Why is Denver SOOO wildly popular and is it living up to it's reputation? (Colorado Springs: insurance, how much)

[ShampooBanana]

I'm a transplant who's been here a little over a year. I moved here for a job transfer. There is a lot I like about it. I like that it has a real downtown and a lot of nice older neighborhoods. Everyone seems active and most people really take advantage of all the outdoor activities available. The schools are decent and overall crime is pretty low despite the handful of national newsworthy incidents that seems to have happened here. I absolutely love that I can drive into the mountains on the weekend and see some amazing scenery and explore quaint little mountain towns. The beer scene here is awesome and the dining scene is getting better. Jobs are plentiful and there is definite sense of progressiveness and optimism here as a whole.

On the downside, the cost of housing is becoming prohibitive for many. Among the younger crowd there seems to be a less "approachableness" than in other places. Almost a sense of elitism or pretentiousness that comes with the hipster mindset or among those who are way into the MTB or snowboarding scene so they think they are super bada**. It's weird, and I've never encountered it so much in other places. Thankfully I'm not in the dating scene anymore or I'd find it cloying and frustrating. Maybe it's my humble Midwest roots. I'm not sure. Another downside is the schizophrenic weather. Hail, freak snowstorms in May, rain every single day for the past 3 months... you can never make outdoor plans without the expectation that there's a likely chance they will get ruined due to the weather. It makes it just a bit tougher to enjoy that beautiful outdoors. Finally, there is a sense of isolation here, for good or bad. What I mean is that Denver is IT if you want big city amenities. It's a heck of a long drive to get to any other big city from here with Salt Lake or KC probably being the closest. It's just a big change for someone who is used to being able to take a daytrip to a St. Louis, Chicago, Milwaukee, or Indianapolis for variety and to experience a slightly different culture or events. Here it's pretty much Denver or nothing (and no, CO Springs doesn't count!).

[rumline]

Originally Posted by David Aguilar

I've never really been able to crack the people, and yes, I'm convinced that it's not me; I've now decided to embrace my differences vs. the status quo here, as opposed to trying to fit in.

Could you please elaborate on this part?

[emm74]

Originally Posted by ShampooBanana

I'm a transplant who's been here a little over a year. I moved here for a job transfer. There is a lot I like about it. I like that it has a real downtown and a lot of nice older neighborhoods. Everyone seems active and most people really take advantage of all the outdoor activities available. The schools are decent and overall crime is pretty low despite the handful of national newsworthy incidents that seems to have happened here. I absolutely love that I can drive into the mountains on the weekend and see some amazing scenery and explore quaint little mountain towns. The beer scene here is awesome and the dining scene is getting better. Jobs are plentiful and there is definite sense of progressiveness and optimism here as a whole.

On the downside, the cost of housing is becoming prohibitive for many. Among the younger crowd there seems to be a less "approachableness" than in other places. Almost a sense of elitism or pretentiousness that comes with the hipster mindset or among those who are way into the MTB or snowboarding scene so they think they are super bada**. It's weird, and I've never encountered it so much in other places. Thankfully I'm not in the dating scene anymore or I'd find it cloying and frustrating. Maybe it's my humble Midwest roots. I'm not sure. Another downside is the schizophrenic weather. Hail, freak snowstorms in May, rain every single day for the past 3 months... you can never make outdoor plans without the expectation that there's a likely chance they will get ruined due to the weather. It makes it just a bit tougher to enjoy that beautiful outdoors. Finally, there is a sense of isolation here, for good or bad. What I mean is that Denver is IT if you want big city amenities. It's a heck of a long drive to get to any other big city from here with Salt Lake or KC probably being the closest. It's just a big change for someone who is used to being able to take a daytrip to a St. Louis, Chicago, Milwaukee, or Indianapolis for variety and to experience a slightly different culture or events. Here it's pretty much Denver or nothing (and no, CO Springs doesn't count!).

I would put this as the biggest downside as well. I moved here 9 years ago from Boston, and I miss the huge variety of options that were easily available to me within driving distance.

But I moved here for family and the family is still here, so I'm here. And despite what is undeniably a higher cost of living and of course housing since I moved here, I've not completely lost my Boston set point, so it still feels relatively affordable to me.

[livethedream3]

Transplant coming up on 1 year. What drew me to the Denver area overall is the excellent quality of life -> beautiful scenery, friendly people, unlimited outdoor activity options, weather (enjoying seasons and diversity rather than hot sun all day everyday), work life balance, and relatively low cost of living when compared to some other large metro areas. I have the ability to live in the stunningly beautiful, peaceful mountains while maintaining a fun, reasonable drive to the office (and to any other city amenity). Working in high tech, there are very few cities where this housing situation is possible.

For non city people such as myself, so far, this appeal has become a reality. Traded in a shoe box, cheaply built townhouse in the Bay for a equivalent cost house 3.5 times bigger in the mountains with a shorter, more predictable commute. Hasn't been a full year yet, but sipping morning coffee or eating afternoon dinner on the deck overlooking multiple mountain peaks is something I find hard to get tired of.

[SteelCityRising]

As an individual who has a growing interest in visiting Denver for vacation I can say I truly appreciate the insight thus far in this thread. Please keep it coming! I love hearing these perspectives.

[Timmyy]

I moved here 16 years ago because I had a job lined up and I knew I could eventually afford a house. In 1999 San Diego was not affordable for someone like me and it is still not affordable to this day. The move was easy for me because I have had family here all my life. I had visited a lot so I knew what I was moving to.

There is so much to do here and it is a great place to have a family. I do miss San Diego but the possibility of moving back there is long gone.

If you are a sports fanatic you will fit in. I love sports so there is always something to attend.

If you like beer you will be very happy here.

[randomparent]

Transplant. Nine years. What drew our family here? A very lucrative job offer and local family. Our lifestyle is very similar to that we had in other parts of the U.S. We are unapologetic suburbanites, our days filled with home and family. What other parts of the country did not offer that Denver does is an opportunity for our kids to have a close relationship with their grandparents, who settled here over thirty years ago.

[himain]

Temp transplant. My now ex and I moved out here. I ended up meeting someone new shortly after we broke up. I'm trying to get current bf to relocate to Miami next year..

[joy_eq]

I was a transplant in Denver for about two years. I'm from the south and I've lived in a few different cities, but Denver was not my favorite area. I went there for my fiance's job and I knew it was probably temporary. I really enjoyed all the outdoor activities, but I can relate to what someone said about "outdoors snobs." I was new to rock climbing and snowboarding, and I didn't always get the warmest reception from more experienced people. People in general were not as friendly as I was used to in the south.

I also never felt the same type of church community that grew up with in the south. I attended several different churches and everyone seemed nice enough, but it was definitely different because the churches were huge (yet the people didn't seem like a close community; everyone left immediately after the service instead of visiting) and religion in general didn't seem to be such a big part of many people's lives. I never really talked about it with anyone, and I remember feeling surprised that it didn't come up in conversation. Saying "bless your heart" got me a few funny looks if I recall.
I know I'm generalizing a lot here and I don't mean to be offensive, but this was just my experience.

The traffic was the worst of anywhere I've ever lived and the cost of living was a lot higher than NC! I was also surprised by how much my car insurance increased there.

I loved Rocky Mountain National Park, Waterton Canyon, and climbing 14ers. Basically I enjoyed the areas outside of Denver much, much more than the city itself (although I liked going to Rockies games because I grew up a baseball fan).

Overall, I didn't love or hate Denver. I wouldn't refuse to go back, but I don't miss it either. I know a lot of people love it and I can see why. There are a lot of wonderful things about the area.

If I moved back, I would consider Colorado Springs instead. The few times I went down there, I really liked the atmosphere and I think I might fit there better.

[step33]

And I have said this elsewhere, but specifically as to "Why is Denver so wildly popular?" For many people (and probably myself) that answer started with, "well it's not ______ (insert name of where they came from)". Like many "boom" areas, it's a great place to start something new and different among a bunch of other people also doing something similar.