Colorado or Oregon?

[Rockskipper]

I think some of the concern for me would be how easy would it be to get transferred if I didn't like it there. My mom used to always ask, how would you know if you liked a place if you didn't live there at least for awhile? I like change and trying new places, but some people don't. You sound like you might enjoy it. My biggest fear would be getting stuck somewhere I didn't like, but then, since it's just you, you could probably figure something out pretty easily.

 

[Titans]

Guess it comes down to which I want more for right now.
From a job standpoint and the federal agency I work for, both locations do not have positions come up (at the level I want) too often. So hence my temptation to move to Oregon as it gives me a work promotion and a chance at other outdoor opportunities. Just trying to be sure I would not regret it.

@Shirt357 : You nailed it above," some things are better here, some things are better there" & "Guess it comes down to which I want more for right now".

What has helped us often (before a move) is to think about 4 key categories and which were most important at that particular point of our life:
1) Location (outdoor activities, family, friends, population density, weather, etc)
2) Job content & level
3) Your boss (a great boss is amazing, a bad boss can make a huge influence on how happy you are)
4) Job compensation (salary, bonus, 401k matching, vacation, healthcare, etc)

It's hard to get all 4 of those categories "great" in a job - most people have at least 2 and hopefully 3 of those "great". Good luck- it's exciting!

 

[Bob]

@Shirt357 : You nailed it above," some things are better here, some things are better there" & "Guess it comes down to which I want more for right now".

What has helped us often (before a move) is to think about 4 key categories and which were most important at that particular point of our life:
1) Location (outdoor activities, family, friends, population density, weather, etc)
2) Job content & level
3) Your boss (a great boss is amazing, a bad boss can make a huge influence on how happy you are)
4) Job compensation (salary, bonus, 401k matching, vacation, healthcare, etc)

It's hard to get all 4 of those categories "great" in a job - most people have at least 2 and hopefully 3 of those "great". Good luck- it's exciting!

I got all that in Utah with my two career jobs. Other you need to consider is cost to live and hate to say it..... politics you can live with .... I don't want any discussion of that. Both are important as are the aforementioned.

 

[Shirt357]

I got all that in Utah with my two career jobs. Other you need to consider is cost to live and hate to say it..... politics you can live with .... I don't want any discussion of that. Both are important as are the aforementioned.

I agree 100% Bob... two subjects I do my best to never really wade into... Politics and Religion. Always been testy subjects but seem like in today's US society, they definitely are two to skip most of the time.

 

[RyanP]

I'm from the Portland area originally and now live in the Denver area. From an outdoors perspective, there are pros and cons to each:

The Pacific NW is more lush and green in general, which is really nice. It is also much more gray and rainy, which is awful. I disagree with Langdon about the winter weather; I much prefer the winters in CO. I bet the majority of people into the outdoors would prefer the CO winters. But obviously that is a matter of opinion.

The pacific NW has a lot more variety of outdoor things to do, with awesome coastline, mountains, etc., while CO is more of just mountains. CO, however, has better access to southern UT, which is a major consideration for me because I love heading there during Spring/Summer.

The trees in the Pacific NW are way bigger and nicer than in the CO rockies. The waterfalls are way bigger and better as well. I imagine water sports are better in the Pacific NW.

As far as mountains go, the Cascades tend to feel "bigger and badder" than the CO rockies in general, as noted above---the peaks usually have more prominence and they are generally more rugged, technical, glaciated, and more difficult to summit (and have more elevation gain from the starting point). The Cascades are often more magnificent to behold from a distance, but more difficult to summit. CO, on the other hand, has a larger sheer number of accessible peaks---both in terms of being to drive to the trailhead, get quickly above treeline, and summit peaks with less technical experience required. The off-trail travel is generally easier in CO, as it is easy to quickly get above treeline and cruise on mellow high alpine tundra and easily navigate the terrain. I also find it easier to get "lost among the mountains" in CO than in OR; OR has larger (more prominence), more majestic mountains, but in CO there are so many backpacking routes where mountains are all around you. Overall I prefer CO in this regard. WA may well have the best of both worlds, although I can't speak much to that.

The Columbia River Gorge is really nice near Portland but a lot of it burned down recently. Fire hazard is bad in both states.

I'm not a skier, but I'm pretty sure the snow for skiing is significantly better in CO (although I think avalanche danger is probably worse).

I think mountain biking is probably better in CO, although I could be wrong there.

Crowds are bad in the front range here in CO for sure, but the hikes I've done in OR have also been surprisingly crowded. I wouldn't move there expecting to find much more solitude (although I could be wrong there).

These are all just my basic impressions; I really haven't done that much in the Pacific NW, and I am a novice compared to many others here, so take this all with a huge grain of salt. My personal preference is definitely CO, mostly based on the year-round weather. But both are among my top choices of places to live in the country, so you can't go too wrong with either choice.

 

[Wanderlust073]

I know this will incur the wrath of Coloradans

Speaking for the majority of CO, people considering leaving or persuading others to do so do not incur anyone's wrath lol.