Former Chicagoan's in Denver? (Aurora, Lakewood: apartment, dermatologist, renting)

[ILFlatlander]

We are considering a relocation from Chicago (NW burbs) to the Denver metro area and would love to hear from some other Chicagoan's who have made the move. How has your transition been in general? How does the climate compare, especially Chicago versus Denver winters? How about the traffic compared to Chicago? Schools? Housing/cost of living versus salaries? Any insight would be appreciated.

[dj32]

too many to list here... you may want to do a search in this forum, there have been lots of posts about chicago to denver moves- we are one of them.

[mover6]

If you have other options reconsider. I lived in Chicago 25 years but have never been so bored in the winters than here. I have been here 4 years, but our decision was a must due to job transfer, and now am trying to find a way out of here.
If you love to ski and drive 3-4 hrs. in traffic to do so, this is your place.
We have been to a dermatologist many a time due to the dangerous UV rays out here, and we have been sick here more than any other place we have lived. Strepp is very popular here.
We do have more sunny days than Chicago, but there is always a price to pay. The altitude here still gets me tired and if you take any meds., double the drowsy effect.....my brother visits for 2 weeks from Chicago every year, and lays on the couch or has to dose up on coffee all day like myself. A lady that has lived here 20 years, says your body either gets used to the altitude or NEVER does, the latter is me.
best wishes.

[specialMom]

I grew up in Evanston and moved here 25 years ago. I have never regretted that move. I love the climate and love the outdoors. I spend my summers fishing, camping and ATVing. In the winters, I quilt, hike and ski on occasion though I find it expensive and the traffic is lousy! I miss the lake but this is a fabulous place.

[Fuzz]

Originally Posted by mover6

I lived in Chicago 25 years but have never been so bored in the winters than here.

If you are really bored in the winters, then may I suggest that perhaps you are boring? If you're in Denver, you can hike and bike in the foothills for most of the winter (and even golf from time to time during the warm spells). Or you can do real winter activities, like skiing (alpine or cross-country), snowboarding, snowshoeing, snowmobiling, etc.

If you love to ski and drive 3-4 hrs. in traffic to do so, this is your place.

I skied 40-50 days every winter when I lived in Denver, mostly on weekends. Average drive time (one-way) = 1 to 1.5 hours, depending on ski area and weather. About two or three times a winter, it'd take 2+ hours. You need to time it.

We have been to a dermatologist many a time due to the dangerous UV rays out here, and we have been sick here more than any other place we have lived. Strepp is very popular here.

We do have more sunny days than Chicago, but there is always a price to pay. The altitude here still gets me tired and if you take any meds., double the drowsy effect.....my brother visits for 2 weeks from Chicago every year, and lays on the couch or has to dose up on coffee all day like myself. A lady that has lived here 20 years, says your body either gets used to the altitude or NEVER does, the latter is me.

You should build a hermetically sealed house, stay inside, and never venture out.

My wife and I moved from Chicago (Lakeview) to Lakewood (western suburb of Denver) and never regretted it for a second (we now live farther up in the mountains). My personal comparison for the Chicago versus Denver/Colorado:

• In Chicago I hated the gray winter. In Colorado I can't wait for the sunny winters and wish they lasted longer.
• In Chicago we wore our heavy coats whenever we went out in the winter. In Denver neither of us put on our heavy coats a single time in four years. A heavy sweatshirt or a medium-weight jacket was our usual Denver winter wear.
• In Chicago we'd sleep in on the weekends. In Denver/Colorado, we're up earlier on weekends than on weekdays, to get outside and hike/bike/ski/whatever.
• Traffic is nowhere near as crowded and much more relaxed in Denver than in Chicago. While I-25 and I-70 can get pretty packed during rush hour, it's nothing like the expressways in Chicago. Drivers in general are way more courteous -- honking horns are rare and people actually give you room to merge.
• Can't tell you about schools since we just had our first child.
• Can't tell you about housing since we rented in both Chicago and Denver (Lakewood).

If you like the outdoors, there's no comparison -- Denver provides much better outdoor recreational opportunities. If you're a hardcore city person however, Chicago is hands down the better option.

[mover6]

hostile aren't you? FUZZ.

[dj32]

Great post Fuzz. couldnt' have said it better- we moved here from chicago 8 yrs ago and there is way more to do here.. in fact if you aren't out and about here you feel bad. I feel guilty just sitting on my couch. Of course I live in the city w/ all the activities as well as cherry creek bike path, parks, etc.... in chicago all I did was go to bars and go to michigan avenue to go shopping. I miss aspects of it here but find there to be much more to do outside.

[HarlemNightsCorp]

I'm from NY originally not Chicago but I know a lot of transitioners out here from both states. Hot Fuzz, while a tad bit harsh in his thrashing of Mover 6, is correct. I wouldn't move back to NY for anything. I have rented in Denver and bought a home in Aurora. You won't find a better square foot comparison for your money here in Colorado. We paid $200K for a 1875 sq ft house (not including the basement) which would be in the $400K range back in NY. When we were renting we paid $900/month for a 3 bedroom, 2 patio, 2 1/2 bath, washer/dryer equipped apartment in Denver. In NY we paid $1200/month for a 2 bedroom, 1 bath, walk to the laundromat apartment in Brooklyn. Out here we hike, mountain bike (yes, mountain bike), snow mobile, really haven't gotten the hang of skiing yet. The night life pretty much shuts down at 2am which took some getting used to. Culturally both cities (NY, CHI) have Denver beat but it's slowly gaining. They have just built a Light Rail (Just like the "El" but cleaner lol) as well as added some lanes to I-25which should reduce traffic. As far as the allergies are concerned, visitors of mine have been affected by the dry climate but if you drink plenty of water daily you should have no ill effects. All in all if you have a family, want to own your own home, and enjoy clean (not brown) air, make the move.

[katmoney]

I'm making the move from Chicago (Logan Square) to Denver in the fall. My boyfriend is already out there, and we're pretty sure we will be living by Coors Field right downtown. He is loving it so far. he says the people are by far nicer and that he can't get over the fact that the mountains are so close by.

We've both lived in Chicago our entire lives so I'm glad we are finally getting out, even just for a little while. We are big snowboarders too, so this is a HUGE plus for us!! We lead very active lives and I am looking forward to doing more of that in Denver. Although I consider myself a "hardcore city person" I'm ready for a change. I'm sick of the congestion, traffic, ******* people, etc etc. However there is one thing I will miss about Chicago-THE FOOD!

[dj32]

katmoney,

we really missed the restaurants and that whole scene when we moved here 8 years ago. While Denver doesn't even come close to Chicago, the restaurant scene as drastically improved. Given where you'll be living you can take advantage of some great places- Zengo, Venice, Potager, Tamayo, Rjoja.. the list goes on. Denver is getting better and better all the time in terms of varieties of food and the quality of the restaurant scene. When we first moved here, Chili's was listed in the Zagat!(which they don't even do Zagats anymore here- go to the gabby gourmet site for good reviews)