Denver vs Vail?? (Aspen, Frisco, Breckenridge: rentals, condo, student loans) - Colorado (CO) - City-Data Forum

nurse24 · 05-22-2011, 10:45 PM

I am a young female and I have been wanting to move to colorado for a while. I am a nurse so I would like to be within 30 mintues to a hospital (with a childrens unit or L&D). I am trying to decide between Denver and Vail. I love to ski, but I also enjoy the city life. Does vail have much of a night life for a younger female? Are both of the cities fairly safe? Cost of living...any difference between the two cities? Is is pretty unrealistic to go skiing a lot when living in denver (even on a nurses schedule..working 3 days a week)? I am used to going out in the DC area, is denver fairly compairable? I also only know a few people out there (in CO), are both cities friendly and easy to meet people? Any answers would be great! Thanks!!

Katarina Witt · 05-22-2011, 11:06 PM

As a fellow nurse, I can tell you, you'll have a lot more job opportunties in Denver than Vail. Vail has, I think, one hospital. Denver has many, just google it. If you work 3 days a week you should have no trouble getting in a lot of skiing, even if you live in Denver. I should add, the nursing job situation is more competitive here than other parts of the country, but with current experience, you should do OK.

I'm beyond the "going out/nightlife" scene, but my daughter did a lot of that when she lived in Denver.

vegaspilgrim · 05-22-2011, 11:11 PM

It all comes down to where you can get a job. Exponentially more opportunities in Denver and the Front Range compared to Vail.

If you desire you can still go skiing a lot if you live in Denver, and it's MUCH easier if your work schedule allows you to go up on the weekdays instead of only weekends. It will definitely take more time, $$$, and energy though compared to if you lived right in a place like Vail, but if there's a will there's a way.

Count David · 05-23-2011, 01:58 AM

You do realize you're comparing a metro of 3 million to a town of 5,000 right?

Vail will not give you the city life, but there is an element of hoity-toity nightlife there.

Vail is completely safe. Denver has its good and bad areas.

Vail is unaffordable for most people. Denver is affordable for everybody.

Vail is in the mountains, Denver is not. If you're dead-set on living in the mountains, Frisco and Aspen have hospitals too.

sunsprit · 05-23-2011, 03:57 AM

While the first priority would be finding a job in your specialty ... with a much higher probability of that happening in Denver rather than Vail (the medical specialties are highly coveted jobs in Vail because of the allure of the mountain location) ...

It's much more likely that you'll find an income in Denver that allows you to have a reasonable standard of living and the opportunity to head to the mountains to ski on the days of your choosing. As noted above, better to have mid-week days off and travel on the off days rather than weekends; front range skiers really crowd the I-70 corridor up the hill and back on weekends.

Even with a good wage in Vail, the costs of living are pretty steep compared to Denver. It's most likely that you'll need shared accomodations ... roomates ... to have affordable housing in the Vail Valley, and to live in the core Vail area (from East Vail down through LionsHead) will be expensive. Downvalley is less expensive and has a shorter winter season, but then you have to commute to Vail, which isn't always very pleasant when you're on a work schedule.

You may find that your skiing will be limited simply due to needing to put in hours to make a living. At one point a few years ago, I had 4 nurses living in one of my Vail houses ... and they discovered that they needed second jobs to survive in the Vail economy; all waited tables for the tip income and the bustle of the social contact that work brought. The key issue is that the second jobs weren't an option for them to be able to afford to live in the area with car payments and other obligations (student loans, local costs of living such as acquiring top quality bicycles, ski gear, camping gear, etc).

Night life in Vail is typical of a resort community where it's party central for the tourists. If you crave time in bars, it's there for you ... There are other, limited entertainment opportunities through the year, ranging from movie screens to the music programs (outdoor concerts in the summer months). The big draw is the seasonal outdoor mountain activity right on your doorstep ... hiking, cycling, camping, backpacking, fishing ... close access to boating (Dillon Res), and then there's the winter activities.

Winter and mud season are much longer in the mountains at altitude than you'll find on the Front Range. Summers are cooler in the mountains, but also shorter time frame. It's not uncommon for highly variable weather patterns to set in the mountains for the summer months ... you'll find some years that you'll be dressing for warm weather and needing cold and wet weather clothing to get through a day doing outdoor activities as localized storm fronts move through.

Denver will offer many more entertainment choices than Vail, so if you crave nightlife ... this may be a better location. With all the outdoor activity in the area, and the reasonable access to the mountains readily available to you, too ....

Vail is definitely a lifestyle choice which may or may not appeal over the long term. There's a core community that has established itself there, but it's not necessarily a very affluent one compared to the images of folk with lots of disposable income with second homes in the area ... for the working class, it's more of a survival economy than one of affluence and leisure. The offsetting compensation is your access to a beautiful setting with all the outdoor activity right on your doorstep ... which only you can put a value on for your time.

wanneroo · 05-23-2011, 12:45 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by nurse24

I am a young female and I have been wanting to move to colorado for a while. I am a nurse so I would like to be within 30 mintues to a hospital (with a childrens unit or L&D). I am trying to decide between Denver and Vail. I love to ski, but I also enjoy the city life. Does vail have much of a night life for a younger female? Are both of the cities fairly safe? Cost of living...any difference between the two cities? Is is pretty unrealistic to go skiing a lot when living in denver (even on a nurses schedule..working 3 days a week)? I am used to going out in the DC area, is denver fairly compairable? I also only know a few people out there (in CO), are both cities friendly and easy to meet people? Any answers would be great! Thanks!!

I think the main thing to consider is Denver vs. Vail is like comparing apples and oranges. Vail for one thing is far from being a "city". Technically it has 3000 year round residents.

Because of the transient nature and wealth of 2nd home owners, it does have thing like the famous Steadman Hawkins clinic and a cancer center. A long time friend of mine has come to the valley twice and has never had a problem getting a job in her specialty. So it does have jobs, but nothing on the scale of Denver.

Vail has nightlife, but a lot of it is tourist traffic in winter and summer and the 20 something seasonal workers that go out on the town. But the difference is that there is really only nightlife around 6 months of the year, the rest of the time is off season or shoulder season and it's dead.

For skiing with Vail the mountain is right there, but with it comes a high cost of living. For what you could get a house for in Denver, you'll have a small condo in Vail.

pyrotech · 05-24-2011, 07:15 PM

I know you asked about Vail, but for your situation, I'd really recommend Frisco instead. The bars are cheaper, you're centrally located to all the Vail resorts in CO, gas is about $.30 / gal cheaper, and you don't have to put up with as many tourists. You'd be closer to Denver for when you want to go out and party for the night, and you wouldn't have to worry about whether or not Vail Pass is closed to see if you can even make it to Denver for the night.

I live west of Vail, and there were a few times this winter that my friends in Frisco / Breck went down to Denver, and I couldn't make it due to the pass being closed. That kinda sucked. As for nightlife though, there are a couple bars and a few restaurants, but if you're expecting clubs or live shows or anything, you won't find much of that up here. Vail puts on several free concerts and such throughout the winter and spring, which is pretty cool. There are lots of festivals in Summit County which are fun. I spend a lot of my time driving to Frisco or Breckenridge to hang out with friends there at festivals and all, and to fill up on gas. It's generally cheaper to drive the 40 minutes there, fill up, and drive the 40 minutes back than to fill up locally.

As for work and cost of living, I'd still go with Frisco. I've got a friend who is a nurse that lives and works in Frisco, and he's able to afford it with no problem. Looking at rentals doing a quick search, it's much more affordable than where I live, which is still cheaper than Vail.

Anyway, it depends on what type of lifestyle you want. If you like smaller crowds and mountain towns, don't go to Denver. If you like having lots of people around you and always having something to do, go to Denver.

nurse24 · 06-02-2011, 12:55 PM

Thank you everyone for your suggestions, awesome help! I think im now leaning toward vail or now frisco area

Dogmama50 · 06-02-2011, 01:01 PM

If you are leaning towards Vail, I know that the VVMC has seasonal housing available at a very low rate for the area. I'm not sure where it is or what it's like but it is available and may be a good solution until you decide on a permanent place. The hospital in Frisco may also offer it also, should be under the career section.