Denver or Seattle? Help! (apartment, house, find a job)

[hsiehk]

Hi there! I know people have posted up similar questions, but just for a more personal frame of reference - I'm a 23 year old female, looking to move from Orange County, California to either Denver or Seattle. I can't make up my mind and I've been doing research on both cities but don't really see any concrete descriptions of them. I graduated university last year and am actually currently teaching English in China, but plan on moving to one of the cities the instant I move back home in August. I'm planning on going to law school to study immigration or international law, and would like to find a job at a law firm for a year.

Weather-wise, I'm looking for four seasons. I keep hearing that Seattle is 3 seasons of rain and a great summer, but is the rain really that bad? I'm living in Shanghai right now and it's been an awful freezing/rainy winter - and by freezing I mean around 40 degrees (I'm from CA!), and it's no fun. But I am slowly getting used to it.

I'm looking to move to a city that's diverse, relaxed but still full of spunk, good music scene, and lots to do in the downtown area. I'd move to New York City if I could afford it.

Are there a wide variety of activities in Denver? Where's a good neighborhood for someone in their early twenties? Near the university? How is the weather? How long does the winter last? Do I need a car to get around? Are rooms (sharing apartment) expensive in downtown? Has anyone ever lived in Seattle and Denver? What did you find to be the main difference and what did you prefer?

THANKS for any advice!!!

[jamesia]

I think these will help you:

Denver vs Seattle


Denver or Seattle?


I never lived in Seattle, but I did live in Portland, OR... and I'm from Ketchikan, AK. They all have the same Pacific Northwest weather patterns. It doesn't really freeze much, just about always overcast (no really, just about always), and it rains frequently. It's more like a mist kind of rain though. I'm looking in to moving to Denver as well BUT I can tell you that Denver gets 300+ days of sun per year, so that's a fairly big weather contrast for ya there.

Maybe a Denverite will pipe in about the local neighborhoods... From what I've been reading, I think we'd like the same areas. So far, that's Washington Park, Capitol Hill and maybe Highlands.

[Katarina Witt]

There is lots of information on this forum about the Denver neighborhoods. Take a look in the indexes.

[WestCoDude]

Seattle is bigger, cloudier, rainier, more cosmopolitan.

Denver is more midwesterny, snowy, Latino, and conservative.

Both are outdoorsy, interesting, clean, and full of young people.

[Mikieo415]

If you think 40 is cold then you have some adjusting to get used to! Denver has cold days but they are usually bright and sunny, which makes all the difference. I came from a part of the country that is snowy. Denver is far from being genuinely snowy. We have had maybe a half dozen or less significant snow events here this winter. (3 inches or more) National Weather Service Climate

[SheridanL]

Denver is fantastic. Would you be going to Law School at DU??
There are plenty of Law Offices everywhere.

If you teach now, would you think about teaching at a HighSchool that has an IB program?? Colorado has some fantastic IB schools.

[sumisu]

Hi - I just returned from 10 days in Suzhou - have you been there? I liked China very much, but it was cold! There are definitely law firms where you could clerk/work in Denver. The University of Denver has a good law school and also a U.S./China Development Institute founded by a professor from China. This program is affiliated with the Graduate School of International Studies. As an alum, I also mentor international studies through the International Student House at D.U. Areas to live that you may consider are the Washington Park, Observatory Park areas; Capitol Hill, or LoDo (lower downtown area). The sun here is amazing. Good luck. Xie Xie

[awarren09]

Denver and Seattle are roughly the same size both 600,000+ and 3 or so million in the metro area. Seattle has a large arts scene and a thriving downtown. But since Denver is the largest city for nearly a thousand miles around it is often a larger hub for the arts. The Denver Performing Arts Complex is the largest in the world. They both have active young downtowns but Seattle probably has the edge. Denver is more active and has beautiful weather year round, but the weather is eratic with a decent amount of snow in the fall and spring. Seattle is cool and over cast pretty much every day October through May.