Questions for those who are not/were not happy in Denver (Aurora: houses, employment)
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I admit that I think this is a great place to live, but I also understand that it's not for everyone. Just trying to understand the people who didn't like it here.
I have always held that people who aren't happy here don't take advantage of the things that makes Denver different from other mid/large cities.
I don't go to concerts for the venue, I go for the act. I don't like red rocks lineups, I think colorado needs much more work on attracting modern relevant bands there and not just has beens. 311 looked like a nice concert last year but like I said they are aren't relevant today. I would much rather go to Chicago to see live music. I'd rather pay and travel for quality and experience than stay and settle for mediocrity.
Regarding performing arts... It's a great date place, but I don't like spending that type of money on dates nor do I p,an dates more than 1 week in advance.
Regarding winter...I can barely live in denver when it's 10-20 degrees out for several months, the only time I went skiing was in march when it was warmer. It's miserable anytime other than a few days in march.
I go to mountains on weekdays during summer 30 or so times a year, and only hike in deserted areas. Weekend crowds are excruciatingly annoying. I enjoy places that are void of front range people as often as possible. If I see a crowd on my hiking trail, I will hide or change trails to avoid until they pass.
No favorite restaurants, I prefer to cook my own food and drink my own beer at home for cheaper.
I'm not happy in any city. Cities are for making money, period. the only people I see who enjoy cities are weirdos in my mind, or trashy, or young Midwesterners trying to get their underwear dirty and a little life experience under their belts.
Keep in mind, I still live here, but overall, I'm indifferent.
1. How many times did you go to the mountains on average in a winter? A little less than once a month. Usually for poker in Black Hawk, or work.
2. How many times a year did you go skiing or snowboarding? 0, tried skiing once c. 2010 when I was very out of shape, and failed. Am open to trying again someday.
3. How many times did you go to the mountains on average in a summer? A little less than once a month. Usually for poker in Black Hawk, or work. Stayed in a cabin in Tabernash once.
4. How many concerts did you see at Red Rocks in an average year? 0, still have never been (for a concert).
5. Which outdoor sports did you try while living here? (camping and fishing can be counted in this) 0. I prefer playing sports like baseball and basketball.
6. Did you live in the city proper or in a suburb? If a suburb, which suburb? If the city, which neighborhood? I spent 2007-2009 in Aurora (south and central), and 2009-present in Denver, just north of DTC.
7. Did you have any favorite local restaurants/bars? If so what were they? Casa Vallarta in Aurora, Texas Roadhouse in Aurora (yes, a chain, but we're fairly regular), Greenfield's Bar in Lakewood.
8. Which cities are you happier in? Spokane, WA. I now like to think I could be happy or at least fairly content most everywhere given good circumstances (unless it's somewhere ungodly hot and/or snowless).
9. Where did you grow up? Corona, CA/Riverside, CA (Inland Empire east of LA/OC), summers in the Seattle area.
10. Did you ever go to the Denver Center for Performing Arts? I've been there once, to see Frank Caliendo (lol). I don't remember which specific hall it was, but it was on the east side under that big overhang thingy.
11. How many live sporting events did you attend on average every year? At least a dozen, Rockies and Nuggets.
12. Were you employed and were you happy with your job? Yes, and yes (aside from the occasional drama, but the pay is good).
I admit that I think this is a great place to live, but I also understand that it's not for everyone. Just trying to understand the people who didn't like it here.
I have always held that people who aren't happy here don't take advantage of the things that makes Denver different from other mid/large cities.
1. How many times did you go to the mountains on average in a winter? 0
2. How many times a year did you go skiing or snowboarding?0
3. How many times did you go to the mountains on average in a summer?0
4. How many concerts did you see at Red Rocks in an average year?0
5. Which outdoor sports did you try while living here? (camping and fishing can be counted in this)0
6. Did you live in the city proper or in a suburb? If a suburb, which suburb? If the city, which neighborhood? City proper
7. Did you have any favorite local restaurants/bars? If so what were they? No
8. Which cities are you happier in? Los Angeles, San Diego
9. Where did you grow up? Kansas City
10. Did you ever go to the Denver Center for Performing Arts? Once
11. How many live sporting events did you attend on average every year? 0
12. Were you employed and were you happy with your job?
Yes and No!
Wow, I need to get out more lol! But I've have 5 year old twins so we're just getting to the point where you can take them places, so I plan to do more things now.
1. How many times did you go to the mountains on average in a winter?
Zero. Used to going skiing 15 days a year.
2. How many times a year did you go skiing or snowboarding?
Zero now.
3. How many times did you go to the mountains on average in a summer?
0-1
4. How many concerts did you see at Red Rocks in an average year?
Zero
5. Which outdoor sports did you try while living here? (camping and fishing can be counted in this)
camping, rafting, skiing
6. Did you live in the city proper or in a suburb? If a suburb, which suburb? If the city, which neighborhood?
City & County of Denver. Berkeley.
7. Did you have any favorite local restaurants/bars? If so what were they?
See Berkeley Neighborhood and slightly beyond - Denver
8. Which cities are you happier in?
If I had a lot more money, I think that Russian Hill in San Francisco would be perfect. A lot more $.
9. Where did you grow up?
White bread suburbs in New England and upstate NY.
10. Did you ever go to the Denver Center for Performing Arts?
Yes
11. How many live sporting events did you attend on average every year?
0-1
12. Were you employed and were you happy with your job?
Yes. Yes.
1. How many times did/do you go to the mountains on average in a winter? Zero
2. How many times a year did/do you go skiing or snowboarding? Zero
3. How many times did/do you go to the mountains on average in a summer? Zero
4. How many concerts did/do you see at Red Rocks in an average year? None so far. I've absolutely no desire to navigate mountain roads, particularly at night, so it is extremely doubtful that I will ever see a show at Red Rocks.
5. Which outdoor sports did/do you try while living here? (camping and fishing can be counted in this) None
6. Did you live in the city proper or in a suburb? If a suburb, which suburb? If the city, which neighborhood?
Live in SE Aurora
7. Did/do you have any favorite local restaurants/bars? If so what were/are they? Don't eat out often, although, I do like Anthony's and Joey's for pizza and the sandwiches at the City Grille
8. Which cities are/were you happier in? Las Cruces, NM
9. Where did you grow up? NYC - Manhattan and Brooklyn
10. Did you ever go to the Denver Center for Performing Arts? Not yet - hoping to go in May
11. How many live sporting events did/do you attend on average every year? - one baseball game last year, at least one this year
12. Were/are you employed and were/are you happy with your job? Am employed and very happy with my job - it is the primary reason I live here. If working remotely had been a possibility, I would still be in NM.
Nice poll, OP.
A few additional comments:
I love the mountains, from a distance. I am an outdoor person to the extent that I love to garden.
Things that I do appreciate about the Denver metro include:
the museums,
the public transit system,
the variety of shops along Colfax Ave.,
the architecture - particularly the houses along 6th,
the tree-lined streets downtown,
access to Broadway-level entertainment,
a big-market airport (more non-stops),
multiple supermarket chains,
a decent library system,
a walkable downtown
the wildlife in my neighborhood
the abundance of green space for walking, biking, etc.
living near family
Biggest drawbacks for me are the high(er) cost of living, fighting the weather to get to work, feeling like I cannot plan activities because the weather is so variable, the late start to spring planting season, the traffic, too much (lawn) grass, too many cigarette smokers.
Bottom line: there are lot of worse places to live and at least one that suits me better, insofar as personal safety and comfort is concerned. I hate feeling trapped in my home because the sidewalks and streets are icy. I hate feeling like I have to risk life and limb to earn a living and keep a roof over my head. I hated seeing flowers poke up out of the ground only to have them freeze within days.
Ah, but, when the sun comes out and the birds sing and I hear the kids playing outside, it's all good.
So, here I will be for the foreseeable future.
I'm going to start off my post by saying I'm not unhappy with *Denver*, per se--I actually think it's a great city, and one of my friends who *is* a native jokes that I'm so interwoven into the fabric of the city that anybody would think I'm the native and she's the transplant--she swears she never runs into anybody she knows, but we can't seem to go anywhere without running into somebody I know.
I grew up outside St. Louis, MO, and between the ages of 18 and 28, I lived in six different places--two of them being overseas. My friends got used to getting a 'change of address' notification from me pretty much every other year. I moved to Denver when I was 28. That was fifteen years ago, and I'm still here, so I must like it somewhat.
There's a lot of things I love about Denver (and Colorado). Anything I'm unhappy with is not really a fault of Denver. I didn't grow up here, so sometimes I get a little homesick. The economy was a mess and my field took a nosedive, but that was all over the country, so again, not a fault in Denver--but when unemployment and homesickness hit at the same time, you get to hating *everything*. So I did go through an "I hate it here" phase, but I probably would have gone through that no matter where I was, given the same situation. Now I'm employed again, so life on that score is good. Homesickness still crops up every so often, but I think that'll happen to any transplant from time to time.
In all honesty, the only thing I could say I'm a bit concerned regarding Denver is cost of living--it seems like it's going up faster than my salary can keep pace with. But that might be all over too.
I *have* considered moving out of state lately, but again, not to a fault of Denver--I think, by nature, I'm a bit of a gypsy, and I've found myself wondering what the Pacific Northwest or New England (two places I haven't been) would be like. So that stems more from 'itchy feet' than "I hate Denver".
So my answers:
1. How many times did you go to the mountains on average in a winter?
When I first moved here, I went skiing a few times in the winter. I haven't been up to the mountains in the winter in a few years, though.
2. How many times a year did you go skiing or snowboarding?
Twice a year for the first few years (then my field went down, and being unemployed pretty much means no skiing). And to be honest, I'm not big on skiing--I like it enough that I'll go if invited, but not enough to instigate a trip.
3. How many times did you go to the mountains on average in a summer?
Three or four.
4. How many concerts did you see at Red Rocks in an average year?
I've *yet* to get to a concert at Red Rocks! (I haven't been to Elitches either!) Not happy about either of those.
5. Which outdoor sports did you try while living here? (camping and fishing can be counted in this)
Have gone camping in the mountains (up in Gilpin County last summer), hiking (I went on a date to Cottonwood Canyon, which I liked). I've played on some softball leagues and a soccer league once. Skiing (previously mentioned). I was supposed to go rafting/tubing on the St. Vrain, but I think that year the water was too fast so they were cancelling.
6. Did you live in the city proper or in a suburb? If a suburb, which suburb? If the city, which neighborhood?
I started off in Denver/Denver County, I'm now in Aurora/Araphaoe County.
7. Did you have any favorite local restaurants/bars? If so what were they?
City Pizza and Pasta, which features St. Louis cuisine and helps stave off the aforementioned homesickness.
8. Which cities are you happier in?
Y'know, I've found there's always a trade-off. I lived in a small mountain village in Germany, which was lovely, calm, quiet, and peaceful, but everything shut down at 9 p.m. and it was a 45 minute drive to the nearest city for any nightlife. I've lived in downtown areas where lots was going on, but noisier. I grew up near rivers and miss them, but mountains are pretty awesome too. I've lived in the South during the winter and didn't freeze, but didn't get any snow and blistering heat in the summer. I've lived in the rainy/muggy Midwest, and the drier West. There's always things I love and always things I miss about each place.
9. Where did you grow up?
In a suburb outside St. Louis, MO.
10. Did you ever go to the Denver Center for Performing Arts?
Yes, about two or three times a year. I may break that record this year!
11. How many live sporting events did you attend on average every year?
Two or three.
12. Were you employed and were you happy with your job?
I've had a variety of jobs here, and have sometimes been unemployed. I've usually liked my work, but had two jobs I outright hated--one to the point where I was literally physically ill and when I was let go, I instantly got healthier. When I'm employed and happy about it (which has been the norm), I'm pretty happy here.
Davebarnes never struck me as someone unhappy in Denver.
Jeffblond needs to move to an uninhabited island where it doesn't get too hot or too cold but has his favorite bands play in a crappy venue. By the way, I see bands I don't like all the time at Red Rocks. It's fun to see live music in a great setting.
Definitely agree with Indigo about trade offs.
It does seem to me that most people who aren't happy aren't taking advantage of all of what Denver offers, but maybe those aren't things you like doing.
1. How many times did you go to the mountains on average in a winter?
As much as the job allows. I think we went around 6 or 7 times.
2. How many times a year did you go skiing or snowboarding?
We have the Vail resorts Epic Local Pass; see above.
3. How many times did you go to the mountains on average in a summer?
We go to the foothills from time to time. We aren't into camping, hiking, hunting, etc. I like to bike, but I still haven't replaced the bike I handed down to my brother for college, and husband hates biking.
4. How many concerts did you see at Red Rocks in an average year?
None. A bit expensive for my taste. We have gone up to Red Rocks just for fun/mini hike.
5. Which outdoor sports did you try while living here? (camping and fishing can be counted in this)
Skiing is all. My childhood consisted of spending the summers outdoors camping and it is just not my thing.
6. Did you live in the city proper or in a suburb? If a suburb, which suburb? If the city, which neighborhood?
City proper. Downtown, just moved to Congress Park.
7. Did you have any favorite local restaurants/bars? If so what were they?
Panzano is my favorite restaurant, by far. Other favs include Polished Tavern, D'Corazon, Osteria Marco, La Loma, Cherry Cricket.
8. Which cities are you happier in?
STL by far. Husband would sell everything we own & his left foot to be able to move back to Germany.
9. Where did you grow up?
Chicagoland, husband is from upstate NY.
10. Did you ever go to the Denver Center for Performing Arts?
Nope, although we intend to at some point.
11. How many live sporting events did you attend on average every year?
A lot. We get free tix to an absurd number of baseball games, which is great bc we love baseball. Not into basketball, and football is a bit too much $$. Work got too busy for hockey this year. I avoid soccer so that I don't have to hear about how terrible US soccer teams are from my hubby.
12. Were you employed and were you happy with your job?
Both husband and I have steady employment (we moved here for a job promotion). My job is fine, husband is 100% miserable.
For us, it's nearly all about cost of living. This place is too expensive and offers just about the same amentities as many mid-sized midwest cities that we have lived in/traveled to for work that are far cheaper. The exception to that is, of course, the Rocky Mountains, but we aren't crazy about the outdoors like most people who seek out this place are.
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Interesting
I moved to Denver when I was 28. That was fifteen years ago, and I'm still here, so I must like it somewhat. 
