Think I made a booboo with my recent move , thinking of relocating to Denver ? (how much, employment)

[MsBall]

Originally Posted by Mike from back east

I've added a poll to this thread to make it easy to keep track of replies.

I say stay in San Diego, you seem to list some very good reasons to stay there. You can always visit Denver, or other cities on the west coast.

You may have a small case of "buyer's remorse" which is common after many changes or purchases. Go slow.

I concur with the bolded statement. It sounds, to me, like you may be feeling some homesickness and you have this ideal/perception that Colorado would be like the home you once had. I’ve moved states multiple times and I know it’s hard not to compare places; but the advice I would give is live in the moment with what you have now. You won’t be able to move forward if you’re living in the past (or with “what if’s”).

[alloo66]

Originally Posted by dg628

Hey all , I’m a young kid , 21 years old who just moved cross country from Norfolk ,VA to America’s finest city, San Diego. San Diego is a very beautiful, awesome place but the longer I stay here the more I keep thinking what could’ve been if I had chose Denver which I almost moved to instead. Probably would’ve been a bad move as the end of March is still prone to snow but I drive a truck so I would’ve been fine.

I’ve visted Denver when I was stationed in COS at fort Carson twice but that was it. It was only a day or so.

I did a lot of research before deciding on San Diego but the main deciding factor for me was the music prescence here ( musician here) and job industry because of the shipyards. Plenty of good paying trades to get into and plenty of scaffold work which is what I’m doing to tide me over until I learn a real trade.

It really is the best city in California without a doubt, very easy going friendly people. Rich, upper middle class, lower class , it doesn’t matter we all come together for a good time. Traffic is very good for a city of its size too. Easy to avoid the rush hour commute.

Something in the back of my head ( heart rather) is telling me I should’ve went to co instead. I love the ocean and living by the coast but I’m a mountain boy at heart , I grew up in Montana until I was about 10 and miss the Rockies. I miss having that outdoors stuff right in my back yard. I was estatic when found out I got orders to ft Carson when I was in the army. I honestly think living next to the ocean is overrated. Other than swimming and fishing there isn’t much you can do unlike

Even the things I thought I wouldn’t miss I know I’m gonna kinda miss. Seasons, snow, the afternoon thunderstorms, ect. Sure it’s cold but that’s what carhartt jackets are for. It’s okay, the cold and mountains will put hair on your chest.


I’ve only been here over a month so I’m still settling in still and will give SD a chance but there’s something so mystical about the aspeny mountain feel of Colorado. It’s hard to describe.

COL isn’t really that big of a deal to me but Denver still has places that are reasonably priced and that’s even on apartments.com. San Diego is more and for a city in SoCal it definately isn’t bad trust me.

Another good selling point is since I want to be an ibew electrician the two locals out there are hurting a lot more than San Diego’s local. The journeyman in Denver make 40 $ hr last I checked and it’s only 5$ less than here in San Diego.


Anyway is Denver a good fit for me ? Is my subconscious right in thinking I’d like it better ? Not trying to step on any natives toes , I’m a centrist and vote slightly conservative but I’m a pretty laid back dude and will make friends with anyone. Pretty libertarian actually. Another thing I love about SD. I’m from VA , so I’m not a Californian bringing my extremely liberal politics to the state lol.

They're mountains in CA. I think you need to give San Diego at least two years to determine how the place works for you. You also need to reach out and make friends in SD. Make the most out of your opportunities of living in other places, learn and be open to new experiences. Denver will not move, it will be here if you decide to move here later.

The other thing, is the marine layer will cool the place off in the afternoons and evenings. The place will grow on you after awhile. Good luck.

[1AngryTaxPayer]

Originally Posted by dg628

From my understanding it’s like an hour for anything good. For San Diego anything real good like actual camp grounds with any trees and any elevation is what ? 4 hours ? I know my buddy said big bear is 4 hours. I’m not from either so correct if I’m wrong.

Not that I want a bunch more people up there when I am but you have a Mt range within 1 hour of downtown San Diego that's over 6000 feet and gets snow every winter. It's a mix of pine and oak.


I hunt deer, pigs, bandtail pigeons and turkey up there for starters. S Cal has a huge swath of BLM land and you can camp anywhere on it anytime you want for free.

I lived in Colorado half my life and unless you live actually in the Mts it's still going to be at least an hour drive from either the springs or Denver to get to a camping spot in trees.

[jweb29]

You are 21. give it the 2 year plan. Give the place a chance! Some people don't leave their hometown till they are 27!

The aspeny feel of colorado is lovely, but it's not denver.

[AirborneVespa]

Here's my take (Qualifications: Lived in SD, MT, and now on the Western Slope of CO)

I moved to SD in my 30s and worked on Coronado and lived on IB a block from the beach. Living a block from the ocean is a dream in and of itself, but I couldn't make friends. I made one friend and I married her and moved away. I was big into music, did the clubs, did the bars, but CA people are....weird. There's truth to the "flakiness" stereotype, plus I could never get over people wearing Ugg boots in public on 75 degree days.

You're younger, so get out more. There's a lot to do. Learn to sail. You're stupid if you don't learn to sail. I was stupid. There are two things a man should be able to do: Harness the wind and melt two pieces of metal together. I'm lacking in the former.

That said, after CA I moved to MT and man there is something about the space that just gets you, once it's in your bones everything else feels claustrophobic, houses are too close together, people stand too near you, etc. Moved back east to the country and even the hills there felt claustrophobic. It bugged me (and the wife) constantly. We finally made it to...

CO but on the Western Slope. My family lived in Longmont and every time we visited from MT it was just ....not CO to me. I get why people live there but the traffic now is horrendous. My last drive through Denver was 8 am on a Saturday morning going from East to West on I-70 and it was just bumper to bumper nonsense. I saw 4 rear end collisions two years ago when visiting Longmont - actually witnessed 4 people drive into the backs of 4 other cars. No telling how many more there were, those were ones we saw occur in one day. And the housing prices are just out of this world for what (in my mind) you get.

I think the traffic in SD (depending on where you choose to live) is much better than traffic in Denver Metro area (and it doesn't seem to matter where you are)

So I wouldn't think Denver is what you are looking for. Give SD a chance. The people can be flaky but you're younger than I was so maybe you're flaky too (that's a joke). But there is something to the age gap. 35 wasn't the age to move to CA to meet and greet and make tons of new friends. 21 is the perfect age to do that.

There's a ton to do there (you can literally drive to Julian, CA in about 50 minutes and see snow in December and be back on the beach in shorts the same day).

That said the May Doom and June Gloom in SD can really wear you out if you live near the ocean and want to see the sun. You won't.

[Ruth4Truth]

Originally Posted by AirborneVespa

Learn to sail.

Give SD a chance.

This is what I told the OP on one of his other concurrent threads. There's a guy on the SD forum, who has his own sailboat, a live-aboard. Retired gent. Probably wouldn't mind some crew help occasionally, for company. The OP just hasn't gotten settled in yet, so he's feeling unsure of his choice (SD), that's how I take it.

Good advice, good post.

[Timmyy]

Take up surfing. That will keep in San Diego for quite a while. I am originally from there and it is in my top two places to live. Can you guess the other?

[Ruth4Truth]

Update: OP, Tulemutt (the one with the boat in SD) says he'll take ya on, if you want to experience sailing. I imagine it's outside of your experience, since you're from Montana. It might take a little getting used to at first, but it can be pretty exciting, once you have your sea legs.

[RotseCherut]

Many people forget that Colorado is not the only state in the USA that has mountains. Have you ever thought about taking a trip up the I-5 and living in Portland or Seattle? I would normally say Seattle is very cost prohibitive, but if you are an electrician, I will tell you the demand for electricians are higher in Seattle than most other places. It was almost impossible to even get a electrician out to my place when I desperately needed emergency electricity work, they were in such high demand. In fact, many electricians I met were making over $100,000 in the Seattle area. There are other options though like Tacoma, Everett, even Mount Vernon, etc. Boeing is always looking for people in that field too.


Just another thought if you are wanting to be near mountains, but thinking Denver is the only option. If you can afford San Diego you can also afford Seattle, however. Also, Portland and Seattle have the advantage of being near water in addition to mountains.

[pikabike]

Originally Posted by Timmyy

Take up surfing. That will keep in San Diego for quite a while. I am originally from there and it is in my top two places to live. Can you guess the other?

Yeah! Take up surfing, sea kayaking, wave ski paddling, or any other surf-adapted sport. SD has great places to learn these. Such venues are very rare in the US!

Or just ride your bike...all year round.

SD is like a 365-day per year playground. It isn’t that far to the mountains, and a beautiful desert (Anza- Borrego) awaits exploration in the winter, when you WANT the warm, dry climate. The fresh date milkshakes are amazing, too.