Should we leave Denver? (house, transfer, neighborhood)

[ladyfish]

So my DH is in trade school and will be graduating this fall. He has a 100% chance of getting a job after graduation here, but his industry is quite in demand in most areas of the US (demand for his work will grow up to 20% nationwide in the next few years). So we feel that there's a good chance that Denver's not the only shoo-in for job opportunities for him.
We have family here. We are not tied down to them, but worry that we might miss them. However, we would love to get out of Denver for different reasons. We lived in new england for a year and LOVED the trees and the water. Denver is quite expensive and the mountains don't have the same appeal to us as, say, a woodsy, wintery area like Madison WI. Everyone loves the "300 days of sunshine" but we actually don't like it so sunshiney -- kind of weird I know!
We also kind of feel like we could use a fresh start on our lives, just start over completely new. We don't have friends in our area so that's not a consideration either. Basically, the only things that would keep us here are the complete ease of getting a job and family (basically, our baby's grandparents -- one set).
Should we try to take the plunge and go for a possibly hugely enjoyable change, or settle here for a fairly non-risky life? Has anyone done anything kind of like that -- what did you find out?

[2bindenver]

If that is how you feel...then I suggest you go for it.

Life is too short to play it safe. Go on a grand adventure. If you get homesick, there are planes that will bring you back.

After college I wanted to live in CA...so me and my bf drove across the country in a 1978 toyota corolla. I met and married someone else two years later...he got transfered to CO in 1989...what can I say, this is home. I have no family here.

It's all good.

[BlueWillowPlate]

Originally Posted by ladyfish

Should we try to take the plunge and go for a possibly hugely enjoyable change, or settle here for a fairly non-risky life? Has anyone done anything kind of like that -- what did you find out?

We had *everything* going for us in Denver: house, friends, neighborhood and my job, but the spouse felt stagnated in his job... we had been married and living there for almost 25 years, 18 of those years in the same house, and we were ready for a change.
We took the plunge. We were 50-somethings who wanted a fresh start.
North Florida appealed to us.
We both like the water, we rarely got up to the Rockies, and I was sick of winter. I had family in Denver, but did not see them that much.
We left in fall of '05.
It has been a roller coaster ride since then, but I don't think either of us, if we had to do it over again, would have stayed.
It was not easy for our younger kid at first, but now he is at FSU, getting good grades, and could not be happier.
We bought a house here, and a boat--we're staying.
Now we see the husband's side of the family, which is nice.
As 2bindenver mentions, if you get that kind of itch, maybe you should scratch it.
This is not a diss on Denver. And I wonder if New England might be just as expensive as Denver?
Our older son spent this past year in grad school in Madison and loved it.

[yukon]

Go for it. If his job field is in demand, the only downside I see is it will be a little tougher in the new place with the baby as you won't have the family support network to fall back on (babysitting, emergencies, etc.). However, I've found that good friends are often happier to help out than family. Good luck!

[downtownnola]

Life's short... Take a risk and go for the adventure of moving! If down the road you realize you were happier in Denver, then you can always move back, especially if your DH's job is in high demand.

Good luck! If you have an open minded attitude, you'll likely be happy wherever you end up.

[MobyLL]

I'll just echo what everyone else is saying... give it a try; if you don't like it you can move back or to somewhere else you may enjoy. You sound young, so you have plenty of time to find the right geographical niche that you feel comfortable in.

[BSL63087]

Sorry to be off-topic and sorry if I sound stupid, but what does DH mean? I know it is something short for husband I would assume, but what is DH?

[yukon]

DH = dear husband (I think)

[BSL63087]

Originally Posted by yukon

DH = dear husband (I think)

ok.. It was just driving me crazy trying to figure it out. I've seen DW and DD too (I guess wife and daughter)

[livecontent]

It was driving me crazy too. I never heard these terms but I thought it would be clear eventually. Let see DH--Dear Husband, Dead--, Divorced---, Dumb--,
Damned---, Deranged--, Dinky---, Delicious--- You got me. DD, DW same applies, where did these terms come from????