How is it a living in Denver, Co? (apartment complex, renters)

[Marina1686]

Hello

I'm very curious about how is a living in Denver, Co. A lot of people had recommend me this city for a better living.

How is......
Cost and quality of living?
Crime level?
Wages?
Opportunities?
Traffic?
People?
Weather?
Id it family friendly?

I'm a 23-year-old student currently living in Miami, Fl, which I really hate. Reasons: weather sucks, cost of living is crazy, very low wages, people are rude and supercial, traffic and drivers are horrendous, not a family friendly city, lack of advacement and opportunities, high crime, full of low-income and welfare suburbs, and there's nothing to do if you are away from clubs and the night scene. I want to move as soon as possible I get my bachelors' or probably before that with my boyfriend, which he totally agreesfor the same reasons.

Thanks I appreciate it

[zenkonami]

The questions are a bit vague.

I suggest you try again more by telling us more about what you're looking for and what you consider to be reasonable when it comes to costs and opportunity. Most of those questions above would depend heavily on whether you are frugal or like to shop, prefer more relaxed lifestyle or love to work harder than you play, etc...the answers would also vary widely from person to person (family friendly to one person may be different than to someone else.)

[POhdNcrzy]

Originally Posted by Marina1686

How is......

Cost and quality of living?

Lower COL than the costlier areas of east and west coasts, higher COL than the mid-West, Texas, and others.

Originally Posted by Marina1686

Crime level?

Denver has some bad areas, random shootings, gang activity...but overall it's pretty safe if you use common sense. Safer than Miami and LA, that's for sure.

Originally Posted by Marina1686

Wages?

Fairly low relative to the COL. But almost the entire US has that problem these days (as a result of a stinky old guy named Alan Greenspan, not to mention 5 billion wage slaves in India and China).

Originally Posted by Marina1686

Opportunities?

Better than a lot of places in the US at exactly this moment in time. However, not a place teeming with great career opportunities, either. In fact, not even close...the job market around Denver died circa 2002 and has never really came back to that level of job/career opportunities since. There are a whole lot of relatively wealthy people living in and around Denver, however, so if you are entrepreneurial, you might be able to find a way to capture some of those $$$ dollars somehow.

Originally Posted by Marina1686

Traffic?

Heck of lot better than SoCal or Miami area, but plenty of traffic in Denver and all over the Front Range.

Originally Posted by Marina1686

People?

Short on diversity. Lots of white mid-Westerners. Also, a hell of a lot of poverty in and around Denver as well. Lots of fairly wealthy and downright rich people too. Plenty of laid-backers, some liberals, tons of conservatives. Big emphasis on sports and enjoying the outdoors.

Originally Posted by Marina1686

Weather?

AWESOME weather! Really some of the very best in the US. Unless you are a wussy who can't handle some snow and ice for 3 months a year. However, dealing with the snow and cold from December thru end of March significantly raises the cost of living. (auto accidents, high insurance, high utility bills)

Originally Posted by Marina1686

Is it family friendly?

Absolutely yes, most definitely.

Be warned, Colorado is super-neat, but tons of people move back out of state every year, mainly because they got sick of taking low wages relative to the cost of living and because it's kinda hard to make friends on the Colorado Front Range (for several reasons discussed all over the forums here). In the rural mountain areas, it's easier to make friends but much harder to make a living. In the mountain resort areas, pretty much forget it unless you are mega-$$$ rich.

[parks71]

Why do you say the cost of living is so high relative to wages? I am not trying to argue with you, just trying to get information because I want to move there. The cost of living calculators say its about the same as jacksonville FL where the cost of living is about average.

Housing, a tad higher there but not much.

Property taxes, much lower colorado

Housing insurance, much lower colorado

Wages, according to the sites and information about 15% higher colorado

State taxes, higher colorado, we have no state tax

Fuel, Lower colorado

Car registration, much higher colorado

Utilities, I am not sure on this but my electric bill runs 350-380 a month for many months of the year because its so freaking hot. How about there?

It seems like the 15% higher wages covers those costs though. When I think of high cost of living, I think NY, Hawaii, Cali, Miami, DC ect.

[Marina1686]

Thanks for your responses.

A lot of people had recommended me to move to Colorado

[Count David]

Originally Posted by parks71

Why do you say the cost of living is so high relative to wages? I am not trying to argue with you, just trying to get information because I want to move there. The cost of living calculators say its about the same as jacksonville FL where the cost of living is about average.

Housing, a tad higher there but not much.

Property taxes, much lower colorado

Housing insurance, much lower colorado

Wages, according to the sites and information about 15% higher colorado

State taxes, higher colorado, we have no state tax

Fuel, Lower colorado

Car registration, much higher colorado

Utilities, I am not sure on this but my electric bill runs 350-380 a month for many months of the year because its so freaking hot. How about there?

It seems like the 15% higher wages covers those costs though. When I think of high cost of living, I think NY, Hawaii, Cali, Miami, DC ect.

For your electric/gas bill to be that high in CO, you'd have to live in a palace. When I rented a 2200 sq ft house, our electric/gas bill was about $100-$150. But so was our water bill.

The cost of housing is a little high compared to incomes, but only if you are one of those that insist on living in the most expensive area on a low wage job.

Gas is about $2.39 right now. Car registration is outrageous.

[dexy]

Is it common that renters pay water bills? Or it's just if you rent a house?
Here in NY, landlords pay water bills and renters are responsible for electricity and sometimes heat (if renting a house).

[Count David]

Originally Posted by dexy

Is it common that renters pay water bills? Or it's just if you rent a house?
Here in NY, landlords pay water bills and renters are responsible for electricity and sometimes heat (if renting a house).

Our first rental was in a jumbo apartment complex that charged ~ $150+ for water, trash, common area upkeep, etc, it might as well have been an HOA.

The second one was a house, and we had to pay everything.

We're in our third rental here in CO, and the first one in which we don't have to pay for water. The only utility we pay here is Xcel (electricity/gas).

I haven't heard of a separate bill for heat around here. I think that's an east coast thing.

So, I guess you could expect to possibly pay for water, or something else when you rent out here.

[80skeys]

Cost of living: lower than most comparable cities
Quality of living: higher than most comparable cities due to good weather, mountains, etc.
Crime level: noticeably lower than most comparable cities
Wages: average
Job opportunities: average
Traffic: light compared to East Coast cities; heavier than most midwest or southwest cities
People: mostly white, neither friendly nor rude, sort of in their own world, midwestern attitudes
Weather: very dry in wniter, low humidity, excellent summers, very snowy winters, lots of sunshine throughout the year
Family friendly: definitely
Things to do: this is iffy. There's lots of outdoors stuff to do, but for some of it you have to drive an hour or two into the mountains. Aside from that, Denver is kinda lacking in city-things. It's not a very cultural city so it's lacking in interesting artistic/cultural venues. Okay it's got some good athletic clubs, a decent riverwalk, a few museums, occasionally a good show.

Compared to Miami, most people have said that Denver is definitely the better place to live. I think you're making the right move.

[Moonwalkr]

It's a matter of perspective, there are many people who love the winter weather and proximity to beaches in Miami.