Has anyone relocated or thought of relocating due to COL/traffic/overall crowdedness? (Denver: camp, living in)

[N610DL]

Originally Posted by Timmyy

Originally Posted by N610DL View Post
I shake my head when people say it's hard to make it in Denver. You "make it" in places like Hollywood or Manhattan, not Denver.

From what I see, people move there running away from something or somebody. They're already disjointed, and Denver will either live up to their aspirations or they'll simply move somewhere else.

That said, it's going around. 180K people left Colorado last year.

"Although I did have a friend move to Seattle, who moved back to Denver for some time, and complained about something called the "Seattle Freeze"."

Yeah same thing as "Minnesota Nice." It's that culturally rooted German / Scandinavian influence where locals are nice to your face but will stab you easily in the back. Denver had this a little bit too, but not sure if it's organic or if people brought it with them...?



You failed to mention while over 180K people left Colorado last year, over 220K moved here at the same time. The population is still increasing. One of the big reasons people are leaving here are housing prices.

Like SkyDog said, you'll never get it.

It wasn't hard for me to "make" it here in the Denver Metro area and I definitely wasn't running away from something or somebody.

Please - We're not going to agree on this one. As another user said, the culture of Denver seems pretty forced these days.

[Left-handed]

Originally Posted by Count David

I "made it" in Denver. In my heart, I truly believe I would have never "made it" in Los Angeles. There's too many people trampling over you there, and I didn't want to "make it" there anyway.

I saw a study recently that showed migration out of Colorado. The #1 destination was King County, WA. To me, that is completely laughable, because the problems we have here are only compounded multiple times over up there. Frozen pan into freeze IMO.

I personally have never experienced the Seattle Freeze, but I know what it is, and I agree that it exists. I'm a weirdo though, and I've always felt that I fit in Seattle just fine. In my experience, Denver has more of a freeze. Both cities do have a reputation for the need to live up to trendier expectations, but the expectations are more settled and decided in Seattle, whereas in Denver things are much more superficial and fluid. This may be why Seattle has more of a sense of community (I 100% completely agree with MN_Ski on this), and it could be that Denver is just the happenin' thing right now for whatever reason(s).

Go place yourself in any random suburban part of metro Denver (even within the city), and then remind yourself that every other western city also has mountains nearby. Go park your car in Applewood, Centennial, Westminster, or Hampden. Get out, look around. Breathe in the air. Take a walk down the street. Now ask yourself, is what is here any different than what is anywhere else? Is there a unique character that can only be found here? These are the places most people live, and they by and large are Any Boring Suburb, USA.

You can do this same exercise in Wash Park, Cheesman Park, LoDo, etc. All other functional cities have these places too, they just have different names.

The things that we can point to that make Denver unique aren't THAT special if we're being honest with ourselves. Don't tell me about Red Rocks, 14ers, or the Broncos. They don't make the culture and the feeling of this place unique, and whatever does, seems kinda phony, lame, superficial, or even forced.

We didn't really have these discussions 10 years ago. Denver had more character back then, and wasn't completely diluted by things yuppies, hipsters, and stoners like. We had an almost admirable homeiness, and we were a city that was just trucking right along. And while Denver is still a very nice place, can't it simply rest on that laurel alone (if one can afford it )?

Well said. I ultimately think that we make the place, not the other way around. I could live in or near just about any major US metro and likely be just as content as I am here. If I can pay my bills, live comfortably, have some left over for savings, catch an occasional concert or professional hockey game, bike around town, and maybe have 1 or 2 go to bars/restaurants, it wouldn't be much different than what I already do here most of the time. People are people. It doesn't matter where you go. You're going to find some you like, and some whom you dislike. The one thing that made Denver special when I first moved here was that there were a bunch of people just like me. So it made socializing and meeting new people much easier than back home, where there weren't a lot of transplants looking to make new friends in a new place.

[Count David]

Originally Posted by Left-handed

Well said. I ultimately think that we make the place, not the other way around. I could live in or near just about any major US metro and likely be just as content as I am here. If I can pay my bills, live comfortably, have some left over for savings, catch an occasional concert or professional hockey game, bike around town, and maybe have 1 or 2 go to bars/restaurants, it wouldn't be much different than what I already do here most of the time. People are people. It doesn't matter where you go. You're going to find some you like, and some whom you dislike. The one thing that made Denver special when I first moved here was that there were a bunch of people just like me. So it made socializing and meeting new people much easier than back home, where there weren't a lot of transplants looking to make new friends in a new place.

Nice!

We are very settled in just as you described as well. I wouldn't want to go back to Southern California (for example) and make living/lifestyle more difficult unless we wanted some sort of a challenge. I wouldn't want to leave here, pay more, and have less (or be only able to do less). As I mentioned many pages ago, leaving, paying less, and having the same (or slightly less) would not be too bad, and in many ways that still sounds appealing.

We did have a short break (6 months, but at the time, we thought it was going to be permanent) from Denver during our 11 years here, and lived in a different, much smaller metro during that time. That smaller metro had more than enough to satisfy me, at a much cheaper price. I found that I didn't need all the hullabaloo in Denver, as nice as having it is. And I think that experience is what triggered the ideas of desiring more simplicity in life, even if it came at the cost of doing without some amenities that I do enjoy.

I've been feeling really good about living here right now, however. I do feel more settled here right now than ever before. We've lived in four different houses/apartments across metro Denver in that 11 years, and just recently realized that we've lived in our current home for the longest duration now. So that's kind of cool.

[Left-handed]

If you're going to criticize a location's flaws as the reasons for why you left, then at least pick something relevant and unique to that specific location to criticize.

For instance:

1. LA: the traffic was unbearable
2. NYC: it was too crowded and I have severe social anxiety
3. Redding, CA: a forest fire literally destroyed our neighborhood
4. New Orleans: our neighborhood was completely washed away
5. Flint: the tap water was literally poisoning us
6. Michigan: the roads are a crumbling mess and I was tired of the constant road construction
7. Camden, NJ: it wasn't safe for our family
8. Phoenix: we couldn't stand the desert heat
9. Greeley: it smelled like cow poo and it made me nauseous every day
10. SF: we would never be able to afford a house

Basing your criticisms on a company you worked for, or some people you knew that you didn't like, etc. is kind of bogus, because those things don't represent the city. There is nothing wrong with deciding that a location is not a good fit for you. But don't go blaming it for every little circumstance that didn't pan out perfectly for you. There are bad players in every location that do not exclusively represent that location.

[maciesmom]

Originally Posted by Left-handed

If you're going to criticize a location's flaws as the reasons for why you left, then at least pick something relevant and unique to that specific location to criticize.

For instance:

1. LA: the traffic was unbearable
2. NYC: it was too crowded and I have severe social anxiety
3. Redding, CA: a forest fire literally destroyed our neighborhood
4. New Orleans: our neighborhood was completely washed away
5. Flint: the tap water was literally poisoning us
6. Michigan: the roads are a crumbling mess and I was tired of the constant road construction
7. Camden, NJ: it wasn't safe for our family
8. Phoenix: we couldn't stand the desert heat
9. Greeley: it smelled like cow poo and it made me nauseous every day
10. SF: we would never be able to afford a house

Basing your criticisms on a company you worked for, or some people you knew that you didn't like, etc. is kind of bogus, because those things don't represent the city. There is nothing wrong with deciding that a location is not a good fit for you. But don't go blaming it for every little circumstance that didn't pan out perfectly for you. There are bad players in every location that do not exclusively represent that location.

Oh come on...that would be too reasonable. There are a few posters who just believe LA as a "superior" place to Denver is simply a universal truth, rather than a subjective opinion. And it's apparently not enough that they just moved to a better fit for them. They are bitter enough to need to hang out on this forum denigrating Denver until we all finally admit it really sucks here.

[emm74]

Originally Posted by Count David

The things that we can point to that make Denver unique aren't THAT special if we're being honest with ourselves. Don't tell me about Red Rocks, 14ers, or the Broncos. They don't make the culture and the feeling of this place unique, and whatever does, seems kinda phony, lame, superficial, or even forced.

To some extent I agree, but on the other hand I disagree as well. I'm not saying that these things are completely exclusive to Denver, but one reason I enjoy life here is the scale of things - I live all the way on the eastern side of Denver, and yet I can get to museums, good restaurants, live theater and music, movies (popular and art house), sports venues all within 20-25 minutes or less. Having that kind of easy accessibility is important to me because those are the recreational activities that fill my time. And I like that we count politically in national elections, and we get attention and candidate visits.

I also like the residential neighborhoods here - yes, I live in the quasi-suburb of Stapleton but I like the fact that our houses are close together, there are people walking up and down the street, kids traveling in packs around the neighborhood playing, like when I was a kid. I like that a random neighbor who just moved in a block away felt comfortable ringing my doorbell last night to ask me some questions about local things. And yet, I still have the proximity to the city amenities that I want that I couldn't get living in a more distant suburb.

And to a certain extent, I actually like the fact that there is less here in Denver - call it FOMO, I guess, that fear of missing out. In larger cities, there are so many things to do, you'll never get to everything. Here, I'm a lot more likely to actually manage to cover most of the things on my wish list.

Like I said, I'm sure there are some other locations that are similar in some ways. But Denver is kind of unique in some ways too, because there are not that many cities this size, with this kind of thriving economy, yet are also somewhat isolated from other places. Denver is almost always going to be a tour stop on a concert or Broadway tour or be far more likely to get the traveling museum exhibit. We are big enough to have a small but thriving local theater community and even a filmmaking community, lots of local live music, lots of arts and crafts, an ever increasing restaurant scene. In some cities of a comparable size, they are a sub-city to nearer BIG city. We aren't, we are THE "big" city for hundreds of miles even if we aren't all that big.

[randomparent]

Originally Posted by Left-handed

Definitely see this, too, with younger gens specifically. Not sure if it has to do with Denver, or if it's a symptom of being young and figuring things out in the modern age where jobs and living circumstances are more fluid.

^ This. Those of us who were more established when we moved here did not have the same experience others are describing.

[N610DL]

Originally Posted by emm74

Like I said, I'm sure there are some other locations that are similar in some ways. But Denver is kind of unique in some ways too, because there are not that many cities this size, with this kind of thriving economy, yet are also somewhat isolated from other places. Denver is almost always going to be a tour stop on a concert or Broadway tour or be far more likely to get the traveling museum exhibit. We are big enough to have a small but thriving local theater community and even a filmmaking community, lots of local live music, lots of arts and crafts, an ever increasing restaurant scene. In some cities of a comparable size, they are a sub-city to nearer BIG city. We aren't, we are THE "big" city for hundreds of miles even if we aren't all that big.

I definitely thought Denver held it down well with museums and the Indy film theater scene. Certainly not much to LA, but Indy movie theaters are hard to find in many cities. Denver had a handful. Concerts: Yup, they got all the big names at some of the best venues I've ever been to. And it's like I said before I have a lot of appreciation for Denver's restaurant scene which people typically b**** about.

I still think it's not really organic though - they offer these amenities to compete with other cities even though they do it very well though.

[astrofizziks]

If anything, I would move just for the change of scenery - which would be a quite a few more years down the road. Probably to San Diego for the beaches and more milder weather (I've grew up in FL most my life and would never go back there). I've only stayed here this long because I love the outdoor activities during winter.

[justsomeguy]

I would love to be close to the mountains and enjoy the 4 Denver seasons, but I worry about the cost of housing and also feel like Denver may feel a little bit isolated. Does anyone there feel somewhat isolated living in Denver? It isn't really close to much (not sure about the airline routes).