For those that moved here in the past 5 years (Denver: appointed, buying a house)

[Stevedore]

Originally Posted by Mach50

I'm with Timmah -

I love Denver, but at the current prices I would not move here. For a little more at this point I would stay in SoCal and be basking in the surf culture of HB, dining on tacos made by a Mexican with a gold tooth and hanging with the plastic chested bikinis in the sunnnnn, brah

--shaka--

You mean a lot more bro, HB housing isn't cheap. You can't find a $300,000 house anywhere in So. Cal brah, that's a FACT!

[Good Red Road]

I remember the first time I visited Estes Park in the mid 90's vacationing from Orlando. I was seduced by the scenery, the altitude, the weather etc. So much so I wasn't paying attention to the folks in front of me at the shops and on the streets and often walked off the curb because I was higher than a kite. Nowadays I can spot newbie a mile away.

I didn't have a job offer. No one invited us here. But Colorado is most definitely my home, and to paraphrase Charlton Heston, "You'll have to pry it from my cold dead fingers".

[alloo66]

I moved here last year from HI. I would definately move here again. I have also lived in SF, Phx, ABQ, SAT,and PDX. The only iss ues for me is it's expensive eating out and the weather is crazy. The economy is good here, and people are really cool, the city is prosperous. I like ABQ weather better, but living in a HUB is definately awesome.

[Mach50]

Originally Posted by Stevedore

You mean a lot more bro, HB housing isn't cheap. You can't find a $300,000 house anywhere in So. Cal brah, that's a FACT!

You can't find a nice house in Denver for 300k either. Do you mean Aurora or Lakewood?

Here is a 4/2 condo for ~475k in HB, with 9/10 and 10/10 schools:

20331 Bluffside Cir APT 412, Huntington Beach, CA 92646 | Zillow

Here is a 4/2 duplex for ~475k in Denver with 6/10 and 4/10 schools:

1355 Franklin St APT 6, Denver, CO 80218 | Zillow

[JrzDefector]

I dunno. I'd have given more serious consideration to Pittsburgh and West Virginia, for sure.

But really, I felt so uniquely at home here that I can't imagine living in those other places. I moved here four years ago, and things have changed pretty dramatically in that time. But it's still a great place to live.

In West Virginia, I was acutely aware of the lack of cultural and intellectual life, not to mention the limited dining options. I'm not a cultural snob at all, but I do like the museums, bookstores and cultural events here in Denver. I met many wonderful people there, but I don't think I'd be as happy in WV. They had only one Barnes & Noble in the entire state and one Borders (it was before the chain closed). I rarely go to chain bookstores these days, but the fact that B&N only had one outlet in the entire state spoke volumes to me.

And Pittsburgh had a very rich intellectual/cultural scene, but I dunno... it just didn't feel right. I could have been quite content there, I'm certain, except for the weather. But it wouldn't have been the weirdly delirious kind of happy that I have here.

Your question has stumped me, ayoitzrimz.

[DougStark]

Originally Posted by JrzDefector

I dunno. I'd have given more serious consideration to Pittsburgh and West Virginia, for sure.

But really, I felt so uniquely at home here that I can't imagine living in those other places. I moved here four years ago, and things have changed pretty dramatically in that time. But it's still a great place to live.

In West Virginia, I was acutely aware of the lack of cultural and intellectual life, not to mention the limited dining options. I'm not a cultural snob at all, but I do like the museums, bookstores and cultural events here in Denver. I met many wonderful people there, but I don't think I'd be as happy in WV. They had only one Barnes & Noble in the entire state and one Borders (it was before the chain closed). I rarely go to chain bookstores these days, but the fact that B&N only had one outlet in the entire state spoke volumes to me.

And Pittsburgh had a very rich intellectual/cultural scene, but I dunno... it just didn't feel right. I could have been quite content there, I'm certain, except for the weather. But it wouldn't have been the weirdly delirious kind of happy that I have here.

Your question has stumped me, ayoitzrimz.

Pittsburgh was rated as the number 1 top city several years ago. Not due to anything outstanding, but because the city didn't have any big negatives.

But, I've seen stats recently that the city isn't growing- that's not a good sign. Your thoughts?

[StealthRabbit]

Originally Posted by ayoitzrimz

would you move to Denver today? No

Why and why not? Denver is in Kansas (Prairie) except Denver has a LOT of traffic, and even more pollution (brown cloud)

Where would you live today? for your desires (and still near mtns) ... SanteFe / Flagstaff / Bozeman / Tucson
....

...I also like Phoenix as a city and it has a strong tech market.

What about you guys?

I commute through PHX several times / month. I can't understand why there is a city there. it is HUGE, HOT, and there is NO WATER! (each to his own)

I don't like rain either, (Colorado born and raised) so I leave my PNW home and go to Asia, CA, CO, or TX for the 200+ days / yr of drizzle. (spouse likes greenery).

COS would be by far my choice over DEN, but I don't do stoplights, so that ain't gonna happen either!

There are lots of tech positions in COS too.

[himain]

Moved here two years ago last May for my now ex. Would I move out here today from Miami? No but I'm glad I did it. New bf and I are in a lease till May and I'm trying to get him to explore and move somewhere else. However, he's been here 20 years and his job is $135k a year. Kinda hard to find that...

[guyatwork37]

So most of the reason that people would consider not living in Denver, that I can tell from this thread, is that the COL is too high. Which is awesome, but it's like half of my COL here in Los Angeles, so if that's the real downside, I'm going ot love it.

[JrzDefector]

Originally Posted by DougStark

Pittsburgh was rated as the number 1 top city several years ago. Not due to anything outstanding, but because the city didn't have any big negatives.

But, I've seen stats recently that the city isn't growing- that's not a good sign. Your thoughts?

Hm. I don't know. For my purposes, I suspect it wouldn't matter much. I work from home, and if my company suddenly closed, I'd do ok as a consultant, probably. But if Pittsburgh is stagnating, that's not good for sure.

I'd rather be in a more dynamic city even if the COL is higher, that's for sure!