Considering relocating to Denver from England... (Aurora, Boulder: transplants, condos, crime rate)

[Mag3.14]

My wife and I are considering moving to Denver from the UK. She is from Chicago and I from England. She wants to back in the US and so we are considering a few areas (So. California, Vegas, Chicago, and Denver). We want a better climate/opportunity to enjoy outdoor recreation, and a lower cost of living.

* How is the job market? Obviously, the economy has fallen through the plug hole but how bad is it for university grads with several years management experience? I know that around a third of Denver residents have a bachelors degree so is it just very competitive, or are there very few opportunities?

* I have been offered an interview with Financial Foundation Group - anyone know of this company? Is it reputable?

* What are the salaries like in comparison to other major US metro areas? How do house prices compare to the average wage?

* Are there any British expats that can offer feedback on their experience of relocating to Colorado??

Thanks for any info.

[Mike from back east]

Denver.

[80skeys]

Originally Posted by ian6479

* How is the job market? Obviously, the economy has fallen through the plug hole but how bad is it for university grads with several years management experience? I know that around a third of Denver residents have a bachelors degree so is it just very competitive, or are there very few opportunities?

From what I can tell, the job market is slow in Denver. Now I don't follow it real close, but I do have colleagues on the Front Range and from what I've heard it's slow all around. That includes professionals with experience.

* I have been offered an interview with Financial Foundation Group - anyone know of this company? Is it reputable?

Never heard of it, but my field is IT.

* What are the salaries like in comparison to other major US metro areas? How do house prices compare to the average wage?

Salaries are less than the cities on the coasts. The good thing is, housing and the cost of living is less. I read last year in some newspaper or magazine that Denver is one of the cheapest, affordable downtown areas to live.

* Are there any British expats that can offer feedback on their experience of relocating to Colorado??

I recall some dude last year on the Denver or the colorado forum who was planning to relocate to Colorado to live his dream of fly-fishing in the Western U.S. If you search for "English" "gentleman" and fly-fishing you ought to find the thread.

In summary, I think it sounds like Denver would be a good place for you. The issue is going to be the job situation. I encourage you to post your progress on this thread - keep us informed, especially if you end up getting a job and moving.

[Mag3.14]

Originally Posted by 80skeys

From what I can tell, the job market is slow in Denver. Now I don't follow it real close, but I do have colleagues on the Front Range and from what I've heard it's slow all around. That includes professionals with experience.



Never heard of it, but my field is IT.



Salaries are less than the cities on the coasts. The good thing is, housing and the cost of living is less. I read last year in some newspaper or magazine that Denver is one of the cheapest, affordable downtown areas to live.



I recall some dude last year on the Denver or the colorado forum who was planning to relocate to Colorado to live his dream of fly-fishing in the Western U.S. If you search for "English" "gentleman" and fly-fishing you ought to find the thread.

In summary, I think it sounds like Denver would be a good place for you. The issue is going to be the job situation. I encourage you to post your progress on this thread - keep us informed, especially if you end up getting a job and moving.

Thanks for the info. I did find the thread, and a couple of others too!

[FaithW]

Hey I am from England too! I have been here 3 years now. I LOVE Colorado but if you are from London you will find Denver kind of small.... however if you like sunshine, less busy roads, way cheaper cost of living, snow sports, hiking in mountains etc then you will love it.... personally I would rather live just outside Denver cos I am a country girl at heart but there are restaurants more similar to English ones in Denver and also more to do and night life is good but not as much as back home in London but also much safer so its all a balance of what you want really. There are a lot of university grads with management experience here, its a very educated place (I think Boulder is most educated in the world or something based on degrees etc) so job competition is tough for everyone... will you have to get a work permit to work here? I know being married to a us citizen does not always mean you get to work without taking further steps etc etc I have never heard of the employer you mention but I am an attorney so its not really my field...

[Mag3.14]

Originally Posted by FaithW

Hey I am from England too! I have been here 3 years now. I LOVE Colorado but if you are from London you will find Denver kind of small.... however if you like sunshine, less busy roads, way cheaper cost of living, snow sports, hiking in mountains etc then you will love it.... personally I would rather live just outside Denver cos I am a country girl at heart but there are restaurants more similar to English ones in Denver and also more to do and night life is good but not as much as back home in London but also much safer so its all a balance of what you want really. There are a lot of university grads with management experience here, its a very educated place (I think Boulder is most educated in the world or something based on degrees etc) so job competition is tough for everyone... will you have to get a work permit to work here? I know being married to a us citizen does not always mean you get to work without taking further steps etc etc I have never heard of the employer you mention but I am an attorney so its not really my field...

Where in England? Would you ever return? I already have a permanent resident card.

[chilaili]

I'm a Brit who lives in Northern Colorado also. One thing to bear in mind when you move here (altho you probably already know this) but there is a vast discrepancy between holiday/vacation hours in the UK and the USA. Don't be surprised if on your first day of work they tell you that you have 10 days vacation for the entire year (plus a few public holidays). Where I work that vacation allowance also includes sick days. Other than that, I really like it here. Great scenery, lots to do and see, only 10 hours from Heathrow

[agnesuk]

Originally Posted by chilaili

I'm a Brit who lives in Northern Colorado also. One thing to bear in mind when you move here (altho you probably already know this) but there is a vast discrepancy between holiday/vacation hours in the UK and the USA. Don't be surprised if on your first day of work they tell you that you have 10 days vacation for the entire year (plus a few public holidays). Where I work that vacation allowance also includes sick days. Other than that, I really like it here. Great scenery, lots to do and see, only 10 hours from Heathrow

Hi, I plan to move with my family from London to Colorado, since you done it could you help me with your opinions about finding a job, schools, health systems, what are the best places to live in Colorado, crime rate etc
Many thanks in advance!

[agnesuk]

Hi, we are planning to move to Colorado from England, would appreciate if you could please advice about:
-schools
-jobs / incomes in relation to hospitality/restaurants/marketing
-health system
-housing
-best location to live and raise a family
-crime rate and safety
Many thanks in advance.

[Wheatridger]

Those are almost too many questions, too broadly framed, to answer, angesuk, but I'll take a stab at one.

As US big cities go, Denver feels very safe to me. We have ethnic enclaves, but not the vast, forlorn ghettos of other cities. Personal safety seems not so much a mater of where you live, but where you go. Downtown at 2 am on a weekend has become perhaps the most dangerous place. It's a victim of its own success. Thirty thousand people, many single and mostly childless, have moved into new condos there, and there's a liquor license for every hundred of them. All the bars close at once, and all that restless alcoholic energy has led to some savage beatings that shame the face of one of the most "successful" downtown renovations in the country.

Then there's the matter of mass public shootings. This is the site of two of the most heinous, barbaric mass shootings the modern world has known. No one would have singled out a movie theater on premiere night, or an upscale suburban high school, as dangerous places, but the Aurora/Batman and Columbine massacres happened there. What's to blame? There's a lot of machismo in Denver; it was rated as the fifth most macho city in the US. We have big mountains, big skies, and big ambitions. When people face disappointments, there's always again store nearby offering a symbol of power. And so Denver is hard to figure: we're composed of one-third laid-back natives, one-third Midwestern transplants who brought their polite ways with them, mixed in are about five percent of adrenalin and aggression junkies who stockpile firearms for our own personal revolutions. I'm not sure we're different from other contemporary American cities in that, but recent history is full of evidence that there's something especially malevolent going on here under the surface.

That said, do I feel safe here? Sure. As safe as you can feel anywhere in the USA.