Why Does Denver Attract So Many Young People? (Golden, Holly: credit, college)

[returnedYinzer]

Originally Posted by Mike from back east

No argument there. I've seen many beer joints back in Bal'mer and in places I've been too in PA, OH, WV and elsewhere. In Bal'mer, guys would get off work, head to a bar, drink for hours until pie-eyed, then go home and pour themselves into bed. Dreadful existence, had a couple BIL's like that. My mom tended bar in a joint that served these gents, and those guys ended up big losers due to ignoring their wives and kids and drinking & smoking themselves to death.

I can't stand loud amp'd music like we had in the meat markets when I was a kid back in the late 1960's or early 1970's. Long ago I decided I needed to hear what my companions were saying and hate shouting to be heard. I've turned around and walked right back out the door of chain eateries that had their sound system too loud, it ludicrous to walk into a chain and not be able to hear your wife or speak to her. Even stuff I like is obnoxious if someone wants to crank it up over my plate of salad. My idea of a great time is a decent meal, a nice hotel lobby with a 3-piece jazz combo over in the corner, and a glass of wine.

Ok, this was a typical thing I heard when I lived in Denver. This argument is true, somewhat. You have many people in the east that live that kind of life. However, it is mostly a life lived by hardworking blue collar workers. I heard many stories of my grandfathers generation that lived this way. The steelmills then to the bar to spend all their money. Over and over again. However, I lived in Capitol Hill. I knew people who also lived the same existance. They were uneducated, blue collar workers that did the same thing in Denver also. It doesn't matter if you are east, west, north, or south. The east has more blue collar workers, but this is also in Denver. It's not like people in the east like fancy schmancy jazz joints (which are not "real" jazz places), and go hiking in the Appalachians, go to Cape Cod, etc. These people you refer of are Alcoholics. Alcoholics are in every state, every culture, and every class.

[DenverAztec]

Originally Posted by ditto

Boredom causes some people to do crazy things. With the high suicide rate amongst young people in CO & teenagers going on killing sprees, it makes me wonder...

http://www.rockymountainnews.com/drm...705840,00.html

The article says nothing about kids being bored or going on killing sprees. The important point made in the article is, "Numbers may have dropped recently, he added, but Colorado teenagers are still killing themselves at a rate 40 to 50 percent higher than the U.S. average. Meanwhile, per capita mental health funding in the state ranks 34th in the nation."

[vegaspilgrim]

Originally Posted by LoveBoating

Don't know what attracts young people to the Denver area, but will say this:
After living in So Calif for a number of years, I WOULDN'T pick Denver to live in if I had a college degree and single. When we lived in the Denver metro area, a number of young adults told us that Denver was fairly boring to them. Even though the cost-of-living is high, lots of people and traffic, So Calif is a "hotbed" of activity, the mountains are close enough for skiing and the salaries for jobs is very nice. We now live in the Charlotte, NC area and I feel the same thing about Charlotte......if I was young, college degreed and single I WOULDN'T live here either.....BORING. Even Florida is better than Denver or Charlotte for a young adult. People who are young, have money, good looks and single should live in the "action" cities of the U.S.

You know what, LoveBoating? I've heard you say this same thing over and over again, like a broken record. I think your perception speaks more about your own nostalgia for the past than it does for what young people actually think. You know what's funny? I can't speak for all young people, but I'm 22 years old, about as young as it gets, and Denver is near the top of places I'm interested in living! Other cities I like include Las Vegas, San Diego, Phoenix/ Scottsdale, and also Albuquerque, believe it or not. Each one is very different and offers different things, with a different vibe, and I like each for vastly different reasons, but they all have a lot of young people. If/when I move back to Denver permanently, I sure as heck wouldn't want to live in the suburbs of Denver-- I'd want to be closer in to where young people actually live, preferably in one of those new condos going up right around downtown. I'll openly admit that Denver's night life is not that glamorous. Heck, I think that Scottsdale, AZ (just a few miles north of where I live in Tempe) has far better nightlife than Denver.

But I'm not the partying, clubbing, drinking type anyway. I'm more of the outdoors, skiing, hiking, bicycling type-- and Denver is full of people my age who love doing the same things I do. I consider myself pretty laid back-- a place like LA, NYC, or Miami would be too fast paced for me, IMO. You might be wondering why I like Las Vegas then. The neat thing about Vegas is the 24/hr non stop action is like a light switch-- you can turn it on and off whenever you feel like it, simply by either going to the Strip, or hanging out in the suburbs. Vegas also has some amazing outdoor recreation spots very close to town-- including a ski area about a 40 minute drive from the center of town, and compared to Colorado, the public lands in Nevada are practically uninhabited, not crowded at all. But overall, in terms of meeting other "educated" people, a more diverse economy, and finding more of an outdoors-oriented culture, Denver is superior to Las Vegas. And unlike LA or San Diego, it's actually a place where you can make ends meet on a "young person's" income. Say what you want, but starting out life on a solid footing financially, living in a place where the costs are low enough where you can actually save money and purchase a condo (or even a house) and start investing in your equity, instead of blowing your paycheck on rent, means a lot.

[Mike from back east]

Originally Posted by MobyLL

^ dullnboring -- that's a great synopsis. Completely agree with what you are saying.

I am no longer young, but I do have one thing in particular to point out... it may sound stupid, but I think there is some validity to it. Denver doesn't have much of an image from movies or TV like NYC, LA, Miami, DC and Chicago do. So a lot of the appeal that denver has comes from word of mouth, friends taking ski trips etc. .....

Agree about the comments posted by DullnBoring, who I recall from the VA forums when I used be the Mod there.

Agree that we aren't in the hollywood, media, or even the comedy spotlight like those other cities.... all of those venues tend to glamorize and/or poke fun at the attitudes of all those big famous cities. Not sure anyone ever did a TV series about cops in Denver and there's no CSI-Denver (is there?). Nor is there a Dr. G or Quincy series on Denver. There is no airing of the seedier side of Denver, mainly since we DON'T have one, eh.

Only show I recall being set in CO is the old "Dynasty" series... http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dynasty_(TV_series)

No comics make fun of our accent, attitude or foibles, there are no Valley Girls or Malibu Barbies here, no Venice Beach, no South Beach, no Coney Island, no Miracle Mile, no Grand Strand.

Denver remains a blank slate for people to come write their life upon, to live in a friendly affordable decent unpretentious urban area.

[ditto]

Originally Posted by DenverAztec

The article says nothing about kids being bored or going on killing sprees. The important point made in the article is, "Numbers may have dropped recently, he added, but Colorado teenagers are still killing themselves at a rate 40 to 50 percent higher than the U.S. average. Meanwhile, per capita mental health funding in the state ranks 34th in the nation."

Right - I know the article does not discuss killing sprees. I was referring to only the suicide part. I should have made it more clear before posting the link. My bad.

[DenverAztec]

Originally Posted by Mike from back east

Only show I recall being set in CO is the old "Dynasty" series... http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dynasty_(TV_series)

No comics make fun of our accent, attitude or foibles, there are no Valley Girls or Malibu Barbies here, no Venice Beach, no South Beach, no Coney Island, no Miracle Mile, no Grand Strand.

Denver remains a blank slate for people to come write their life upon, to live in a friendly affordable decent unpretentious urban area.

I saw a commercial about the new "Alien Verses the Predator" movie and they punch it out in Gunnison, Colorado.

[Mike from back east]

....an AP story in today's Denver Post about how baby boomers are moving to the Rocky Mountain west, to include WY and MT: http://www.denverpost.com/breakingnews/ci_7827187

[dullnboring]

Originally Posted by MobyLL

^ dullnboring -- that's a great synopsis. Completely agree with what you are saying.

I am no longer young, but I do have one thing in particular to point out... it may sound stupid, but I think there is some validity to it.

Denver doesn't have much of an image from movies or TV like NYC, LA, Miami, DC and Chicago do. So a lot of the appeal that denver has comes from word of mouth, friends taking ski trips etc. But the one "media" element that helps define Denver in the nations consciousness is.... Coors commercials. I'm not kidding. People around the country watch football on Sunday (or now Monday, Thursday and Saturday as well) and those coors commercials come on with the mountains, the sunshine and the snow and Pete? Coors talking about the rocky mountain spring water... Denver is never explicitly mentioned, but the rockies and Denver are inextricably linked in peoples minds. I think those commercials give an 'image" to the Denver region despite never mentioning or showing the city.

Originally Posted by Mike from back East

Agree that we aren't in the hollywood, media, or even the comedy spotlight like those other cities.... all of those venues tend to glamorize and/or poke fun at the attitudes of all those big famous cities. Not sure anyone ever did a TV series about cops in Denver and there's no CSI-Denver (is there?). Nor is there a Dr. G or Quincy series on Denver. There is no airing of the seedier side of Denver, mainly since we DON'T have one, eh.

Only show I recall being set in CO is the old "Dynasty" series... http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dynasty_(TV_series)

No comics make fun of our accent, attitude or foibles, there are no Valley Girls or Malibu Barbies here, no Venice Beach, no South Beach, no Coney Island, no Miracle Mile, no Grand Strand.

Denver remains a blank slate for people to come write their life upon, to live in a friendly affordable decent unpretentious urban area.

Yep. I agree with all of this.

People especially on the East Coast can have some pretty passionate opinions on places like Florida, California, Arizona and Nevada, areas where they likely have experience or know of a good number of family and friends who have relocated to, but Colorado remains a bit of a mystery to many. What images they do have, tend to be good. I realize that there are many negatives to living in Denver, as there is any place, but Denver by most accounts offers a really good standard of living and as such, has a lot of buzz and word of mouth going for it. From a young person's standpoint, liberal population, large city, University of Colorado has a good rep, sports teams, educated population, economy is doing decent, good scenery, and a low cost of living. It all adds up to a very attractive place. I have never been out that way, but of the people I know who have, not one has a single bad thing to say about the area. That says a lot, especially considering the fact that I've heard only raves from New Yorkers, and New Yorkers in general like to complain about how most cities don't live up to New York.

Whatever the case may be, Denver has a good reputation amongst young people. If the city ever comes up in conversation amongst young people I know, it's never met with sneers or derision as some cities would be, but if anything, curiosity and interest.

[Charles]

Originally Posted by dullnboring

Whatever the case may be, Denver has a good reputation amongst young people.

This may be because it has a decent availability of professional jobs to cost of living ratio. Or high tech jobs per capita. Or livability + job potential versus cost of living (homes). It also has four professional sports teams, and I heard that Denver is the smallest city with all four major sports teams.

[tfox]

Originally Posted by california???

Just curious what it is about Denver that attracks so many young people? From what I've heard and understand its the outdoor activities that Colorado in general offers. I mean the job market isn't ideal compared to LA or NY and the weather wouldn't be exactly ideal. Any ideas?

Well, NY and LA certainly have their attractions, but they are not for everyone. Cost of living more than cancels out the additional salary one might get. It's true that a Manhattan job may offer a bit more than the same job in Denver, but try to find a studio in Manhattan for less than $1200, no parking. Same studio in Central Denver, less than $400.00 with parking. As for owning property, non-millionaires simply can't own property in Manhattan, whereas even high-cost Central Denver can still support people in many walks of life. (Though sadly this is changing.) Of course, there's many other cities even cheaper than Denver.

Weather opinions is so subjective -- some people like hot, or cold, or wet, or humid, or high altitude, or low altitude, snow, or no snow, etc. No one place has a monopoly on "ideal weather."