Should I move to Seattle or Denver? (Warden: apartment, rent)

[kania]

Single girl moving from the NYC region and I can't decide on Seattle or Denver. I don't mind the rain and I don't care much about the sun but I love to be active and spend time outdoors. I will be moving without a job and looking once I get there so being able to find a job easily is a big factor. Also, I am originally from Europe so I love meeting international people and I will be traveling a lot all over the West coast. Overall I am into a healthy lifestyle, with some spirituality on the side (yoga, meditation, inner peace) and I would love to get into a city with that type of vibe. Feeling good inside is way more important to me than rain or sun, etc. Any opinions and suggestions will be very much appreciated. Thank you!

[Seacove]

Boulder.

[RunTheDistance476]

Don't move without a job. Not to Seattle, not to Denver, not to anywhere else...unless you have somewhere around $10,000 saved up. Think about it like this

Apartment in either Denver or Seattle ~900 a month so...

900 (first month) + 900 (last month) + 500 deposit = $2,300
For one month:

Utilities (around $75)
Cable/Internet (around $100)
Phone Bill (around $80)
Food ($100)
=
~$350

So, let's say you had $5,000, you will last approximately: 3 months
Now think about it like this, if you get a scheduled interview as soon as you move in, it will still take approximately 3-4 weeks to get started (as well as another 2-3 weeks to get paid, which better cover all of your costs) and that is if you get an interview as soon as you land off the plane (or whatever).

These expenses don't include anything else...transportation costs, any extra food expense, or anything.

If you do have around $10,000 to blow, go ahead and move and you will probably be okay

[Wardendresden]

Originally Posted by wlw2009

Don't move without a job. Not to Seattle, not to Denver, not to anywhere else...unless you have somewhere around $10,000 saved up. Think about it like this

Apartment in either Denver or Seattle ~900 a month so...

900 (first month) + 900 (last month) + 500 deposit = $2,300
For one month:

Utilities (around $75)
Cable/Internet (around $100)
Phone Bill (around $80)
Food ($100)
=
~$350

So, let's say you had $5,000, you will last approximately: 3 months
Now think about it like this, if you get a scheduled interview as soon as you move in, it will still take approximately 3-4 weeks to get started (as well as another 2-3 weeks to get paid, which better cover all of your costs) and that is if you get an interview as soon as you land off the plane (or whatever).

These expenses don't include anything else...transportation costs, any extra food expense, or anything.

If you do have around $10,000 to blow, go ahead and move and you will probably be okay

Being more conservative, I would suggest $20,000, but this is good advice--be prepared. But she is a NY girl so either Denver or Seattle will be less expensive than where she is. But a job? These days? Start an online search in your career field. You won't pull it off in either city as a waitress or Big Mac packager, unless you can find a couple of roommates to share expenses with. And if you are the new girl on the block, well, you are the new girl and that can have a lot of uncertain outcomes with roommates.

I've lived in both Washington and Colorado and personally prefer Colorado, but both are beautiful states. Washington, lots of rain. Colorado, lots of sunshine. Washington, mountains and ocean (but it's a very cold ocean even in the summer) and lots of green grass. Colorado, more mountains than you can count plus a plethora of national and state parks with everything from sand dunes to red rocks to deserts and granite rock gorges with rivers running through them--but brown in the summer.

Washington, humid. Colorado, dry. Cold weather in Washington, get your coat every day. Cold weather in Colorado, if you stay in the sun, you may not even need a sweater. I've seen people golfing in January with snow on the sides of the golf course.

And if at all possible, visit both first.

Good luck

[orzo]

Originally Posted by Wardendresden

Being more conservative, I would suggest $20,000, but this is good advice--be prepared. But she is a NY girl so either Denver or Seattle will be less expensive than where she is. But a job? These days? Start an online search in your career field. You won't pull it off in either city as a waitress or Big Mac packager, unless you can find a couple of roommates to share expenses with. And if you are the new girl on the block, well, you are the new girl and that can have a lot of uncertain outcomes with roommates.

I've lived in both Washington and Colorado and personally prefer Colorado, but both are beautiful states. Washington, lots of rain. Colorado, lots of sunshine. Washington, mountains and ocean (but it's a very cold ocean even in the summer) and lots of green grass. Colorado, more mountains than you can count plus a plethora of national and state parks with everything from sand dunes to red rocks to deserts and granite rock gorges with rivers running through them--but brown in the summer.

Washington, humid. Colorado, dry. Cold weather in Washington, get your coat every day. Cold weather in Colorado, if you stay in the sun, you may not even need a sweater. I've seen people golfing in January with snow on the sides of the golf course.

And if at all possible, visit both first.

Good luck

Washington also has a plethora of amazing National State parks, including Olympic National Park, which is the best in the Country, in my opinion. Washington has tons of mountains, rainforest, lush green areas, high desert - personally, I think WA is more spectacular than CO in terms of natural beauty and scenic attractions

[RunTheDistance476]

I agree. I have been to Colorado (Denver-area) several times and this is what I have found:

-It is extremely brown
-The city itself smells really nasty
-There isn't much of a culture other than Microbrews. Seattle has Microsoft, T-mobile, Nintendo, Valve, etc. tech wise, tons of coffee, and is a very educated/fit population.
- Seattle has tons of forestry...Denver does not.

[mkarch]

Originally Posted by wlw2009

-It is extremely brown

[angelenogirl]

I lived in Denver for a couple of years as a single gal in my early 20s and love-love-loved it. I've lived in Seattle for about a month, but my perspective is slightly different now that I'm a married mom in my 30s, and frankly kind of a fuddy-duddy.

Denver always seemed to have a TON of stuff to do: good food, world-class skiing, blues bars, hiking, game nights. It was incredibly easy to make friends, and I found the population pretty diverse. It's way less expensive than WA, and it's somewhat more conservative politically, I think. The closest friends I ever made still live in Denver. It gets very cold, and there are even blizzards, but there are 300 days of sunshine a year! It's very sunny, which is quite beautiful with the snowy mountains as a backdrop, and perfect for outdoorsy pursuits.

Before we moved to Washington I considered moving back to Denver, but I just didn't feel that it would hold the same appeal as it did when I was young (plus, my husband nearly faints at the sight of snow - and doesn't like being landlocked). I visited Seattle and just fell in love with the idea of mountains AND water, and lots of rain (which I love, and never got a lot of in Denver, and certainly not in my hometown of Los Angeles). So, for me, it was Denver for the people and the youthful exuberance, and Seattle for the epic beauty and family vibe.

Whichever you choose, I don't think you can go wrong. Both cities are beautiful and have a lot to offer. Coming from NYC you will cry big fat tears of joy at the rent prices. Good luck!

[homesinseattle]

Hi Kania, You will love Seattle. A little combo of new age paradise, Europe and Asia is what we are, or maybe what we think we are

[RunTheDistance476]

Originally Posted by mkarch

This is just a joke, right? When i say "brown" I mean...there is zero vegetation in Denver almost...no trees, lots of smog and is very stinky. Its like living in a desert (Eastern Washington).