Moving to Denver area from Florida (Westminster, Thornton: theatre, tornadoes, places to live)

[denver_hacker]

Originally Posted by bhcompy

Denver meets some of them, but I think the posterboy for what you are talking about is San Deigo.

I don't think San Diego is all that affordable compared to Denver though.

Denver does have cold winters. It's not like a midwest winter where the cold settles in and it's gray for months on end. The start and end of winter generally have the most snow & rain, with the middle part of winter usually being tolerable (we hit the high 60s this last Jan). We do get a ton of sunshine here, which melts off the snow very quickly. In fact, the city of Denver doesn't plow all the roads because it melts quick enough that supporting that kind of effort isn't worth it.

But the winter does cut down the growing season, we can get cold snaps early and late. There are a bunch of farmer's markets around, but the local produce doesn't start showing up until mid summer.

And Denver has extreme weather. We get hail, tornadoes, big thunderstorms, big snowstorms, etc. The temps in a year can range from 100F to 0F. But the storms generally fly by pretty quick and the extreme temps don't stick around.

Check out this site for weather history:

Denvers Climatological Information

The outdoor thing is a no-brainer - the mountains are a playground all year round. Biking is huge. Triathletes are all over. Running is huge. But if you're really into water sports, think twice about move here. There are very few bodies of water around and the ones that are here are tiny.

Pro sports are huge, with pro American football, soccer, indoor & outdoor lacrosse teams, hockey, basketball, and baseball. The football/outdoor lacrosse, basketball/hockey/indoor lacrosse, and baseball stadiums are all close to each other downtown.

Check out the Washington Park area - it's higher end with older homes, mature landscaping, nice big city park, mom and pop commercial strinp (Old S. Pearl & S. Gaylord St), close to the downtown.

[bhcompy]

Originally Posted by denver_hacker

I don't think San Diego is all that affordable compared to Denver though.

And that is very true, though there are affordable areas with decent commutes to San Diego that still have favorable weather to the northeast of the city in my research.

[Augie Daugie]

Originally Posted by Inmylife

Wife:

1. Job opportunities in sales. She currently works for a large company as a sales rep and would like to continue in the field.
2. Affordable living. I know this is all relative to each family but we cannot do a NYC or SF option if that makes sense.
3. Lack of extreme weather. We have lived in the Midwest where winter was so long and dreary and that was not pleasing. We now live in north Florida where it is so hot for so long that it has also become miserable, though not as bad as 5 months of dead trees and ice.
4. Good shopping options. In addition to great malls with Macy’s, Nordstrom, etc she would also like pockets of small, locally owned shops to explore.
5. Farmer’s markets or co-ops. In other words, fresh and locally grown produce.

Me:

1. Running and Biking opportunities. I am a marathoner and bike enthusiast. I am looking for both road and trail options for each activity. I also would like better running weather – too hot too long here in Fla.
2. Pro Sports atmosphere. I love attending games and being around folks who talk sports and live and die by their respective teams.
3. The ability to live in a mature neighborhood with trees and shade and character. Ability to have a yard for gardening. I enjoy landscaping and working the dirt.
4. Educated and open-minded citizens. This will likely be found in pockets of any decent sized city, I know, but some more than others?
5. Cultural opportunities: Museums, Theatre, Zoo, Aquarium, Orchestra, etc.

My opinion on some points.

For Your Wife:
Denver is obviously affordable in comparison to other cities out there. Winters in Denver are unbelievable. Lots of sunshine, with some snowy days blended in. We had a freakish February this year where temps often were in the high 70s and sunny. Lots of good shopping opportunities. Old Pearl is really nice. Highlands also has some good option. There are also plenty of great shops sprinkled throughout town. There is no food co-op in Denver. We do have many small farmers markets and some decent CSA options. Alternative (but for-profit) grocery stores are Sunflower, Vitamin Cottage and Sprouts. We also have a bajillion Whole Foods in town.

For You:
Colorado is a very fit state, see American adults getting fatter - Yahoo! News (http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20090701/hl_nm/us_obesity_usa - broken link). There are some good trails for biking in Denver, but significantly more off-road bike baths are located in Boulder County. I think that Denver's bike culture will grow significantly, especially after the bike sharing program is finally launched (see - Denver - The Latest Word - Denver's bike-share program launch pushed back to next spring to increase awesomeness).

Coming from California, people in Denver are sports nuts. They have a professional lacrosse team here. I didn't know such leagues existed. I moved here when the Rockies went to the World Series and I was surprised how excited people got - especially since the team has only existed for a little over a decade. People like sports here.

There are a lot of great homes to be had and plenty of garden enthusiasts out there. Pretty much every popular established neighborhood in the city has mature trees.

Like others have stated, there are educated people throughout the city.

Great cultural opportunities to be had. My highlights are the Botanic Gardens, the Denver Zoo, the Belmar Lab (now part of the MCA) and the Denver Art Museum.


I think you will find a number of neighborhoods to your liking. Given your interests, I'd recommend at least checking out the South Park Hill area. The 17th Ave Parkway is great for running - long, grassy strip flanked by large trees that runs into Denver's largest park, City Park. City Park is home to the Museum of Natural Science and the zoo. It also has great events such as the Jazz in the Park series.

There's my $0.02.

[blubrd]

I also think San Diego fits! Or maybe portland??

[Kibbiekat]

Depends on what you mean by "extreme weather." Haven't been there, but the other 2 cities have "extreme" heat and humidity, right? Denver has pretty extreme changes in the weather. It can be 80 one day and snowing the next, and that is not an exaggeration. We get frequent thunderstorms and, this year, tornadoes. A storm can dump a foot or more of snow, especially in the spring. Personally, I don't mind the weather here at all. It beats where I came from, and I would never live in the humid midwest or the south. But that's just me.

[Katarina Witt]

90% of what you are looking for can be found in any major city in the US. It's just a different 90% in each city. What you are looking for is chemistry. I'd suggest a visit out here to look around. A picture is worth a thousand words on CD.

[Drew303]

sandy eggo is definitely NOT a sports town.

[Augie Daugie]

I don't think California has a single sports town that would compare to Denver.

[Ofamfive]

This is great input!

We too are moving from West Palm Beach, FL to CO due to a job transfer. He too is a sales rep and we would like to stay in close proximity to the airport. Me, well... I'm the CEO of the household until all are in school. We have three boys under the age of 6. Therefore, we are looking for a community with good schools, a good Christian based pre-school, church, and an area with loads of children.

Both my husband and I are outdoor people and honestly, are somewhat relieved we are moving from the humid, hot climate. We love to hike, camp, explore, and enjoy shopping from time to time. We live simple lives.

The winters in FL are incredible, but the summers are horrible. Especially for three red-headed boys. We are originally from Ohio and love the 4 seasons. Like most, you get tired of the snow, but in retrospect are thankful for the seasonal changes. Our favorite time of the year is the fall and love football season!

Some have suggested Littleton, Evergreen, & Centennial. We looked at a rental home in Castle Rock and the RE agent was not cooperative at all. Hoping she is having a bad day and she does not represent the community. I've noticed, from this site anyway, everyone is very friendly... similar to the Mid-West.

More suggestions on areas to live are greatly appreciated!

[Katarina Witt]

Evergreen is not in close proximity to the airport.