moving to the springs, then possibly boulder: jobs? place to live? location? (Denver: rent)

[sugaree__]

i am moving to the springs to live with my brother while i look for a job and a place to live. he recommends boulder, saying that i would love it and that i would have no problem finding a job and a place to live. i am a 29 year old single female. i have a bachelors degree and worked in a lot of various fields. i have not really found the job that really makes me tick, so needless to say, i am open to pretty much anything, provided it pays well. i assume i will be starting out waitressing or working as an administrative assistant somewhere. how hard is it to find jobs, and meet new people out there? i will have to find a place to live, and i would like somewhere safe and rent under 700 a month. if boulder is not going to fit this criteria, i am ok with it. i have been doing a lot of research on areas surrounding it and the springs, and not sure whats the best. i love being outdoors, hiking, camping, fishing, going to festivals and concerts. i love to ski although im not very good. i grew up in PA in a really small town and ive done the city thing before. im definitely more of an outdoors girl. so which town would be best to start looking? any advice is really appreciated, this is a huge step for me and im really looking forward to it!

[Mike from back east]

Most anywhere along the I-25 corridor will put in proximity to outdoor sports.

There are a LOT more concerts in the Denver-Boulder area than here, and five times the people, things to see/do, and lots more jobs and other opportunities. IMO you really NEED to be in Denver for your age group, meeting people and the like, and you can find a place in Denver for $700 if you dig deep enough, might even find a place in Boulder too.

[sugaree__]

thanks for your input mike. im really looking forward to the move!

[ryanjm]

29/m also moving to that area of the country in a couple of months. I hear everyone saying to live in Denver, but I've heard you can see a haze of polluted air over the city when you're high up on the edges of the city looking down on it. I'm moving out that way because I love the outdoors, and living in the middle of a huge polluted city sounds terrible to me. Not sure what the best way to experience all the city has to offer while not being stuck in the haze. Seems like you need to be at least 30 minutes outside of it to get above the pollution?

[Mike from back east]

Denver essentially sits in a shallow bowl, where the Great Plains bump up against the Rockies. With 2.5+M people, there is bound to be some brown air now and then. It really isn't much of an issue for most people.

[ryanjm]

^thanks Mike. Yeah, I just think pollution is one of those issues like organic food--you don't notice any ill effects from eating non-organic right away, but it's one of those things that perhaps 30-40 years from now they will realize that it's a key cancer causing problem. I feel the same way about dirty city air. In the future people might look back on this time period and say, "how did they think it was ok to breathe these fumes in every day?"

Anyway I'm looking at the Golden area now. Seems to be around 20-30 mins outside of the city and up above it.