All you Colorado ladies...

swhite2012

I have mentioned this before in other posts, but never really gotten into it. FI and I are seriously considering moving to the Denver area after I graduate. My question is about the job economy there. I know everyone is struggling right now, but some are doing better than others, and it seems like anywhere is doing better than Detroit and all of Michigan right now. It is a concern especially for us because we both have degrees in architecture. If you know anything about that area of the job market there, thoughts would be appreciated. Also, the job market as a whole? I don't necessarily need to be working in my field right away, especially since it's difficult to find an architecture job without a Master's degree (which we both will be going back for anyway, him in Architecture, me in Urban Planning).

Also, where are good areas to look into living? University of Colorado-Denver has the grad programs we would be looking into, so accesibility to that will probably be a consideration in the future, if not right away.

Added: We will probably be renting right away, but the ultimate goal is to buy as soon as we can. We would be looking for nice low to moderately priced neighborhoods.

Thanks in advance for any thoughts you have We're just trying to hash out all our options right now and it is in my nature to be overly-informed!

BookButterfly

Hi SWhite,
I've heard somewhere (don't quote me on this) that Denver actually has one of the better economies right now. It's not great or even good for that matter, but I've actually seen some "Help Wanted" signs in windows, too. Granted, these aren't the best jobs around, but the fact that they exist are indicative of something, right?

I know next to nothing about architecture jobs in CO, though. =/ Sorry!

[QUOTE]Also, where are good areas to look into living? University of Colorado-Denver has the grad programs we would be looking into, so accesibility to that will probably be a consideration in the future, if not right away.[/QUOTE]

UCD is a great school! I love the campus. It's commuter-based, so it's pretty easy to access. I recommend living a bit south of Denver. We have a light rail train system that runs from Denver (and UCD's campus) to the south; it's super awesome and very convenient. If you're a student, you get to ride for free provided you have your student ID on you. =) You could probably even live in Denver, too, if you wanted and simply walk to school--I have a number of friends who do this.

Honestly, if you live ANYWHERE in the Denver Metro Area, you probably won't have a huge issue getting to and from school. =) I know people who come from Boulder, from Thornton, from Castlerock, from Littleton, etc. I recommend you come on out.. but then, I'm slightly biased.

Hope this helps!

swhite2012

Thanks BookButterfly! I had heard that Denver hadn't necessarily been hit as hard by the recession, but sometimes that's a lot different though personal experiences. From my research so far it seems like Littleton is a good area, but I'm sure there are plenty of "good" areas. It's just so hard knowing nothing about it. I really want to get down there for a visit but airfare and hotel pricing right now just doesn't make that a reality.

BookButterfly

BF's parents live in Littleton. I like it--the downtown area is charming. The only issue that I see is that I think some of the apartments there might be a bit pricier. The lightrail DOES go to Littleton as well, however, so I would definitely take that into consideration.

I also recommend Centennial (south), Golden (a touch pricy, but by the mountains--north-west), and parts of Englewood (south). Maybe look into Thornton (north), although I'm not as big of a fan of North Denver.

You'll want to avoid the Five-Points area in Denver, parts off of Broadway (although certain other parts near there are really, super awesome--it can be block-by-block), and parts of Aurora. If you DO decide to move, you can always PM me about where you're looking to live! BF and I are natives, and between the two of us, we've covered a lot of ground.

Good luck. If it helps, I haven't had any trouble finding jobs when I've looked--my current substitute teacher job practically fell into my lap. I didn't even need to interview! So.. that's been my experience.

[Deleted User]

BookButterfly has a lot of great info in her posts. I live in Littleton and it is a GREAT area. I would stay away from Aurora as a general rule (great prices, but not known to be the safest area). Lakewood, Englewood, Centennial, Denver proper and Golden are all great areas. I lived in an apartment in Englewood right off the light rail my first year out here. It was called Alexia City Center. Alexia has many new apartment complexes now along the light rail in Denver, Englewood and Littleton. They were a little pricy, but walking out the door to the train I really didn't need my car at all.

I would suggest coming out for a visit sometime before you move. Then you can get a feel for the different areas and even the job market. I've been with the same company for 5 years, so I really don't have a pulse on the market. I have a girlfriend who works as a graphic designer for MWH Global. I know she works with architects...so maybe that would be somewhere to look into? The company is in Broomfield which is North of Denver, but a really nice area.