the Springs from 2012 – 2014, and I knew a handful of places to show him. It’s pretty much impossible not to fall in love with Colorado, in some measure. Even if you aren’t a fan of cold weather, Colorado has a season for you. It’s just magical like that.

Our family photo on Christmas day 2017, visiting Colorado Springs, Colorado.

Fast forward to Christmas 2017 and we had been put through the wringer with Lee’s business during our first year of marriage. Everything about our daily grind was stressful, so naturally we set our sights on spending a week with friends in Colorado. While we were there, we drove that same loop through the mountains, talking and letting the cool air lift the heaviness that had been on our shoulders for months. I noticed a dramatic difference in Lee’s countenance, and I felt that a change of permanent scenery was now in our future.

We made the move to Denver in Aug. 2018 and then bought a house in Pine, Colorado—a small town about 45 minutes outside the city—in Aug. 2019. And when Texans ask me about moving here, I tell them a handful of things. 

It costs more to live here 

There’s this general sense in Texas that if something, anything, will cost taxpayers more money, then it’s not worth it. I lived there for 23 combined years in a very political family—and not once did I hear a proposed tax increase met with, “Oh, that is a good use of funds and would enhance our quality of life!” So, if taxes are something you’re fundamentally opposed to, then Colorado is likely going to really disappoint.

Our state income tax hovers around 4.5%, which comes out to about an additional $338 per month for a married couple who makes $100,000 a year. (You can plug in your info at this link and see how much you would pay in state income tax if you lived in Colorado.)

In addition to a state income tax, the housing market in Denver is pretty inflated. It’s not Los Angeles inflated, but housing is not known for being affordable whatsoever. It’s doable if you have roommates or a spouse to share bills with. This “Cost of Living” calculator is one of my most-texted resources I share with friends who are thinking about making anywhere in Colorado home. Also, this link will take you to the latest housing market articles from The Denver Post.

There are big cultural shifts, if you’re accustomed to big city buzz

I’ve lived in Colorado Springs and Denver proper, and there were some notable cultural differences I encountered in both cities. My old way of life in Dallas revolved around socializing, eating and shopping and it’s not surprising why—at one point Dallas had more shopping square footage than New York City and a highly competitive eating scene (Dallas was named the Restaurant City of the Year in 2019 by Bon Appetit).

There was this “buzz” in the air in Dallas, which might not be readily obvious to someone who’s lived there their whole lives. (It wasn’t obvious to me until I moved away.) But the absence of that “buzz” will be abundantly clear if you move to Colorado, even if you’re settling into a larger city like the Springs or Denver.

One of our favorite things is mountain driving. This was Oct 2018 — one of our first drives as Colorado residents.

People value different things here. There are good restaurants if you search for them. It took me months to find our go-to places for Italian and Thai in Denver. But as a general rule, folks are not shopping for sport. They are not going out for drinks a few times a week. They are saving their pennies and free time for skiing or hiking—basically anything that is outdoors, and for good reason. (Have you seen this place?)

There’s not a lot of sitting around and pondering the big issues of the day in Colorado. People are moving here. Don’t get me wrong, at the end of a long day of skiing, I’ve had some great meals with friends, but ultimately the point is to be outdoors as much as humanly possible. In Colorado, life doesn’t revolve around what you wear, where you eat or what you drive.

Enjoying nature and wildlife should be a top priority

One of the many views on Rainbow Curve in Rocky Mountain National Park.

In case “enjoy the outdoors” wasn’t already an obvious theme, I wanted to set this apart. One of the things that has endeared me the most to Colorado is the way we build big, giant beautiful parks into our neighborhoods. I have yet to see a town that doesn’t have some sort of outdoor recreational space tucked inside the natural flow of homes. (Our rental home in Denver backed right up to such a park, and I have fond memories of hearing the hum of kid soccer teams hustling as the temperatures warmed up.) This link will take you to Denver’s park locator.

There are trees and shrubs along most roadways even in the suburbs—and green grass stretching out pretty much wherever you go. When spring hits, even our small mountain town folks create big, beautiful planters outside their shops and fill them with flowers. Along with this natural beauty comes a lot of wildlife and a lot of responsibility. 

Another mountain driving trip took us to Estes Park where elk graze casually wherever they damn well please.

Take a drive out I-70 from Denver and ask yourself, “How is this all sustained?” And the answer is taxes. The state parks don’t receive any funds from state income revenue, but if you take a look at our transportation budget, you’ll see that those extra dollars from state income are what help you (resident or visitor) have a beautiful, safe drive into the mountains. Case in point: we live about 5 miles from a major highway in a town that has a population just shy of 3,500. But when we exit that highway, there is an “elk crossing” tunnel built underneath that highway.

I’ve only voted in two elections during my time as a resident in the Springs, Denver and Pine, and every time there have been measures that focus on either animal welfare or nature preservation. And in my experience, they have passed every time—yes, even if they cost more in taxes or Coloradans sacrificed an economic opportunity. We love our animals and our mountains here. (And it makes me squeal with delight to be in a state that votes, more or less, in line with its enduring values.)

Test out Denver before moving full-time to a small mountain town

Colorado has a way of working its magic on everyone. The mountains are known for spiritually symbolizing refuge and peace. But it is not for everyone. Once marijuana was legalized, our population increased substantially, but if you ask a local, they’ll tell you we can’t legalize marijuana at the national level fast enough. The access to Mary Jane seems to attract people who don’t also hold nature and wildlife in high regard—and the struggle in bigger cities like Denver and the Springs is obvious. 

Posing outside our first home in Denver because we’re sentimental.

If you’re being wooed by Colorado, I highly recommend coming to Denver and renting for a year. That’s what we did. Lee and I had a hunch we were going to become “real” mountain folk eventually, but I also had first-hand experience with the shifts involved with moving a Texan to Colorado. We planted in a small suburb of Denver as our home base, braced for Lee’s first real winter experience and explored the mountains out I-70 and 285 just to see what we ran into and how things felt. I can’t recommend this enough. The Colorado winters are known for being pretty mild, especially since lower elevation snow usually melts within 24 hours of falling due, in no small pat, to the fact that the sun is shining an average of 300 days a year.

Colorado Springs is going to be more affordable as far as housing rentals and general cost of living are concerned. If you have a family, the Springs is likely going to fit just fine, but there are a few reasons I would never move back there. First, the Springs is known for being the conservative counterpart to Denver’s progressive. Things are centered around religious life in the Springs than I’d prefer. Additionally, the Springs is a very “transitional” city—it has people moving in and out all the time, thanks to the Air Force and Army bases, the Air Force Academy and NORAD.

A local once told me, “This is why specialty restaurants are so hesitant to come to the Springs. Most of the residents aren’t going to live here more than two years, and they are looking for familiar chain spots to eat.” Once I heard this, I realized why, in my experience, the Springs has the worst possible drivers. (And I’ve driven through downtown Dallas in an ice storm.) My working theory is that the “transitional” nature of the Springs means that its drivers don’t really get into a “groove” of driving. Everybody brings their bad driving habits from all over the world—and it makes driving pretty spicy.

Be sure you know yourself very well

I definitely spent a long time daydreaming about moving to Colorado. I thought it would be this transformative experience to live among the mountains where my grandparents met. I thought it would turn me into a hiking and skiing savant. But the reality of first moving to the Springs was blistering. I was none of these things naturally in Dallas, and just because outdoorsmanship oozes everywhere in the culture doesn’t mean it will be magically unlocked inside a person, apparently.

I’ve had to work out my disappointments when comparing Denver living with my Dallas life. Ultimately, we chose to move here because our family is healthier and happier in the mountain climate. I also struggle with this enduring sense of not belonging in Colorado because I am not Sporty Spice. On days when I wonder if we should move away, I remind myself of what my grandfather told me years ago: in Colorado there are endless streams to sit beside and trees to listen to—and that helps me settle a little more into this life.

After a year of living in Denver, we ended up moving to Pine, a small town that’s a quick, incredibly gorgeous drive from the big city things that matter to us like good medical care and Whole Foods. Maybe if it would be helpful, I’ll work on a post about moving to our small town, which has had its own set of surprises and challenges.

Thinking about moving to Colorado?

If you have any questions about moving to Colorado, feel free to comment below and I’ll do my best to get back to you.