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Hi everyone! My husband and I are getting ready to relocate, hopefully this summer. We currently live in Yakima, WA, and have all our lives. We have narrowed it down to Denver, CO or Nashville, TN. I know that may seem like a strange pair, but Nashville got my vote and Denver got his, so now we're just trying to settle on one or the other. We lived in Nashville for a summer while I was doing an internship at the zoo. We also have visited Denver, but only briefly, and we have a couple friends in the area who love it there. I've read through many posts in the forum, but everyone's situation is different, so I figured I would post and see what everyone has to say. Any advice or helpful opinions will be greatly appreciated!
My husband is in the IT field with two Associate's degrees, CISCO certification, and is almost finished with his Bachelor's in management (IT focus), plus has been working in the field full-time for 4 years.
I will be looking for a zookeeping job. I have connections at the Nashville zoo since I did my internship there, and getting on staff shouldn't be an issue (my old supervisor calls me every time there's an opening to see if we are ready to move yet). It may be tougher to get on in Denver, since they don't know me and also seem to have higher requirements as far as previous experience. But, my husband is the main earner and we can live without me working (and I can get a job elsewhere in the meantime).
We will be renting, not buying. We have two dogs and a cat, so we'll need to rent a pet-friendly house, preferably with a fenced yard. We do not want to live in the city, but within a 30 minute drive would be preferable. Small is fine, we have no plans for kids for at least a few years. We can afford around $1000 a month for rent, maybe more depending on his income. Will this be hard to find?
We are both 25 years old but we are not into bars, clubs, or nightlife really. We do enjoy outdoor activities, especially when we can take our dogs. I love country music which would be an added bonus in Nashville. Also, my husband is an avid hunter. Any other hunters out there with insights? He especially loves duck hunting, but enjoys it all.
Can anyone tell me about the differences in cost of living? Obviously we understand the weather in these two cities is dramatically different. I'll be working outdoors, how bad are the Denver winters, really? Our winters here in Yakima bring a decent amount of snow (some years) and get down to below zero temperatures. Anything else I haven't thought of?
I apologize for the lengthy post. I'm a very indecisive person, and my husband has left the ultimate decision up to me. I'm working on a pros/cons list right now, so any input will be very helpful!! Thanks everyone!
Even though I'm a Westerner and not fond of Denver (not into skiing, mountain sports, the apparel that goes with that, Boulder and Subarus), I still would take Denver to Nashville, and look for a neighborhood that is less "cliche" to live in. I've heard nice things about Nashville, but I've driven through it on I-24 (?), and it is too far from anything interesting.
The Denver winter is an absolute misconception. Denver will get these cold snaps flowing in from Canada and they will immobilize the city every now and then. However, the bright sun and warmer temperatures will melt what has been dumped in no time. It can be fairly warm (over 50F) on many days during the winter in Denver, and that metro area has about 300 days of sunshine a year.
Robert is right on the winters in Denver. They aren't that bad.
I think Denver is a better place to live than Nashville but that may not be fair since I lived in Denver but never been to Nashville. That being said, I think I would be very tempted to go to Nashville if I were you. You have a solid connection for a job there and not in Denver. You didn't mention a better job situation for your husband in one place or the other. I would give this heavy priority.
You can google cost of living calculators to help in that. I don't think I can provide the links here or I would.
Honestly, Denver would probably be the easiest transition weather-wise. Nashville has humidity which obviously Yakima just doesn't have. Denver and Yakima are very similar in terms of being dry.
Nashville has the lower COL (more affordable homes, lower property taxes, no income tax), a bigger hunting and fishing culture, and that edge in job opportunity for you. Plus its green and hilly-- which you might like better than Denver.
As mentioned by PP, you didn't say anything about your husband's job prospects... are they better in one than the other?
He hasn't started the job hunt yet, we had a lot of family stuff going on and haven't been able to really think about moving until now. Since he's in the IT field (networking, security, admin, programming, etc) he can work pretty much anywhere, unlike me who wants to work at a zoo. He's very skilled at what he does, so we'll just have to see. I don't think either city necessarily has an edge in that aspect.
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I'd love to tell you to move to denver because I think I'd rather live there myself but all the signs are pointing to nashville. You have a job lined up. You'll enjoy the music scene.
Can anyone tell me about the differences in cost of living? Obviously we understand the weather in these two cities is dramatically different. I'll be working outdoors, how bad are the Denver winters, really? Our winters here in Yakima bring a decent amount of snow (some years) and get down to below zero temperatures. Anything else I haven't thought of?
With 100 being the National Average score,Cost of Living (lower number is better):
Either area will be nice. I think it comes to personal preference. I would probably choose Nashville. It is growing and more opportunities should become available.
I just think of Denver as one of the most isolated places around with no other major city anywhere close.
Well, maybe to someone who's never been here! But I've lived here my whole 24 years and I hate it!! Don't get me wrong, there are a few good aspects, but for me the bad outweighs the good by a TON! :P
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