Is Denver a good fit? (appointed, unemployment rate, university)

[aaronkc]

I live in the NYC metro area and plan to move within a yr. I used to live in Portland and while it is nice QOL wise, I found it pretty boring and corny with all that Portlandia/hipster vibe. I am a white dude, but I am a Russian immigrant so I tend to get along better with other immigrants more or minorities so was basically too white there. I like diversity. I heard good things about Denver in real life from a few people who lived there. I like that it's more diverse than Portland, still laid back, reasonably priced, 4 seasons, no summer humidity like here. I don't mind snow, being from Russia, but I don't like driving in the snow though. I am also considering Seattle, which would be a natural choice, since I am familiar with the region, but want to consider multiple options before I decide. That overcast weather does get depressing after a while. No place is perfect though, obviously, so I wanna weigh everything. Does the altitude affect you even after a while? Does your body ever get used to it completely? I have mild asthma from time to time so not sure how thinner air would affect it. How's the nightlife? Any other general info will be helpful.

[davebarnes]

When I write Denver, I mean greater Denver.

Denver has a decent sized Russian (actually, ex-Soviet empire Jews) population.
Denver is not diverse. Overwhelmingly white people, then Hispanics (who are both white and brown). Black population is 7%. Small numbers of Vietnamese, Koreans.

Denver has The Leading Respiratory Hospital in the Nation - National Jewish Health . Been here for 100 years.

Cheaper than NYC. Wages are lower than NYC.

OK nightlife. Not even close to NYC.

[aaronkc]

Originally Posted by davebarnes

When I write Denver, I mean greater Denver.

Denver has a decent sized Russian (actually, ex-Soviet empire Jews) population.
Denver is not diverse. Overwhelmingly white people, then Hispanics (who are both white and brown). Black population is 7%. Small numbers of Vietnamese, Koreans.

Denver has The Leading Respiratory Hospital in the Nation - National Jewish Health . Been here for 100 years.

Cheaper than NYC. Wages are lower than NYC.

OK nightlife. Not even close to NYC.

well of course, i wouldnt expect it to be, but say like comparing to portland
denver is more diverse than portland or seattle tho,

Black or African American alone, percent, 2012 (a) 10.4%
American Indian and Alaska Native alone, percent, 2012 (a) 2.0%
Hispanic or Latino, percent, 2012 (b) 31.5%
White alone, not Hispanic or Latino, percent, 2012 52.7%
http://quickfacts.census.gov/qfd/states/08/08031.html

[davebarnes]

Originally Posted by aaronkc

well of course, i wouldnt expect it to be, but say like comparing to portland
denver is more diverse than portland or seattle tho,

Black or African American alone, percent, 2012 (a) 10.4%
American Indian and Alaska Native alone, percent, 2012 (a) 2.0%
Hispanic or Latino, percent, 2012 (b) 31.5%
White alone, not Hispanic or Latino, percent, 2012 52.7%
Denver County QuickFacts from the US Census Bureau

Those are for the City & County of Denver.
Not for greater Denver.
Greater Denver is much closer to Colorado QuickFacts from the US Census Bureau

[aaronkc]

Originally Posted by davebarnes

Those are for the City & County of Denver.
Not for greater Denver.
Greater Denver is much closer to Colorado QuickFacts from the US Census Bureau

o ok

[sade693]

Originally Posted by aaronkc

I live in the NYC metro area and plan to move within a yr. I used to live in Portland and while it is nice QOL wise, I found it pretty boring and corny with all that Portlandia/hipster vibe. I am a white dude, but I am a Russian immigrant so I tend to get along better with other immigrants more or minorities so was basically too white there. I like diversity. I heard good things about Denver in real life from a few people who lived there. I like that it's more diverse than Portland, still laid back, reasonably priced, 4 seasons, no summer humidity like here. I don't mind snow, being from Russia, but I don't like driving in the snow though. I am also considering Seattle, which would be a natural choice, since I am familiar with the region, but want to consider multiple options before I decide. That overcast weather does get depressing after a while. No place is perfect though, obviously, so I wanna weigh everything. Does the altitude affect you even after a while? Does your body ever get used to it completely? I have mild asthma from time to time so not sure how thinner air would affect it. How's the nightlife? Any other general info will be helpful.

As a black female who moved here from a high-income suburb of Philadelphia (I only mention that to demonstrate that I'm not a thug or anything), I have to say that diversity here is not what you're imagining. I had the same vision as you, and have been extremely disappointed. Unlike on the east coast where there's a sizable population of blacks and latinos who are middle+ class and mingle freely with the white people, the vast majority of blacks that I've met/seen here are lower income. There's nothing wrong with that in and of itself, but it does mean that there is a noticeable dichotomy between blacks and whites here. Can't speak too much about latinos because, while there are supposedly a lot of them here, I haven't seen too many in the parts of the city that I frequent.

That said, I love the aesthetics of Denver. It's a really charming city, and the mountains make a beautiful backdrop.

I lived in Seattle for a short time, a bit less than a year. As long as you find your niche, I think that you'd like it there. I don't know how young you are, but the most diversity and interracial mingling is near UW, where I was attending university. The rainy weather isn't nearly as bad as people like to say it is, and it's totally worth it for the beautiful, sunny, lush summers that bloom as a result of the rain (which is really more like a spotty, light drizzle throughout the day).

I haven't felt the altitude difference here in Denver, but you might because of your asthma. It'll probably just be a very subtle tightness in your chest for the first few days (what my dad experienced when he came to visit me; he's nearly 60 and a hardcore athlete) or you may get winded faster than usual (what my mom experienced when she visited).

Why do you want to leave NYC? What is it in particular that you're looking for?

[aaronkc]

Originally Posted by sade693

As a black female who moved here from a high-income suburb of Philadelphia (I only mention that to demonstrate that I'm not a thug or anything), I have to say that diversity here is not what you're imagining. I had the same vision as you, and have been extremely disappointed. Unlike on the east coast where there's a sizable population of blacks and latinos who are middle+ class and mingle freely with the white people, the vast majority of blacks that I've met/seen here are lower income. There's nothing wrong with that in and of itself, but it does mean that there is a noticeable dichotomy between blacks and whites here. Can't speak too much about latinos because, while there are supposedly a lot of them here, I haven't seen too many in the parts of the city that I frequent.

That said, I love the aesthetics of Denver. It's a really charming city, and the mountains make a beautiful backdrop.

I lived in Seattle for a short time, a bit less than a year. As long as you find your niche, I think that you'd like it there. I don't know how young you are, but the most diversity and interracial mingling is near UW, where I was attending university. The rainy weather isn't nearly as bad as people like to say it is, and it's totally worth it for the beautiful, sunny, lush summers that bloom as a result of the rain (which is really more like a spotty, light drizzle throughout the day).

I haven't felt the altitude difference here in Denver, but you might because of your asthma. It'll probably just be a very subtle tightness in your chest for the first few days (what my dad experienced when he came to visit me; he's nearly 60 and a hardcore athlete) or you may get winded faster than usual (what my mom experienced when she visited).

Why do you want to leave NYC? What is it in particular that you're looking for?

o, kul so anyth else u dont like besides the diversity issue?
wanna leave mostly because of low standard of living, u have to be rich here to have comparable QOL to average america, i live in north nj and even still too expensive, too many damn people, too congested, takes 2 yrs to get anywhere, basically looking for lower COL and better every day QOL, that said obviously its not the only thing, as everyone would wan live in BFE like wyoming or someth, if it was, for example in portland i dint find enough places to go to, portland for some reason felt pretty mediocre to me and somewhat of a backwater, say comparing to seattle, actually kinda felt like poor man's seattle so i want someth livelier
and u dont have to clarify what part u from, im not gon automatically assume u poor and ghetto jus cuz u blac and from philly lol

[sade693]

My only other complaint with Denver is that it's too tame. I miss the east coast because I was in close proximity to a lot of action. NYC and DC were just a train ride away and the shore was only a drive away. For comparison, the next nearest metropolis to Denver is Cheyenne, WY (population ~60,000). Denver is a relatively quiet city, and that's just not for me. Plus, I miss the element of glamor that the cities of the east coast (and Seattle) have.

Seattle is an expensive city, but they have a really low unemployment rate and the jobs pay quite nicely. Have you considered the midwest at all? Minneapolis is a super cool city. You might like Philly, too. So long as you stay out of the bad areas, it's a cute city with a fun nightlife.

[aaronkc]

Originally Posted by sade693

My only other complaint with Denver is that it's too tame. I miss the east coast because I was in close proximity to a lot of action. NYC and DC were just a train ride away and the shore was only a drive away. For comparison, the next nearest metropolis to Denver is Cheyenne, WY (population ~60,000). Denver is a relatively quiet city, and that's just not for me. Plus, I miss the element of glamor that the cities of the east coast (and Seattle) have.

Seattle is an expensive city, but they have a really low unemployment rate and the jobs pay quite nicely. Have you considered the midwest at all? Minneapolis is a super cool city. You might like Philly, too. So long as you stay out of the bad areas, it's a cute city with a fun nightlife.

yea, the road trips here are nice
cheyenne and metropolis dont sound right in the same sentence
seattle can be affordable, given its good economy and higher salaries, esp in the burbs and im a burb person, and yea im considering mpls too, philly is cool, but its not that cheap in good areas and can be rough, i like dense city cores, but newer, less dense burbs and newer housing so NE cities dont fit me too well in that sense

[sade693]

Originally Posted by aaronkc

cheyenne and metropolis dont sound right in the same sentence

Lol exactly.

If you get the chance to spend a few days in Seattle, definitely do it. You'll know pretty quickly if it's the right place for you.