Talk to me about Denver

SBmini

My husband and I have started to throw the idea of moving to Denver from Phoenix. We moved to Phoenix about 4 years ago from California because we were looking for a place we could settle down. We considered Denver when we moved here but opted for Phoenix because it was closer to home, more affordable and didn't snow. We like Phoenix a lot. We have a great house, great friends, we love the food and the outdoors that are near by.

What we don't like... I don't mind the summers, but it does bother me that when we have kids, they can't play outside in summer. I also grew up in a more rural area where I could walk from my house to a creek or a ridgeline. Where we live is a flat suburb with no direct access to wilderness. It also bothers me that when the days are the longest is when you need to be inside- but when the weather is great, the days are too short to take advantage of them. I also don't like that the trails have zero coverage and our UV ratings are so high. Hiking in the desert is great, but you are always looking out for things that will kill you, have to be concerned about water and sun, and lose the trail with all the bare land. The politics of the state are also obnoxious.

Denver still has all those same cons listed above. But it would be nice to be close to the mountains, have more trees and be in a state with more welcoming political stances. I've been to Denver and August and it was really muggy. I'm not sure if that is normal or just how it is. Also, in winter- how frequently does it snow? Can you still hike on clear days or are the wilderness areas more or less snowed in all winter long? Obviously the higher peaks would be snow covered, but what about foothills? I'm worried that winters in Colorado will be like our summers where you are cooped up inside. 

Any thoughts?

CMGragain

I live in the far western side of the state.  Grand Junction is about four hours drive on I-70.
The saying here is that if you don't like the weather, just wait an hour and it will change.  Denver does have snow, and you will need to shovel in winter.  Summers are quite warm.  One hour drive west takes you to Vail and the ski slopes.  I-70 is kept open most of the winter, but you need to check before heading west.  Those truckers have to get through!
Personally, I find Denver too big and traffic ridden.  You didn't mention work.  What jobs would you be seeking?
I prefer Colorado Springs, about an hour south.  Pikes Peak, Garden of the Gods, Seven Falls, it is a tourist mecca in the summer.  North of Denver is Boulder, a well developed college town. 
Colorado is made for people who love the outdoors.  I assume you are aware of our new law legalizing marijuana for private recreational use? (Don't do it in public!) The far west, where I live, is more conservative.  No pot shops in my county.  Of course, we make a lot of wine here in Grand Junction.
Colorado is really divided into three areas.  The Eastern Plains is very flat and rural, with cattle and agriculture.  The Front Range is clustered along the eastern wall of the Rocky Mountains.  This is big city country, with airports and easy access to nearby recreation areas.  The Western Slope, where I live, is desert, but Grand Junction has plenty of water from both the Colorado and the Gunnison Rivers.  It almost never snows here in the valley, but it does get cold.
I know there are a few Colorado residents on the Knot.  I'm sure they will chime in.

mrs4everhart

I'm going to sound like I work for the City but I swear I don't, and I'll try not to wax poetic too much about my home, but Denver is AWESOME!!

Our summers get hot but if you experienced mugginess it was a lark. We get four amazing seasons every year, although some years one bleeds a little too much in to the next, but all four are gorgeous. Denver doesn't see THAT MUCH snow, not like the high country. And it never sticks around too long. We have lots of t-shirt days in Jan.-March. 

You can be in the mountains in as little as 45 minutes, the foothills even quicker. We have things that can kill you here, but they're not generally around every turn. The city is growing so rapidly it's hard to believe and our economy didn't take a big hit so businesses are booming. 

Low crime rates, pretty decent cost of living and never a dull moment. There's ALWAYS something to do here, year round. Best craft beer in the country and legal weed! Our live music scene is hard to beat, we have absolutely amazing restaurants, great museums and plenty of culture for city-loving people. I am in love with this city!!! Every time Mr. E suggests moving to the suburbs I balk. 

As for the political climate, Colorado was traditionally a red state. It's getting bluer, and obviously with Denver being a city, it's definitely one of the more liberal areas. But I think people are really pissed about some of the things that have gone on in the last few years and we will probably see the pendulum swing back to the right for a while. I've always found the Front Range to be center, some areas left of center. I think fiscally you'll find a lot of conservatives (there's a lot of money here) but socially, Coloradans are a really chill bunch. 

I moved to the Front Range 17 years ago and there's nowhere I'd rather be!

I could go on all day. If you have any specific questions feel free to message me. 

lyndausvi

I've only been to Denver once for 2 nights.  DH worked one of those days. So I do not have much experience.  Although what little time I did spend there makes me want to return.  DH use to live in Boulder and he loves it there.

We moved to the Roaring Fork area in Febuaray.   I find the weather to be great.  Sure it's a little warm this past week (high 80's to low 90's), but it dips down into the 50's at night.  Nice balance.  humidity is generally low (allow a little high this week).  We get the Denver station and they get hit more with T-storms then we do, but it seems isolated.

 In February I was walking the dog a few times a day for a mile or more.  I thought Indianapolis was way colder.  Seriously, walks with the dog in Indy were barely a block with 2 pairs of socks, tons of scarves, 2 pairs of gloves. It was crazy there. Here, IDK, it just didn't feel as cold.  In Feb I was often sitting outside by a fire pit watching the sunset.  I would never do that in Indy.

 I guess we will see what Dec and Jan brings. I know I will have shoveling duties,  but I'm hoping for only a few weeks of stay indoors weather.    I'm told that while it snows often, the roads are passable fairly quickly.  Again, I guess we will see.

There tons of outside activities to do year round.    Depending on where you live, from Denver you can be skiing in an hour or 2.    For me it's 20 minutes to the slopes.  Tons of hiking, rafting, fishing, biking/walking trails, cross country skiing, snowmobiling, snow shoe, camping, you name it it's available.   It's sunny and clear most days that you WANT to be outside. It like draws you out.

At least out here, the people are really nice.  So friendly, so helpful.

I live in a HCOL area . You know it's a HCOL area when your FREE newspaper is free because of all the 1%-ers advertising their $20 million homes for sale.    I can't speak about Denver's COL, but I'm sure you will have more options then we have up here.

SBmini

As for jobs- my husband is in anti-money laundering and currently works for a bank. Western Union is located in Englewood, CO and all of their compliance work is there. So that is probably where we would end up. I'm in digital marketing, which is usually in big cities too. But I'm flexible on my own work, I wouldn't mind getting into real estate or something else. 

Jells2dot0

I lived in Littleton for a year back in 2011/2012. My DH stayed in Phoenix and I went back and forth on the weekends. I really loved the area where I lived (Ken Caryl) because it had so much open space and it was quite scenic. We had the opportunity to move back there earlier this year, but as much as I enjoyed it, we couldn't justify it for a variety of reasons. One was real estate- a home similar to ours in Phoenix is twice as expensive. While we could make it work with having both of our homes, we really did not want to do it at this point. I found the overall COL to be comparable or even less since we have city tax out my way. The state tax in CO is double, though.

The other was weather, but not on my part. The winters suck when you come from Phoenix. My DH just refuses to accept snow into his life! I really didn't mind the dumps of snow because it didn't stick around. The summer was great, though! I had never spent that much time outdoors and we live near a mountain range/trail system in Phoenix. Overall, you'll find the number of sunny days to be comparable to Phoenix, as well as the dryness.

Another thing I hated was the commute to the airport. UGH. But, that is my fault for working so far from it

I didn't go into Denver all that much, but there is certainly a lot to do and see there. I liked having the option to use their light rail, which is way better than the one in Phoenix.

I admit I'm happier in Arizona, but I also would move back to CO if the circumstances were right. I cried as I drove away to move back to Phoenix!!!

lyndausvi

Jells2dot0 said:

I lived in Littleton for a year back in 2011/2012. My DH stayed in Phoenix and I went back and forth on the weekends. I really loved the area where I lived (Ken Caryl) because it had so much open space and it was quite scenic. We had the opportunity to move back there earlier this year, but as much as I enjoyed it, we couldn't justify it for a variety of reasons. One was real estate- a home similar to ours in Phoenix is twice as expensive. While we could make it work with having both of our homes, we really did not want to do it at this point. I found the overall COL to be comparable or even less since we have city tax out my way. The state tax in CO is double, though. The other was weather, but not on my part. The winters suck when you come from Phoenix. My DH just refuses to accept snow into his life! I really didn't mind the dumps of snow because it didn't stick around. The summer was great, though! I had never spent that much time outdoors and we live near a mountain range/trail system in Phoenix. Overall, you'll find the number of sunny days to be comparable to Phoenix, as well as the dryness. Another thing I hated was the commute to the airport. UGH. But, that is my fault for working so far from it I didn't go into Denver all that much, but there is certainly a lot to do and see there. I liked having the option to use their light rail, which is way better than the one in Phoenix. I admit I'm happier in Arizona, but I also would move back to CO if the circumstances were right. I cried as I drove away to move back to Phoenix!!!

***SITB  ***

Creepy, When I read this I was thinking, I'm not sure where Ken Caryl is located? Then BOOM.  The weather lady pointed it out on the map.  

What are the chances of that happening?

Jells2dot0

lyndausvi said:

Jells2dot0 said:

I lived in Littleton for a year back in 2011/2012. My DH stayed in Phoenix and I went back and forth on the weekends. I really loved the area where I lived (Ken Caryl) because it had so much open space and it was quite scenic. We had the opportunity to move back there earlier this year, but as much as I enjoyed it, we couldn't justify it for a variety of reasons. One was real estate- a home similar to ours in Phoenix is twice as expensive. While we could make it work with having both of our homes, we really did not want to do it at this point. I found the overall COL to be comparable or even less since we have city tax out my way. The state tax in CO is double, though.

The other was weather, but not on my part. The winters suck when you come from Phoenix. My DH just refuses to accept snow into his life! I really didn't mind the dumps of snow because it didn't stick around. The summer was great, though! I had never spent that much time outdoors and we live near a mountain range/trail system in Phoenix. Overall, you'll find the number of sunny days to be comparable to Phoenix, as well as the dryness.

Another thing I hated was the commute to the airport. UGH. But, that is my fault for working so far from it

I didn't go into Denver all that much, but there is certainly a lot to do and see there. I liked having the option to use their light rail, which is way better than the one in Phoenix.

I admit I'm happier in Arizona, but I also would move back to CO if the circumstances were right. I cried as I drove away to move back to Phoenix!!!

***SITB  ***

Creepy, When I read this I was thinking, I'm not sure where Ken Caryl is located? Then BOOM.  The weather lady pointed it out on the map.  

What are the chances of that happening?

That's crazy, especially since Ken Caryl is a small area within Jeff Co! I really loved that area. * sigh*

mrs4everhart

SBmini said:

My husband and I have started to throw the idea of moving to Denver from Phoenix. We moved to Phoenix about 4 years ago from California because we were looking for a place we could settle down. We considered Denver when we moved here but opted for Phoenix because it was closer to home, more affordable and didn't snow. We like Phoenix a lot. We have a great house, great friends, we love the food and the outdoors that are near by.

What we don't like... I don't mind the summers, but it does bother me that when we have kids, they can't play outside in summer. I also grew up in a more rural area where I could walk from my house to a creek or a ridgeline. Where we live is a flat suburb with no direct access to wilderness. It also bothers me that when the days are the longest is when you need to be inside- but when the weather is great, the days are too short to take advantage of them. I also don't like that the trails have zero coverage and our UV ratings are so high. Hiking in the desert is great, but you are always looking out for things that will kill you, have to be concerned about water and sun, and lose the trail with all the bare land. The politics of the state are also obnoxious.

Denver still has all those same cons listed above. But it would be nice to be close to the mountains, have more trees and be in a state with more welcoming political stances. I've been to Denver and August and it was really muggy. I'm not sure if that is normal or just how it is. Also, in winter- how frequently does it snow? Can you still hike on clear days or are the wilderness areas more or less snowed in all winter long? Obviously the higher peaks would be snow covered, but what about foothills? I'm worried that winters in Colorado will be like our summers where you are cooped up inside. 

Any thoughts?

The foothills are hike-able year round. Hiking in snow is a blast but as I mentioned above, snow down here doesn't last long. To give you an idea, Denver really is a mile high. Our elevation is 5280' but there are towns in the mountains over 10,000' - our temps down here are really moderate. If you do find yourself in the high country the air is so dry we really need to be going through a miserable cold snap in order to keep people inside. You have your choices of skiing, snowboarding, snowshoeing, snowmobiling, ice climbing, snow tubing, ice skating, I'm sure there's more! 

I hike areas west of Denver and Boulder frequently, and all year long. Even for someone like myself who favors spring and summer, winters are pretty darned fun! Very few wilderness areas along the front range close or become snowed in and impassable. Only once we start heading way in to back country or passes that close seasonally like Trail Ridge Road (the highest paved road in the lower 48). Otherwise from Denver you can be hiking in under 25-30 minutes in the dead of winter. 

theexactlee

My best friend lives there. I seriously feel like I lost her to Denver. She loves it so much that she broke up with a man she loved very much because he was transferred to Connecticut and she wouldn't move. She loves Denver more. She does some type of active thing like hiking, cycling, camping, rafting...365 days a year. She loves it and will never move.

jenna8984

I used to live in Phoenix for a few years and hated all the same things as you. I grew up on the East Coast where I could right out in my backyard and play in the woods and built tree forts, but also ride my bike 2 miles down the road and swim in the lake. Small town where they know your name at the bank and stuff like that. So I never got used to Phoenix and left after 3 years. 

My good friend was originally from Seattle. She moved to San Diego, then Phoenix where I met her. She now lives in Denver and she absolutely loves it. She has that small town feel where she walks her son to the park to play and the golf and hike year round. I haven't been to visit her yet but I know she loves it so much more than Phoenix and the weather is pretty mild. Yes it snows in winter but the winter isn't as long, I will text her in November or April that we are getting snow and she's like "Really? We are out tanning/ golfing!" Every time I complain about the high cost of living in the North East she's like "move here!" lol 

jenna8984

She's in Broomfield to be exact. 

SmileDamnit

I've lived here for about 14 years and love Denver for the reasons PPs has already mentioned…proximity to the front range, (generally) fantastic weather. And I'll add good people, great neighborhoods, decent cultural actives, TONS of parks & open spaces, very pet friendly, fantastic food, an international airport (though it is in BFM). But the traffic is awful - I just don't think they can keep up with the massive influx of people. I live in Highlands Ranch now (first time ever I've lived in one of the burbs…had always been in Denver proper prior to this move) and I spend at least 1.5 hours commuting to work each day. 

SBmini

THanks for all the info guys. We both applied for some jobs in Denver... we'll see what happens!

lyndausvi

Good luck

Jells2dot0

Good luck! You might miss AZ in the winter, but I think it's a great place to live otherwise!

sarawifenow

I'm a Denver native, so I am biased, but I adore it here! A common misconception about Colorado is that winters are brutal. In fact, we have more sunny days than we do snowy days. Often times when it does snow, it will be gone in a couple of days. There are so many things to do here year round, so being cooped up is not really an issue. Good luck! ETA: I swear I had paragraphs...

jenna8984

@sarabridesoon  I was surprised too, I always thought of CO as the Rockies and tons of snow. My friend who lives there went golfing with her husband on Valentine's day! I was very surprised since we had 15 degrees and snow in MA lol

sarawifenow

@jenna8984, Yeah that happens a lot! FI is from Iowa and I always say that their winters are so much worse than here in CO! We visited for Christmas last year and I have never been so cold in my entire life!

lyndausvi

Granted it I arrived in CO in late Feb, but Indianapolis was WAY colder than here.     I spent my first 2 weeks sitting outside by a fire pit in a medium weight jacket, jeans, light shirt, no gloves,scarf or hat, drinking wine watching the sunset.     No way in hell I would have done that in Indy.  Way too cold. Heck just to walk the dog a block I was in thermals, scarf, hat, gloves, sweater,  heavy jacket and I was still cold.

After the sun went down the temp dropped, but during the day it was beautiful.