Denver vs. Phoenix? (Colorado Springs, Boulder, Center: apartment, rent, amusement park)

[PokerMunkee]

Sounds like you'll fit in great in Boulder. It's the San Fran/Austin/Berkeley/Burlington equivalent in Colorado.

[Katarina Witt]

The nursing program is not in Boulder. You can take the pre-reqs in Boulder, but you have to spend the last two years at the HSC in Aurora. Plus, the OP said s/he was going to college in Denver, which makes me think UCD Auraria (downtown).

[alexis2005]

I lived in both Tempe and Scottsdale (born and raised in Colorado) and I would go to school here. I enjoyed ASU but after a few years it got really boring. If you like the change of seasons you will really be bored there! Colorado has so much more to offer and people are so much more friendlier here than in AZ.

[iknowftbll]

You won't have to worry about the moderate conservative leanings of any area if you will be attending college. Most universities tend to be politically correct bastions of liberal thought. Christian values and conservative viewpoints will be silenced and students who espouse these values in their writings are often graded harder than those who sip the kool-aid and fall in line with the program. All in the name of tolerance and enlightenment, of course.

[krock1dk]

Denver is highly superior in my opinion. Sure, its smaller, but it has fresh mountain air, opportunities for skiing and hiking, four seasons, cleaner air, nicer neighborhoods, and nicer people. Phoenix is just an overgrown suburban desert wasteland with the negatives Denver doesnt have: haughty people, worse air, and extreme heat.

[krock1dk]

Originally Posted by PamelaAZ

Hi everyone!

My husband and I are considering a move from Mesa, AZ (a suburb of Phoenix) to the Denver area. We are currently considering either Denver or Minneapolis. We have done alot of reserach on the Denver area and drove through breifly on our way to Montana last summer but have not spent alot of time there (we are going to spend a weekend there in early February). We have grown so tired of the heat, the air quality, the rude people and the blandness of Phoenix and really need a change.

While driving though Denver at 70 miles an hour, we really liked the city but did not have really venture off the interstate. Can anyone that has moved to Denver from Phoenix give us a short comparison... how are the people, housing prices, etc, relative to AZ? I have read some threads stating that the traffic there is bad, is it as bad as Phoenix? How are the drivers in Denver- I noticed while driving though Denver that people drive fast and somewhat aggressively but seem fairly considerate compared to the horn-honking, stressed out road ragers we have here in Phoenix

We will of course have our chance to "scope out" Denver in February but wanted a few pointers. Also, if anyone has lived in both Minneapolis and Denver, a short comparison would be great (we will also be visiting the Twin cities in Feb)!

Thanks for your help!

I agree with you wholeheartedly. People in Phoenix have overblown egos, perhaps due being wunnabee Californians. Both cities have a pollution problem, but Denver's air is a bit better. However, Denver has a higher cost of living. That in itself isnt necessarily bad considering the ammenities you get living there: Rocky Mountains, nicer people and a little less traffic. Denver's nightlife near downtown is good from what I undertsand. Dont know much about the schooling system though. Perhaps the best place to live near Denver, outside the city itself, would be Highlands Ranch to the south, and Boulder significantly further north. Denver is also the "skinniest" city in America according to Mens Health Magazine and among the most "educated" according to Forbes. Hope that helps.

DONT GO TO MINNEAPOLIS. It's way to cold!

[the3Ds]

Originally Posted by katysalsa

Why does everyone feel the need to flat out berate others for liking where they live?If you HATE phoenix, or HATE denver... fine, but what's the use in trying to convince others that where they live is a hell hole? I just don't understand the insatiable need to complain. There are things about Phx that I love that you can't find anywhere else and vice versa. FYI I live in Denver now, but lived was born and raised in Phx. Both are great and beautiful in many ways, but in other ways they are horrible. It's just personal preference... ok, I'm stepping off my soap box now.

Could not agree more. Everyone's inputs are just a matter of opinion. I find it weird that there are so many "this city vs this city" questions on this site. Comparing the two cities is not easy since they are totally different, from the population, to the people, to the climate. My husband was in the Air Force for 20 years and we moved around a lot (and were friends with people who did the same). Every city is what you make of it. I found that if you go in with a good attitude and you don't spend all of your time talking about how much better the other city was compared to this one, you'll end up having a better experience. One person's paradise is another's hell. I lived in Phoenix for almost 10 years and loved it but am enjoying myself just as much here in Denver (though I've been here for a much shorter time). If you're from a place where it rains all the time (like I was before I moved from Seattle), you will love Phoenix's constant heat and sunshine. After living there, I now appreciate the seasons.

[Spincycle]

How does Phoenix compare to Denver for singles scene in the 20-39 bracket?

[the3Ds]

Originally Posted by josher_m

Hello,

Air quality is great also! We mostly moved because air quality in Phoenix was awful. I developed asthma after moving there (we only lived there for 3 years--3 years too long haha). My husband and son had it terribly tho. My 4 yo was on a nebulizer and we just didn't want to raise him in that environment if we could move to better quality. Not sure how spring/summer will be, but so far it's definitely better. Haven't had to use the nebulizer since moving here and my husband barely uses his inhaler, let alone the other meds. And we've stopped taking all the daily allergy meds we had to take just to breathe in Phoenix too. Much healthier!

My daughter was born in Arizona and was diagnosed with asthma as a baby. We did nearly a year of inhalers and steroids and then we noticed one day that it was gone. Her pediatrician said that was very common because there are so many dust/dirt particles in the air in Phoenix that it often takes time for infant's lungs to get stronger in order to deal with them. Yikes.

One big thing I noticed instantly after living in Phoenix then moving here is that people in Phoenix are never outside. Almost everyone we knew had pools but when I asked them how much they used them, they usually answered "just a few times a year." I ride my bike constantly and was always on the trail down Hayden Rd in Scottsdale. Oftentimes, I was one of a very few who used the trail, but IMO, it was the best one in the city. Also, the parks are hardly ever occupied except if there is some sort of festival. Here in Denver, it seems like every park (from the large city ones to the local neighborhood parks) is full as soon as the sun is shining. Even when the weather in Phoenix is nice (translation: NOT in the summer), I just never saw many people taking advantage of it (except the golfers). Then, the summer rolls around, and the residents just run from one air conditioned building to another.

Finally, the only thing that really bugged me about Phoenix was that no one ever claims to be FROM there. I'd meet so many people who had lived in Phoenix for years, but when asked where they were from, they'd say "Los Angeles" or "Portland" then they'd say they'd lived in Phoenix for 20+ years. What's up with that? We went on vacation a few months after moving to Denver and when someone asked where we were from, we replied "Denver." I think it's weird that no one claims Phoenix as their own. Perhaps that's why it lacks any sort of identity...so many people are holding onto their old hometowns. It's also why, when you attend a sports event, you'll have the stadium half full of people rooting for the visiting team. Sometimes, the hometown crowd is drowned out all together. It has nothing to do with their rankings, it's just that there are too many people there who don't seem to want to live there. That's weird.

[the3Ds]

Originally Posted by josher_m

You're welcome Pamela!! Good luck in your decision and selling and moving!! I have a 3 and 4 yo so I know how that is!!

The only other negative for me right now is my excema is flaring up awful. Both my son and I have it and I'm searching for the miracle cure. You'd think we should be used to the dry air and lack of humidity after AZ, but maybe it's the really cold that is aggravating it as well. Not sure, but if you're prone to any of that, be prepared as well!! lol

Sherrie

Oh gosh, I feel your pain (literally!). When we moved here from Florida, we all suffered for months. I've literally got 30+ bottles of lotion, from the cheap to the prescription, under the bathroom sink. Absolutely NOTHING worked. Finally, we talked to our neighbor and she said the only way to combat the dryness (and to get rid of the excema and itchiness) is to invest in a good thick lotion and apply it EVERY DAY after a shower. I'm not sure it makes much difference, but we've found a bottle of heaven in Vaseline's Intensive Care lotion. We put it on every day after a shower and after nearly 8 months, my entire family has nice, soft, "normal" skin. The good news is that it only costs about $8 for a big bottle (which we go through in about a month) but compared to the $25 tube of prescription lotion we got from the pediatrician, it actually works better. There IS something about applying it after a shower (or bath for my kids) because your skin will absorb the moisture better. Good luck. I know how you're feeling. I had to change everything I'd used for years, from body lotion to hair products and face lotion. It took a while, but I finally found what works for us.