Columbus, I started out with the obligatory forum joke about rattlesnakes, etc., but I did want to circle back around with something more substantive. I have lived in Ohio (Cleveland), visited Columbus and half of my family is in southeastern Ohio (and was for hundreds of years until mom left) and I now live in the south Denver burbs you are considering. A few thoughts:
- The climate here is vastly better than Ohio, no question. My sense is that Cleveland is a lot nastier than Columbus, but any way you slice it the weather is better here. That said, it is also a lot more extreme. When we moved here from coastal NJ 4 years ago it took some getting used to that the typical day would have a 30 degree swing from the low to the high, 50 degree swings day to day are not unusual, and I have seen 70 degree swings in 24 hours. If you like spending time outdoors as I do, this can sometimes be challenging. It also gets colder in the winter and hotter in the summer than places like Columbus. Not a climate for the faint of heart.
- Real estate prices have really taken off here and they show no signs of slowing. This is a plus or a minus depending on what side of the fence you are on. It definitely makes the price of entry for you higher. Since real estate taxes are based on housing values, it also means that taxes will be going up materially. Based on unchanging mill rates, I expect a bump of at least 10% in my real estate tax bill in each of the next 2 years.
- Denver is a big city and getting bigger. That may be a plus or a minus for you (I do not care for it), and the population continues to increase in Colorado, especially along the Front Range. I think there is a significant risk of the area being "loved to death." It is also changing the character of the area somewhat. More people use more water. It has not been like California, but this is the southwest and water is precious and scarce. The flip side is that there is lots here and you can find whatever you like.
- I don't know if Columbus is this way, but if you are looking for top shelf schools stay out of the city. Generally speaking, the more suburban the area the better the schools. Even very nice areas in the city (e.g. Park Hill) have crappy schools. We live in the south burbs outside the city of Denver and pretty much throw a rock and hit a school in the top 10% of the state. The cost is not so much price of the house/taxes (cheaper down here than many areas of Denver), but you end up with a longer commute to Denver. Since I had a hour and 40 minute commute each way in NJ, 5 minutes on the train was no big deal to me. YMMV. Quality of life is very high down here in the burbs, though.
- The job market is weird, in a word. There are lots of people who show up every day without a job and hope to get one and live here. They are a grab bag of skills and experience levels. There are also a lot of people who want to move here from elsewhere and don't wish to do so without a job. So there is a lot of competition for generic jobs. If you have a very specific skill you can often find something where the generic applicant will not do, but otherwise you are one of many.
- Colorado as a state is very much like the average of the US in income, politics, etc. Every ranking of states I see for whatever shows Colorado around the middle. That means that you can find whatever floats your boat (except oceans). The plains to the east are very Midwestern in character and culture. The front range is like most urban areas in the US. Boulder is like San Francisco (complete with fruits, nuts, and flakes as well as lots of culture and good food). Colorado Springs would fit well in Texas.
- Weed legalization is kind of a non-issue. Yeah, it now means you can legally visit a dispensary if you wish, but there are ample restrictions on where these things can be and the southern burbs have either banned them or put a moratorium in place. You would not know recreational weed is legal where I live.
We like it here, but I had been visiting DW's family in the Denver area for over 15 years before we moved. Make sure you know what you are getting into before you jump. I would also seriously consider what you can really handle in the way of long distance rentals. At the very least you would want to have a trusted property manager dealing with the day to day.
