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I only have experience with Las Vegas. There's pros and cons to Las Vegas. Las Vegas has good scenery, world class dining (one of my favorites), and things to do due to the fact Las Vegas is so well known world wide. Las Vegas is also in a really great location for outdoor recreation, tying with Denver here depending on your interests. Vegas is the cheapest of your cities listed, so you should factor that in. If you can get work with the resorts on the Strip, you may do pretty well financially if you're high up on the latter.
From what I've heard, Austin has a good nightlife. If it's like the majority of Texas I have experienced, it's probably pretty humid. This is the only city on your list that's humid, you should consider if that is something you like or hate. Austin seems to have subpar (based on what I've seen) suburbs (in the sense they are boring and unappealing) for the price point in particular. Vegas suburbs are also boring but they are more affordable. Denver also seems to have boring suburbs and also expensive like Austin. Austin seems to be heavily divided into two industries: public sector (state capitol) and tech. You and your partner don't seem to work in either industry, so you might want to consider that. This isn't unique in comparison to Vegas, which is about 99% hospitality and tourism, but that's at least what your partner does.
I'd imagine the appeal and differentiation of all three of these cities are in their downtown areas, so you need to ask what do you prioritize for fun things to do. If you don't care about the cities themselves and just want to live in a gated community your experience isn't going to be different, except for weather and if people have southern accents and what type of local cuisine is around. Suburban America is basically the same in all parts of the country.
Denver seems to be the most urban, the coldest (the only one that snows), and probably the biggest job center in comparison to the others here. Denver might also be the most expensive (depending on Austin) so you need to factor that in. Do jobs in your field pay well enough for Denver?
I personally would probably rank Denver, Las Vegas, and Austin in that order. Austin has a humid climate I'm not fond of, but seems like a neat city otherwise. Denver is the big city that I like. Las Vegas is in a desert which is a pro to me, but it's not an urban city with a diverse economy and people that Denver is.
Have you also considered Phoenix? It's going to be similar temperatures to Las Vegas but much less humid than Austin and warmer of course than Denver.
- There's a lot of hospitality in Scottsdale, Carefree, Cave Creek and Paradise Valley but unlike Vegas it's not gambling-centric so you don't get the same smoke infested mega-resorts, it's more of an upscale and peaceful retreat for families coming from colder climates basically from October-May or so.
- Phoenix is also a much larger economy than both Vegas and Austin, offering many more accounting opportunities to work in.
- All 4 major pro sports teams play here along with power conference NCAA sports at ASU, there's no shortage of events to go see, be it concerts, major sporting events such as the Phoenix open, national car shows, horse shows, and regular stops for the super bowl and final 4.
- Like Denver, if it's too warm in Phoenix you can drive about an hour to the high country and be in Payson or Prescott at 90 minutes.
- There's a plethora of hiking both immediately surrounding the city, through one of the dozen or so mountain preserves and just a short pop up to the high country and you're hiking in completely different terrain.
Of the 3 you listed I'd probably take Las Vegas, as I'm not a fan of the humidity levels Austin has and the long lasting winter Denver has. When I see chances of snow from October through May I'm not too excited.
Phoenix is probably a better match for the OP than Las Vegas, considering the unique parts of Las Vegas are something they don't want or aren't valuing anyway.
As somebody that lives in Austin and visits family in Denver, I'd say go with Denver. I am strongly considering moving there myself.
Denver is much more urban and overall, a more complete city with better freeway and public transportation infrastructure. The summers are much less brutal and the dry cold of Denver is better than the humid, (although less frequent), cold of Austin, during the winter. Both cities have a plethora of outdoor activities, but Denver is much more scenic. Oveall, the COL is very comparable, with a slight nod to Austin being a hair cheaper.
Las Vegas is fun to visit for a few days every year or two, but I wouldn't want to live there over Denver or Austin.
With the OP and spouse both being born and raised in NY, I'd give a big "no" vote to Denver and CO. It's just too much different culturally.
And one spouse works in hospitality, so there will also be a collision between what is the norm in hospitality in CO vs. in the NE. Don't assume it's easy to pick up on the midwest/western vibe of CO, even with a large city like Denver. I know someone from NY who constantly faces communication mismatch with Denverites and Colorodans, especially with the passive-aggressiveness of people, which is 180 from the directness in the NE. When you are used to people being direct and open, it becomes hard to have to guess, read between the lines, and look for body language to fill in all the gaps of what would normally be heard and visible. It's not something to underestimate if you value good communication.
With the OP and spouse both being born and raised in NY, I'd give a big "no" vote to Denver and CO. It's just too much different culturally.
And one spouse works in hospitality, so there will also be a collision between what is the norm in hospitality in CO vs. in the NE. Don't assume it's easy to pick up on the midwest/western vibe of CO, even with a large city like Denver. I know someone from NY who constantly faces communication mismatch with Denverites and Colorodans, especially with the passive-aggressiveness of people, which is 180 from the directness in the NE. When you are used to people being direct and open, it becomes hard to have to guess, read between the lines, and look for body language to fill in all the gaps of what would normally be heard and visible. It's not something to underestimate if you value good communication.
There is no shortage of passive aggressiveness here in New York, I wish people would stop perpetuating the myth thar everyone here is blunt.
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