Thinking about moving to Colorado? Get in line and fill this out….. (Denver: renting, houses)

[celes_18]

We get a lot of threads asking about why to move or not to move here to Denver and its suburbs so I thought it would be cool to start a threat for everyone who already took its plunge. Its a quick questionnaire I hope everyone joins in on

Where did you live before Denver?
Hawaii!!

Why did you choose Denver?
My mom moved us here and I was a teenager at the time.

What do you miss the most?
The ocean.

What does Denver have that beats your last town?
The urbanity, the mix of races and openness, the awesome job market and the public transportation!

and the dealbreaker....

Do you want to leave and why?

Yes I do see myself leaving eventually. I may buy a house first and save a bit of money but I see Denver/Aurora as I place to settle down and theres a few more things I want to do first. I miss the ocean and I love to travel overseas. The fly to the coast always costs extra time and money. But on the flip side I know when I leave I will eventually return because Denver/Aurora has a lot of the things I love including a really open and kind population. Denver/Aurora has some of the nicest people in any city I can think of other then back in Hawaii.

[formercalifornian]

Originally Posted by celes_18

We get a lot of threads asking about why to move or not to move here to Denver and its suburbs so I thought it would be cool to start a threat for everyone who already took its plunge. Its a quick questionnaire I hope everyone joins in on

Where did you live before Denver?
Hawaii!!

Why did you choose Denver?
My mom moved us here and I was a teenager at the time.

What do you miss the most?
The ocean.

What does Denver have that beats your last town?
The urbanity, the mix of races and openness, the awesome job market and the public transportation!

and the dealbreaker....

Do you want to leave and why?

Yes I do see myself leaving eventually. I may buy a house first and save a bit of money but I see Denver/Aurora as I place to settle down and theres a few more things I want to do first. I miss the ocean and I love to travel overseas. The fly to the coast always costs extra time and money. But on the flip side I know when I leave I will eventually return because Denver/Aurora has a lot of the things I love including a really open and kind population. Denver/Aurora has some of the nicest people in any city I can think of other then back in Hawaii.

1) Maryland (before that it was California)
2) Job opportunity
3) The Smithsonian
4) Family
5) Yes, my husband and I plan to retire to northern California because it's our favorite place in the country.

[WestCoDude]

Where did you live before Denver?
My mom's tummy?

Why did you choose Denver?
I didn't. It chose me.

What do you miss the most?
Having a 24/7 food/nourishment supply.

What does Denver have that beats your last town?
Denver has mountains. And lots of cash. Amazing churches. Family and friends. And the world's most awesome football team. Beyond that....it's just another city.

and the dealbreaker....

Do you want to leave and why?

I DID leave. I left because I had spent all my life in Denver and wanted to see something else. So I moved to St. Louis--from one of the most scenic, breathtaking cities to.....yeah. To St. Louis. But you know what? It was a great idea and I haven't really looked back much. Don't get me wrong--Denver is a wonderful place. But it's far, far from perfect. There has been a serious movement away from the traditional pro-family, low tax sort of state towards...well...California. I never thought I'd see the day that Californication becamse noticeable in the every day lives of Coloradans. In the midwest you find that amazing wholesome, down-to-earth, family/faith/country, just-workin'-to-feed-my-family type lifestyle. People here aren't concerned about their new Hummer or set of skiis. They don't use ski passes as status symbols. And they don't care if what they eat is organic or not--they're just thankful that they've got something to eat at all.

I've heard Denver described as a giant frat party before. And I think that's really accurate. It's just not very grown up--it hasn't LIVED in the same way that the midwest has. And so....I stay.

[cowboyxjon]

Where did you live before Denver?
Redondo Beach, CA (but I grew up in Pennsylvania, so I'm not a CA native)

Why did you choose Denver?
I had an excellent job opportunity, visited the area, and decided to give it a try!

What do you miss the most?
friends, the ocean, palm trees, and the golden-brown mountains.

What does Denver have that beats your last town?
reasonable cost of living! I never had any extra money for trips, etc., when I lived in California -- I was in this great place but hardly ever had extra money to take advantage and fully enjoy what it had to offer. There are only so many things that can be done for free. Gas is expensive, etc. I also feel like it's easier to make friends here and I of course enjoy the weather (seasons!) and the mountains.

and the dealbreaker....

Do you want to leave and why?
Yes, eventually, but not because I hate Denver. I love it. I'm young, have no children, and would love to experience living in a few other places before I really settle down. I'm interested in Montana right now, although I could see myself trying northern California, Utah, or southwestern Colorado as well.

[Katiana]

Where did you live before Denver?
Champaign, IL (but I grew up in Pennsylvania)

Why did you choose Denver?
My spouse had finished grad school and needed to look for a job. He had vacationed here a lot and wanted to live here.

What do you miss the most?
Green, leafy trees, especially in the fall. The corn fields of Illinois, believe it or not.

What does Denver have that beats your last town?
In Champaign, it was always hard to find things in the stores. So much more variety here.

and the dealbreaker....

Do you want to leave and why?

We did leave once, when DH was laid off. We went to Albany, NY. I liked it. We had an opportunity to come back, and took it.

[flyingbuffalos]

OK, so I don't live in Denver (until next week) so here's my take:
Where did you live before Denver?
Temple, TX. I have also lived in Austin, Copperas Cove, and Killeen. I grew up in Lawton, OK.

Why did you choose Denver?
When I was little, we spent several vacations in Estes Park. My aunt and uncle moved to Denver in 1972. I've always loved it. Something about seeing the mountains and the prairie just moves me. I've been in Texas since I was 17; I never wanted to spend the rest of my life in Texas. I've always wanted to move to Northern New Mexico or the Denver area. I got a great job offer, so here I come. By myself, for now. Husband and family are staying in TX while I make sure I really love the new job, and don't die at that altitude.

What do you miss the most?
I will miss my friends and family. I won't miss the heat, humidity, flat landscape, and bugs. Central TX has the added benefit of all the humidity, and it turns just as brown as the Colorado plains in the summer.

What does Denver have that beats your last town?
Beautiful scenery. Urbanity. Diversity. So much to see and explore. My favorite relatives.

and the dealbreaker....

Do you want to leave and why?
I hope not. It's a good time to settle somewhere, and this is the part of the country that I have always loved. I'm looking forward to having seasons, instead of 1 or 2 weeks of winter, if we're lucky, and 10 months of summer. (The rest is spring and fall).

[nelumbo]

Where did you live before Denver?
Somerville, MA (DC area prior to that)

Why did you choose Denver?
A job.

What do you miss the most?
Humidity.

What does Denver have that beats your last town?
Cheaper housing.

Do you want to leave and why?
Yes. Chronic sinus problems, isolation, climate (too dry and too much snow), lack of green.

[denverian]

Where did you live before Denver?
Orange County, California

Why did you choose Denver?
We lived here in the early '90s and liked it. It was a familiar city with a dry climate, mountains, and all the new development was a plus. We fell in love with Stapleton and realized we could buy an entire house for the same price we could sell our small condo for. We also like that Denver is a liberal, open minded city where we felt comfortable raising children.

What do you miss the most?
The ocean, palm trees, green trees in winter, the weather, Trader Joes.

What does Denver have that beats your last town?
Cheaper housing prices, less traffic, easy access to urban ammenities.

and the dealbreaker....

Do you want to leave and why?

The cold and snow in winter. Although it's not that bad, I still don't like winter and we plan on retiring somewhere warmer. Maybe San Diego or Hawaii.

[HighlandsGal]

Where did you live before Denver?
Grand Rapids, MI

Why did you choose Denver?
My boyfriend's brother and sister live out here and we thought it would be fun to join them for awhile. I got a teaching job and that sealed the deal.

What do you miss the most?
I miss my family and friends, and I miss Lake Michigan and the beach

What does Denver have that beats your last town?
A MBL baseball team....GO ROCKIES (and Tigers!!)

Do you want to leave and why?
Someday we will leave and either end up by my family in GR or boyfriend's family near Rochester, NY. Being by family is most important to me once I have a family of my own.....

[rkb0305]

1) Fresno, CA
2) Cleaner air, lower housing cost
3) My family
4) Everything a big city has to offer, cleaner air
5) I don't see us leaving in the near future. if we do, it will be after we retire (like 30 years from now). It would probably be to be near our grand kids, or to be somewhere w/o snow, if we're sick of it by then.