Denver vs Austin (condo, violent crime, mortgage)

[pcollins22]

I live in Arizona, and in the summer months, people that work outside like home builders and labor workers will not work past noon. Its not uncommon to start at 4am so they can be done sooner. All in the hopes of avoiding heat stroke :/

1 more year at the university and then CO here I come!

[BTNS_TX]

Having lived in Texas for the past 37 years, between Houston and Austin most of the time, in Austin a bit of the time for college, I can promise you the heat and humidity are absolute HELL.

We moved up to Highlands Ranch in June and the weather is just heavenly.

Tons to do in Denver, comparable to Austin in most respects, except maybe the music scene, but still plenty of fun to be had.

And the taxes are amazing compared to what we were getting hit with in Texas.

[slowlazygc]

i have lived in all three cities mentioned, pheonix, austin and denver. Taxes are higher in texas because there is no state tax. the moment you asked about snow, i figure you might not be that much of a snow person. it doesn't snow much in denver, but last year was bad.

given the three choices and night life in austin.. i would choose austin

[steveco.]

Originally Posted by BTNS_TX

Having lived in Texas for the past 37 years, between Houston and Austin most of the time, in Austin a bit of the time for college, I can promise you the heat and humidity are absolute HELL.

We moved up to Highlands Ranch in June and the weather is just heavenly.

Tons to do in Denver, comparable to Austin in most respects, except maybe the music scene, but still plenty of fun to be had.

And the taxes are amazing compared to what we were getting hit with in Texas.

Music scene in Denver is getting better and better by the day. There are tons of little hole in the wall concert halls that cater more to local and small artists.

[ehill03]

Rachel127- Just a few thoughts as I have recently left Denver (there 6 years) for Austin.

I'm originally from the south, so although I do not love heat & humidity, I can tolerate it. Austin is tough in the summer. Not as humid as the coast, but still sticky. I prefer dry heat- like Denver. I should note, however, that Denver summers seem to get more and more painful with temperatures very close to those in Austin- just w/o the humidity. There are still many places in denver without a/c, so sometimes I found Denver heat to be more difficult simply because air conditioning is not a "given" the way it is in warmer climates. Overall, I enjoyed the weather in Denver, & loved the mountains, (the two primary reasons I moved there when I was younger & had a lot of wanderlust) but ultimately, Austin has turned out to be a much better place for someone young & active (I am a 28 yr old single woman).

The biggest problem I had with Denver was actually the people, which is a sentiment that is shared by many folks if you browse these boards & others. It was a very difficult place to make friends in, despite being there for several years. It certainly wasn't that people were rude, but more that they were cold & aloof. This ended up making a big difference to me- Denver just never could quite feel like "home". It was a hurdle I just couldn't ever quite get over.

The city is pretty- great neighborhoods, parks, and very manageable to navigate by bike. I loved running in Denver, and it was very dog-friendly. However, it lacked quality culture, restaurants & nightlife for a city of this size, IMHO. The fine arts seem under-represented. The restaurant/bar/club scene felt kind of, well, cheesy. Many people tried to convince me that dowtown/LODO was hip & urban, but after having lived in larger, more sophisticated towns, Denver nightlife felt a bit like it was "trying to hard"- and missing the mark. That said, what it lacked in urban charm, the surrounding mountain areas made up for in natural beauty & outdoor activities. I loved the very laid-back, casual side of Denver- which is something Denver does exceptionally well. My best times in Colorado were actually not IN Denver, but weekends away in the mountains.

I've found that the housing situation in Denver and Austin are quite similarly priced, as is the cost of living- so that is kind of a wash.

The final factor that pushed me to Austin was the vibrant culture and energy. The economy continues to grow and intgelligent & interesting people seem to be coming here by the truckload. There is an extremely active local arts & music scene, and a much more diverse & young feeling population. It feels funkier, significantly more friendly & definitely more fun. Denver was very liveable, pretty city- but it felt a bit too bland, too white bread, too Stepford for my taste. Of course, that's just one opinion. I have a hunch had I found the people of Denver to be more engaging, it would have been a lot harder to leave.

Best of luck to you! Truthfully, Denver is a great city with a lot to offer and I don't regret one day I spent living there. Both Denver & Austin are unique, dynamic towns & I am certain you could find a niche in either location.

[Pair of Shorts]

If your still thinking of moving to Austin, my only advise is DON'T DO IT! I am currently living in Austin, I was born and raised here and in march we are moving to colorado. My husband and I finally decided that the best place to live and raise our kid's would be colorado. Don't get me wrong, austin is a beautiful city, it offers lot's of great night life (6th street) but unless you like the idea of wearing shorts and sandals for christmas, this is the wrong place to live. Austin basically has ONE season, summer, and the temperature is hot, hot or hotter. The humidity is out of this world so don't bother wearing make-up or having your hair done, even at night. And even after taking cold a shower, you still come out feeling sticky and dirty. Anyway, I think you get the point. Good luck at wherever you decide to live, I'm sure you will be just fine.

[SiddharthaGautama]

Can anyone compare and contrast these two cities? My perception of Austin is that it has long been an ideal place to live and is growing tremendously. A college town and somewhat revolves around UT. Although natives tell me there is a lot more to Austin than the University of Texas. From my understanding it has a fair amount of outdoor activities. Good music and night scene along 6th avenue.

When I first think of Denver I think of mountains and skiing. And all of the outdoor activities it claims to have. I would initially think Denver is the much bigger city but when looking at the statistics for population. Denvers Population city: 600,000 Metro: 2.5 million compared to Austins Population city: 715,000 Metro 1.6 million. I know they are both hot spots for younger people. I would think the marketplace for jobs would be better in Denver. But I also thought Denvers downtown would have more people than Austins.

Any comparisons of cost of living (renting) or preferences from people who have lived/visited both places? I also understand weather is a complete opposite.

[nelly 555]

Between Denver and Austin I would go with Denver for one reason only...Escape the heat. The cost of living when you are renting are pretty nearly the same. You might even save a little in TX because there is no income tax. But, if you are planning on staying and ultimately buying a home the property taxes in TX will be very high and you would get more for the money in CO. Both cities are very nice. Denver definitely has beautiful mountains but it is not at all green. Austin is one area of TX with rolling hills and lots of green. You will find about the same amount of entertainment in both. One great ting about CO is that you can take short road trips and be in other nice towns. I cannot really say the same for TX. I sometimes feel a little trapped in TX. Dallas is close to Austin but does not offer much in terms of entertainment.

[love roses]

I've lived in Denver and now Austin. Austin is very similar to Denver and is why we chose it when we came back. I also found that the people of Denver weren't as friendly as they are in Austin, but not so bad as to stay away. Nelly is right about the cool day trips in Denver. But you can do those in Austin too. Fredericksburg, New Braunfels, Wimberly, Salado and others. We liked Georgetown, Idaho Springs, Estes Park and quite a few others in Colorado. I would say try and visit both and form an opinion from there.

[Mike78613]

Dang this started back up? hehe

If you're a Texan, trying to find Colorado as your home, you better get used to longer months of winter then warm. Yes, bye bye to hot, but it will be a very challenging adjustment.

I'm born and raised Texan, but lived in Colorado for over 14 yrs. Do I miss it? yea!!
No matter what anyone cry about taxes, you will pay more for your same identical home out in Colorado for way more. My home vs Colorado would be 400K.
I almost left Austin to Denver, but backed out on the job b/c all the company wanted to do was give me 5K more then I make here. I just think realistically that Austin overall is still way cheaper to live then in Colorado since I talked to some residents by PMs on here.

Its a toss... heads or tails

Heads = Go Colorado and get COLD and freeze ya %%% off for longer months
Tails = Go Austin and be owned by the heat for longer months.