Where to move in Colorado for a skiing teacher

August 10, 2009 8:35 AM

Moving to Colorado in December. Want to be close to skiing and looking for a job in education. Best location and opportunity?

I'll be moving in December after I receive my teaching license in Ohio. I doubt I will get a teaching job right away so I plan on subbing in a school or temping somewhere else until the next school year rolls around. I'm 25 so I wouldn't mind a young part of town but is not a must. I'm thinking the west side of Denver though because it's close to skiing. Other cities I should consider or what parts of Denver should I look in? Thanks!

posted by no bueno to travel & transportation around Colorado (8 answers total)

You should also look at Boulder.
posted by ocherdraco at 9:14 AM on August 10, 2009

I don't know that you should necessarily pick a part of town based on its proximity to skiing. Denver isn't that big and even living on the east part of town won't add that much time. (Most of the time spent will be crawling along in the mountains.)

If you like living in the city, you might want to consider finding a place in Denver proper. It's centrally located to outlying areas so you'd have a decent commute to most places.

For what it's worth, I heard on the news the other night that they want to build another school in Stapleton due to over-crowding, but that's probably a couple of years away because of budget issues.
posted by Kimberly at 9:18 AM on August 10, 2009

Steamboat Springs, while expensive, and jobs few and far between, would be a wonderful place to live. The Steamboat Pilot had ads.

Also, Fort Collins is frequently rated among top places to live.
posted by ecorrocio at 10:28 AM on August 10, 2009

Not sure where you're coming from, but another community (on the opposite side of the state) worth considering is Grand Junction. This puts you close (well, closer) to the awesomeness that is SW Colorado skiing, also Aspen and Snowmass. It also puts you within a few hours drive of Canyonlands, which, in winter, is a great place to warm up, ride your mountain bike, hike, etc. You're also pretty close (by western standards) to Utah skiing for long weekends.
What I don't know is the teaching job market in the Grand Junction area - but check it out.
posted by dbmcd at 10:46 AM on August 10, 2009

Seconding GJunc for a nice place to live. I'm in Metro Denver though and living in proximity to skiing or snowboarding will pretty much open up the entire front range and western slope to you. Look more for where you want to work, worry less about mountain fun times.
posted by Gravitus at 10:57 AM on August 10, 2009

Finding good work in Colorado can be tough. All of the metro areas mentioned can be wonderful, and everything is roughly two hours from skiing. I'm in Denver and absolutely love it. Live in downtown, Capitol Hill or Highland. The west side of town can be nice, but you'll be coming downtown all the time anyway.
If you can get work in the mountains, then go for it; it's the most sustainable solution. The challenge is finding a place that you can afford to live. If you get any interviews in places like Steamboat, Aspen, Breckenridge, etc., be sure to discuss housing.
In addition to the towns mentioned here and above, check out Durango and the southwest corner of the state. It's a real gem.
posted by Carmody'sPrize at 12:51 PM on August 10, 2009

I have a friend in Lakewood (Western side of Denver) who is starting to look for sub and full time teaching gigs. If you drop me a memail I can put you in touch. The commute time from Lakewood to the Summit County resorts has been great. It wasn't hard at all to make rope drop at say Breckenridge. Of course coming home is the real hassle for traffic.
posted by mmascolino at 2:15 PM on August 10, 2009

If you are thinking about Denver, you might try to live near one of the light-rail lines. Like everywhere else, the interior of the city is more expensive than outlying areas. If you are near the lightrail though, you can easily get into and out of town for concerts, sporting events and nightlife. Plus no worries about parking.

This would put you on the south/southeast side of town.
posted by jeoc at 4:11 PM on August 10, 2009