Am I crazy...leaving all my friends behind to move to Denver? (housing)

[Rolling-Stone]

I love the Rockies and have lived in and out of Denver (family) all of my life. Well, in and out of a lot of the USA! But few places draw me back like Colorado. Sure it's a bit colder, longer, but it's a dry and tolerable winter. Most winters that I lived in the state allowed me to do the fashion-flub attire of heavy shorts with sweaters and down vests - yup, you get the picture, however, I fit right in when I lived in Steamboat Springs (further north and a ski resort). You don't have to ski or sport a sunburn in December from the slopes to be accepted, and the old-time sentiment of "Born in Colorado" has long ago faded and no one really cares anymore because Denver has become a very transient city. I just went back to visit this month and it continues to grow more and more beautiful, high-tech, and innovative in ways to serve it's residents. The city is growing for reasons not only attributed to the rise in Hispanic birth rates (FYI)!!!

Listen, if you only spend a couple of years there, it's a great experience and so close to some of the most beautiful (my opinion) natural landscapes in the
States. Please, be prepared to pay a hefty rent for a nice pad. Relative to SD though, it's affordable. My friend pays $1,200 mo for a downtown loft in a small building - it's nice, and she considers it a bargain for the area. She's single and a recent college grad and has a blast in Denver, as did I. You're close to Colorado Springs, Boulder - HOT for singles!! - Estes, and more. I say go for it and don't worry about others' opinions. If you're a qualified grad with decent experience & a good resume, you'll make out just fine. May not be building up any savings, but it's worth the experience. It's an awsome city! Your personal experience there depends largely on how well you socialize and connect with the people around you.

[moving-to-AZ]

Lucaseve,
I say go for it. I moved to Colorado a year & have never looked back. It is great here & there are a lot of friendly people. I agree--Estes Park & Rocky Mountain National Park are awesome. Lots to do here, I'm sure you would love it. Weather here is great--my only complaint is the high cost of living. I think $1200/month like the previous poster said for anything other than a house is outrageous but that is just me. I'm used to paying in the $500s for rent in a decent apt--here it is near $700 for the same apt--but that's just the way it is, I guess. Sometimes you just have to take a leap of faith & you never know what could happen

Originally Posted by Lucaseve

I am also planning a move to Denver. I have lived in Nashville for about 10 years and have decided I'm ready for a change of scenery. It will be hard to leave my family behind, but they say they will always stay here in Nashville, and I'm just 26 and single and not ready to put those roots down just yet. There is a big world out there and I at least want to see a little of it.

I've been visiting City-Data for a while considering where I would want to move to. I work in web development, and there seem to be plenty of jobs to apply for in Denver. I have friends in Denver, which will help me in the transition, and I have visited the city once before and loved it. Last year I stayed in Estes Park and visited Rocky Mountain National Park and that is when I really fell in love with the area.

My current plan is to pack my car and leave in three weeks. I'm staying with a friend for a week and hope to find a room to stay in through Craigslist. There seem to be plenty to choose from. I have enough savings to make it through January. I figure if all else fails, I can move back to Nashville, but I'm ready to give it a try.

I feel just like what others here have said, I feel it in my gut to do it. I'm motivated to just pack my car and do it.

[wankel7]

Yeah, I am the same way...I am pulling the handle on Dallas I have been living there almost two years and really love the place. I have a lot of good friends, great places to go mountain biking, race track to run the motorcycle, and lots of cool concerts always come to town.

But...the mountain biking in CO will be a different kind of better. And my snowboard is getting pissed it hasn't seen snow in years. So, Denver here I come. Made the choice the 1st of October and I should be in Denver by the end of the month

Can't wait! Already have my seasons pass :P

James

[outwest]

I am almost 100% on moving to Denver on the 20th of this month. I close on my house on the 19th and want to leave the next day. Then I will have to fly back and do my two weeks notice at work before driving back out for the final time....leaving a good paying job too! I am in the same boat as many of you are. Everyone at work thinks I am a nut for leaving my job, family and friends. This is completely against how I was brought up and my personality, but sometimes you just have to say "f-it".
I need to find an apartment fast and have already looked at a few online. Any of you denver people know of City Gate apartments on Brighton ave?

[hello-world]

Originally Posted by Rolling-Stone

You're close to Colorado Springs, Boulder - HOT for singles!! - Estes, and more.

this is such a myth. one thing to talk and think about what it might be like to be single in boulder/denver etc. another to actually be single there. there is a high male:female ratio (1.2:1 in the 25-35 age bracket in denver proper, worse in boulder, at least according to the 2000 census), higher than in much of alaska (!). and it's not a very diverse population relative to other cities, so, if you're a conventionally cute, fun loving, suburban-ish or "MTV's Real World"-ish, snowboarding 29 year old woman it might be great. otherwise, maybe not. i even know some beautiful, very intelligent 30 year old women with tons going for them that seem to not be finding it here (in these cases i think it has to do more with what can seem to them to be the sort of 1-D 1950s sort of "all american" - or that "Real World"-ish - culture that they seem to find in the place).

[wankel7]

Originally Posted by outwest

I am almost 100% on moving to Denver on the 20th of this month. I close on my house on the 19th and want to leave the next day. Then I will have to fly back and do my two weeks notice at work before driving back out for the final time....leaving a good paying job too! I am in the same boat as many of you are. Everyone at work thinks I am a nut for leaving my job, family and friends. This is completely against how I was brought up and my personality, but sometimes you just have to say "f-it".
I need to find an apartment fast and have already looked at a few online. Any of you denver people know of City Gate apartments on Brighton ave?

Apartment Ratings - Apartments for Rent with Ratings and Reviews from Actual Renters

[moving-to-AZ]

I've been on ApartmentRatings.com & I am starting to take what I read with a grain of salt. I'm sure much of it is true, but the majority of apts do not get a good rating--and the majority of people posting on there are just there to complain about every little thing--those unfortunate things that I hate too but that is what we call APT LIFE I've lived in a handful of apts & have come to accept the fact that some stupid things they do (pet rent, huge deposits, taking away that deposit when you move out for every little piece of dirt left behind, etc) we have no control of. I think it's very hard to find the 'ideal' apt without sacrificing a little something (location, rent, etc)..

Ok, I'll get off my soapbox now!!! Sorry.....just had to put in my 2 cents..

Originally Posted by wankel7

Apartment Ratings - Apartments for Rent with Ratings and Reviews from Actual Renters

[Lucaseve]

I'm thinking Madison Park sounds the best so far. I have a friend who lives close, in Henderson, and the apartment seems to be close to interstates and Denver. In another thread someone commented on it being a nice place. They offer short term leases, which is a plus, but they are about $300 more on a 1 bedroom.

Simpson Property Group | Dwell in Satisfaction
http://www.eliterenting.com/community.php5?z=33859

Any locals have opinions?

[hello-world]

relative to a lot of places, certainly to most cities it's size and popularity, denver is quite cheap renting. a decent 1 bedroom can come in at pretty well below $1000/mo, often from about $750/mo-$950/mo, and even much lower for some fair places ($500/mo might get you rat and bug infested gunshots and no working plumbing or electrical shared with roommates near NYC, while it'll get you maybe 475 s.f., dated kitchen and bath, but otherwise all your own and operational in an ok neighborhood in denver, e.g.). VERY nice 1 bedroom rental "lofts" etc. might be a bit over $1000/mo.. compare that to the cost of owning (rent vs own, e.g.: http://www.nytimes.com/2007/04/10/bu...=1&oref=slogin) and salaries in denver, and you'll likely see that renting can be a wise move these days and for the foreseeable immediate future. also, i wouldn't take rental forums etc so "with a grain of salt" - in the midst of the complaints that you get anywhere, you can see concensus in many truths and nuances of a place.

[moving-to-AZ]

I'm not saying I don't take those forums seriously at all, but come on--think of how many residents are in a complex compared to how many negative posts. I've lived in several apts & you never know what you're really getting into until you actually move in--that is the reality of it. That's why you get short-term leases to start out just in case

I guess when you lived in TX as long as I did & $700 for a 1-bed apt was considered to be a very nice, 'luxury' apt then yeah, I still have to disagree that the cost of an apt here is high compared to well--my salary--not sure about anyone else. I agree, though that you get what you pay for, but what you get here for $700 is not what you get elsewhere for $700. But it is better than owning since the cost of housing here in Colorado is ridiculousy high!!

Originally Posted by hello-world

relative to a lot of places, certainly to most cities it's size and popularity, denver is quite cheap renting. a decent 1 bedroom can come in at pretty well below $1000/mo, often from about $750/mo-$950/mo, and even much lower for some fair places ($500/mo might get you rat and bug infested gunshots and no working plumbing or electrical shared with roommates near NYC, while it'll get you maybe 475 s.f., dated kitchen and bath, but otherwise all your own and operational in an ok neighborhood in denver, e.g.). VERY nice 1 bedroom rental "lofts" etc. might be a bit over $1000/mo.. compare that to the cost of owning (rent vs own, e.g.: http://www.nytimes.com/2007/04/10/bu...=1&oref=slogin) and salaries in denver, and you'll likely see that renting can be a wise move these days and for the foreseeable immediate future. also, i wouldn't take rental forums etc so "with a grain of salt" - in the midst of the complaints that you get anywhere, you can see concensus in many truths and nuances of a place.