Need Help: Coloradians, Bring Me to the Finish Line (Denver: home, neighborhoods)

[tuckerfam]

Hi everyone,
I'm hoping someone can help me. Me and my husband have been thinking of moving out of the midwest for some time. We currently are in Appleton, WI. Appleton is a nice fresh little city outside of Green Bay. What we like most about it here is that it is a thriving city, with hosts of new developments of housing and businesses. However, we promised ourselves that we would move as we start our families, as we don't want to get "stuck" in the place that we were raised. It narrowed down to Colorado or North Carolina. We are 80% sure we want to move to Colorado - but there are a couple of things that we just can't seem to brush off. I know that these questions may have been posted before (I have read tons on these forums), however I'm looking for a more personal advice/answers for my situation. Please help us! So, here are our questions....

1. How brown is Colorado - more so Denver - ... really? (I've only seen a few pictures on the "sticky" threads, but wondering if people can post some pics of their neighborhoods or something to give me an idea of the "brownness" that most people complain about on these forums)

2. Are the people really as "high school / college frat" (when trying to meet and socialize) as depicted on these forums? (Me and my husband love to get out and socialize, we do make an effort to get involved with local events, school events, and other social efforts in the city - will that be looked down upon my locals?)

3. Will I miss Wisconsin? (Although WI can be only summer and winter with little in between, we like the green up here, and its just hard to leave what we know - in CO we will have no nearby support)

4. How family friendly are the cities? (In Appleton we have a lot of events that go on festivals, farmers markets, culture shows, and its nice to be apart of those.)

5. We are used to extreme weather, however for those of you that have lived in Denver for at least 5 years do you see the summers getting hotter?

6. Can you give me your top five trendy/hip/thriving cities in Colorado (if Denver, list suburbs outside of Denver), were the population is not as huge as the main sities of Denver/Boulder/Colorado Springs.

Thanks for all of your help in advance.

[ryanek9freak]

I sure wouldn't miss Wisconsin. I spent a few months there awhile ago.

COS isn't THAT brown. Most of the neighborhoods are decently treed, and people do water their grass, at least in my neighborhood.

Here's a pic of where I live, in early march.

[Neditate]

I can try to answer some of your questions. But first, you should know that it is "Coloradans" with no "i".
1) Colorado is much "browner" than what you are used to in WI. It's a semi-arid climate. Less rain, very little humidity.
2)
3) No one can possibly tell you if you will miss it. I imagine you'll miss your family. Having been raised in Wisconsin I can tell you that *I* haven't missed WI since I moved away in 1979. Sure, I missed my family and friends. But most of my friends and family have since moved too.
4) People here are not hostile to families . There are the same kinds of family oriented events/activities here that you enjoy there.
5) Winter here is nothing compared to Wisconsin winters. I've been back to WI a few times for Christmas and I was miserable. It does seem that the summers have gotten hotter here but there's NO HUMIDITY so the heat is not as oppressive.
6) I have to think about that question, don't have a top 5.

Good luck with your decision!

[bullfish15]

Originally Posted by tuckerfam

Hi everyone,
I'm hoping someone can help me. Me and my husband have been thinking of moving out of the midwest for some time. We currently are in Appleton, WI. Appleton is a nice fresh little city outside of Green Bay. What we like most about it here is that it is a thriving city, with hosts of new developments of housing and businesses. However, we promised ourselves that we would move as we start our families, as we don't want to get "stuck" in the place that we were raised. It narrowed down to Colorado or North Carolina. We are 80% sure we want to move to Colorado - but there are a couple of things that we just can't seem to brush off. I know that these questions may have been posted before (I have read tons on these forums), however I'm looking for a more personal advice/answers for my situation. Please help us! So, here are our questions....

1. How brown is Colorado - more so Denver - ... really?

Denver is irrigated, but for the most part, grass is brownish in open spaces and fields. The brown can be looked at by some as ugly or bad, but I have tried to appreciate it for what it is. It is aesthetic in a Colorado sort of way. Different... yes. Ugly... that's for you to decide.

2. Are the people really as "high school / college frat"?

No. It is like everywhere else... any other city. A lot of people paint Denverians with that broad brush. I think because a lot of people have moved to Denver and Colorado they don't feel like they're at home. A lot of people post on this site that everyone here is standoffish or not engaging but no one can say in what social setting this takes place. You can make friends at work, at a church, mingling with the kid's parents. When you move out of your hometown you don't have immediate family to hang out with, so it is all on you.

3. Will I miss Wisconsin?

You already know the answer to that. I don't miss my hometown or home state per se, but I miss the feeling of home to some extent. You can't just run to mom's for some spaghetti on Sunday afternoon. It's not green here like Wisconsin but this isn't Wisconsin. It is a different place. Long distance moves are not easy to decide on. You will have to deliberate as to having relatively perfect weather, a booming local economy, better paying jobs and beautiful scenery is worth leaving family and familiarity behind. For some it is too hard. That is a constant and will be the same no matter where you move to.

4. How family friendly are the cities?

There are lots of things to do. There are festivals and cultural events. Denver's entertainment might not be the same as Appleton, but it isn't un-family friendly. (I think "family friendly" is a platitude anyway. Where don't families exist?)

5. We are used to extreme weather, however for those of you that have lived in Denver for at least 5 years do you see the summers getting hotter?

I haven't been here more than 5 years but people everywhere say that summer is always hotter this year and winter is always colder. Weather worldwide is dynamic. Constance and weather don't mix.

6. Can you give me your top five trendy/hip/thriving cities in Colorado (if Denver, list suburbs outside of Denver), were the population is not as huge as the main cities of Denver/Boulder/Colorado Springs.

That's a tough one. It is personal preference. Keep in mind that outside of the front range (Ft. Collins, Denver, Colorado Springs and Pueblo) Colorado is very rural. You will get a few cities here and there. Wyoming today is what Colorado used to be. There are a lot of suburbs that are nice and trendy and in... I'm not much of an "in-crowd"er so I can't help you there.

[bullfish15]

Originally Posted by ryanek9freak

I sure wouldn't miss Wisconsin. I spent a few months there awhile ago.

COS isn't THAT brown. Most of the neighborhoods are decently treed, and people do water their grass, at least in my neighborhood.

Here's a pic of where I live, in early march.

So... Is that rusted up Ford in the first picture yours?

[ryanek9freak]

Originally Posted by bullfish15

So... Is that rusted up Ford in the first picture yours?

No that's my neighbor across the street. The red Dodge Ram is mine. So is the boat .

[tuckerfam]

Originally Posted by ryanek9freak

I sure wouldn't miss Wisconsin. I spent a few months there awhile ago.

COS isn't THAT brown. Most of the neighborhoods are decently treed, and people do water their grass, at least in my neighborhood.

Here's a pic of where I live, in early march.

Thank you for the pics. Yes, I've just heard some misconceptions on the site regarding the surroundings. This doesn't look out of the norm.

Originally Posted by Neditate

I can try to answer some of your questions. But first, you should know that it is "Coloradans" with no "i".
1) Colorado is much "browner" than what you are used to in WI. It's a semi-arid climate. Less rain, very little humidity.
2)
3) No one can possibly tell you if you will miss it. I imagine you'll miss your family. Having been raised in Wisconsin I can tell you that *I* haven't missed WI since I moved away in 1979. Sure, I missed my family and friends. But most of my friends and family have since moved too.
4) People here are not hostile to families . There are the same kinds of family oriented events/activities here that you enjoy there.
5) Winter here is nothing compared to Wisconsin winters. I've been back to WI a few times for Christmas and I was miserable. It does seem that the summers have gotten hotter here but there's NO HUMIDITY so the heat is not as oppressive.
6) I have to think about that question, don't have a top 5.

Good luck with your decision!

Thanks for your help with the formalities. I agree that I will just miss the familiarity of WI going to a new place, but moving is what we want right now. Its nice to know that WI winters will not be missed by us either...we had a lot of -40 degree days and nights last year which were horrid. Thanks for your comments.

Originally Posted by bullfish15

Denver is irrigated, but for the most part, grass is brownish in open spaces and fields. The brown can be looked at by some as ugly or bad, but I have tried to appreciate it for what it is. It is aesthetic in a Colorado sort of way. Different... yes. Ugly... that's for you to decide.

No. It is like everywhere else... any other city. A lot of people paint Denverians with that broad brush. I think because a lot of people have moved to Denver and Colorado they don't feel like they're at home. A lot of people post on this site that everyone here is standoffish or not engaging but no one can say in what social setting this takes place. You can make friends at work, at a church, mingling with the kid's parents. When you move out of your hometown you don't have immediate family to hang out with, so it is all on you.


You already know the answer to that. I don't miss my hometown or home state per se, but I miss the feeling of home to some extent. You can't just run to mom's for some spaghetti on Sunday afternoon. It's not green here like Wisconsin but this isn't Wisconsin. It is a different place. Long distance moves are not easy to decide on. You will have to deliberate as to having relatively perfect weather, a booming local economy, better paying jobs and beautiful scenery is worth leaving family and familiarity behind. For some it is too hard. That is a constant and will be the same no matter where you move to.

There are lots of things to do. There are festivals and cultural events. Denver's entertainment might not be the same as Appleton, but it isn't un-family friendly. (I think "family friendly" is a platitude anyway. Where don't families exist?)

I haven't been here more than 5 years but people everywhere say that summer is always hotter this year and winter is always colder. Weather worldwide is dynamic. Constance and weather don't mix.

That's a tough one. It is personal preference. Keep in mind that outside of the front range (Ft. Collins, Denver, Colorado Springs and Pueblo) Colorado is very rural. You will get a few cities here and there. Wyoming today is what Colorado used to be. There are a lot of suburbs that are nice and trendy and in... I'm not much of an "in-crowd"er so I can't help you there.

Actually I don't think the brown look to be ugly at all, just apart of the enviornment. It seemed as though that can be exaggerated on some of the forums and people end up missing the green look. Yeah "family freindly" maybe wasn't the best word - I guess where I am the focus on the family is very apparent (more than the norm).

[ryanek9freak]

Ironically, Focus on the Family is located here.

[COflower]

Originally Posted by tuckerfam

2. Are the people really as "high school / college frat" (when trying to meet and socialize) as depicted on these forums? (Me and my husband love to get out and socialize, we do make an effort to get involved with local events, school events, and other social efforts in the city - will that be looked down upon my locals?)

You're looking on the internet. You expect that people will behave the same here as in real life? I think not. Barking up the wrong tree.

You have a small contingent (sp) of people on here and you will get the negatives more than you will get the positives. I love it here, been here my entire 40 years. As long as you try to keep up some semblance of a normal human, people are really nice out here.

Every city will have it's elite and that's not unique to Colorado. Just be average and you will do fine. Colorado is a really nice place for anyone - old, young, fit or not, fat, thin, (You'll probably be thinner than you are used to so I hope you got some meat on them bones), talkative, goth, Christian, athiest, black, white, brown....as long as you are a nice person, that's all people care about around here. You will find opinons here and thats why message boards are out there so you can get a feel for a place but I will tell you this and I say it a lot here: it's always greener.

Only you can decide if this is a place you can live and I almost always recomend to people to stay out here at minimum of two weeks so they can find their niche. Visit more if you can. But know that the grass is always better elsewhere.

[wmspeep]

I live in NC and if you like to do things outside, don't move to North Carolina unless you go to the mountains and even there you won't find anywhere near the activities or beauty you will in CO.