Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
I moved to Colorado Springs from Garner, NC (Raleigh area) in 2010, then moved to Broomfield (in the vicinity of NW Denver) earlier this year. Do I miss Raleigh? Somewhat, but I don't regret my decision to move.
As for CS vs. the Denver area, the biggest PItA about Colorado Springs was the job market for me... I've got job qualifications for what aren't in any way exotic and uncommon jobs (CDL driver, equipment operator, diesel tech), and yet, I'd think of the times I'd put in 30, 40, etc. applications in CS just to maybe get one call back, vs. one day of job hunting in the Denver area (and not really even breaking a sweat to do it) and ending up with four job offers in one day.
World of difference. I also found myself a bit put off from CS by the military community... and before someone gets "old Glory" on me for saying this, I spent eight years in the military (four Regular Army, four Army National Guard, with an active duty period within the latter four years) as a Combat Medic, with deployments to Kosovo (with 10th Mtn. Div.), Afghanistan (with 82nd ABN Div.), and Iraq (with the MS National Guard) under my belt, so I've done my time. All the same, I very quickly grew sick of these 18, 19, 20 year-old Private Joes running around with this extremely entitled mentality. Senior NCOs and officers weren't so much a problem in this regard, but lower enlisted and especially military wives were terrible for it.
That aside, I think Colorado offers someone for almost everyone... the "beach bunny" sorts would probably find themselves a bit disappointed here. It's not California, and I hope it never does become a "mini California", but, at the same time, I wouldn't want it to be Mississippi, either... I think the state has a somewhat decent balance to that end.
I don't feel isolated from other cities here. We always have plenty to do around here; whether it's driving into Denver or heading further into the mountains. Sure, it's fun to visit other cities if you live close enough to one, but most major cities are several hours from each other, so they're not trips I would be taking all that often. We briefly looked into moving to NC, but we didn't really like the area. We love being outdoors and like to go on hikes, and there really weren't a lot of parks to choose from near CLT or the Triangle. Walking on a path is not a hike in my book.
I also didn't think I'd be able to deal with the extreme heat and humidity in NC. I actually like having some snow, and although I wouldn't mind seeing less of it, I couldn't see trading the comfortable weather here for the long, hot, sticky summers of the South. The schools have also taken quite a dive in NC, from what we've read and heard.
I don't like that we don't have any large bodies of water near us, but it's something I can deal with. I love the mountains and there are some gorgeous rivers here, so we can find water, just not in the form of an ocean or a large lake. The beach isn't terribly close to either CLT or the Triangle, but at least there are some decent sized lakes in the area.
I don't really get it either. What is the need to travel from one city to another city to do the same things? The ability to get away from city life by escaping into natural areas is a much bigger attraction to me than driving from one city to the next.
Another benefit of Denver is fairly cheap air travel. When I was deciding where to relocate to, I checked out prices to places I would want to go. Denver was always cheaper than other places I looked at. This is the tool I used to check airfare prices.
Now THIS resonates with me! I travel quite a bit and a good airport is a must. I also checked and found the same thing. Why are flights to Denver so cheap? How are flights from Denver to, say, the east coast?
I don't feel isolated from other cities here. We always have plenty to do around here; whether it's driving into Denver or heading further into the mountains. Sure, it's fun to visit other cities if you live close enough to one, but most major cities are several hours from each other, so they're not trips I would be taking all that often. We briefly looked into moving to NC, but we didn't really like the area. We love being outdoors and like to go on hikes, and there really weren't a lot of parks to choose from near CLT or the Triangle. Walking on a path is not a hike in my book.
I also didn't think I'd be able to deal with the extreme heat and humidity in NC. I actually like having some snow, and although I wouldn't mind seeing less of it, I couldn't see trading the comfortable weather here for the long, hot, sticky summers of the South. The schools have also taken quite a dive in NC, from what we've read and heard.
I don't like that we don't have any large bodies of water near us, but it's something I can deal with. I love the mountains and there are some gorgeous rivers here, so we can find water, just not in the form of an ocean or a large lake. The beach isn't terribly close to either CLT or the Triangle, but at least there are some decent sized lakes in the area.
This has been one of my major concerns. However, I did some research and there are tons of rivers in Colorado one could visit to fish, raft, etc.
Charlotte - in a state that was a member of the CSA (they lost the War of Northern Aggression)
Denver - in a Union state (we won)
Denver, by a mile!
Well, now wait just a minute here, Colorado was not even a state when the so called, "War of Northern Aggression" was going on, so, your so called, "we" side did not win.
I really appreciate your thoughtful, honest responses. I find the different perspective very helpful. I have another question about whether you feel isolated living in Denver? Some people mentioned they felt this because of being so far from another major city.
Yes and no. When I moved here five years ago from Los Angeles, it did feel pretty remote and I did struggle with it a bit. From Los Angeles, you've got San Diego, the coastal towns, Las Vegas, Phoenix, San Francisco, and well, all of Los Angeles--within less than a day's drive. Even if you didn't go somewhere all the time, just knowing that you could alleviated a bit of existential anxiety.
However, four years ago a job change forced us to a small town in Michigan, where we lived until this past May when we moved back to Denver. Compared to Michigan, the island surrounded by lake and the abyss of Indiana (cornfields, anyone?), Denver really doesn't feel as isolated as it seemed when coming from L.A. All of that to say that it really is a matter of perspective and time.
This has been one of my major concerns. However, I did some research and there are tons of rivers in Colorado one could visit to fish, raft, etc.
Yes there are plenty of AWESOME fishing spots in Colorado, and the rivers are great for rafting and tubing as well. I just caught three cutthroat trout a few weeks ago from the South Platte near Bailey!
Colorado still has plenty of lakes, they are not big ones by any means when compared to the east coast or Pacific Northwest but they are still lakes that are big enough for any water related activity that you could think of. Just 1.5 hours west of Denver there is Lake Granby which is a pretty darn big lake (about 9 miles long and 3 miles wide) which offers great boating, swimming, fishing, and all other water sports you can think of, and right next to Granby is Shadow Mountain and Grand lake which together offer another 5 miles of awesome opportunities. The people who say Colorado has no water are usually comparing it to the coastal states so obviously it's going to seem like Colorado has no water to them, but in reality there is still plenty of water here for doing all the water related activities one might crave.
If having 1,000's of lakes and several huge ones is important to you though then I'd avoid Colorado, but definitely research all the plusses and minuses of Both Denver, CO and Charlotte, NC before you make your decision.
Quote:
Originally Posted by goolsbyjazz
Now THIS resonates with me! I travel quite a bit and a good airport is a must. I also checked and found the same thing. Why are flights to Denver so cheap? How are flights from Denver to, say, the east coast?
Denver is cheap to fly into because it is a large HUB airport and is the 5th busiest in the U.S. This is the same reason LAX, DFW, ATL, and O'Hare are fairly cheap to fly into. The smaller the airport usually means the more expensive it is to fly into. Flights from Denver to the east coast are pretty affordable depending on your destination airport. For example I fly to Washington DC (Reagan Airport) frequently on Frontier for very reasonable prices.
Yes there are plenty of AWESOME fishing spots in Colorado, and the rivers are great for rafting and tubing as well. I just caught three cutthroat trout a few weeks ago from the South Platte near Bailey!
Colorado still has plenty of lakes, they are not big ones by any means when compared to the east coast or Pacific Northwest but they are still lakes that are big enough for any water related activity that you could think of. Just 1.5 hours west of Denver there is Lake Granby which is a pretty darn big lake (about 9 miles long and 3 miles wide) which offers great boating, swimming, fishing, and all other water sports you can think of, and right next to Granby is Shadow Mountain and Grand lake which together offer another 5 miles of awesome opportunities. The people who say Colorado has no water are usually comparing it to the coastal states so obviously it's going to seem like Colorado has no water to them, but in reality there is still plenty of water here for doing all the water related activities one might crave.
If having 1,000's of lakes and several huge ones is important to you though then I'd avoid Colorado, but definitely research all the plusses and minuses of Both Denver, CO and Charlotte, NC before you make your decision.
Denver is cheap to fly into because it is a large HUB airport and is the 5th busiest in the U.S. This is the same reason LAX, DFW, ATL, and O'Hare are fairly cheap to fly into. The smaller the airport usually means the more expensive it is to fly into. Flights from Denver to the east coast are pretty affordable depending on your destination airport. For example I fly to Washington DC (Reagan Airport) frequently on Frontier for very reasonable prices.
In the absence of an ocean having lakes and rivers may not be so bad. The airport is plus too! Denver is looking better!
Y'know, someone else suggested I consider the Triangle area instead of Charlotte as well. I guess the reason I went with Charlotte is because I am more familiar with it than with the Triangle area. I have heard lots of good things about the area, though. Since you are familiar with the area, how does it stack up to Denver? For me, Denver is a hard place to beat.
For me, choosing between the Triangle and Denver, I would pick Denver first every time, but that's mostly because I have family and friends from college here; did not have that at all in NC. It's been an absolute treat to see family 7 or 8 times since moving 18 months ago, I only saw them about 4 times over the 10 years I lived in NC.
Comparing Denver and the Triangle and leaving that out...it's really a push. Both have a thriving music scene, ranging from breathtaking classical and opera, to small independent venues and recording studios with up and coming artists. Both have fantastic youth music programs (my daughter is a classical bassist, we were involved in youth music in both places), and I feel, at least at my daughter's high school, the arts are VERY strongly supported. And she doesn't even attend the Denver School of the Arts, she's in a regular public high school in Jeffco. Between the Wake County schools and Jeffco schools, I feel the schools support the arts more in Jeffco. BUT...that could also be in part because I did HUGE research before enrolling her at the school she's in. Found out after the fact that pretty much any student that's really into music or theater in the county open-enrolls in her school. There's kids in her orchestra that commute 45 minutes to an hour just to be a part of that program. So, one for Denver if you have kids/are planning for kids/are considering private teaching of young folks. Judging by your user name, yes, there is a jazz scene here, too, I have a good friend that has a MMus in jazz saxophone, and is making a living performing, my kids bass teacher is a pretty great jazz bassist, and for something that provides a wide variety of music that's a bit of the beaten path, check out Eclectic Concerts - Unique concerts featuring a compelling mix of musical styles and performers and Swallow Hill Music | Concerts and Music School in Denver. In the Triangle, there's a wonderful festival in the fall and spring here Shakori Hills Grassroots Festival |, I mentioned SPARKcon, and then there's this: Hopscotch Music Festival. All also great events. But I would give an edge to Denver, because, due to the size of the metro area, there's just more. The quality of the music, and wide range of offerings is quite similar, but Denver's simply...bigger.
Restaurants I would have to give the edge to the Triangle. Both cities are homes to James Beard winners (Andrea Ruesing and Ashley Christensen in the Triangle, Jen Jasinski in Denver), both have great hole in the wall spots that only the locals know about. The Triangle has better Indian cuisine, Denver has better pho. Both have their regional specialties (Barbecue in the Triangle (and remember, barbecue is a noun, not a verb, and I won't even start on the Eastern vs. Lexington style!) and Green Chile in Denver). Both embrace the farm-to-table movement, but in the Triangle, its so easy to have fresh produce year round that the concept is really taking off. There are year-round farmer's markets in the Triangle, and year-round CSA's. North Carolina is home to Center for Environmental Farming Systems, teaching sustainable ag techniques that are a model for the rest of the country. I'm still exploring the food scene here, after 18 months, Triangle wins that one pretty easily.
Outdoor activities and weather I'm going to lump together. In a nutshell, the Denver area lives outside, on bikes, jogging, fishing, skiing, hunting, hiking, you name it. This is the most active place I've ever lived. And I love it! I've been more active since moving here since it's so easy, and it's easy to keep active year-round. Keep in mind, the first few months, you'll be acclimating to the altitude, though, and will likely feel tired more easily, and you might get a few headaches and feel like your eyes are scratchy burning (that's as much the dryness of the air, but also partially the elevation), but for most people that will ease over time. Yes, it gets cold in the winter. Yes, there's snow, and MUCH more of it than in the Triangle. But it's just as likely to be 60 and sunny in January. Last winter, even with the 2 polar vortex blasts, I wore a my fleece vest as outerwear about as often as I wore my big parka. In the Triangle, it isn't the cold that'll get you, it's the heat. You don't know hot until you've experienced 105 degrees with 60% humidity and sections of the highway buckling from the heat. There will be days (and in hot summers, weeks) were any outdoor activity really needs to be either before 8 AM or after 7 PM. It's just dangerously hot otherwise. It can get quite hot in Denver, too, but there is next to no humidity (or so it seems to me!), so it's much more bearable. You will need to watch out for sun intensity, though. Sunscreen and sunglasses are a must. You did mention your love of the beach, and there are lakes/rivers here that may be adequate, but for some folks it isn't enough. And NC does have amazing beaches! From the Triangle, it's about 2-2.5 hours to the coast, so it's really easy to just do a day trip and enjoy. I'm not a beach-y person, but I love kayaking, and have found more than enough opportunity here in Denver. So, for that, it kind of depends on what you want out of your "beach" experience. If it's just having a place to swim/fish/do a bit of boating, Denver's got you covered. If you want to hunt seashells, walk long expanses of soft sand, build sandcastles, and lay in the sunshine listening to the surf, well, then, the Triangle is better. Overall, I'd say Denver wins this one, but if you NEED BEACH, Denver will never be the spot.
Re: the Triangle vs. Denver, I've also lived in both, and would opt for Denver. That's in spite of having friends and family in the Triangle and not so much in Denver.
Raleigh to me just wasn't all that great. A little cheaper to live there, perhaps, but I don't think I was ever actually happy there. I do miss that I could more readily catch shows from bands I like in Raleigh, and I miss places which actually know there's more to real barbecue than grilling some meat and throwing some sauce on it, but it's not so difficult for me to cope. As far as the beach, I never cared for it, personally, and it's only really convenient from Raleigh if you have the time to make it a weekend thing... IMO, you'd be better off living in Dare County somewhere.. even Rocky Mount would be better.. if you intend to make regular day trips to the beaches.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
