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Having actually lived in both DFW and Denver, I can safely say you have no clue what you're talking about.
Keep in mind this is coming from a guy whose idea of fun is
Neither SLC nor ABQ have the same quantity of big-city amenities that Denver has. ABQ has great food, but its economy is a fraction the size of Denver's. SLC has fantastic outdoor recreation, but its nightlife is terrible, and at roughly 200k, SLC proper (the largest city in Utah) is about 1/3 the population of Denver proper.
The O.P. would be leaving a city that is twice the size of Denver with WAY WAY more amenities, desiring a different experience. Denver would provide a different climate, but it like Houston is a sprawling sunbelt city in the middle of the country, and way more isolated. There are many cities that provide a much stronger contrast to Houston than Denver, and I have spent plenty time in both Denver and Dallas: same boxy 1980s skylines, with relatively dead downtowns with adjacent more lively neighborhoods, Rino and LoDo in Denver, Uptown and Deep Ellum in Dallas. The difference is Dallas is way more diverse. Denver is kinda whitebread. If you want whitebread, SLC is more whitebread than Denver. If you want a less middle of the road whitbread kinda place, ABQ has much more local flavor. If the OP skis, Denver would be great, but in terms of urban living it is a much lesser Houston. We need more criteria. If I wanted a different experience to Houston, I would not stay in the middle if the country, I would head to the Bosh/Wash corridor or coastal California, unless there are compelling personal reasons to be in Denver...
The O.P. would be leaving a city that is twice the size of Denver with WAY WAY more amenities, desiring a different experience. Denver would provide a different climate, but it like Houston is a sprawling sunbelt city in the middle of the country, and way more isolated. There are many cities that provide a much stronger contrast to Houston than Denver, and I have spent plenty time in both Denver and Dallas: same boxy 1980s skylines, with relatively dead downtowns with adjacent more lively neighborhoods, Rino and LoDo in Denver, Uptown and Deep Ellum in Dallas. The difference is Dallas is way more diverse. Denver is kinda whitebread. If you want whitebread, SLC is more whitebread than Denver. If you want a less middle of the road whitbread kinda place, ABQ has much more local flavor. If the OP skis, Denver would be great, but in terms of urban living it is a much lesser Houston. We need more criteria. If I wanted a different experience to Houston, I would not stay in the middle if the country, I would head to the Bosh/Wash corridor or coastal California, unless there are compelling personal reasons to be in Denver...
Honestly, Denver sounds great to me through your characterization: Dallas with good scenery sounds good to me. I like Dallas a lot but the reason it's off the table is because I've spent a lot of time there and trying to get a fresh start would be hard to do since a lot of people know me there already. Also Denver is a big option because it's an energy hub and I'd be able to find work easily there. New Mexico is not even an option and the big coastal cities don't interest me.
Denver is like Dallas with mountains: capital of the western plains, capital of the southern plains. I like Houston better than both of them. If you want a different experience, I would try New York, Chicago, the Bay Area, Boston, Philly, Miami. If you want mountains, ABQ and SLC actually have mountains in the city rather than adjacent and are both cheaper and more fun than Denver in my experience.
I'm gonna disagree with just about everything here.
The O.P. would be leaving a city that is twice the size of Denver with WAY WAY more amenities, desiring a different experience. Denver would provide a different climate, but it like Houston is a sprawling sunbelt city in the middle of the country, and way more isolated. There are many cities that provide a much stronger contrast to Houston than Denver, and I have spent plenty time in both Denver and Dallas: same boxy 1980s skylines, with relatively dead downtowns with adjacent more lively neighborhoods, Rino and LoDo in Denver, Uptown and Deep Ellum in Dallas. The difference is Dallas is way more diverse. Denver is kinda whitebread. If you want whitebread, SLC is more whitebread than Denver. If you want a less middle of the road whitbread kinda place, ABQ has much more local flavor. If the OP skis, Denver would be great, but in terms of urban living it is a much lesser Houston. We need more criteria. If I wanted a different experience to Houston, I would not stay in the middle if the country, I would head to the Bosh/Wash corridor or coastal California, unless there are compelling personal reasons to be in Denver...
Denver to me isn't sprawling, in fact I think it's quite a bit denser than the Texas cities. I think Denver has more people living in downtown than any Texas city.
Leaving for allegedly greener pastures is pretty overrated. IMO having a home is really important. Transient experience-collecting is not what you hope it to be. If I could redo my 20s, I wouldn't have left my hometown.
Leaving for allegedly greener pastures is pretty overrated. IMO having a home is really important. Transient experience-collecting is not what you hope it to be. If I could redo my 20s, I wouldn't have left my hometown.
1 . You only live once. If you will regret never having an experience outside of Texas, then dont be afraid to give something else a try.
2. Really think about what you like and dislike about Houston. There are places you may like better, but there are likely a lot of places you will like less.
3. Most of the folks I've known who have relocated from Texas are a unique breed. They have an undying attachment to their home state which is stronger than those from other states I have met. They typically like places outside of Texas less well. Texas has a unique flavor all its own which cannot really be compared to other places.
4. If you are a young professional, your criteria will be somewhat different than a family with children. I should think you would prefer a place that is walkable/bikeable, has a vibrant downtown, is friendly and easy to make social connections, has career advancement opportunities, other singles, folks with similar ideals, someplace with decent weather and plenty of oportunity to get out into nature.
5. What is Denver like? Well it has changed a lot in the last decade. They call it the Green Rush onset by the legalization of marijuana which started economic stimulation and a rapid growth rate (75,000+ people/yr when you take out the numbers of outgoing). It has the lowest open inventory of homes in the US right now...a housing shortage. Prices are going up very quickly. Many already question whether it is already upside down. That is whether it is overpriced for what you get. Maybe it is, maybe it isnt.
6. Statistically most folks (41%) moving there are in their 20s with a college degree, and from California, Arizona Texas or Florida. A fact which does put you at a slight disadvantage as most locals are angry with them and blame them for the rapid growth, suburban sprawl, increased housing costs etc.
7. Parts of the metro are extremely liberal (Boulder) and others extremely conservative (Highlands Ranch)
8. Pluses: It is bikeable and walkable. It has easy access to the mountains for skiing and hiking. It has a pretty laid back personality and is friendly-ish, it gets 300 days of sunshine per year. It has mild-ish summers and mild-ish winters. It is the high plains dessert so there are not a lot of mosquitoes. It has the advantage of sounding cool when you tell people you are moving there.
9. Minuses: It is in the high plains desert. That means that its dry. Very dry. You will need to drink more water, slather on the lotion, and you might get nose bleeds. If you don't, you will likely wake up with a dry throat and nose. You will especially notice it coming from Houston. If you are not white, you might feel less comfortable than in Houston which is more diverse. People think Denver is in the Rockies, but there are a lot of parts of the metro where you really cant even see the mountains at all (Aurora) and it really isn't green. The landscape is desert-esque. It is isolated and a little waze from any thing else to visit without flying. Housing is expensive. You have to drive to get into the mountains and nature. With changing weather, it isnt getting cold enough in the winter to kill the pine beatle which is killing all the pine trees so that more and more instead of evergreens you get everbrowns. There isnt much water to speak of for recreation. There are lovely mountain lakes but they are too cold for swimming.
10. Houston traffic is worse, its more humid, it is way too big for my preference, there is no planned growth so its a little less attractive (not that Denver itself is the most beautiful city I have ever seen), It is way too hot in the summer. Houston is the place for the oil and gas industry (my husband works in the industry). But there are OGC jobs in Denver more so that many other metros. It seems that wages may be higher in Houston than in Denver for similar OGC jobs.
11. Would I leave Houston for Denver? Well, I am not a native Texan, but if those are the only two choices, I would choose Denver. But, I have a feeling, like most who move to Colorado, it will be a sojourn for you. Still, I am all for trying new things.
I'm a late 20s something lawyer who has never lived outside of Texas. I work in the oil and gas industry and opportunities here in Houston are plenty. I just passed the bar and I'm for the first time in life experiencing the young urban professional scene here in Houston and I'm really liking it. Problem is, I've lived in Texas my entire life and thinking that I might be missing out by not seeing what the rest of the country has to offer. Should I leave my hometown even if it means forgoing opportunities as well as missing out on what my friends/family are doing?
If you are thinking of moving to Denver, I would suggest doing it now while you're still young and single. After a year or 2 of living in Denver and you realize you don't like living there, you can still move back to Houston while you're still young.
To make leaving Houston easier on you mentally, you might consider it a temporary move, just to see what's out there. Tell yourself you'll give yourself a 6 months trial basis, or a year trial basis before you decide to move there permanently.
If you don't at least give Denver a try, once you get older and you look back on your life, you might be wishing you would have at least tried living somewhere else.
Don't NOT move because you are afraid of the unknown. I think it's human nature for most people to feel conflicted when they are thinking about moving a thousand miles away from their home, their family and their friends. They go back and forth in their minds whether or not to move. They ask different people for their opinions if you should move or not. You'll hear all sorts of different opinions and become even more conflicted on whether to move or not.
The best way to do it is stay positive and just move and let it play out. After you get to Denver and settled down a bit, invite your friends in Houston to come and visit you in Denver and show off the town and the entire region to them.
TBH, move further west than Denver if you can. Lots of people in Denver eventually move further west. Except the ones who moved from the west, but that's more economic than cultural. You'll understand if you move there.
Also, Denver has colloquially been known as "Menver" for years. Take it for what it's worth.
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