Thinking of moving to Denver area...suggestions?

Question

I am from northern NJ, a suburban area but only about an hour from NYC. I am thinking of moving to Denver for school (Regis University has my program...any suggestions on that also welcome!) but wanted to get some opinions first. I have heard of the much more laid back attitude there and of course the beautiful views, but coming from a fast paced, everything at your fingertips area will I be bored? How safe are the areas? Are people overly conservative or religious? Can anyone compare Denver to NYC (besides the cleanliness :P)? I do like hiking and doing things outdoors, and am able to survive the winters (as long as I have 4WD!). I also am very devoted to my dog, are there many dog friendly areas? I am young and want to make sure I don't move there and discover I am in an area geared towards older residents. Thanks for any info you can give me!

Answer 1

No.. You will deffinatley not be bored. Though Denver isn't much like NYC there is TONS to do.

I recomend moving to Aurora. It is a beautiful city full of energy.

Denver is an all around okay area. There are some gangs here and there and gun shots are not so un-common but that has decreased a little in the past year.

Islamic religions are very common in the area.. along with hispanics and russian immagrints.

But there are tons of theme parks, sking resorts, and pretty much almost anything you can think of in Colorado.

Boulder is also a city you should live in.. though the people there sometimes come off as "stuck up" there is loads to do there.

Or if you love mountains definatley move to Breckenridge. It is in the middle of the mountains and its beautiful with this tight outdoor mall.

Good luck.

Answer 2

I was in Denver for 2 months because of my job and absoloutley loved it. The only thing I do not like is when it snows- driving in the snow. Otherwise the people are very friendly, they have a lot of healthy restaurants and options (I'm vegan), and they are so laid back and most are earthy people. There is also a lot of great trails and places to work out that are quite beautiful. Denver ahs a lot going on, there is always fun bands to go see- your very close to a great concert venue and lots of stores and a great mall. Also my best friend has lived there over a year and doesn't even want to come home! The only thing to think about is missing your family and friends, as long as they visit you should be fine, but when I move to different places that is the hardest part.

Answer 3

I moved to Denver from Houston, which is definitely not NYC but is another city much larger than Denver. I'll tell you what I notice here.

The traffic is incredibly laid-back, relaxing, and easy to navigate. There is no traffic here at all even though the locals don't realize this. Also, the place is really SMALL - I live in what is considered a suburb and I am 8 miles from downtown. (Downtown Denver is very small and friendly.)

If you like to eat out a lot, you'll probably be disappointed by the lack of good restaurants here. If you were moving here from another, smaller city you'd think they were great, but moving from NYC you'll probably miss great food even more than I did moving from Houston. There are tons of restaurants, of course, like everywhere, but it's especially hard to find good ethnic food.

It is probably a more socially conservative part of the country, but there is a large gay scene here, lots of pagans and other liberals. Boulder is a giant bastion of liberalism and is only about 35-45 minutes away by car.

Crime-wise, it is extremely safe here. There are a few areas of town that are slightly shady, but for the most part you can go walking at night anywhere else and be totally safe, especially compared to where you are from.

One way Denver is more like NYC than it is like Houston is that a lot of the buildings are kind of old and urban looking. Also, they have good NY pizza here, which isn't the case in most of the country. (These are comments from my roommate, who grew up in the Bronx.)

You will love the parks, open space, and mountains, especially if you live on the west side of town (which is where Regis is). There is tons to do here in terms of getting out and taking walks. People here are casual, friendly, and outdoorsy.

The winter in Denver is mild (despite what has been on the national news lately). It usually only snows a few times and they clean the streets pretty well. Temperatures here are never as cold as they sound because the humidity is so low.

One more big difference between Denver and Houston or (even more so) NYC is that Denver is really white. There are latinos here, but not very many black people or Asians, and very tiny populations of any other ethnicities. That makes me sad about living here, but you might not care.

Overall, though, this is just a beautiful, great place to live. I think you'll find plenty to do unless your tastes are very specific.

Answer 4

One guy said to bring warm clothes. I'm sure you already have them. I doubt Denver is colder than the north east. I mean although it is high in elevation, it is much farther south. Make sure you become a tourist in your own town. Don't put it off. I once lived in a town that was within view of a ski hill but I never went on it.

Answer 5

Nice Question... I myself am from Colorado... Was born on the Spring's Airforce Base... But I have been to Denver only 2... maybe 3 times... And that was like 10 or so years ago... But from what I remember... It is actually not to bad of a place to live... I wish you luck on your move and your education...

Answer 6

I strongly recommend Regis. It is a fine school and Denver has a very vibrant Catholic community and I would vouch for anyone to go to Regis.

About Denver...

It is a world away from New York. As one local columnist put it: If New York is the "City that never sleeps" Denver is "the city that needs a good eight hours." It is neither laid back nor uptight. It is simply reflective of the strong down-home Midwestern ethic. It is quite friendly but also a bit more reserved than, say, the West Coast. Because our town is the biggest for hundreds of miles we have a circle-the-wagons mentality. We make our own fun and try to build a solid community for families.

I'll tell you that Denver is the best place for families. It is amazingly family-friendly. The downside, for some, is that it's a little lame for singles and party animals. The nightlife is pretty insignificant. Like I said, it truly is a world away from New York.

Is it overly conservative or religious? That, of course, depends on your perspective. It is the heartland. It is one of the best and friendliest places for evangelicals. Focus on the Family is located just south of Denver. We are a happily conservative bunch around here. But we are also pretty warm and welcoming to most folks as long as they conform to generally accepted norms. Believe me, if you can fit in at Regis you'll do fine in Denver.

It is also a very suburbanized town. The city of Denver is really only 20% of the total metro area's population. While the city of Denver may be a little liberals the suburbs are much much more conservative. The 'burbs or full of evangelicals while the city is more Catholic.

This is also a very friendly area for pets. People around here love their family pets. There is a pretty decent dog park and at the various parks across Denver you'll see lots of joggers with dogs.

Denver, interestingly, has the highest proportion of baby boomers in America. Yet it also has one of the most youthful populations around. I'm a young guy and I find it great for our generation. I will tell you, though, that dating is a little sketchy. Luckily, you'll be at a university and in a community that is very ammenable to finding somebody. As long as you stay active in the community I think you'll find the whole dating business just like any other place.

New York is full of culture and nightlife. That's what you do for fun. Not so in Denver. In Denver we do family stuff, sports, and especially outdoorsy stuff. You indicated that you're into hiking and outdoorsy things. You'll love it here. Hiking is about 25 minutes west of Regis and skiiing and biking is in the same area. In fact, you can cross-country ski in town. I ski at a park about 5 minutes away from my suburban home.

Winters can be tough if you don't have four-wheel drive. They are also a lot more mild than New York winters. Snowier--but more mild. Unless you really hate snow I don't think it will really bother you because there's lots of blue sky and snow usually melts a few days after falling. The saying around here is, "if you don't like the weather--wait 15 minutes." That's largely true.

New York vs. Denver?

Wow! I used to be in love with New York. When I was younger I wanted to move there or at least study there. After visiting for a few days I came back for my flight out of Newark. I saw all of these blue jeans and cowboy hats and cowboy boots and, after being in fancy-pants New York, I felt really resentful of my hometown. I started to detest the cow town. But then I went to Oregon for my freshman year of college. After a week away I realized that I could never again live anywhere else but Denver. I came to love the folksy people and love of families. This is still a place for old fashioned values matter a bit. Sure, we are not as sophisticated as New York, we don't dress as well, the city shuts down at 8 or 9, we don't have much culture, but there's a certain unique quality that brings people here. Maybe it's the can-do attitude mixed with love of family and faith. I don't know. But those who come here love it.

It's not for everyone, to be sure. I know some Easterners who hate the place. I know others who feel that it's their long lost hometown. I think coming to Regis you'll like it. Just remember that you're coming to America's heartland. We ARE more conservative and religious. We value those things deeply. But we are also welcoming and warm. If you come here and try to becoming a part of the community you'll be welcomed.

The area around Regis is decent. It's in northwest Denver which is currently gentrifying. It's an older neighborhood and the surrounding neighborhooods are popular with immigrants. It's fairly safe. The safest areas, obviously, would be the suburbs. You can even live in Wheat Ridge, just about 10 minutes west, and you'll love it. Denver is a safe town and as long as you live upright you have no reason to worry about getting caught up in anything dangerous.

I'll leave it with this blurb from Yahoo Travel's introduction to the city. It is the most salient I've heard about the city and I think it fits well...

"These days, Denver is a welcoming and enjoyable, though conservative city. Tourism is based on getting out into the wide open spaces rather than on sightseeing in town, but somehow its isolation, a good six hundred miles from any conurbation of even vaguely similar size, gives its two-million population a refreshing friendliness; and in a city which is used to providing its own entertainment there always seems to be something going on."

Good luck and hope this helps.

Answer 7

Denver is beautiful ... you'll grow to love it.

Jonnie

Answer 8

Bring warm clothes!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!