Thinking About Moving to Colorado? Here’s What you Need to Know
Colorado attracts a lot of immigrants. For one, it is a beautiful state with a lot of side attractions, which makes it an easy choice for people who want to relocate. However, you need to be careful and critical in evaluating your options. When deciding to move to a new state, you should evaluate to check how the move can affect your lifestyle and of course your finances. You must be able to afford the lifestyle in your new state. The last thing you want is to be in a new place and be short of money. In making your decision to move, you can get a financial advisor to help you in deciding where to move to. The state has attracted a lot of immigrants in recent years. This has been because of a combination of different great qualities that the state has. Some of the reasons to decide whether to move to Colorado or not have been highlighted below. Examine the reasons and make a decision based on your preference.
- Location of The State – Look at a map of America and notice where Colorado is. It is located in the central region, and this makes it easy to travel to other states. If you are moving but have family and friends in various locations, Colorado’s centrality makes it easy for you to travel for visiting. It is a convenient location.
- Culture – The people in Colorado are also generally described as happy people and it has even been ranked as the most desirable place to live in. In Colorado, it’s easy to make friends and become part of the community because there are a lot of outdoor activities which allow you to meet new people. This will be nice for you to easily meet people as you will need this after your move.
- Strong Economy – The state has a very strong and healthy economy. The state has a lot of innovative capacity and economic activities. These innovative activities strengthen the economy of the state.
- Healthy Living – Colorado is a healthy state. People in this state are concerned with eating healthily. The people in Colorado are also serious about health and fitness. Of course, some people in Colorado are sedentary however, the majority of the people are highly active. You should do a lot of activities to help keep your joints and tendons active. If you love to work out, then this attribute makes Colorado a nice choice. If on the other hand, you feel too lazy to work out and need some motivation, then the people of Colorado will do a good job at motivating you to work out. Either way, you need to keep physically active, and seeing a lot of people do this around you could help motivate you.
- Pleasant Weather – Colorado has really beautiful weather. The state enjoys all four seasons. Even in winter, you will be able to find locations with 60 to 70 degrees Fahrenheit. The winter doesn’t get too cold which is good for you at 71.
- Outdoor Activities – There are a lot of outdoor activities for you to explore in Colorado. For example, skiing is very popular in Colorado. If you do not know how to ski, Colorado is a nice place to learn. Skiing is an expensive sport and so you will need to prepare financially.
- Cost of Living – Colorado’s cost of living is not cheap. The cost of living is above the average cost of living when compared to other states. If your income is limited or you are surviving only on retirement benefits, you need to rethink moving to Colorado because the cost of living is constantly increasing and so it’s best to move to a location with an affordable cost of living.
- Cost of Housing – The cost of buying or leasing properties in Colorado tends to be expensive for the average budget. This high cost of housing can be attributed to two major facts. Firstly, Colorado has restrictive zoning in many communities, and this stops affordable home construction in these communities. Secondly, the people of Colorado can afford to pay for it. So, ensure you can afford this high cost of housing before deciding to move to Colorado.
- Low Property Taxes – The property tax levied in Colorado is low compared to other states in the country. It ranks as one of the cheapest property tax rates. This might be in a bid to make up for the fact that properties in Colorado are expensive. However, even with the low tax, you might still end up paying a lot of money because the tax is levied on the cost of the property. So, if you are on a budget for your housing, then you might reconsider your thought of moving to Colorado.
- Sales Tax – The state of Colorado has a flat sales tax rate. However, counties and cities levy their own sales tax in addition to the state sales tax. This makes the sales tax in Colorado high. You must carry out your research on the tax system in Colorado before deciding to move to the city. If you are not good with numbers or finance matters, you can get a financial adviser to help you evaluate the tax system before you make your decision.
- Traffic – As the population in Colorado has increased so has the traffic. This means that it will take you more than normal time to commute to wherever you have to go. If you do not mind traffic, then you can consider moving to Colorado. If, however, you do not mind spending time in traffic as other things are attracting you to the state, then you can move to Colorado.