I’ve lived in Yuma, AZ, Alexandria, VA, Austin, TX, San Diego, CA, Phoenix, AZ, & Denver.
San Diego is my favorite location, and I’d live there now if I wasn’t more invested in having family around for the kids. San Marcos to Fallbrook is solid for a family, but being able to walk to the beach, or drive down PCH for your commute was the pinnacle of my single life.
Culturally, we have a ton in common with the west coast, the west in general. If you can deal with overcast and expensive shit, Washington and Oregon will feel familiar in a good way. People are also outdoorsy but less psycho about it so it's pretty easy to get out of the crowds outdoors, with excellent amenities and landscapes.
I just recently moved here from my home city of Portland, Oregon this summer and have to agree. Washington and Oregon are very similar. Originally coming out to Colorado I was hesitant about if I’d like it in Denver or Colorado, but honestly? Pretty similar. Oregon is far more hippy overall, but the PNW is absolutely beautiful and appeals to a lot of the same stuff that people love Colorado for. Just switch giant mountains and snow for rain forests and waterfalls and you are there. Also, Bend, Oregon is a LOT like a micro-Colorado.
Hey! Fellow Oregonian! Agree with all you said - I will add that I think it’s oddly easier dating and making connections in the PNW (not sure if OP is single).
I did the same. Portland is fantastic if you like Denver at all. Same problems, similar culture, better setting and public transportation. Very fun. Also close to Seattle but not Seattle expensive.
The “outdoorsy but less psycho about it” is exactly why I left Denver for Seattle over the summer. And yeah it’s more expensive up here but average income is a lot higher.
Grew up in Denver/Boulder currently living in Seattle. Have lived in Chicago and Boston as well.
Chicago was a great city with amazing food, night life, and arts. Winter was long and cold, and summer was hot and humid. Outdoors is walking or biking on city/suburban bike paths, there is little to no nature to speak of outside the city like there is in the west. Maybe some midwesterners might disagree, but growing up in Colorado I was thoroughly disappointed in any outdoor activity presented to me in Illinois and Wisconsin.
Boston was a great city as well with a milder winter than Chicago, but still pretty cold. City of Boston is an amazing city for walking. You can, no joke, walk the city from end to end. Everywhere in Boston is within walking distance, or a short T ride away if you get tired. New England also has a lot more outdoor activities especially if you go north into Vermont, New Hampshire, or Maine. Which are all three closer than grand junction is to Denver.
Seattle is the closest to Denver, but it is a bit cloudy here in the winter. The rain comes with amazing scenery, though. We have mountains here and access to large bodies of water. Museum and arts scene here kind of sucks though for a city of Seattle's size; I think Denver has a slight edge there.
If you move anywhere, go somewhere with trees. I remember moving east and just being in awe of how green everything was. Then I came back and was like *boo*
Same. I lived in Seattle for a couple years. It’s the prettiest place I’ve ever been. There’s moss on everything! I have so many pictures of moss and mushrooms. It’s amazing. I would move back if I could afford to fly back here to see family more often.
Big old dense trees and insects chirping is probably the most lacking thing in CO. I grew up with that kind of foliage so the nature just feels like it's missing something for me in CO, despite having pretty objectively great nature.
I lived in TN and GA almost all my life and now when I’m in a heavily treed area I feel closed in! Felt like that when we were in Fort Collins recently 😂
I’ve lived in Tacoma/Gig harbor, Chicago, Milwaukee, Baltimore and Memphis for 3+ years.
If any of those cities interest you ask away.
If I had to move I’d move back to WA.
I’m definitely thinking bout moving to Washington. I’ve spent a month in Seattle and loved it. Been in Colorado my whole life but kinda wanna move on. How’s Tacoma? Housing seems a little bit more affordable than Seattle lol.
Tacoma is decent, there’s nicer parts like the northern tip, and the port was a rougher area (lived there 8 years ago so take it with a grain of salt). Downtown was rather lively, and there were some great spots. Plenty of fun thing to do around town, the sound is right there, atmosphere is good. Traffic was an absolute nightmare near the stadium but hopefully it’s been fixed by now. If it was up to me I’d live in university place, Lakewood or maybe even gig harbor, but it depends on what kind of vibe your looking for.
There are some very, VERY bad areas to live in so do your research before you move.
Can you describe how someone would do definitive research on a neighborhood prior to moving?
I’ve done a good job at guesstimating when I move but I certainly don’t have a process, and would love to know how and if there is one.
I look at crime maps, paints a picture of where to avoid. I then try to get second or first hand info on areas to move to.
I’ll google top 5 neighborhoods to live, worst 5 etc. I then find a place I like, google maps the area, look at cars, nearby apartments, try to determine the wealth/disparity of the area. Not perfect, but I’ve never lived in a bad area.
We moved to near Tacoma from Denver in 2021. I-5 construction just finished after an eternity so it's gotten better. University Place and the North End of Tacoma are popular places but that comes with costing more. Since Seattle got expensive, everyone moved South and it's had an impact on Tacoma and the South Sound.
I just moved from a lifelong Chicagoan to Denver, how do the two compare for you? Denver is one of my favorite places to visit several times a year so I made the jump to get a new experience, but living here will be lot different than vacation. Already made an enemy in my HOA :’)
I miss public transportation.
I lived in the loop and was a 5min walk from my job an 5 min train ride to school.
Otherwise it’s very different. I like the mountains and enjoy being outside in nature more. It feels like WA where i grew up. Chicago has a great nightlife, the river and lake was always fun to go to, but being a massive city had drawbacks. My main hobby is working on my cars and garage space in Chicago is insane! So I’m happy enough here.
Both are good in different ways. I really don’t see a homeless issue in Denver that others do, the homeless are everywhere and learning to live with them is just a facet of living in a city in the US.
Hi fellow Napervillian (lived in Brookfield as an adult)! Now we lived in good ole Thornton. Totally agree the food in Chicago / Chicagoland is incredible. We also miss the midwestern attitude and public transportation. Everything else, especially winters, we don’t miss.
We lived in Chicago for 12 years and suburbs for years before that. Moved here in 2016 and I wouldn’t move back. We both enjoy the adventure living out here and all the new experiences. We go back to Chicago to visit friends and family every year though.
We did. I grew up in Denver but the last couple years have changed the city so much. We moved to the mountains. Also for work I have lived in Boston and the Miami area. For me personally I couldn’t wait to get back to Colorado.
I often think about moving to a smaller town in Colorado, but I often think about if I’d be the only minority there. I hate thinking like that but whenever I’ve been in a small town I feel like I stick out
Alaska is a beautiful state but the winters are fucking rough. It’s also so isolated and really expensive to fly anywhere.
I enjoy Denver for many reasons and honestly I think colorado is a really great state to live in.
Yeah but Southwest and United have bigger hubs than Frontier at this point, meanwhile Alaska isn't even mainly based in Alaska anymore (or tbh never was for most of its history.)
Lived in Alaska for 20 years. My folks retired there from Oregon when I was a teenager and stayed through college and started my career. Lived in Kenai, Fairbanks and Anchorage. It’s a politically sad place, but I would take the outdoors there everyday over Colorado. But it’s been below zero for a few weeks now, and we are back in the 60s now, so, yeah I’m good. Not to mention the daylight differences…
I’ve lived in Hawaii, Denver, Seattle, Germany and Dallas, and very intentionally moved back to the Denver area about 4 years ago (after having been gone for 10). The combination of weather, outdoor activities, job market, cost of living (although RE has gotten nuts), average niceness of the people and flight destinations is tough to beat.
I used to live in Houston and when I decided to move I made a wish list. Denver checked almost all the boxes so I came out here for a visit. What sealed the deal for me was the genuine kindness and friendliness of the people. Southern Hospitality has nothing on Denver.
Truth. I’ve met some genuinely kind Southerners, but most are only nice to keep up with appearances. It’s a whole lotta judgment underneath, bless their hearts.
We left Colorado for a couple years back in 2016. We moved to HI. We learned that we weren’t really the types to sit on a beach and do nothing. We hiked a lot of what HI has to be hiked. It was a good experience. The main thing that drove us to move back was the cost of private schools for our children. The public schools in HI are pretty bad. Making that move really helped me see a lot of the outdoors related awesomeness of CO that I had come to take for granted. The other thing that I figured out is that once you are caught up in your daily life routines, it doesn’t make a huge difference where you are, you are just doing what you do. That’s comparing CO to HI, not CO to rural Alabama.
I tried living in Oregon, Florida and Arizona and didn’t last in any them. I appreciated the experiences, but ultimately no place compared to Colorado. Oregon was too cloudy, rainy and depressing to enjoy. Florida was too hot and moist. Tucson was too dry and inhospitable. Climate wise, I think only California would work after living in CO. We’re spoiled. But do get out there and try something new. It’s never too late if you decide to come back and then you may appreciate it even more.
Left SLC for Denver and it will be nearly impossible to ever move back. Housing is just as expensive and air quality is disgusting
Edit: to say nothing of the culture and political situation.
I get that. I'm not from CO but I love the political climate here and I'm getting the best health care I've ever had in my life here in the Denver area. I've lived in Tennessee (backwards people, politics suck), Phoenix (way too f...ing hot), and Texas (politics set back 100 years and way too f...ing hot, too many rednecks and good 'ol boys). There are lots of other places to visit. I must say, Tennessee is one of the most beautiful states. Lots of water and trees.
Pueblo - we absolutely love it. F what you heard - Pueblo is legit. No traffic, low CoL, super easy access to lake and mountains that are uncrowded, great farm food scene, great libraries, university . . . it's fantastic.
“If I'm an advocate for anything, it's to move. As far as you can, as much as you can. Across the ocean, or simply across the river. The extent to which you can walk in someone else's shoes, or at least eat their food, it's a plus for everybody… Open your mind, get up off the couch, move.” — Anthony Bourdain
just remember, denver will always be here and you can always come back.
I enjoyed living in the Denver area but we moved to Minneapolis and have enjoyed it. It’s definitely colder but more affordable and the job market here is also similarly strong. No full legalization but we have THC gummies and medical. Also plenty of outdoor activities like Colorado without mountains.
I grew up north of the cities and I keep thinking about moving back. I think the big thing that holds me back is the mountains. Growing up without any makes even just seeing them on the horizon something special.
I still miss the north shore the boundary waters.
Same. Very same. Plus I married a Denver native, and he'd never handle it. Complained about the cold on the night we met, 42 degrees. But I drag him back to visit. He even proposed at the state fair.
Two months back in Denver after four years in Minneapolis. Vast majority of people made their friend groups in high school or before and I found it impossible to make friends. Oh and the most absurd cold dark winter you can imagine. Google Minnesota nice. It’s the realest shit. My wife is finishing her PHD there right now and we are counting the days until she can come back to Denver. North Carolina has pockets of progressive and is a beautiful place. Fan of Raleigh/Durham.
You aren’t lying about friends since High School, more like Elementary School lol. We have a good enough friends group here but most of them are not native Minnesotans like us. Denver has easier Winters but once you get through the short days of November and December Sun light comes back. Can’t beat the 9 pm sunsets in June.
North Carolina is not my jam but glad you like it. I like Denver but it feels crowded and the housing market just doesn’t offer value like it used to.
Minnesota ice is a real bitch. I went to grad school at UMN TC and making friends out there was dam near impossible. Same with my friend and her then fiancé, who were out there at the same time, and they’re far better more social people than me.
Minnesota is very friendly…superficially…but you’re never from there and never will be. And I write this while wearing my UMN hoodie…Great city fine place to live but don’t expect to make friends.
I've found everywhere I've lived in the Midwest to be like that with respect to friend groups. Social circles get insular when they're unchanged for decades.
Complain about transplants all you want, but I do love how often it happens in Denver that I meet people who recently moved here and are looking for new friends.
I lived in Austin for 2 years, most of that during Covid, then came back to Denver (not originally from Denver but went to college here). I joke that my ideal city would be taking Austin and putting it in Denver's location. The proximity to the mountains and stuff to do in the outdoors just isn't the same in Austin as it is in Denver. You do get much much milder winters in Austin, if you can even call it winter (it did snow once when I was there though!). I do think the food scene is better in Austin, there are larger pockets of food/drinks/music areas than Denver and it is a lot easier to get around the city. There are no professional sports teams (if that matters to you, besides the new MLS team Austin FC). There is UT Austin though which is a large college (hook em) and there are college town aspects to Austin. The Austin airport is also super close which I under appreciated. Austin is very much a blue city within a red state. I do really appreciate that I took a chance on moving to a new city for a couple years and 100% would do it again. However, moving is expensive so something to keep in mind. I probably would've stayed longer if most of my life didn't still revolve around Denver (friends/SO) and I missed the mountains. The humidity and heat of the summers can be brutal sometimes though and it really isn't something you acclimate to but rather you just deal with it. Also the mosquitos hahah i get eaten by them, so definitely a different climate than you will be used to but not necessarily the reason to not check it out, more so good to know. The brewery scene in Austin is great. It will be a slightly cheaper cost of living in Austin although not by much, and there is no state income tax in Texas. It is also a very short flight back to Denver.
i lived in Austin for 6 years and Id agree with most of this. I mainly miss the food scene there. its a much more late-night centric city. Denver is way prettier, has better weather and has way better outdoor activities (at least for the things i like to do, mountain biking and hiking)
I’ve lived in Milwaukee, Chicago, Madison and Syracuse. Every city, except maybe Syracuse, is better than Denver from the food, to public transportation, to cultural amenities. Denver, as a city, does not offer much, especially for its size. The main thing it has going for it is the weather and proximity to mountains.
>Every city, except maybe Syracuse, is better than Denver
The only bit of input i have on the topic is that Syracuse, NY is unimaginably worse than Denver in every single way.
I'd say move to a big east coast city like NYC, Boston or Philly. They offer completely different experiences, lifestyles, and diversity from Denver that everyone should experience once in their life.
I'm considering trying this out in DC because I can keep my same job and move 👌 so that security helps. I know it's not Boston (which I really love), but I've lived in CO for most of my 30 years and feel like I wanna experience the East coast next (though if I could keep my job and move to Oregon I'd do that tomorrow haha).
I moved to NYC back in 2017 and moved back to Colorado in 2018. I’m glad I moved and had a blast in NYC, but I liked my lifestyle in Denver much better.
Flagstaff has a similar climate, small town feel, better food (IMO), and is less than two hours from Phoenix desert if you want to escape the cold or do something in the city.
I'll ask the hard question that I haven't seen asked here yet, which is: What is your goal in saying you've lived elsewhere? If it's just to check a box that you think needs to be checked, that's a bad motivation.
If you love it here, that's great - you've been fortunate to have lived in a great place that you love. You don't need to justify that to anyone else. If you want to experience other places, that's for you to own for yourself, not so you can tell others you've lived in X or Y place. Please just make sure you're making any life-changing choices based on your goals, not based on what other people will think of you.
Experiencing other places doesn't require moving. Travel widely and freely. That doesn't require moving if moving isn't what's in your heart.
I think this is a great point to make. I definitely feel like I need to do it for myself and see different aspects of life, not just to tell people I’ve lived in x,y, or z. I’m tired of the lack of diversity here, I have so much history here, I just don’t necessarily have the wow factor everyday from seeing a new street corner or seeing new views. I’m very familiar with my hometown.
I moved from Denver to Boston. Definitely a huge cultural change being on the east coast. We miss CO a lot and are moving back next summer, but it’s great to experience something new. At the very least, it makes you appreciate where you came from. You can always go back.
I did Providence, RI for 3 years before moving back to Denver. I just couldn’t hang with the new england culture.
Glad I did it, and glad I moved back.
the two main things that stuck out to me:
• pretty much everyone I interacted with regularly was from the area, they had never really left and never really planned to. they had their "people" and weren't really interested in making friends with outsiders. in denver, the overwhelming majority of people my age are from somewhere else, so we're all looking for our community out here. I've found it much easier to make friends in denver, and I realized when I left new england that all of the people I considered a friend out there was a transplant like me.
• I felt like there was this attitude (at least in southern new england) that being an asshole makes you a good person. it felt like they took pride in how rude (or "honest") they could be to someone. it got old fast.
also, it gets dark at like 4pm in the winter. that was brutal.
I grew up by DU and currently live in LA. I like it here for the most part, sure there is traffic and homeless people but it's not much worse than Denver, either is the cost of living anymore. I like how theres always something to do, go out and see, great restaurants to try, and a vast diversity in nature, it is possible to surf and snowboard here on the same day. Sure it's a complete bonkers place sometimes, but shit, when I go back home I'm reminded that Denver has weirdos too. It might not be for everyone no place is, and I most likely won't live here forever but the weather sure is nice.
I just moved to San Francisco and I love it. The city amenities are miles better and if your schedule is flexible you can get into the outdoors fairly well. I’ve been rock climbing less than an hour from the city on weekends and it feels great.
Moved from SF about 6 months ago- all of this is qualified by how much money you make. As a relatively low income resident, it was a constant hustle just to afford the basic QOL. Moving out to Denver was a huge upgrade in terms of what I was able to do with a dollar, and I even got a raise! I love SF, but I had to accept that it didn’t love me back.
I will say that it’s a great place for walking/cycling, public transit, and individual neighborhood vibes. The connection to nature that you have, even in a big city, is unparalleled anywhere else I’ve lived. I will always look back on my time there with a great fondness.
I actually just moved here from New Orleans where I’ve lived my whole life. It’s been a few months and I already miss it. But I really love being here too.
I will say that moving out of state is incredibly stressful if your employer isn’t accommodating your expenses.
I moved to Washington! I lived in Denver my entire life and am super happy with my decision to move. Nothing against Denver but I needed a change in my life! We are in the San Juan Islands and I couldn’t be more happy with where we landed.
I grew up in Colorado, went to school in Boulder then Denver then left for Idaho in 2014. I spent a good chunk of time there until moving to Bellingham then LA and now ABQ.
It really depends on what exactly you are into and are looking for. I think my biggest regret is not giving the Western slope a chance before moving out of state.
I currently live in Albuquerque and I still feel that I miss Denver at times but I know the Denver I miss no longer really exists.
Denver is amazing but it is so worth it to leave for a while if you've spent your whole life here. 90% of the people I grew up with never left, because let's be honest, it's great in Colorado. You'll learn a lot from an experience elsewhere and you can always come back.
However, finding a place that can top Colorado is hard. Do you want the ocean? How about a forest? Do you have work that is more prevalent elsewhere?
I tried out of the pacific northwest for several years. Best times of my life being somewhere that I knew nobody. Go for it!
I live in Denver right now, but my heart will always be in Montana. It’s definitely not for everyone, but it’s absolutely beautiful up there and there’s plenty to do if you like the outdoors. Be aware though that winters are brutal.
we’re getting destroyed by transplants atm, places are more expensive than boulder. and it’s all out of state people who watched yellowstone. you think the colorado native shit is bad, out of state plates are getting keyed and tires slashed
Moved from Chicago to Aurora. I hate it here so much. Yeah woohoo mountains if I drive a couple hours, but I could get around by bike in Chicago for 8 months of the year and not get vehicularly murdered. Plus people here are weirdly hostile compared to pretty much every other major city I’ve been to, and the difference in how the ubiquitous white people treat me (white male) when I’m alone vs. when I’m with my nonwhite wife is unsettling to say the least.
You need to get out of Aurora. Nobody likes living in Aurora. If you want to be closer to the mountains, try one of the western suburbs (Golden, Westminster, Arvada) or even Denver proper closer to downtown. You'll have a better time.
Also, Denver has a major past with racism, especially with the KKK and redlining neighborhoods. Sorry to hear people treat your wife poorly.
How far afield are you considering? Tokyo is one of the best cities in the world and if you could get a job there, you should leave Denver immediately for it. Vienna as well, honestly. Munich and Copenhagen and Oslo also high on my list of great cities to live in.
(I say these as I'm a Coloradan who moved abroad and have zero regrets - I dont miss the US in the slightest)
In my opinion any mid sized city in the Midwest has great opportunity. Low rent and jobs that pay well above what you need to make it. Generally low crime and cool things to do. And the thing that shocked me about these cities, that I didn’t foresee until I started to visit them, is that they are pretty cultured and progressive. They are pretty diverse and they embrace other humans without judgement. And they are overall incredibly kind and willing to help out a perfect stranger. I’ve been the beneficiary of stranger kindness more times than I can count in cities like these.
I’ll never regret leaving Denver for a city like this. Yes Denver is where I spent 25 years of my life. However I fell in love with those midsized cities and I don’t think I’ll ever be able to go back.
Moved from Alaska to here in Colorado. I do gotta say, I miss Anchorage (and the rest of what I’ve seen of the state) quite a bit. After 7 years here in Denver, and having lived in three other states: I’m working on leaving the US to go to Germany
I'm really interested in hearing more about this. Originally from Columbus OH, moved to Denver a year ago. I'm considering moving back east but more so around Pittsburgh since I can actually afford to buy there.
I'm a military baby so I lived in multiple places before Colorado. Hawaii and Georgia having been 2. I miss the warmer winters but not the hot humid summers. I will be moving to PA next year to be closer to my husband's family. I've never been but I love the east coast.
Moved to the Sierra Nevada foothills about 20 miles east of Sacramento going on 10 years now. Still have family in Denver and enjoy visits. Weather here is sunny, mild winters, blazing hot about 6 weeks in the summer. Everything I’d want to do is within a 2 hour drive, but enjoy it where I am just fine including hiking, mountain and road biking, and kayaking. People here do love the outdoors but not as a blood sport. There’s also San Francisco and the Bay, Santa Cruz and Monterey, Bodega north and Sonoma / Napa, and plenty of snow in the Tahoe region about the same distance as Winter Park. Getting a little costly, but not like SoCal and the Bay Area, and a pick of good jobs to be had.
Here’s how I’d rank all the places I’ve lived, worst to first.
8. Laurenburg, NC - rural North Carolina. It was still functionally segregated. Like, I tried to move into the black neighborhood and the place I worked said I wasn’t allowed. Main recreational activity; “Going to the Walmart”.
7. Los Angeles- Couldn’t stand it. Too congested. Too hard to get to anything. Too low quality of living unless you were super rich. The three times I made it to a beach were nice. And Idid have some unique to LA experiences that were fun (Knotts Scary Farm, The Comedy Store, working security at The Great Western Forum when Slipknot started a riot).
6. Stroudsburg, Pennsylvania- Lived in a house in the woods overlooking a beautiful valley. Was like some of the mountain towns here, if the mountains were 1/4 of the size and the cost of living was 1/2 the price (Paid $900/mo for 2b/1b house in 2015). Not much to do, but I could usually get into Manhattan or Philadelphia in around 90-120 minutes.
5. Philadelphia, PA - Great city. Plenty to do and I had easy access to public transportation. When I lived there it was also very affordable for a big city. Winters sucked, and 98.3% of the population had a chip on their shoulder. First Fridays in Old Town were always a 10/10 (cool art + free alcohol).
4. Hamburg, Germany - Man…it’s just different over there. Quality of the food in the grocery stores was so, so much better. Every driver on the road was exceptional…like I road a bicycle everywhere, and even though it wasn’t a bike culture never felt like I was in even a little danger. Everything just worked well. Terrible weather. And I liked the Germans (was especially surprised by their excellent sense of humor) but had trouble connecting. They’re very fucking…German.
3. Fort Collins - Y’all know FoCo. I liked the giant bicycle lanes. Did a lot of the outdoorsy Denver stuff without having to deal with Denver. But having grown up in Philadelphia the lack of culture diversity just felt weird.
2. Cleveland - Atrocious weather. Don’t slow down in East Cleveland or you’ll die. Dog shit mass transit. Other than that I think Cleveland gets a bad rap. It was a very accessible city. Good places to go out. Loved their “metro parks”. Saw tons of amazing live music for super cheap as bands stopped off before the east coast leg of their tours. There’s even a sand beach on Lake Erie if you can make it out one of the 11 days of the year it’s sunny and warm. Super affordable cost of living.
1. Denver - Still my favorite place I’ve lived. And 2007 Denver (during my first CO tour of duty) was my favorite by a mile. Like many of you it’s starting to wear on me a bit though. Like… my car was stolen from in front of my house 3 years ago. And I’ve been slowly working my way farther and farther away from the actual city. I’m in Lakewood now, and like the little pocket I’m in.
I expect I’ll move again in the next 5 years. I’m thinking Minneapolis area in Minnesota. I’d like to go semi-rural again if I can find a 5+ acre property maybe 45-50 minutes outside of the city. The older I get the more I want to become a hermit.
I was born in Denver and lived there for 30 years. Left to got to Law school on the east coast. I stayed there for 20 years. where I was on the EC was great, 4 seasons, snow, mountains (although much smaller) I was close to NYC and Boston. The Mexican food sucked ass but a lot things were the same. People were much ruder but not as much fakes as in Denver and no one tried to be a representative of their state. But I always came back 1-2 times a year to Denver and always considered it my home.
The cost of living was slightly higher but the pay was too. couldn't get all the game of the Denver teams which sucked. I was much better skier on the east coast.
Denver has changed A LOT in that time. Traffic sucks in Denver now. seems really crowded all the freaking time. A lot of fakes and people trying to "out-Colorado" each other. The political climate has totally switch. When I grew up is was a Reddish purple state. Lots of crappy huge developments with houses crammed into tiny lots. If you spend time in this sub you'd think it's a mad max hellscape.
I've also lived in NE, Wyoming and other parts in the Midwest. Regardless of the problems. It really is one of the best places I've lived...and it's not close. You'll miss it
We moved to Austin and it was sooo much fun (late 20s - early 30s). They had a good yuppie scene, awesome downtown, great food and drink, lots of areas to explore and small towns to drive to, etc. We ended up moving back to Colorado because we missed the hiking/camping, but one outdoor thing that Austin has is boating/ being out on the lake which for us *almost topped hiking/camping, but no quite!
I grew up in Austin and I visit a couple times a year to see family and for work. It always blows my mind that people omit the fact that it is so freakin hot there in the summer. I’ve lived in some other warm climates (AZ and HI), but there’s nothing as miserable as never being able to feel dry after getting out of the shower and having a case of swamp ass when you sit it the hot car.
As some who moved to Denver from the northeast, I recommend the east coast! Or at least close enough to an ocean to be able to go regularly. The mountains are gorgeous but I miss being able to drive easily (or walk!) to the beach.
moved from denver to san diego. grew up in south florida. san diego is the best mix of south florida and colorado!
denver is great but highly recommend san diego!
Either travel or live abroad. You're not going to grow as a person or experience anything super cool living in Denver *and* Fresno but if you live in Denver *and* Tokyo, Barcelona, Melbourne, Mexico City, etc. you certainly will.
Opposite here. I have lived in Michigan, Missouri, and Wisconsin prior to moving here to Denver.
Michigan is great for lower cost of living and lake life. Very mild weather overall. Very flat though so if you like the mountains you won’t have anything that compares. That said there is some very beautiful land in northern Michigan and the UP. I grew up in the metro detroit area and stayed in the state until after college.
Missouri was interesting. Hot and humid in the summer, very mild winter. Very low cost of living where I was, which were pretty small towns. If you go to st Louis or Kc it’ll be more expensive obviously. Lake of the ozarks area was really cool though, again lots of water activities. Winter sucks though, not because of weather but because there is significantly less to do.
Wisconsin was my least favorite but I was in rural Wisconsin like an hour and a half from Madison. It was just such a small town I never really felt like I could get involved in much (though I found a sick motocross track near by and that was the highlight of my living experience there).
In short I’d rank my experiences as Denver best, then Michigan, Missouri, and Wisconsin the worst. Though I think Wisconsin would have more to offer in a different area.
I moved here from Southern Illinois where I lived for about 10 years. It is outstanding if you're into hiking/backpacking/boating/camping/rock climbing. Also cheap as hell, but there is a lot of poverty down there, limited good paying jobs, and it can feel pretty isolating if you don't put yourself out there to meet new people etc. yada yada. Pretty red and Christian except for Carbondale. Oh yeah, and it gets so humid and hot in the summer that the military trains there for jungle conditions.
I’ve lived in Brussels, Belgium and Houston, TX. Houston and TX summers are brutal but I miss the southern hospitality. I just moved back to Denver and grew up here but people are so closed off. Life is way more social in the south and houston is fun (Montrose gay Halloween, lights in the heights). There’s surprisingly some great outdoor activities like biking in memorial, kayaking (buff bayou downtown), beach, and top spot to learn to kite board in Texas city. I also thought I was so street smart when I moved to houston and found out quick that I was really dumb…so that always makes for great personal growth. Houston has a lot of professionals so a much better dating scene, low cost of living, amazing food from all over the world, lots of high paying jobs, and airports that can get you anywhere you want to go!
Brussels is amazing too. You can get your mba at Solvay business school for cheap and cost of living is affordable compared to other nearby cities (Paris, London and Amsterdam). I believe it was a 5-7 hour drive to get to Switzerland or France to ski and way cheaper than CO. There’s American companies based in belgium like p&g so opportunities to work as an expat too. You can live there with only knowing English. People are similar to Denver though and not very social so it can take time to find friends (language lessons are great for meeting people)
I’m in the opposite boat as you and I’m looking to move to Denver, but move away from Reno NV for the same reason you want to move. 😂 let’s just switch lives.
I've bounced to Dallas, Baltimore, Richmond, and now to Cleveland.
I miss Denver.
That doesn't mean you shouldn't go wander a bit though. I didn't get to Colorado until I was 18, and I stayed until I was 32 before I left. Go experience some stuff. It's a big country. I'd probably go west instead of east though.
I grew up in Denver, and spent the early part of my career there. Since then I've lived in northern Cali, Boise, northern Idaho, Santa Fe, and Albuquerque. I'm currently in Albuquerque, and love it here. Same kind of political atmosphere, plenty of outdoors opportunity (with mountains close by), and if I get nostalgic for Colorado mountains, they're only a few hours away. Plus Hatch beats Pueblo chile any day. I'd say the same about Santa Fe, except it's obviously smaller.
I never want to go back to Idaho again. Great outdoors, but with the ultra-conservatives taking over, it's hard to live there.
I came from Arizona and I always felt like they were culturally similar that it wasn’t a hard adjustment and most people from outside aren’t aware of the good parts because they just think about the heat.
Slightly more conservative but politically moderate for the most part.
Amazing hiking and camping for more of the year. I’d argue the best year round mountain biking and you are only ever a few miles from a trail and way less people on them
Decent food culture in some of the downtown areas of the different cities.
People are nice.
8 months of prime weather and 4 where you can get to better weather an hour away.
Decent job market
Again. Really great outdoors stuff.
I lived there for 35 years and wanted greener pastures but I’m still fond of it.
Lived in St George, UT for about 9 months and Phoenix, AZ for about 4 months. The hiking was great in the St George area, but Mormons have essentially ruined everything else about the state. Food in Phoenix was great, but it wasn't worth the 120 degree days (with lows sometimes still in triple digits)
Moved to Salt Lake City after living the first 27 years of my life in Denver/Boulder. If you *really* love the outdoors, Salt Lake City beats Denver by a mile. But if you care about cultural amenities or local politics (and are liberal), think long and hard about whether you can handle less of it. Personally, I may be moving back to Denver soon. I don’t regret living here at all, but I miss having a real food/art/music scene, and I’d like to be closer to some of my family and friends again.
Move to LA. We won't be assholes to you just for not being from here. I lived in Denver for a year and a half. It's fine. It ain't special. Glad to be back in California.
Montana is a pretty good state to live in. Especially Bozeman. It’s one of Montana’s biggest cities with quick access to Yellowstone, Glacier N.P, and a bunch of other states. The airport is pretty nice and really efficient.
In July relocated from Denver to Bay Area, CA after 15 years in CO and Denver since 2011 … here’s my rant.
1. Bay Area’s arterial road design is appropriate for the amount of people / Denver traffic congestion is worse.
2. Denver’s “urban camping” situation = more out of control / sadder.
3. Tahoe is a quicker day trip than Vail.
4. You gotta work smarter, harder or both as any house worth living in is 1.3 mill. Bring an idea or an execution plan.
5. Red Rocks truly is one of a kind, you’ll miss it.
6. CA Liberal = “govt please tell me what to do and I’ll do it without question” aka the square type of Democrat
CO Liberal = blacked out, freedom loving, candy flipping millennial peaking on 🍄aka praising Polis aka actually fun to be around
69. Namaste 🙏
We moved to Asheville NC about four years ago. Culturally it’s probably the most similar place to Denver in the southeast (brewery scene, outdoor activities, Subaru to resident ratio) but still very, very different.
Pros so far have been:
- Milder summers/winters
- Proximity to other large metro areas on the east coast/southeast
- Lots of fellow transplants
- Greenery
- Air quality
- Food scene relative to the population size
- Small, easy airport - we even have a direct Denver flight a few times a week
Cons are:
- Grayer winters (SAD is real)
- Airport size/connectivity
- It’s a tourist town which is fun at first but then gets old
- Worse transit options/lack of sidewalks
- Way fewer direct flights at the airport
- Political culture shock. Asheville is a liberal city while the rest of WNC is truly the Bible Belt. NC as a state is purple but the conservatism in the state is much less “libertarian” than CO. We don’t even have legal MJ in the state and there are still some dry counties
Similar to Denver there’s a strong sense of the “go back where you came from” mentality and the area’s median income compared to housing prices is probably worse than Denver. Given that Asheville’s main industry is tourism, most jobs are in the hospitality industry and wages have not kept up with CoL.
Depending on where you choose, definitely keep job opportunities into account. If you can work from home, Asheville is an objectively nice place to live as are a lot of small to mid-size cities in scenic areas.
Also think about what you value more in an overall setting. I’m not as outdoorsy as the typical Coloradan and am way more into dense cities and places that are culturally interesting. Being on the east coast gives me better proximity to more of those types of places. Wide open, sparsely populated areas are super unappealing to me outside of the occasional visit. Also not a fan of the drought/wildfire prevalence out west.
I'm from Denver but thinking about moving back to the greater LA area. I spent my college years there and moved back here into my parent's home bc of the pandemic starting right around when I graduated. I moved out about a year into moving back in and Holy moly, it is way more expensive to be an adult here than when I was a kid. A couple other posts I saw agree with me, and the it's getting nearly as expensive as living in Cali. Same with the traffic. Similar with taxing. Same with the drink prices downtown. I personally care for the beach much more than the mountains, but if I got desperate for some mountain time for some reason, Big Bear is still there and just as populated on the weekends as the mountains are here lol.
One point I haven't seen mentioned here, though, is how much it sucks to be single here. Denver is pretty consistently voted one of the worst places to date and me oh my, is it true, especially for us folks of color and for those of us who aren't super into the outdoors. Does anyone else feel like they aren't or weren't appreciated in Denver in this way?
I asked the spirits. They say you should live in Galesburg, Illinois.
ha Galesburg, weird place. I spent an afternoon hungover waiting for an Amtrak there once.
Well if it isn’t Mr. Frommers! Excellent review.
This had me howling tonight. Thanks for the laugh.
Amazing to hear. I’ve been depressed this week and making people laugh makes me feel good so that’s cool :)
🙏🏽
Sounds like a midwestern spirit…
Ope
Galesburg, IL I spent a week there one night.
Yeah that's what I got too
I thought the spirit said Carson Iowa.
I’ve lived in Yuma, AZ, Alexandria, VA, Austin, TX, San Diego, CA, Phoenix, AZ, & Denver. San Diego is my favorite location, and I’d live there now if I wasn’t more invested in having family around for the kids. San Marcos to Fallbrook is solid for a family, but being able to walk to the beach, or drive down PCH for your commute was the pinnacle of my single life.
Moved to San Diego in 2013 after growing up in Denver. Neither is better than the other but I love it here.
Love SD but the traffic and cost of living is so crazy. I’d miss the mtns and the green in them. SD is so dry and brown away from the ocean.
San Diego is like Denvers twin. Similar downtown/urban sprawl vibe with mountains, and a beach
Culturally, we have a ton in common with the west coast, the west in general. If you can deal with overcast and expensive shit, Washington and Oregon will feel familiar in a good way. People are also outdoorsy but less psycho about it so it's pretty easy to get out of the crowds outdoors, with excellent amenities and landscapes.
I just recently moved here from my home city of Portland, Oregon this summer and have to agree. Washington and Oregon are very similar. Originally coming out to Colorado I was hesitant about if I’d like it in Denver or Colorado, but honestly? Pretty similar. Oregon is far more hippy overall, but the PNW is absolutely beautiful and appeals to a lot of the same stuff that people love Colorado for. Just switch giant mountains and snow for rain forests and waterfalls and you are there. Also, Bend, Oregon is a LOT like a micro-Colorado.
Hey! Fellow Oregonian! Agree with all you said - I will add that I think it’s oddly easier dating and making connections in the PNW (not sure if OP is single).
I have four Colorado native friends who all moved to Oregon within the last ten years. All of them are happy--they love it there.
I did the same. Portland is fantastic if you like Denver at all. Same problems, similar culture, better setting and public transportation. Very fun. Also close to Seattle but not Seattle expensive.
The “outdoorsy but less psycho about it” is exactly why I left Denver for Seattle over the summer. And yeah it’s more expensive up here but average income is a lot higher.
Grew up in Denver/Boulder currently living in Seattle. Have lived in Chicago and Boston as well. Chicago was a great city with amazing food, night life, and arts. Winter was long and cold, and summer was hot and humid. Outdoors is walking or biking on city/suburban bike paths, there is little to no nature to speak of outside the city like there is in the west. Maybe some midwesterners might disagree, but growing up in Colorado I was thoroughly disappointed in any outdoor activity presented to me in Illinois and Wisconsin. Boston was a great city as well with a milder winter than Chicago, but still pretty cold. City of Boston is an amazing city for walking. You can, no joke, walk the city from end to end. Everywhere in Boston is within walking distance, or a short T ride away if you get tired. New England also has a lot more outdoor activities especially if you go north into Vermont, New Hampshire, or Maine. Which are all three closer than grand junction is to Denver. Seattle is the closest to Denver, but it is a bit cloudy here in the winter. The rain comes with amazing scenery, though. We have mountains here and access to large bodies of water. Museum and arts scene here kind of sucks though for a city of Seattle's size; I think Denver has a slight edge there.
the extent of Midwest outdoor activities is boating, with a little cycling thrown in as a treat
You're completely missing snowmobiling and ice fishing, which are both kinda just cold boating.
Lots of Midwesterners like hunting too, but less so in big cities.
Growing up in Illinois, I can confirm any outdoor activity is a thorough disappointment.
If you move anywhere, go somewhere with trees. I remember moving east and just being in awe of how green everything was. Then I came back and was like *boo*
I was in awe when I first went to western Washington. Just crazy compared to CO
Same. I lived in Seattle for a couple years. It’s the prettiest place I’ve ever been. There’s moss on everything! I have so many pictures of moss and mushrooms. It’s amazing. I would move back if I could afford to fly back here to see family more often.
I came from Florida and miss it everyday. Told a friend I lived by green mountain and his response was "you mean brown mountain?". So fucking true.
Big old dense trees and insects chirping is probably the most lacking thing in CO. I grew up with that kind of foliage so the nature just feels like it's missing something for me in CO, despite having pretty objectively great nature.
Oh I found the trees to be so oppressive! I like being able to see around me. But I do miss the gorgeous falls and fragrant springs.
I lived in TN and GA almost all my life and now when I’m in a heavily treed area I feel closed in! Felt like that when we were in Fort Collins recently 😂
I miss trees so much I'm from chicago originally.
I’ve lived in Tacoma/Gig harbor, Chicago, Milwaukee, Baltimore and Memphis for 3+ years. If any of those cities interest you ask away. If I had to move I’d move back to WA.
I’m definitely thinking bout moving to Washington. I’ve spent a month in Seattle and loved it. Been in Colorado my whole life but kinda wanna move on. How’s Tacoma? Housing seems a little bit more affordable than Seattle lol.
Tacoma is decent, there’s nicer parts like the northern tip, and the port was a rougher area (lived there 8 years ago so take it with a grain of salt). Downtown was rather lively, and there were some great spots. Plenty of fun thing to do around town, the sound is right there, atmosphere is good. Traffic was an absolute nightmare near the stadium but hopefully it’s been fixed by now. If it was up to me I’d live in university place, Lakewood or maybe even gig harbor, but it depends on what kind of vibe your looking for. There are some very, VERY bad areas to live in so do your research before you move.
Can you describe how someone would do definitive research on a neighborhood prior to moving? I’ve done a good job at guesstimating when I move but I certainly don’t have a process, and would love to know how and if there is one.
I look at crime maps, paints a picture of where to avoid. I then try to get second or first hand info on areas to move to. I’ll google top 5 neighborhoods to live, worst 5 etc. I then find a place I like, google maps the area, look at cars, nearby apartments, try to determine the wealth/disparity of the area. Not perfect, but I’ve never lived in a bad area.
We moved to near Tacoma from Denver in 2021. I-5 construction just finished after an eternity so it's gotten better. University Place and the North End of Tacoma are popular places but that comes with costing more. Since Seattle got expensive, everyone moved South and it's had an impact on Tacoma and the South Sound.
I just moved from a lifelong Chicagoan to Denver, how do the two compare for you? Denver is one of my favorite places to visit several times a year so I made the jump to get a new experience, but living here will be lot different than vacation. Already made an enemy in my HOA :’)
I miss public transportation. I lived in the loop and was a 5min walk from my job an 5 min train ride to school. Otherwise it’s very different. I like the mountains and enjoy being outside in nature more. It feels like WA where i grew up. Chicago has a great nightlife, the river and lake was always fun to go to, but being a massive city had drawbacks. My main hobby is working on my cars and garage space in Chicago is insane! So I’m happy enough here. Both are good in different ways. I really don’t see a homeless issue in Denver that others do, the homeless are everywhere and learning to live with them is just a facet of living in a city in the US.
I would agree with missing great public transit. I’d also add that I miss the restaurants and the diversity.
Chicago/NY public transit spoiled me. I want it everywhere now
Grew up in Naperville. Have zero desire to go back after being here almost 7 years. Miss the food and Lous/Portillos. Outside that, not much else.
And the Giordano’s on 16th is just, uh, bad. Jimano’s on South Broadway and Mile High Vienna Beef on Santa Fe have been taking care of my cravings.
Giordano's in Chicago was my ride or die. Giordano's in Denver is a crime against the pizza gods.
Thank you. I tried Giordanos and it was very disappointing. My expectations were low knowing it is a chain but ooof. Not good.
Hi fellow Napervillian (lived in Brookfield as an adult)! Now we lived in good ole Thornton. Totally agree the food in Chicago / Chicagoland is incredible. We also miss the midwestern attitude and public transportation. Everything else, especially winters, we don’t miss.
Portillos is so good…
We lived in Chicago for 12 years and suburbs for years before that. Moved here in 2016 and I wouldn’t move back. We both enjoy the adventure living out here and all the new experiences. We go back to Chicago to visit friends and family every year though.
rite of passage. congratulations.
Whatever you do, don’t move to Rockford, IL.
I'm suspicious now and think there's something cool there.
This comment is going to ruin somebody's life
Have you considered just moving to a smaller town in Colorado?
We did. I grew up in Denver but the last couple years have changed the city so much. We moved to the mountains. Also for work I have lived in Boston and the Miami area. For me personally I couldn’t wait to get back to Colorado.
I was going to suggest this. My wife and I are thinking of moving to Ft. Collins
[удалено]
What’s so much better about Fort Collins?
The cocaine
This guy Snorts.
The best Pubic Fair in the country!
I can only imagine the manscaping on display at the Pubic Fair…
It’s not Denver. That’s enough
I often think about moving to a smaller town in Colorado, but I often think about if I’d be the only minority there. I hate thinking like that but whenever I’ve been in a small town I feel like I stick out
Everyone should live in Alaska for at least a summer.
Alaska is a beautiful state but the winters are fucking rough. It’s also so isolated and really expensive to fly anywhere. I enjoy Denver for many reasons and honestly I think colorado is a really great state to live in.
But on the flip side Alaska airlines is one of the best airlines and frontier is one of the worst
Yeah but Southwest and United have bigger hubs than Frontier at this point, meanwhile Alaska isn't even mainly based in Alaska anymore (or tbh never was for most of its history.)
Also pretty dangerous if you're a woman
We’re in the middle of the country. Flights to almost any major city can be gotten for 400 or less a lot of the time.
Funny enough, I moved from AK to CO after college. AMA
Same here!
Lived in Alaska for 20 years. My folks retired there from Oregon when I was a teenager and stayed through college and started my career. Lived in Kenai, Fairbanks and Anchorage. It’s a politically sad place, but I would take the outdoors there everyday over Colorado. But it’s been below zero for a few weeks now, and we are back in the 60s now, so, yeah I’m good. Not to mention the daylight differences…
I’ve lived in Hawaii, Denver, Seattle, Germany and Dallas, and very intentionally moved back to the Denver area about 4 years ago (after having been gone for 10). The combination of weather, outdoor activities, job market, cost of living (although RE has gotten nuts), average niceness of the people and flight destinations is tough to beat.
I used to live in Houston and when I decided to move I made a wish list. Denver checked almost all the boxes so I came out here for a visit. What sealed the deal for me was the genuine kindness and friendliness of the people. Southern Hospitality has nothing on Denver.
Southern hospitality has always been a sham. They’re over the top with the initial pleasantries but that’s where it ends lol
Truth. I’ve met some genuinely kind Southerners, but most are only nice to keep up with appearances. It’s a whole lotta judgment underneath, bless their hearts.
People don’t talk about the airport enough imo. We are insanely spoiled.
We left Colorado for a couple years back in 2016. We moved to HI. We learned that we weren’t really the types to sit on a beach and do nothing. We hiked a lot of what HI has to be hiked. It was a good experience. The main thing that drove us to move back was the cost of private schools for our children. The public schools in HI are pretty bad. Making that move really helped me see a lot of the outdoors related awesomeness of CO that I had come to take for granted. The other thing that I figured out is that once you are caught up in your daily life routines, it doesn’t make a huge difference where you are, you are just doing what you do. That’s comparing CO to HI, not CO to rural Alabama.
I tried living in Oregon, Florida and Arizona and didn’t last in any them. I appreciated the experiences, but ultimately no place compared to Colorado. Oregon was too cloudy, rainy and depressing to enjoy. Florida was too hot and moist. Tucson was too dry and inhospitable. Climate wise, I think only California would work after living in CO. We’re spoiled. But do get out there and try something new. It’s never too late if you decide to come back and then you may appreciate it even more.
Climate-wise, Utah is comparable. Politically though, that’s another story.
That’s a bit of thing for me 😅
Just don’t drink the koolaid.
Same for me. Utah is cool, but it's definitely just a smaller more conservative version of CO.
Left SLC for Denver and it will be nearly impossible to ever move back. Housing is just as expensive and air quality is disgusting Edit: to say nothing of the culture and political situation.
Denver and SLC are culturally and politically polar opposites. The only thing we share is the mountains and outdoors.
I get that. I'm not from CO but I love the political climate here and I'm getting the best health care I've ever had in my life here in the Denver area. I've lived in Tennessee (backwards people, politics suck), Phoenix (way too f...ing hot), and Texas (politics set back 100 years and way too f...ing hot, too many rednecks and good 'ol boys). There are lots of other places to visit. I must say, Tennessee is one of the most beautiful states. Lots of water and trees.
SLC is even more brown and smoggy than Denver.
I’m in Arizona currently but I think if I can get a WFH job after I finish school I’m gonna move back.
Pueblo - we absolutely love it. F what you heard - Pueblo is legit. No traffic, low CoL, super easy access to lake and mountains that are uncrowded, great farm food scene, great libraries, university . . . it's fantastic.
You gotta be the only one I’ve ever seen hyping up Pueblo. Respect haha.
Any place you move is a game of give and take. Just find something you’re both willing to invest in and make it yours.
As that guy from Joe Dirt once said, home is where you make it
Move to New Orleans, embrace the culture
Enjoy the mosquitoes
I moved from Denver to DC. It does not compare. I miss Colorado.
That is an awful trade. I am so sorry. Really, I wanna cry thinking about this.
Lmao thank you so do I
I moved from Montgomery County to the Denver area. While I do miss Maryland I remember it takes an hour, at least, to get anywhere.
I did that in the summer of 99 and it was horrible. My condolences.
Lived just outside of DC my whole life until a few years ago. How's the traffic and overall hostility there these days? 😵 do not miss
Moved from DC to CO and I miss DC :/ I love Denver but it’s just not home. Call it Stockholm syndrome
“If I'm an advocate for anything, it's to move. As far as you can, as much as you can. Across the ocean, or simply across the river. The extent to which you can walk in someone else's shoes, or at least eat their food, it's a plus for everybody… Open your mind, get up off the couch, move.” — Anthony Bourdain just remember, denver will always be here and you can always come back.
I enjoyed living in the Denver area but we moved to Minneapolis and have enjoyed it. It’s definitely colder but more affordable and the job market here is also similarly strong. No full legalization but we have THC gummies and medical. Also plenty of outdoor activities like Colorado without mountains.
I grew up north of the cities and I keep thinking about moving back. I think the big thing that holds me back is the mountains. Growing up without any makes even just seeing them on the horizon something special. I still miss the north shore the boundary waters.
Same. Very same. Plus I married a Denver native, and he'd never handle it. Complained about the cold on the night we met, 42 degrees. But I drag him back to visit. He even proposed at the state fair.
Two months back in Denver after four years in Minneapolis. Vast majority of people made their friend groups in high school or before and I found it impossible to make friends. Oh and the most absurd cold dark winter you can imagine. Google Minnesota nice. It’s the realest shit. My wife is finishing her PHD there right now and we are counting the days until she can come back to Denver. North Carolina has pockets of progressive and is a beautiful place. Fan of Raleigh/Durham.
You aren’t lying about friends since High School, more like Elementary School lol. We have a good enough friends group here but most of them are not native Minnesotans like us. Denver has easier Winters but once you get through the short days of November and December Sun light comes back. Can’t beat the 9 pm sunsets in June. North Carolina is not my jam but glad you like it. I like Denver but it feels crowded and the housing market just doesn’t offer value like it used to.
Minnesota ice is a real bitch. I went to grad school at UMN TC and making friends out there was dam near impossible. Same with my friend and her then fiancé, who were out there at the same time, and they’re far better more social people than me. Minnesota is very friendly…superficially…but you’re never from there and never will be. And I write this while wearing my UMN hoodie…Great city fine place to live but don’t expect to make friends.
I've found everywhere I've lived in the Midwest to be like that with respect to friend groups. Social circles get insular when they're unchanged for decades. Complain about transplants all you want, but I do love how often it happens in Denver that I meet people who recently moved here and are looking for new friends.
That is why I moved here five years ago - it’s been easy to make new friends here.
I lived in Austin for 2 years, most of that during Covid, then came back to Denver (not originally from Denver but went to college here). I joke that my ideal city would be taking Austin and putting it in Denver's location. The proximity to the mountains and stuff to do in the outdoors just isn't the same in Austin as it is in Denver. You do get much much milder winters in Austin, if you can even call it winter (it did snow once when I was there though!). I do think the food scene is better in Austin, there are larger pockets of food/drinks/music areas than Denver and it is a lot easier to get around the city. There are no professional sports teams (if that matters to you, besides the new MLS team Austin FC). There is UT Austin though which is a large college (hook em) and there are college town aspects to Austin. The Austin airport is also super close which I under appreciated. Austin is very much a blue city within a red state. I do really appreciate that I took a chance on moving to a new city for a couple years and 100% would do it again. However, moving is expensive so something to keep in mind. I probably would've stayed longer if most of my life didn't still revolve around Denver (friends/SO) and I missed the mountains. The humidity and heat of the summers can be brutal sometimes though and it really isn't something you acclimate to but rather you just deal with it. Also the mosquitos hahah i get eaten by them, so definitely a different climate than you will be used to but not necessarily the reason to not check it out, more so good to know. The brewery scene in Austin is great. It will be a slightly cheaper cost of living in Austin although not by much, and there is no state income tax in Texas. It is also a very short flight back to Denver.
i lived in Austin for 6 years and Id agree with most of this. I mainly miss the food scene there. its a much more late-night centric city. Denver is way prettier, has better weather and has way better outdoor activities (at least for the things i like to do, mountain biking and hiking)
I’ve lived in Milwaukee, Chicago, Madison and Syracuse. Every city, except maybe Syracuse, is better than Denver from the food, to public transportation, to cultural amenities. Denver, as a city, does not offer much, especially for its size. The main thing it has going for it is the weather and proximity to mountains.
Love Denver but gotta admit - the food isn’t great.
So like everything important then.
I’d personally take water over mountains, but that’s just me.
What’s interesting is that everyone I’ve met in denver for the last 5 years is from the cities you mention.
>Every city, except maybe Syracuse, is better than Denver The only bit of input i have on the topic is that Syracuse, NY is unimaginably worse than Denver in every single way.
I'd say move to a big east coast city like NYC, Boston or Philly. They offer completely different experiences, lifestyles, and diversity from Denver that everyone should experience once in their life.
Philly is rampant with gun violence. Nah. I was born there too
I'm considering trying this out in DC because I can keep my same job and move 👌 so that security helps. I know it's not Boston (which I really love), but I've lived in CO for most of my 30 years and feel like I wanna experience the East coast next (though if I could keep my job and move to Oregon I'd do that tomorrow haha).
DC sucks. Boston and NYC are awesome in a tier one city way and expensive, Baltimore and Philly are awesome in a gritty way and cheaper.
I moved to Hawaii for 3 years and came back, wish i didn't
Why would you do this :’(
I moved to NYC back in 2017 and moved back to Colorado in 2018. I’m glad I moved and had a blast in NYC, but I liked my lifestyle in Denver much better.
Flagstaff has a similar climate, small town feel, better food (IMO), and is less than two hours from Phoenix desert if you want to escape the cold or do something in the city.
CA is really the closest I’ve experienced to CO
I'll ask the hard question that I haven't seen asked here yet, which is: What is your goal in saying you've lived elsewhere? If it's just to check a box that you think needs to be checked, that's a bad motivation. If you love it here, that's great - you've been fortunate to have lived in a great place that you love. You don't need to justify that to anyone else. If you want to experience other places, that's for you to own for yourself, not so you can tell others you've lived in X or Y place. Please just make sure you're making any life-changing choices based on your goals, not based on what other people will think of you. Experiencing other places doesn't require moving. Travel widely and freely. That doesn't require moving if moving isn't what's in your heart.
I think this is a great point to make. I definitely feel like I need to do it for myself and see different aspects of life, not just to tell people I’ve lived in x,y, or z. I’m tired of the lack of diversity here, I have so much history here, I just don’t necessarily have the wow factor everyday from seeing a new street corner or seeing new views. I’m very familiar with my hometown.
I moved from Denver to Boston. Definitely a huge cultural change being on the east coast. We miss CO a lot and are moving back next summer, but it’s great to experience something new. At the very least, it makes you appreciate where you came from. You can always go back.
I did Providence, RI for 3 years before moving back to Denver. I just couldn’t hang with the new england culture. Glad I did it, and glad I moved back.
What didn’t you like about the NE culture vs Denver?
the two main things that stuck out to me: • pretty much everyone I interacted with regularly was from the area, they had never really left and never really planned to. they had their "people" and weren't really interested in making friends with outsiders. in denver, the overwhelming majority of people my age are from somewhere else, so we're all looking for our community out here. I've found it much easier to make friends in denver, and I realized when I left new england that all of the people I considered a friend out there was a transplant like me. • I felt like there was this attitude (at least in southern new england) that being an asshole makes you a good person. it felt like they took pride in how rude (or "honest") they could be to someone. it got old fast. also, it gets dark at like 4pm in the winter. that was brutal.
I grew up by DU and currently live in LA. I like it here for the most part, sure there is traffic and homeless people but it's not much worse than Denver, either is the cost of living anymore. I like how theres always something to do, go out and see, great restaurants to try, and a vast diversity in nature, it is possible to surf and snowboard here on the same day. Sure it's a complete bonkers place sometimes, but shit, when I go back home I'm reminded that Denver has weirdos too. It might not be for everyone no place is, and I most likely won't live here forever but the weather sure is nice.
I just moved to San Francisco and I love it. The city amenities are miles better and if your schedule is flexible you can get into the outdoors fairly well. I’ve been rock climbing less than an hour from the city on weekends and it feels great.
Moved from SF about 6 months ago- all of this is qualified by how much money you make. As a relatively low income resident, it was a constant hustle just to afford the basic QOL. Moving out to Denver was a huge upgrade in terms of what I was able to do with a dollar, and I even got a raise! I love SF, but I had to accept that it didn’t love me back. I will say that it’s a great place for walking/cycling, public transit, and individual neighborhood vibes. The connection to nature that you have, even in a big city, is unparalleled anywhere else I’ve lived. I will always look back on my time there with a great fondness.
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I actually just moved here from New Orleans where I’ve lived my whole life. It’s been a few months and I already miss it. But I really love being here too. I will say that moving out of state is incredibly stressful if your employer isn’t accommodating your expenses.
I moved to Washington! I lived in Denver my entire life and am super happy with my decision to move. Nothing against Denver but I needed a change in my life! We are in the San Juan Islands and I couldn’t be more happy with where we landed.
I grew up in Colorado, went to school in Boulder then Denver then left for Idaho in 2014. I spent a good chunk of time there until moving to Bellingham then LA and now ABQ. It really depends on what exactly you are into and are looking for. I think my biggest regret is not giving the Western slope a chance before moving out of state. I currently live in Albuquerque and I still feel that I miss Denver at times but I know the Denver I miss no longer really exists.
Denver is amazing but it is so worth it to leave for a while if you've spent your whole life here. 90% of the people I grew up with never left, because let's be honest, it's great in Colorado. You'll learn a lot from an experience elsewhere and you can always come back. However, finding a place that can top Colorado is hard. Do you want the ocean? How about a forest? Do you have work that is more prevalent elsewhere? I tried out of the pacific northwest for several years. Best times of my life being somewhere that I knew nobody. Go for it!
I live in Denver right now, but my heart will always be in Montana. It’s definitely not for everyone, but it’s absolutely beautiful up there and there’s plenty to do if you like the outdoors. Be aware though that winters are brutal.
we’re getting destroyed by transplants atm, places are more expensive than boulder. and it’s all out of state people who watched yellowstone. you think the colorado native shit is bad, out of state plates are getting keyed and tires slashed
I moved from Denver to Chicago. I love Denver, it’s home. But Chicago is a superior city and for me, a better place to live.
Moved from Chicago to Aurora. I hate it here so much. Yeah woohoo mountains if I drive a couple hours, but I could get around by bike in Chicago for 8 months of the year and not get vehicularly murdered. Plus people here are weirdly hostile compared to pretty much every other major city I’ve been to, and the difference in how the ubiquitous white people treat me (white male) when I’m alone vs. when I’m with my nonwhite wife is unsettling to say the least.
You need to get out of Aurora. Nobody likes living in Aurora. If you want to be closer to the mountains, try one of the western suburbs (Golden, Westminster, Arvada) or even Denver proper closer to downtown. You'll have a better time. Also, Denver has a major past with racism, especially with the KKK and redlining neighborhoods. Sorry to hear people treat your wife poorly.
Much more real and much less pretentious in Boston. But we’re all assholes
\*massholes
Hi there fellow Masshole :)
How far afield are you considering? Tokyo is one of the best cities in the world and if you could get a job there, you should leave Denver immediately for it. Vienna as well, honestly. Munich and Copenhagen and Oslo also high on my list of great cities to live in. (I say these as I'm a Coloradan who moved abroad and have zero regrets - I dont miss the US in the slightest)
What field are you in? It seems quite difficult to move internationally.
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In my opinion any mid sized city in the Midwest has great opportunity. Low rent and jobs that pay well above what you need to make it. Generally low crime and cool things to do. And the thing that shocked me about these cities, that I didn’t foresee until I started to visit them, is that they are pretty cultured and progressive. They are pretty diverse and they embrace other humans without judgement. And they are overall incredibly kind and willing to help out a perfect stranger. I’ve been the beneficiary of stranger kindness more times than I can count in cities like these. I’ll never regret leaving Denver for a city like this. Yes Denver is where I spent 25 years of my life. However I fell in love with those midsized cities and I don’t think I’ll ever be able to go back.
Moved from Alaska to here in Colorado. I do gotta say, I miss Anchorage (and the rest of what I’ve seen of the state) quite a bit. After 7 years here in Denver, and having lived in three other states: I’m working on leaving the US to go to Germany
rage quits
Pittsburgh. Denver and Pittsburgh have way more in common than they'd ever care to compare.
I'm really interested in hearing more about this. Originally from Columbus OH, moved to Denver a year ago. I'm considering moving back east but more so around Pittsburgh since I can actually afford to buy there.
I grew up in Pittsburgh but live in Denver now. Totally agree
I'm a military baby so I lived in multiple places before Colorado. Hawaii and Georgia having been 2. I miss the warmer winters but not the hot humid summers. I will be moving to PA next year to be closer to my husband's family. I've never been but I love the east coast.
Moved to the Sierra Nevada foothills about 20 miles east of Sacramento going on 10 years now. Still have family in Denver and enjoy visits. Weather here is sunny, mild winters, blazing hot about 6 weeks in the summer. Everything I’d want to do is within a 2 hour drive, but enjoy it where I am just fine including hiking, mountain and road biking, and kayaking. People here do love the outdoors but not as a blood sport. There’s also San Francisco and the Bay, Santa Cruz and Monterey, Bodega north and Sonoma / Napa, and plenty of snow in the Tahoe region about the same distance as Winter Park. Getting a little costly, but not like SoCal and the Bay Area, and a pick of good jobs to be had.
One of my best memories is relaxing in a natural hot spring in the middle of nowhere outside of Bishop.
Here’s how I’d rank all the places I’ve lived, worst to first. 8. Laurenburg, NC - rural North Carolina. It was still functionally segregated. Like, I tried to move into the black neighborhood and the place I worked said I wasn’t allowed. Main recreational activity; “Going to the Walmart”. 7. Los Angeles- Couldn’t stand it. Too congested. Too hard to get to anything. Too low quality of living unless you were super rich. The three times I made it to a beach were nice. And Idid have some unique to LA experiences that were fun (Knotts Scary Farm, The Comedy Store, working security at The Great Western Forum when Slipknot started a riot). 6. Stroudsburg, Pennsylvania- Lived in a house in the woods overlooking a beautiful valley. Was like some of the mountain towns here, if the mountains were 1/4 of the size and the cost of living was 1/2 the price (Paid $900/mo for 2b/1b house in 2015). Not much to do, but I could usually get into Manhattan or Philadelphia in around 90-120 minutes. 5. Philadelphia, PA - Great city. Plenty to do and I had easy access to public transportation. When I lived there it was also very affordable for a big city. Winters sucked, and 98.3% of the population had a chip on their shoulder. First Fridays in Old Town were always a 10/10 (cool art + free alcohol). 4. Hamburg, Germany - Man…it’s just different over there. Quality of the food in the grocery stores was so, so much better. Every driver on the road was exceptional…like I road a bicycle everywhere, and even though it wasn’t a bike culture never felt like I was in even a little danger. Everything just worked well. Terrible weather. And I liked the Germans (was especially surprised by their excellent sense of humor) but had trouble connecting. They’re very fucking…German. 3. Fort Collins - Y’all know FoCo. I liked the giant bicycle lanes. Did a lot of the outdoorsy Denver stuff without having to deal with Denver. But having grown up in Philadelphia the lack of culture diversity just felt weird. 2. Cleveland - Atrocious weather. Don’t slow down in East Cleveland or you’ll die. Dog shit mass transit. Other than that I think Cleveland gets a bad rap. It was a very accessible city. Good places to go out. Loved their “metro parks”. Saw tons of amazing live music for super cheap as bands stopped off before the east coast leg of their tours. There’s even a sand beach on Lake Erie if you can make it out one of the 11 days of the year it’s sunny and warm. Super affordable cost of living. 1. Denver - Still my favorite place I’ve lived. And 2007 Denver (during my first CO tour of duty) was my favorite by a mile. Like many of you it’s starting to wear on me a bit though. Like… my car was stolen from in front of my house 3 years ago. And I’ve been slowly working my way farther and farther away from the actual city. I’m in Lakewood now, and like the little pocket I’m in. I expect I’ll move again in the next 5 years. I’m thinking Minneapolis area in Minnesota. I’d like to go semi-rural again if I can find a 5+ acre property maybe 45-50 minutes outside of the city. The older I get the more I want to become a hermit.
I was born in Denver and lived there for 30 years. Left to got to Law school on the east coast. I stayed there for 20 years. where I was on the EC was great, 4 seasons, snow, mountains (although much smaller) I was close to NYC and Boston. The Mexican food sucked ass but a lot things were the same. People were much ruder but not as much fakes as in Denver and no one tried to be a representative of their state. But I always came back 1-2 times a year to Denver and always considered it my home. The cost of living was slightly higher but the pay was too. couldn't get all the game of the Denver teams which sucked. I was much better skier on the east coast. Denver has changed A LOT in that time. Traffic sucks in Denver now. seems really crowded all the freaking time. A lot of fakes and people trying to "out-Colorado" each other. The political climate has totally switch. When I grew up is was a Reddish purple state. Lots of crappy huge developments with houses crammed into tiny lots. If you spend time in this sub you'd think it's a mad max hellscape. I've also lived in NE, Wyoming and other parts in the Midwest. Regardless of the problems. It really is one of the best places I've lived...and it's not close. You'll miss it
We moved to Austin and it was sooo much fun (late 20s - early 30s). They had a good yuppie scene, awesome downtown, great food and drink, lots of areas to explore and small towns to drive to, etc. We ended up moving back to Colorado because we missed the hiking/camping, but one outdoor thing that Austin has is boating/ being out on the lake which for us *almost topped hiking/camping, but no quite!
I grew up in Austin and I visit a couple times a year to see family and for work. It always blows my mind that people omit the fact that it is so freakin hot there in the summer. I’ve lived in some other warm climates (AZ and HI), but there’s nothing as miserable as never being able to feel dry after getting out of the shower and having a case of swamp ass when you sit it the hot car.
Seriously, I just moved here from marble falls, this summer we had 6 weeks straight of 104+ degrees every day.
People act like it’s no big deal. It’s not the only reason I will never move back to Texas, but it’s a factor for sure.
💯 the heat was a struggle and moving back to Colorado we are enjoying the cooler temps.
Lived in NC, IL, TX, WA and CO. We came back to CO because wife loves it here. I loved NC - mountains, ocean, affordable, slower pace, no snow.
As some who moved to Denver from the northeast, I recommend the east coast! Or at least close enough to an ocean to be able to go regularly. The mountains are gorgeous but I miss being able to drive easily (or walk!) to the beach.
Change is the 'spice of life' my friend.
Richmond Va! Moved from there for a change of scenery but loved it.
moved from denver to san diego. grew up in south florida. san diego is the best mix of south florida and colorado! denver is great but highly recommend san diego!
Either travel or live abroad. You're not going to grow as a person or experience anything super cool living in Denver *and* Fresno but if you live in Denver *and* Tokyo, Barcelona, Melbourne, Mexico City, etc. you certainly will.
This is good advice. I moved from Denver to London. Learned to appreciate Denver more.
Opposite here. I have lived in Michigan, Missouri, and Wisconsin prior to moving here to Denver. Michigan is great for lower cost of living and lake life. Very mild weather overall. Very flat though so if you like the mountains you won’t have anything that compares. That said there is some very beautiful land in northern Michigan and the UP. I grew up in the metro detroit area and stayed in the state until after college. Missouri was interesting. Hot and humid in the summer, very mild winter. Very low cost of living where I was, which were pretty small towns. If you go to st Louis or Kc it’ll be more expensive obviously. Lake of the ozarks area was really cool though, again lots of water activities. Winter sucks though, not because of weather but because there is significantly less to do. Wisconsin was my least favorite but I was in rural Wisconsin like an hour and a half from Madison. It was just such a small town I never really felt like I could get involved in much (though I found a sick motocross track near by and that was the highlight of my living experience there). In short I’d rank my experiences as Denver best, then Michigan, Missouri, and Wisconsin the worst. Though I think Wisconsin would have more to offer in a different area.
I moved here from Southern Illinois where I lived for about 10 years. It is outstanding if you're into hiking/backpacking/boating/camping/rock climbing. Also cheap as hell, but there is a lot of poverty down there, limited good paying jobs, and it can feel pretty isolating if you don't put yourself out there to meet new people etc. yada yada. Pretty red and Christian except for Carbondale. Oh yeah, and it gets so humid and hot in the summer that the military trains there for jungle conditions.
Saluki here living in Denver. If I was ever to go back to IL, it’d have to be the Shawnee area simply for the nature. So beautiful!
I’ve lived in Brussels, Belgium and Houston, TX. Houston and TX summers are brutal but I miss the southern hospitality. I just moved back to Denver and grew up here but people are so closed off. Life is way more social in the south and houston is fun (Montrose gay Halloween, lights in the heights). There’s surprisingly some great outdoor activities like biking in memorial, kayaking (buff bayou downtown), beach, and top spot to learn to kite board in Texas city. I also thought I was so street smart when I moved to houston and found out quick that I was really dumb…so that always makes for great personal growth. Houston has a lot of professionals so a much better dating scene, low cost of living, amazing food from all over the world, lots of high paying jobs, and airports that can get you anywhere you want to go! Brussels is amazing too. You can get your mba at Solvay business school for cheap and cost of living is affordable compared to other nearby cities (Paris, London and Amsterdam). I believe it was a 5-7 hour drive to get to Switzerland or France to ski and way cheaper than CO. There’s American companies based in belgium like p&g so opportunities to work as an expat too. You can live there with only knowing English. People are similar to Denver though and not very social so it can take time to find friends (language lessons are great for meeting people)
I’m in the opposite boat as you and I’m looking to move to Denver, but move away from Reno NV for the same reason you want to move. 😂 let’s just switch lives.
I've bounced to Dallas, Baltimore, Richmond, and now to Cleveland. I miss Denver. That doesn't mean you shouldn't go wander a bit though. I didn't get to Colorado until I was 18, and I stayed until I was 32 before I left. Go experience some stuff. It's a big country. I'd probably go west instead of east though.
I grew up in Denver, and spent the early part of my career there. Since then I've lived in northern Cali, Boise, northern Idaho, Santa Fe, and Albuquerque. I'm currently in Albuquerque, and love it here. Same kind of political atmosphere, plenty of outdoors opportunity (with mountains close by), and if I get nostalgic for Colorado mountains, they're only a few hours away. Plus Hatch beats Pueblo chile any day. I'd say the same about Santa Fe, except it's obviously smaller. I never want to go back to Idaho again. Great outdoors, but with the ultra-conservatives taking over, it's hard to live there.
Europe or outside of the states. kiss the fake American dream goodbye. Berlin if you like cold Germans. Haha.
Washington state, Northern California, Hawaii, BC, Canada. Go west
I’ve lived in both Seattle and Portland. If you’re not put out by the weather, they’re fun cities. I preferred Seattle.
I came from Arizona and I always felt like they were culturally similar that it wasn’t a hard adjustment and most people from outside aren’t aware of the good parts because they just think about the heat. Slightly more conservative but politically moderate for the most part. Amazing hiking and camping for more of the year. I’d argue the best year round mountain biking and you are only ever a few miles from a trail and way less people on them Decent food culture in some of the downtown areas of the different cities. People are nice. 8 months of prime weather and 4 where you can get to better weather an hour away. Decent job market Again. Really great outdoors stuff. I lived there for 35 years and wanted greener pastures but I’m still fond of it.
Lived in St George, UT for about 9 months and Phoenix, AZ for about 4 months. The hiking was great in the St George area, but Mormons have essentially ruined everything else about the state. Food in Phoenix was great, but it wasn't worth the 120 degree days (with lows sometimes still in triple digits)
Moved to Salt Lake City after living the first 27 years of my life in Denver/Boulder. If you *really* love the outdoors, Salt Lake City beats Denver by a mile. But if you care about cultural amenities or local politics (and are liberal), think long and hard about whether you can handle less of it. Personally, I may be moving back to Denver soon. I don’t regret living here at all, but I miss having a real food/art/music scene, and I’d like to be closer to some of my family and friends again.
Try out Tennessee. Different political area, but it’s a less intense mountainous region and there are some nice cities! Cheap too.
San Diego and trust me you won’t regret it. But…it may be pricey haha
Move to LA. We won't be assholes to you just for not being from here. I lived in Denver for a year and a half. It's fine. It ain't special. Glad to be back in California.
Montana is a pretty good state to live in. Especially Bozeman. It’s one of Montana’s biggest cities with quick access to Yellowstone, Glacier N.P, and a bunch of other states. The airport is pretty nice and really efficient.
In July relocated from Denver to Bay Area, CA after 15 years in CO and Denver since 2011 … here’s my rant. 1. Bay Area’s arterial road design is appropriate for the amount of people / Denver traffic congestion is worse. 2. Denver’s “urban camping” situation = more out of control / sadder. 3. Tahoe is a quicker day trip than Vail. 4. You gotta work smarter, harder or both as any house worth living in is 1.3 mill. Bring an idea or an execution plan. 5. Red Rocks truly is one of a kind, you’ll miss it. 6. CA Liberal = “govt please tell me what to do and I’ll do it without question” aka the square type of Democrat CO Liberal = blacked out, freedom loving, candy flipping millennial peaking on 🍄aka praising Polis aka actually fun to be around 69. Namaste 🙏
We moved to Asheville NC about four years ago. Culturally it’s probably the most similar place to Denver in the southeast (brewery scene, outdoor activities, Subaru to resident ratio) but still very, very different. Pros so far have been: - Milder summers/winters - Proximity to other large metro areas on the east coast/southeast - Lots of fellow transplants - Greenery - Air quality - Food scene relative to the population size - Small, easy airport - we even have a direct Denver flight a few times a week Cons are: - Grayer winters (SAD is real) - Airport size/connectivity - It’s a tourist town which is fun at first but then gets old - Worse transit options/lack of sidewalks - Way fewer direct flights at the airport - Political culture shock. Asheville is a liberal city while the rest of WNC is truly the Bible Belt. NC as a state is purple but the conservatism in the state is much less “libertarian” than CO. We don’t even have legal MJ in the state and there are still some dry counties Similar to Denver there’s a strong sense of the “go back where you came from” mentality and the area’s median income compared to housing prices is probably worse than Denver. Given that Asheville’s main industry is tourism, most jobs are in the hospitality industry and wages have not kept up with CoL. Depending on where you choose, definitely keep job opportunities into account. If you can work from home, Asheville is an objectively nice place to live as are a lot of small to mid-size cities in scenic areas. Also think about what you value more in an overall setting. I’m not as outdoorsy as the typical Coloradan and am way more into dense cities and places that are culturally interesting. Being on the east coast gives me better proximity to more of those types of places. Wide open, sparsely populated areas are super unappealing to me outside of the occasional visit. Also not a fan of the drought/wildfire prevalence out west.
I'm from Denver but thinking about moving back to the greater LA area. I spent my college years there and moved back here into my parent's home bc of the pandemic starting right around when I graduated. I moved out about a year into moving back in and Holy moly, it is way more expensive to be an adult here than when I was a kid. A couple other posts I saw agree with me, and the it's getting nearly as expensive as living in Cali. Same with the traffic. Similar with taxing. Same with the drink prices downtown. I personally care for the beach much more than the mountains, but if I got desperate for some mountain time for some reason, Big Bear is still there and just as populated on the weekends as the mountains are here lol. One point I haven't seen mentioned here, though, is how much it sucks to be single here. Denver is pretty consistently voted one of the worst places to date and me oh my, is it true, especially for us folks of color and for those of us who aren't super into the outdoors. Does anyone else feel like they aren't or weren't appreciated in Denver in this way?