Second Visit impressions - Surprisingly expensive Denver! (Commerce City, Evans: transplants, how much)

[Idlewile]

I'm still stuck back on how you get lost leaving DIA. You can only GO one direction. I've never been to another airport where you are only able to leave in one direction. Combined with the abundance of signage and the city skyline visible in front of you getting lost seems, well, inconceivable.

After arriving and departing LGA over 30 times last year alone and taking public transportation half that time, I would gladly pay to block it from my memory.

[tfox]

Let me jump to the defense of the OP... Denver is not a cheap city to live in. Not like Columbia, SC to be sure. I think it's a misconception on the coasts that the cities of the interior west is an exceptionally inexpensive places. Compared to the SF Bay area and NYC, yes, it is cheap. But at least for housing costs, the market has placed a bit of a premium on western cities... not just Denver, but also pretty much any sizable city in the west. Compare that to most of the south or midwest, and Denver looks a bit pricey.

In defense of Denver/Boulder, the earning potential here is quite good by regional standards. Compare what most professionals can earn in Denver versus Boise or Albuquerque... there's just no comparison. Even so, I doubt that Denver offers the optimal salary versus cost-of-living/taxes calculation. The places that top that list tend to be regarded as "hardship postings."

[ajmac10]

I personally think that Denver CAN get pricey, it certainly has the potential. It's all about supply and demand. In New England where build-able land is scarce, the population must purchase older, established homes. In Dallas, the land is virtually unlimited, 30 years ago Plano was a bunch of dirt and sticks, now it's a huge suburban city that continues to expand upward into new budding towns like Frisco and Fairview, and it still remains dirt cheap, while being a mega-tropolis.

But back to Denver, it is an ever increasingly popular city, just look at all the people in this forum inquiring about moving here. There is a mix of lots of open land, but also enough demand for existing homes to drive up the prices. 30 years ago it was a small western city drawing off the tourism from the mountain resorts. Now people are realizing what a great year-round city it is with great schools, local culture and budding professional sports. It is really unfair to compare Denver to the likes of Boston, NYC, LA and SF. If you live in any of those cities, like myself (Boston), then sure Denver looks like a great bargain. But you must compare apples to apples. How does Denver compare to the mid-tiered cities such as Austin, Phoenix, Asheville, Sacramento, Portland, cities like that. But when you start doing that, it all comes down to personal preference anyways.

[OneMoreMove]

I did an analysis of the earning vs. expenses of Denver vs other cities, and it fared quite well. Strong salaries (not the best, but good) and inexpensive housing (not the cheapest, but cheap), and low taxes (not the lowest, but low) makes for a good situation overall.

I still don't buy the idea the Denver is a city that has 'great' culture, restaurants, vibrancy, diversity, and other such things that you see in other, bigger cities. It's too far from the ocean and doesn't have the right history to have a truly diverse and vibrant population like some cities. And, Denver just isn't a destination for great musicians and chefs, etc. - there are some, sure, and it's not hard to find a great restaurant in Denver but it's just not a leader in those cultural categories.

It does offer a good 'package' though, overall. My favorite thing about Denver is that it's a big enough city to offer everything I need but it still has a mellow, relatively slow-moving feeling to it. Life here is much easier than in most cities I've lived in (which is quite a few!). Safe, fairly clean, etc.

[UnemployedFinanceGuy]

Originally Posted by OneMoreMove

I did an analysis of the earning vs. expenses of Denver vs other cities, and it fared quite well. Strong salaries (not the best, but good) and inexpensive housing (not the cheapest, but cheap), and low taxes (not the lowest, but low) makes for a good situation overall.

I still don't buy the idea the Denver is a city that has 'great' culture, restaurants, vibrancy, diversity, and other such things that you see in other, bigger cities. It's too far from the ocean and doesn't have the right history to have a truly diverse and vibrant population like some cities. And, Denver just isn't a destination for great musicians and chefs, etc. - there are some, sure, and it's not hard to find a great restaurant in Denver but it's just not a leader in those cultural categories.

It does offer a good 'package' though, overall. My favorite thing about Denver is that it's a big enough city to offer everything I need but it still has a mellow, relatively slow-moving feeling to it. Life here is much easier than in most cities I've lived in (which is quite a few!). Safe, fairly clean, etc.

Right On! I couldn't have said it any better. Its a great city overall with a few minor annoyances such as the airport being too far away from the city center and high water costs (I re-verified this with residents who now live in the suburbs). But obviously this is balanced by other good features as you have pointed out in your post.

[UnemployedFinanceGuy]

Originally Posted by Idlewile

I'm still stuck back on how you get lost leaving DIA. You can only GO one direction. I've never been to another airport where you are only able to leave in one direction. Combined with the abundance of signage and the city skyline visible in front of you getting lost seems, well, inconceivable.

After arriving and departing LGA over 30 times last year alone and taking public transportation half that time, I would gladly pay to block it from my memory.

OK. Here is the link to the post from my last visit to Denver The most user unfriendly airport. Period.

[UnemployedFinanceGuy]

Originally Posted by tfox

Let me jump to the defense of the OP... Denver is not a cheap city to live in. Not like Columbia, SC to be sure. I think it's a misconception on the coasts that the cities of the interior west is an exceptionally inexpensive places. Compared to the SF Bay area and NYC, yes, it is cheap. But at least for housing costs, the market has placed a bit of a premium on western cities... not just Denver, but also pretty much any sizable city in the west. Compare that to most of the south or midwest, and Denver looks a bit pricey.

In defense of Denver/Boulder, the earning potential here is quite good by regional standards. Compare what most professionals can earn in Denver versus Boise or Albuquerque... there's just no comparison. Even so, I doubt that Denver offers the optimal salary versus cost-of-living/taxes calculation. The places that top that list tend to be regarded as "hardship postings."

Thank you for your support. It is absolutely true that most people in the South East think that cities in the intermountain west (except for the resorts) are cheap to live in. Its regular water cooler conversation especially among the younger workers who know somebody who "moved out west" and is enjoying a great quality of life. This perpetuates the myth that western cities are a bargain to live in.

[Brian_M]

Originally Posted by OneMoreMove

... Denver just isn't a destination for great musicians and chefs, etc. - there are some, sure, and it's not hard to find a great restaurant in Denver

Wish I felt this way... but trying about 2 new places a month over the last 8 months (most of them voted "Citys Best" or some-such, well reviewed) and we've been to exactly 1 that we'd return to. Heck, even in our last town (population of under 10,000), there were 3 places that we frequented and miss with better food and cheaper prices than what we're finding here. It's gotta be my biggest gripe with Denver at this point, but thankfully we enjoy cooking at home.

Originally Posted by UnemployedFinanceGuy

Its regular water cooler conversation especially among the younger workers who know somebody who "moved out west" and is enjoying a great quality of life.

I didn't notice this at all (spent 4 years in DC/Baltimore and another 5 in Atlanta). But then again, it might be because I'm From Wyoming and put a quick stop to any stupidly absurd thoughts, but mostly I just don't remember anyone talking fondly about moving west. Everyone I knew loved where they were. *shrug*

[80skeys]

Originally Posted by Katiana

ethnic diversity Denver is ~50% minority, way better than the highly touted Seattle.

You're smoking something lady. There's no way Denver is 50% minority.

[robertzimmerman]

Originally Posted by 80skeys

You're smoking something lady. There's no way Denver is 50% minority.

Actually, it is.

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