Thinking of moving from St Louis to Denver. (Aurora: rent, lofts)

[StLouisSue]

Is there anyone who has moved from St Louis to Denver who can tell me the most notable pros and cons of their experience? What took you longest to get used to? What do you miss most about St. Louis that you can't find in Denver?

We'd are empty nesters in our late 40's, like the wine/foodie and blues/jazz scene. We're not looking for schools and are wondering if we really want a house or if we want loft/condo living at this point.

Any thoughts from anyone? LOL

[pkschiff]

We moved from St. Louis 18 mos ago and honestly, I cannot think of one thing other than friends that we miss! We loved St. Louis but love everything there is do do here and recreational opportunities even more. Cannot speak for locations as we have young children so are in the Southern 'burbs.

[davebarnes]

What neighborhood do you live in St Louis now?
Do you want a similar neighborhood?
Have you lived in a loft/condo before?

[StLouisSue]

We are in University City now. We're really not sure what we're looking for, but thinking condo/loft because we're not sure we want yard duty any longer and want to travel more.

[woob]

i've never been to st. louis, but there's not much of a jazz scene here in denver. only 2 or 3 serious jazz clubs that i know of.

[AcornMan]

I lived in St. Louis as a child and still have family there. Other than the Cardinals, City Museum, St. Louis style pizza, and all the trees, there's nothing I miss. Denver has so much more to do, and the weather is infinitely better. (I do get to see the Cards play here three times each summer though). Don't know what to tell you about the jazz scene though.

[Fran66]

I lived in St. Louis for a year and loved it.///I don't live in Denver yet -- I am in NM -- but I have moved a lot in my lifetime (ex was in the military), and I've learned that there is always something you miss about the place you lived the longest. The place you call 'home'. For me, I lived 45 years in Southern CA, I have been gone 5.5 years, and I miss the ocean very much and also Little Italy in San Diego. But that's all I miss! The reasons I want to leave NM -- which is so very beautiful -- are because it's like living in a foreign country. In fact, I lived in Europe for three years, and I was more 'at home' in Europe than here. NM is just too different. So much poverty. Crime is rampant. Education is dismal. Culture is so very different. As an understanding native said recently, NM is still the wild, wild West. I don't think you'll find such a great difference between St. Louis and Denver. Other than the weather is so much better. :-)

[goldenmom]

We moved here from St. Louis and really only miss our family and friends. We are always happy to get back to Denver after visiting St. Louis. I can't help you with the empty nest part of your question, but I think that you can get some great hints on best places to live by reading these boards!

[davebarnes]

Originally Posted by StLouisSue

We are in University City now

I took a glance at some info about University City.

A noticeable difference between University City and any place in Colorado is the color of the people. No governmental entity in Colorado is 44% black. The city with the highest black population is Aurora at 10%.

Another noticeable difference are trees. In Missouri trees grow without help from man. In the plains area of Colorado, trees grow only with lots of help from man. When I moved here from greater Boston, the one thing I missed the most were trees. Now, I live in an older neighborhood (Berkeley) of Denver that has lots of trees.

My wife and I looked at lofts and decided "not for us". Too many are in giant complexes that feel cold and institutional. We now live in a new duplex with a tiny yard. Outside maintenance is minimal and we will reduce that over time with better (i.e., less grass) landscaping.

My advice: Move to greater Denver and rent for a year. Check out many neighborhoods (and pockets within neighborhoods) before you purchase.

[Gina23]

I'm not from St. Louis, but I lived there for about 6 years prior to moving to Denver. I don't miss a thing about STL, then again, I think STL was one of those places you needed to grow up in to appreciate.

I also love jazz - There is not a ton of jazz here, but it's around. Clubs are El Chapultapec and El Chapultapec Too. There is Jazz at Jack's downtown. And the soiled dove underground always brings in tons of jazz musicians. There is jazz in the park (city park) every sunday in the summer. I remember going to Forest Park and seeing jazz singer Erin Bode... that is something you won't find much of here, but at least it's bearable to sit outside here

The weather is 100 times better. Traffic is 100 times better. And you already live in U city so I'm sure your neighbors are a lot cooler than mine were while living in the suburbs (I lived in Kirkwood), but I think you'll like the people here.

I don't miss it, honestly. I haven't been back in 6 years and probably never will return.