Denver VS. The OC (real estate, apartment, for rent)

[upforchange]

Hi All!
I was born and raised in Orange County, CA and I am ready for a change. I have a couple friends there but that's it. I am tired of the rediculous people and lame attitude of a lot of people here. What cracks me up is that a lot of the people who aren't even from here claim to be after living here for a few years and then adopt an attitude like they're better than everyone else! crazy!! The dating scene here is a joke, no one is real it seems. I am a 33 SWF, good looking and I have a majorly hard time meeting nice, athletic, Christian men. Anyway, HOw well do you think an Orange County girl will fare in Denver? How is the dating scene there? Do you think I'll be ostracized for being from So. Cal.? (was mentioned on another thread that Coloradoans don't like peeps from So. Cal... I am looking to live in a more urban city with more action than OC and more outdoorsy / athletic people.
I am comming to visit Denver mid-February to get a feel for the city and to see if I can handle the weather.(I can be tough too! ). Any thoughts??
THank you!

[vegaspilgrim]

You know, talking trash about your hometown is not exactly the best way to make friends in your new town. If you do that, people will think, "What will she say about us once she gets tired of this place and moves on?" Denver, especially the newer suburbs, is not all that different from Orange County, CA, in terms of the people. There are a ton of place from OC that have moved to the Denver suburbs in the last 15 years. The climate will be totally different, of course. I'd say come visit and see if you like it! Keep an open mind though, which includes recognizing the good points that OC does have. You might gain some things by moving, but you'll lose some others.

[upforchange]

Thanks for your imput. I must have come off wrong...I wasn't trying to bash OC. It's just that well, I'm tired of the BS here with the people, the emphasis on what you have and what you look like, NOT who you are as a person. Being here as long as I have, I can say that. But> that doesn't mean I would bash people from another city that I am not from! I am just ready to experience something different - a city with down-to-earth, real people who are friendly and nice like I am.... and men that appreciate a real woman with brains and good looks, not the typical Pam Anderson look....

[mrlucero2002]

Glad to see that I'm not the only OC resident that feels this way.
I don't believe she is talking trash. I think she's venting out her frustrations about what Orange County has become. It used to be a nice LA Suburb, but now it's become super expensive, overcrowded, smoggy, superficial, and about as competitive as New York City. Yeah we have nice communities, parks, malls, and the beach. But it’s hard to enjoy and appreciate when you work long hours and you're too stressed out to enjoy it.

And if you’re in our generation (20 -30 something’s) and trying to buy a house, forget it. My wife and I have not debt, combined make about $150k/yr and still can't afford to purchase a decent place. In fact, we refuse to spend our hard earned cash here. All through 2006 and 2007 Real Estate Developers were trying their best to push our generation into 2 bedroom high rise condos for like $800k with $1k / mo HOA fees.

Are you kidding me? Maybe in Manhattan, but here? I don't think so. We don't have subways to take us shopping, or to our jobs, etc. What where they thinking. What a joke. I feel sorry for the poor saps that followed the herd and are now married to their mortgages and have to eat Top Romin in their high-rise condo over looking the freeway. This is no longer a place for raising families or for those who enjoy a work-life balance. Its perfect for the "me generation" yuppie types. Plenty of jobs, fine dinning, upscale shopping, and expensive entertainment. But, if you are a home owner and/or have children, take the phrase "disposible income" out of your vocabulary.

Based on my previous visits to CO, I'd say the people are much more pleasant, the homes are way more affordabe (they have besements too), it's definately more liberal compared to Orange County and the air is clear. On the down side, people seem to drive super fast (even truckers), jobs pay a lower salary (but not way lower), no beach, and yes it gets cold. There are mean and superficial people everywhere. I don't want to give too much away. It leave you to experience the rest on your February trip.

[ditto]

Originally Posted by mrlucero2002

Based on my previous visits to CO, I'd say the people are much more pleasant, the homes are way more affordabe (they have besements too),

True.

Originally Posted by mrlucero2002

it's definately more liberal compared to Orange County and the air is clear.

No, it's not more liberal here. Denver is more liberal than South OC, but not the rest of OC.

The air quality in OC (primarily along the coast) is cleaner than Denver.

Originally Posted by mrlucero2002

On the down side, people seem to drive super fast (even truckers), jobs pay a lower salary (but not way lower), no beach, and yes it gets cold. There are mean and superficial people everywhere.

True.

[NickMan7]

Originally Posted by upforchange

Hi All!
I was born and raised in Orange County, CA and I am ready for a change. I have a couple friends there but that's it. I am tired of the rediculous people and lame attitude of a lot of people here. What cracks me up is that a lot of the people who aren't even from here claim to be after living here for a few years and then adopt an attitude like they're better than everyone else! crazy!! The dating scene here is a joke, no one is real it seems. I am a 33 SWF, good looking and I have a majorly hard time meeting nice, athletic, Christian men. Anyway, HOw well do you think an Orange County girl will fare in Denver? How is the dating scene there? Do you think I'll be ostracized for being from So. Cal.? (was mentioned on another thread that Coloradoans don't like peeps from So. Cal... I am looking to live in a more urban city with more action than OC and more outdoorsy / athletic people.
I am comming to visit Denver mid-February to get a feel for the city and to see if I can handle the weather.(I can be tough too! ). Any thoughts??
THank you!

Visit in February and see what you think! You'll definitely get a feel for what winter is like around here and you might be surprised! You could arrive with a raging blizzard or step out of the airport into sunshine and 60s! Be prepared for both!

Enjoy your visit!

[steveco.]

Originally Posted by upforchange

Thanks for your imput. I must have come off wrong...I wasn't trying to bash OC. It's just that well, I'm tired of the BS here with the people, the emphasis on what you have and what you look like, NOT who you are as a person. Being here as long as I have, I can say that. But> that doesn't mean I would bash people from another city that I am not from! I am just ready to experience something different - a city with down-to-earth, real people who are friendly and nice like I am.... and men that appreciate a real woman with brains and good looks, not the typical Pam Anderson look....

Welcome. Being a fellow souther californian (san diego) I can totally agree with you on your feelings. Granted you might miss the ocean every now and again, or maybe some other aspect but for the most part it is a refreshing change from the general attitudes of the area out there

[High Altitude]

Born in LA, lived in Orange County most of my life, moved to the Denver area about 4 years ago.

Denver vs Orange County

Houses are much cheaper, traffic is much less, people are nicer and more down to earth, mountains instead of the beach.

Work is much harder to find and it pays much less. I find a lot of consumer goods and services (plumber, contractor etc...) are more expensive in Denver because there isn't as much competition/logistics of being near shipping ports etc.....

Weather is of course much different.

Have Fun!

[Tim Currie]

Just moved to Denver from Sacramento for some of the same reasons you're considering leaving so I know what you mean.

I do think the people here are more real (especially if compared to So Cal, and especially OC !) so I think you'll like that.

Central Denver and downtown is great and so much more urban than about anything in So Cal. S.F. is more urban but that's obvious. There is a ton of stuff going on and things to do in central Denver.

I don't think people really care where you moved from, it's more about your attitude and who you are/how you act. I don't tell people "I'm from 'Cali' or I'm from 'Nor Cal' " cause that just sounds dumb and so California stereotypical. I tell 'em I moved out from Sacramento because I thought Denver looked awesome and wanted a change. Be more interested in your new town (denver) and don't always talk about where you came from and people won't care.

Oh and people really are more outdoor minded than us from CA. I had heard that and thought it was probably overblown since I'm from Sacramento which geographically is very similar to Denver in what it has to offer of the outdoors. But it's true! Everyone skis/boards, everyone hikes in the mountains, bikes, sports, etc. Everyone I've met so far is in to skiing/boarding and I just got invited to go boarding with a guy that I called for info about a room he had for rent!

About some of the other comments....

I definitely do not think people drive faster here, quite the opposite in my opinion. Half the damn freeways have 55 mph limits.... oh well.

And the air cleaner in OC than Denver?!?! Maybe along the coast but no way is it better inland Again, just my opinion. The air here so far has been great, you can actually SEE the mountains. Try that in So Cal, or Sacramento for that matter....


Anyway, come on out and see how you like it! If you want another new transplant to show you around just let me know!
Hope that helps

Tim

[denverian]

I moved to Denver from OC 2.5 years ago and love it here. And I understand your gripe about OC.

Actually, in the summer, weather in Denver is similar to OC - warm to hot afternoons, pleasant evenings perfect for sitting/dining outside, few bugs and not too humid. The rest of the year is up and down with crazy fluctuations in temperatures. It can be warm and sunny one day, snowing the next. Last Saturday I was outside taking down christmas lights and cleaning out the garage without even a jacket, it was so warm, even though there was still snow on the ground.

If you want an urban environment, you'll definitely find that in Denver. Something that mostly doesn't exist in OC. You can get around the metro area easier than OC due to less traffic, although it can get fairly bad here. It's probably just more predictable and you won't find bumper to bumper traffic on a Saturday morning, like you can in OC.

Denver is definitely liberal. If you're looking for lots of young evangelical christians, probably not too many in Denver itself. If you're more mainstream christian, you could find like minded people, but overall, the city itself is pretty liberal - and lots of open-minded, liberal churches too.

Housing isn't dirt cheap, but compared to OC, it's cheap. You could rent a 1 bdr. apartment in the city for well under $1000.