Colorado Springs

[da8s0859q]

I'm one of those who likes to know what it's like elsewhere in the country for us EM folks. Pardon if it's a stupid question.

I'm curious -- I've heard that elsewhere in Colorado, you'll pay a lot in opportunity cost / mountain tax, much more so than you will in Colorado Springs where numbers tend to be more competitive.

I'm familiar with the Denver area, but that's all I've got. Is there any truth to this? For a medicolegally decent state as CO but with four seasons and a different appeal to TX, it has me wondering if perhaps it isn't a blend of both. Feel free to PM if preferred. Appreciate any clarification.

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[DarkHorse22]

have an interest in answers to the OP, but would add Grand Junction into the mix.

 

[Strider_91]

I'm one of those who likes to know what it's like elsewhere in the country for us EM folks. Pardon if it's a stupid question.

I'm curious -- I've heard that elsewhere in Colorado, you'll pay a lot in opportunity cost / mountain tax, much more so than you will in Colorado Springs where numbers tend to be more competitive.

I'm familiar with the Denver area, but that's all I've got. Is there any truth to this? For a medicolegally decent state as CO but with four seasons and a different appeal to TX, it has me wondering if perhaps it isn't a blend of both. Feel free to PM if preferred. Appreciate any clarification.

Can you elaborate on this opportunity cost? Also that mountain tax could def be worth it...tough to beat the quality of life in Colorado if you're into the outdoors.

....let's throw Fort Collins into this mix too

 

[Apollyon]

....let's throw Fort Collins into this mix too

You know Fort Collins is essentially a suburb of Denver, right?

 

[Strider_91]

You know Fort Collins is essentially a suburb of Denver, right?

I wouldn't really consider it that, it's an hour away and has like 150k people... I live closer than that to a major city and the cost of living is Significantly cheaper and many many physicians don't venture into the city to work, although the option is there

 

[fahimaz7]

There are both partner tracks and employee tracks in those cities. Pay is good once you're in.

 

[da8s0859q]

There are both partner tracks and employee tracks in those cities. Pay is good once you're in.

What's it like up front relative to the numbers we all hear about Texas?

 

[bravotwozero]

Anything compared to Texas or Mississippi is going to pale in comparison.


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[The White Coat Investor]

tough to beat the quality of life in Colorado if you're into the outdoors.

I don't know, I don't find it that tough. Of the 7 places I looked for jobs 7 years ago, Colorado was the worst one for outdoor stuff. Who wants to drive 2 hours each way to go skiing?
Salt Lake
Reno
Anchorage
Flagstaff
Portland
Boise
Denver

I mean, maybe I'd put it ahead of Boise and Portland, but Colorado, and particularly Denver, enjoys an outdoor reputation better than it deserves. It's a huge metropolis in a state where the entire Eastern half is basically Kansas West. If you prefer skiing to pot, you'd be better off heading West another 8 hours.

 

[fahimaz7]

I don't know, I don't find it that tough. Of the 7 places I looked for jobs 7 years ago, Colorado was the worst one for outdoor stuff. Who wants to drive 2 hours each way to go skiing?
Salt Lake
Reno
Anchorage
Flagstaff
Portland
Boise
Denver

I mean, maybe I'd put it ahead of Boise and Portland, but Colorado, and particularly Denver, enjoys an outdoor reputation better than it deserves. It's a huge metropolis in a state where the entire Eastern half is basically Kansas West. If you prefer skiing to pot, you'd be better off heading West another 8 hours.

That's why you live in the mountains! Fort Collins is also really nice with close accesss to rivers and Cameron Pass for skiing. But in a serious note, I wouldn't live in Denver.

 

[EMPertinent]

I don't know, I don't find it that tough. Of the 7 places I looked for jobs 7 years ago, Colorado was the worst one for outdoor stuff. Who wants to drive 2 hours each way to go skiing?
Salt Lake
Reno
Anchorage
Flagstaff
Portland
Boise
Denver

I mean, maybe I'd put it ahead of Boise and Portland, but Colorado, and particularly Denver, enjoys an outdoor reputation better than it deserves. It's a huge metropolis in a state where the entire Eastern half is basically Kansas West. If you prefer skiing to pot, you'd be better off heading West another 8 hours.

.

 

[bikERdoc]

I don't know, I don't find it that tough. Of the 7 places I looked for jobs 7 years ago, Colorado was the worst one for outdoor stuff. Who wants to drive 2 hours each way to go skiing?
Salt Lake
Reno
Anchorage
Flagstaff
Portland
Boise
Denver

I mean, maybe I'd put it ahead of Boise and Portland, but Colorado, and particularly Denver, enjoys an outdoor reputation better than it deserves. It's a huge metropolis in a state where the entire Eastern half is basically Kansas West. If you prefer skiing to pot, you'd be better off heading West another 8 hours.

Fine, I'll bite. Feel like you're trolling right now.

There are plenty of threads on the interweb about CO vs UT vs ??? Not gonna go there. I just think your post is misinformed and that it warrants a reply.

I live 10 min from great mtn biking trails in real mountains. I live 50 min from the nearest ski resorts. I can be on the skin trail in less than that. I enjoy a city that has a major airport servicing direct flights just about anywhere I want to go. Flights are cheap btw. I also enjoy living in a real city that has more to offer than walking through the great LDS Temple. Food, sports, breweries, people, and night life all beat SLC by a long shot.

As for your list:

Salt Lake: Smog Lake City. Enjoy your lung cancer in 30 years. I'll give you that the skiing is better, but not by enough to make me move there. The Rockies of CO encompass a far larger area, and there are tons of cool little mtn towns scattered around the state. Park City is great, but that's about the only ski town you got. Sandy and Ogden don't equal small ski towns in my mind. Other than those places, you're in LDS wonderland when venturing out of SLC.

Reno: The lake is cool, the city is not. Found it to be kind of hillbilly when I was there.

Anchorage: Give me a break.

Flagstaff: Not a major city. Cool town tho. Skiing can be decent when conditions are good.

Portland: Great city. Haven't spent enough time there. Too far from family for me. Also never skied out there. That would be another city on my list though, along with Seattle.

Boise: Google Maps says Sun Valley is about 3 hours away. I know there is other skiing but it's not great. I think Boise is alright, but I certainly wouldn't pick it over Denver for mtn access.

All in all, the mtn tax in Denver is very real. Partners here make good money though. A lot has changed over the last year or so, which I don't feel like getting into on a public forum. I've worked at a lot of different hospitals at this point, and I personally like the ones out here quite a bit. I could work here forever and be happy. I know money is better in other places, but I'm not interested in living out of a suitcase half the month. Nor do I want to be in TX or MS. YMMV

/rant

 

[Strider_91]

I don't know, I don't find it that tough. Of the 7 places I looked for jobs 7 years ago, Colorado was the worst one for outdoor stuff. Who wants to drive 2 hours each way to go skiing?
Salt Lake
Reno
Anchorage
Flagstaff
Portland
Boise
Denver

I mean, maybe I'd put it ahead of Boise and Portland, but Colorado, and particularly Denver, enjoys an outdoor reputation better than it deserves. It's a huge metropolis in a state where the entire Eastern half is basically Kansas West. If you prefer skiing to pot, you'd be better off heading West another 8 hours.

I have read your book , frequent your website, and have found it very useful/ inspiring and therefore respect your opinion. That being said, I have to say I agree completely with @bikeERdoc. I don't actually ski (yet) as I currently live in the armpit of America and it is basically pointless but I do mountain bike, backpack, camp, and hike. My time in Colorado was hard to beat. I liked feeling that you were in epic nature but also not really in the middle of nowhere. I would never want to live ACTUALLY in Denver...I would much prefer living west of it but having the option to drive in for an interesting meal or whatever else the city has to offer.

Salt Lake-- Utah is the best located state in the country for being able to drive to epic outdoors...its undeniable. I have a bias against Utah because on my last road trip through this area my car threw a rod and I was stranded in Richfield for 3 days...and it was terrible. After taking a bus to salt lake and being stranded for another two days I can say that the city did not have much to offer me.
Reno-- only have been here in highschool for a wrestling tournament but I remember it being similar to how @bikeERdoc described it.
Anchorage- I'm sure it has epic wilderness but no ones moving to Alaska...
Flagstaff--Sick area with its proximity to Sedona, the grand canyon, etc and I would consider living here but I do enjoy a nice winter.
Portland--Have heard good things..Im going to check it out in July
Boise--Have heard good things...I'm going to check it out in July

either way, I'm stuck in the wrong spot for someone with my love of nature for the next 4 years and I would prefer ANY of those cities to my current living situation.

How do you guys feel about Albuquerque? Ive only ever drove through it and didn't get to spend much time there but it seems to fit the low COL with great outdoors model.

 

[carbonizedeyesockets]

Reno is a horrendous city. It reminded me of alcoholism, stale puke, and a dark cloud of impending suicide over your head for every second of your life.

 

[The White Coat Investor]

Fine, I'll bite. Feel like you're trolling right now.

There are plenty of threads on the interweb about CO vs UT vs ??? Not gonna go there. I just think your post is misinformed and that it warrants a reply.

I live 10 min from great mtn biking trails in real mountains. I live 50 min from the nearest ski resorts. I can be on the skin trail in less than that. I enjoy a city that has a major airport servicing direct flights just about anywhere I want to go. Flights are cheap btw. I also enjoy living in a real city that has more to offer than walking through the great LDS Temple. Food, sports, breweries, people, and night life all beat SLC by a long shot.

As for your list:

Salt Lake: Smog Lake City. Enjoy your lung cancer in 30 years. I'll give you that the skiing is better, but not by enough to make me move there. The Rockies of CO encompass a far larger area, and there are tons of cool little mtn towns scattered around the state. Park City is great, but that's about the only ski town you got. Sandy and Ogden don't equal small ski towns in my mind. Other than those places, you're in LDS wonderland when venturing out of SLC.

Reno: The lake is cool, the city is not. Found it to be kind of hillbilly when I was there.

Anchorage: Give me a break.

Flagstaff: Not a major city. Cool town tho. Skiing can be decent when conditions are good.

Portland: Great city. Haven't spent enough time there. Too far from family for me. Also never skied out there. That would be another city on my list though, along with Seattle.

Boise: Google Maps says Sun Valley is about 3 hours away. I know there is other skiing but it's not great. I think Boise is alright, but I certainly wouldn't pick it over Denver for mtn access.

All in all, the mtn tax in Denver is very real. Partners here make good money though. A lot has changed over the last year or so, which I don't feel like getting into on a public forum. I've worked at a lot of different hospitals at this point, and I personally like the ones out here quite a bit. I could work here forever and be happy. I know money is better in other places, but I'm not interested in living out of a suitcase half the month. Nor do I want to be in TX or MS. YMMV

/rant

Oh, if we're going to talk about city life, I wouldn't put Salt Lake at the top of that list. In fact, I don't think any of those towns would be in my top 5 for city life. Certainly not Reno. But I don't actually like living in cities. They're fun to visit but I'd much rather be an hour from a city than an hour from the mountains.

I do like a lot of the areas in Western Colorado, but when people think Colorado, they're mostly thinking Denver and not realizing that's 2 hours from a ski resort...without traffic. You can't get a full day of skiing in and still work an evening shift.

 

[The White Coat Investor]

I have read your book , frequent your website, and have found it very useful/ inspiring and therefore respect your opinion. That being said, I have to say I agree completely with @bikeERdoc. I don't actually ski (yet) as I currently live in the armpit of America and it is basically pointless but I do mountain bike, backpack, camp, and hike. My time in Colorado was hard to beat. I liked feeling that you were in epic nature but also not really in the middle of nowhere. I would never want to live ACTUALLY in Denver...I would much prefer living west of it but having the option to drive in for an interesting meal or whatever else the city has to offer.

Salt Lake-- Utah is the best located state in the country for being able to drive to epic outdoors...its undeniable. I have a bias against Utah because on my last road trip through this area my car threw a rod and I was stranded in Richfield for 3 days...and it was terrible. After taking a bus to salt lake and being stranded for another two days I can say that the city did not have much to offer me.
Reno-- only have been here in highschool for a wrestling tournament but I remember it being similar to how @bikeERdoc described it.
Anchorage- I'm sure it has epic wilderness but no ones moving to Alaska...
Flagstaff--Sick area with its proximity to Sedona, the grand canyon, etc and I would consider living here but I do enjoy a nice winter.
Portland--Have heard good things..Im going to check it out in July
Boise--Have heard good things...I'm going to check it out in July

either way, I'm stuck in the wrong spot for someone with my love of nature for the next 4 years and I would prefer ANY of those cities to my current living situation.

How do you guys feel about Albuquerque? Ive only ever drove through it and didn't get to spend much time there but it seems to fit the low COL with great outdoors model.

I ranked Albuquerque third on my rank list for residency and would have been more than happy to live there for 3 years. It probably belongs on that same list, but I'd put it down around Boise.

 

[caroliiine]

So guys, which city would you recommend for a weekend with 1 day of skiing?

 

[caroliiine]

So guys, which city would you recommend for a weekend with 1 day of skiing?

I meant - I'm coming Friday evening and want to party a little bit, Saturday skiing and Sunday relaxing and home. So which do u recommend? I've never been to Colorado/Utah only Vermont.

 

[bravotwozero]

Park city is great because it’s close to the airport, ideal for someone with time constraints. If time and money weren’t an issue, it would be Aspen all the way.


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[doctalaughs]

Oh, if we're going to talk about city life, I wouldn't put Salt Lake at the top of that list. In fact, I don't think any of those towns would be in my top 5 for city life. Certainly not Reno. But I don't actually like living in cities. They're fun to visit but I'd much rather be an hour from a city than an hour from the mountains.

I do like a lot of the areas in Western Colorado, but when people think Colorado, they're mostly thinking Denver and not realizing that's 2 hours from a ski resort...without traffic. You can't get a full day of skiing in and still work an evening shift.

I lived in downtown Denver for 5 years.

If you want to get to Vail it might take almost 2 hours. But to Loveland is 60 minutes. Keystone/A-Basin/Copper are an hour, fifteen, Brek an hour-half.
All of those are major ski resorts- way better than 90% of what you'll find elsewhere. If you live up in Evergreen/Genesee or even Golden, Morrison or west Lakewood these times are even shorter, maybe 30-45 min.

So 2 hours is an exaggeration. Sure, there's traffic on holiday weekends but if you drive up on most weekends or essentially any weekday it's unlikely there will be any slowdown.

Just FYI.

 

[TorMed]

University of British Columbia. Whistler is about 90 minutes.

 

[slurpy15]

I don't know, I don't find it that tough. Of the 7 places I looked for jobs 7 years ago, Colorado was the worst one for outdoor stuff. Who wants to drive 2 hours each way to go skiing?
Salt Lake
Reno
Anchorage
Flagstaff
Portland
Boise
Denver

I mean, maybe I'd put it ahead of Boise and Portland, but Colorado, and particularly Denver, enjoys an outdoor reputation better than it deserves. It's a huge metropolis in a state where the entire Eastern half is basically Kansas West. If you prefer skiing to pot, you'd be better off heading West another 8 hours.

I would add Bozeman, Missoula, Boulder, Jackson Hole, Whitefish, Ashland, Santa Fe, Seattle, and certain parts of California as preferable to Denver. Salt Lake has a major smog issue, otherwise access is great.