DENVER vs. AUSTIN-Tips on art community, Housing, Asthma and Excema(Denver) (real estate, rental market)

[Reign_Cloud]

Young professionals looking to move from Fairfax, VA to Austin or Denver

I am a 27 year old designer/illustrator/painter/street art guy looking to leave Virginia. My girlfriend and I have narrowed our lengthy search down to these two cities. I will mention, however she has asthma as well as pretty bad excema. I've read that people with breathing/skin conditions may not be suitable for Denver. Anyone with these issues find it tolerable to live there? This is a major concern for her. We are pretty active, so she usually does just fine with her inhaler. But we certainly don't want the natural elements to irritate her skin or breathing any worse than now. Any advice?

How is the art scene?
Are there currently art districts?
"First Fridays"....
I know of some creative collectives in Austin. Does anyone know of any in Denver as well?

Rate the outdoors.
We are active, healthy individuals who can't wait to get in some hiking, rock climbing, mountain biking and skiing. What are some awesome spots? How far are they from the inner city?

Housing
What are some great surrounding areas to live in? Something in walking distance to a local produce market would be great

We would really love an industrial loft. (exposed brick, high ceilings, etc.) Is this style frequently known to exist in either area? We are certainly open to apt or town home as well. Looking to spend $1500 or less per month.

Any advice on these subjects is greatly appreciated. We are excited for some really awesome feedback on these two great cities!

[SkyDog77]

Very active art scene.
First Friday Art Walks in Denver
Denver's Art District on Santa Fe

The top ranked respiratory hospital in the country is in Denver. The air is dry. It's good for some, not good for others. I would recommend a visit to see how she does

The Leading Respiratory Hospital in the Nation - National Jewish Health

There is hiking, rock climbing, and mountain biking very close to the city (<30 minutes). Skiing is an hour at the closest. Ski traffic is tough on the weekends and can make drives last 4 hours if you travel at peak hours and there is an accident or weather. It's still better skiing than Austin The weather here is far more conducive to being outside in the summer than it is in Austin.

Your budget is low for downtown loft living. Denver is one of the tightest real estate and rental markets in the country right now.

[davebarnes]

Originally Posted by Reign_Cloud

Something in walking distance to a local produce market would be great.
We would really love an industrial loft.

The only locally grown produce is marijuana.
For $1500, a loft will easy to find. Of course it won't come with plumbing or heat.

[Idlewile]

I responded to your thread on the Austin forum. And as mentioned in that thread, there are multiple existing threads comparing the two in both forums, just do a search on each city to bring them up.

[JohnnyDenver]

Originally Posted by Reign_Cloud

Rate the outdoors. We are active, healthy individuals who can't wait to get in some hiking, rock climbing, mountain biking and skiing. What are some awesome spots? How far are they from the inner city?


We would really love an industrial loft. (exposed brick, high ceilings, etc.) Is this style frequently known to exist in either area? We are certainly open to apt or town home as well. Looking to spend $1500 or less per month.

Any advice on these subjects is greatly appreciated. We are excited for some really awesome feedback on these two great cities!

For $1500, you will get a 2-bed apt. However, it will not be in a "hip" area as your describe.

Skiing? Hope you can take off during the week to enjoy that. Otherwise, you'll be sitting in traffic on weekends heading up I-70.

Rock climbing: Yesterday, there was a great rock slide in Clear Creek Canyon; See: Rock slide injures 1 on U.S. Highway 6 in Clear Creek Canyon - The Denver Post

Music scene is pretty equal, however, Austin is known for producing more "local" musicians and somebody looking to break into the biz would probably consider moving to Austin rather than Denver. Unless, of course, you're the lead singer in a band and you want to make a name for yourself by riding on an airport carousel through a restricted area. The, Denver might be your city.

[Schumacher713]

Her allergies are going to blow up in Austin. It is one of the worst cities in the country for it. Her breathing and skin conditions will do much better in Denver. 90% of people who have asthma have allergies. Every time I go to Austin I blow up. That place kills me. It is just a brutal place to live with even average allergies. I don't think she will be able to handle it. I can't wait to move to Denver where allergies are really low. Just six more months!

Austin will be slightly cheaper than Denver. Austin will win in the hipster department. It is one of the best in the country for live music. Both are outdoorsy, but Denver is more so.

[lofarber]

I agree with allergies in Austin being horrendous. I DON'T have allergies or asthma but those cedar trees are NO JOKE. I have visited Austin 3x in the last 2 months and I'm miserable with congestion, sneezing and post nasal drip. Do some research on cedar trees in Austin, they are wicked....

[maastrichtian]

I am working on moving to Denver FROM Austin, and my (and my childrens') allergies (and asthma) are a major reason. Heck, my wife never had allergies before she moved to Austin, and now she's suffering, too (a common narrative here). It is, as has been said before, NO JOKE. I'm not sure where you heard that Denver would be worse, but I can't imagine that would be true for most people. I've spent a lot of time in Denver, around the US, and across the world, and I've never experienced anything like Austin allergies.

Good luck.