Yes, it's another "Moving to Denver" post... (Aurora: home, buy)

[PDX1978]

I don't think its possible. Denver can't be worse than other places we've lived.

[Katarina Witt]

Originally Posted by PDX1978

That's OK Contiempo. I can live without being submerged in hipsterism. After 15 years in the south, I just want access to it... The option to go out at night and find live music or a gallery will be a lot easier for us there than it is here in Houston. Houston has pockets but it's all 45+ min drive from where we are.

I know it wont be the same in Denver as it is in Portland but from what I'm seeing it's a lot more like a large Bend than PDX and I'm OK with that. I like Bend even more than PDX.

As for the economy, there's a reason we haven't pulled up sticks and moved back to Portland.

Plus, the climate will be beneficial to us. I look forward to actual seasons. My husband has had issues with extreme heat and humidity since an accident in the military, so of course logic dictates we live in Houston! LOL

Denver is most like . . . Denver.

[PDX1978]

So I've gathered

[rschreck]

Coming from Portland (I lived there for a year before moving to Denver, wasn't a fan of Portland), I have a feeling you'll love Boulder.

Here are some things about Denver compared to Portland (I know you live in Houston):

Public trans - Denver has it, but it's nothing like PDX.
Bicycle lanes - Denver has it, but again, nothing like PDX. Denver is trying though.
Mexican food - I'm not a fan. Denver has a ton of it. I'm betting the farm that it has something to do with the mexican population here in Denver. Go to certain areas here in Denver and you feel like you're on vacation in Mexico.
Art - Denver is trying, you know the rest.
Good schools - No information besides this: if you do an internet search, according to a few websites that grade schools, the Denver area public schools aren't as great as people believe. My wife and I recently decided to scrap our plans to move to Houston because of a better job offer here and have been looking to buy in Denver. Being near a good school district is high on the priority list (unlike Houston where your commute seems to be the main factor when it comes to buying a home) and from our research, we are definitely going the private route.

Lastly, in regards to housing compared to Houston: Oh boy, you are in for it. I'm assuming your budget is the same as it was when you bought in Houston? $350K gets you a real house in Houston (3000+ sq feet, yard, 5 bedrooms, 4 bathrooms, 3 car garage, great neighborhood, etc). $350K here in Denver gets you half of what you had in Houston.

That was one of the depressing things (of many) about deciding to stay here in Denver over moving to Houston.

I hope this helps a bit.

[Katarina Witt]

Originally Posted by Katiana

Denver is most like . . . Denver.

I'm not trying to be snarky. To say Denver is similar to Bend, OR is apples to oranges. Denver has 600,000+ people. Bend has 79,000 people, fewer than Boulder, and the entire Bend MSA is 170,705, compared with Denver's 2.5 million. I know, it's not just size, but those are huge differences, and a totally different ambiance results.
Bend, Oregon - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

[PDX1978]

I too was not being snarky. I am well aware of the size differences between Denver and Bend. I was referring to the culture and climate.
I have actually been to Bend thousands of times for lengthy periods of time and during different seasons. I'm trying to draw correlations between what I know and experienced and what I have not based upon the information provided. But thanks for the Wikipedia link anyway.

It would have been even more helpful if people would not jump to the conclusion that since I liked one city, explained my hobbies and preferences, and sought comparisons, that the other city would be right out since it wasn't an exact match.
I KNOW I'm not going to find the EXACT SAME things in one place or the other. I'm not 6 years old, expecting everything to be static. The overall negativity of some of the comments on here makes me question why some of you even bother to post.

I just thought it would be helpful if I described a bit about what we do like, so that the people who know the most about the city of Denver could point me towards things that I might enjoy or prefer as well.

Maybe I should have just stuck to "hey I'm relocating to denver with kids and dogs. Where should I live?"

RE: Houston
I have lived here 10+ years. Yes, the housing prices are very low. You can get a lot for your dollar here, and we already know that. However, we do not like Houston, we do not like the weather here or the politics, or the people. Houston has never been a good fit for us. We have a possible relocation to Denver coming up (will know more next week) and I'm just doing some research.

[Claire S.]

Don't sweat the negativity. Denver is awesome!

[davebarnes]

Originally Posted by rschreck

Houston? $350K gets you a real house in Houston (3000+ sq feet, yard, 5 bedrooms, 4 bathrooms, 3 car garage, great neighborhood, etc). $350K here in Denver gets you half of what you had in Houston.

Except that Houston is a fetid swamp reeking of the smells of oil refineries.

[Katarina Witt]

Originally Posted by PDX1978

I too was not being snarky. I am well aware of the size differences between Denver and Bend. I was referring to the culture and climate.
I have actually been to Bend thousands of times for lengthy periods of time and during different seasons. I'm trying to draw correlations between what I know and experienced and what I have not based upon the information provided. But thanks for the Wikipedia link anyway.

It would have been even more helpful if people would not jump to the conclusion that since I liked one city, explained my hobbies and preferences, and sought comparisons, that the other city would be right out since it wasn't an exact match.
I KNOW I'm not going to find the EXACT SAME things in one place or the other. I'm not 6 years old, expecting everything to be static. The overall negativity of some of the comments on here makes me question why some of you even bother to post.

I just thought it would be helpful if I described a bit about what we do like, so that the people who know the most about the city of Denver could point me towards things that I might enjoy or prefer as well.

Maybe I should have just stuck to "hey I'm relocating to denver with kids and dogs. Where should I live?"

RE: Houston
I have lived here 10+ years. Yes, the housing prices are very low. You can get a lot for your dollar here, and we already know that. However, we do not like Houston, we do not like the weather here or the politics, or the people. Houston has never been a good fit for us. We have a possible relocation to Denver coming up (will know more next week) and I'm just doing some research.

Good grief! People are trying to be helpful. Well, most anyway. I certainly am. That comment about Denver being like "a large Bend" seemed to be a bit over the top, especially when you have no experience with Denver. The culture of a small resort city is not going to be the same as a city which is in fact larger than Portland. Denver is so much more than a resort city near the mountains. It is the capital of Colorado, the financial center of the mountain west, a big medical center for same, a big high tech/IT employer, a big federal employer and much more. Sorry you didn't like the link. I just included it for the population figures. No one thinks you're six years old, either. Where'd that come from? But, oh well.

Since you seem to be talking to or rather chastising me, I'm not the one who brought up Houston b/c I don't know anything about Houston. Now if you'd like to compare Denver to Pittsburgh or Champaign IL, that I can do, but it's a "compare and contrast", not "Denver is like a big Champaign" (which it's not in any event).

[mic111]

I think what people are trying to say to the OP is that they won't quite fit in. Unfortunately they have items that are at cross purposes on their list.

Most of the suburbs have good schools and yards. Denver neighborhoods where the OP is most likely to feel comfortable and find peers do not have good schools. Their perfect area might be Boulder but it is too far from their job and too expensive.

Luckily Denver metro is a live and let live sort of place so no one will care whether you fit in or not. The only problem comes in if you care about whether you fit in. If you do, then you might feel out of place.

Loads of good suburban neighborhoods with walkable amenities (grocery, restaurants, parks, trails) but not alternative or artistic amenities.

Personally I'm not really feeling the fit. Throw in the desire for new construction and I'm really not feeling it. Especially since the kids are older. With younger I'd say Stapleton but since they don't yet have a high school that option is out.

Where you will fit in is the dogs. People in CO love their big dogs. Be sure to check out the off leash dog parks at Cherry Creek State Park and Chatfield Reservoir.
Cherry Creek State Park- Off Leash Dog Area - Aurora, CO

Chatfield Dog Park - Littleton, CO

This post is meant to be helpful not snarky or negative. I'm sorry it isn't all rainbows and unicorns but people are giving you honest responses. If your coming for a job whether it is a fit or not isn't really relevant. You'll probably like it here as alot of people do. But not everyone does.

Besides that do we really have hipster in Denver? I'm not even sure I really know what that means. I looked it up on-line but the definitions aren't that favorable so I won't use them. Maybe we have hipster light in some of the trendier areas.

If your husband doesn't like heat and humidity make sure you get AC and not a swamp cooler.