Denver vs Dallas (Aurora, Superior: apartment, rentals, houses)

[Shiva]

Hi,

I recently got a job as a software consultant in the US with the choice of moving to either Denver or Dallas (close to either airport). I went through the many posts on this site and they have been quite informative; but somehow I still have'nt been able to make up my mind I was wondering if someone could help tilt the balance. I wasnt sure whether to post this in the Dallas room or here but finally sent it here.

Here some information:

1. I was initially very keen on Denver as I have heard its "outdoor"sy instead of a big crowded urban sprawl. However the winter is something I'm a bit worried about as I come from a hotter climate (India). I had spent around 5 months near San Jose last year and the weather was great. So I was wondering which of the two has a more "Californian" weather. I dont like it when it gets hot and humid but then I havent been anywhere where it gets really cold !

2. As I have a consulting job I would be moving around the US and hence would not be staying all the time in my choosen city. So again I thought Denver would be nice as I could spend my weekend doing all the nice and healthy stuff but then it would be no fun sitting at home if its snowing and thers ice on the roads (I assume its not easy to move around when it snows although I vaguely remember some hollywood movie in which the hero was jogging in snowy weather )

3. Are the two cities fairly similar comes to cost of living ? I checked rent.com for rentals on a studio and 1 bd and they seem fairly close.

I will be staying alone and so I hope not to be stuck in my apartment for too long and thats why I am kind of worried about the weather. The other important thing is of course having friendly people around. Cost of living would come third.

Hope these questions dont sound wierd but then I know nothing about these cities !

Thanks,
Shiva

[EscapeCalifornia]

Neither has coastal California weather. That's part of the reason 30 year old tract houses in San Jose are $1,000,000. Dallas is going to be hot and humid for nearly 1/2 the year with some ice in the winter. Denver will have cold winters with periodic snow and hot (but not Dallas hot) and dry summers. Dallas is more prone to tornadoes.

[Fuzz]

From a career perspective, Dallas may be better. There are a LOT of IT consultants in Dallas, and DFW airport serves a lot more destinations than DIA. I go to Irving/Las Colinas quite a bit for work, and it seems there are LOTS of Indians there. There's a great little Indian restaurant called Mayuri in Las Colinas.

If you're looking to avoid cold and snow, Dallas would also be a better option. In terms of outdoor recreation however, in my opinion, there's no comparison -- Denver wins that department hands down.

[sumisu]

Hi Shiva - I have several friends and neighbors in Denver originally from India. You're correct that Denver is a good central location if you'll do some business travel. Home prices are more expensive in Denver than Dallas due to the "mountain" lifestyle - an unwritten corporate benefit. The ski areas are several thousand feet higher than Denver (the Mile High City), so there is more snow there. The snow melts quickly due to the wonderful sun and altitude of Denver. We have more than 300 days of sun. Moderator cut: Removed Take care. Sumisu

[tx_heat]

Dallas may be better based on your criteria. I would disagree that it is hot and humid in Dallas as well as a comment about ice conditions. Dallas is NOT humid (especially compared to the southern Texas cities Houston, etc.). I remember bad ice condition only once in the last six years. It was very exceptional ice storm which was gone in a couple of days. Most winters in Dallas would have day temperatures at around 55 - 65 F.

[Fuzz]

Agree with tx_heat about humidity -- every time I've been to Irving, the humidity has been relatively low. Not as low as Colorado, but nowhere near as humid as places like Houston.

[Katarina Witt]

Originally Posted by Fuzz

Agree with tx_heat about humidity -- every time I've been to Irving, the humidity has been relatively low. Not as low as Colorado, but nowhere near as humid as places like Houston.

Whereas I completely disagree. I have been to Dallas in October, mind you, and the atmosphere felt like you could just grab hold of it and eat it. (This is coming from Denver.) I mean, the humidity may be lower than Houston, which I also visited that Oct., I didn't notice much difference, but we are only talking about a few days.

There is a large Indian community here (maybe I am making an erroneous assumption that you are Asian Indian), because of the heavy emphasis on IT here. Dallas is, IMO, a southern/midwestern type of place. My cousin from Dallas used to like to just look at the mtns and the evergreen trees. There is a lot of info on the winter here. Some think it's awful, some think it's mild. I am in the second camp, having come here from Illinois via Pennsylvania. I think it's safe to say this is a more outdoorsy place. I have no idea about the comparison of costs of living, but many on this board do know that.

[Fuzz]

^^^ pittnurse, I don't doubt you experienced different conditions. Like I said, in my travels, I've found Irving to be not very humid. I've been going down there for about a week every month or two on average for the last 8 years -- however maybe I have coincidentally gone when the humidity has been low. It definitely does feel more humid that Denver, but not as much as I've felt in places like Houston, New Orleans, etc. To caveat, I've spent about 2 months in Houston total, so that is just my experience.

And I agree that Denver's winters are pretty mild. However, if the OP is looking for a warm, San Diego-type climate, Dallas is probably closer to his criteria than Denver.

Shiva, you mention that living in India, you haven't experienced real cold. Keep in mind that thousands of Indians living in the US do get used to cold winters and lots of snow. As pittnurse said, there is a sizeable Indian community in Denver (in Aurora more specifically) -- they do manage through the relatively mild Denver winters. There's even a local cricket league in the summer. However, from everything I've heard (from people who've experienced both), Dallas does have a bigger Asian community.

[Katarina Witt]

Fuzz: You certainly have more experience with Texas than I do. I'm just going by my one trip and what my cousin told me. I will defer to your assessment.

There seems to be a good-sized Indian community in Superior, too. I work in a pediatrics office and a lot of our Indian patients are from there.

[Fuzz]

^^^ Heh, and I'll defer to people who actually live in Dallas, rather than us two Coloradans talking about Texas weather!

I did not know Superior had a big Indian community. Do you know if they are mainly from India, Pakistan, or Bangladesh? I think I did go to an Indian restaurant around there once.