Is Anyone here from Denver CO.?

Question

I might have to relocate to Denver and was wondering about the area. How is the cost of living, the job market, the schools, the neighborhoods, the people, the climate(especially the winters),entertainment, etc. I know that there are websites ( I have visited the denver city site) about these things and have checked them but I would like to read opinions from those who actually live there. If you know of any good websites let me know. Thanks everyone for the imput!

Answer 1

I have been here two years - moved from the United Kingdom to study, so I can't really tell you about the job market as that really depends on what area you are looking for.

The cost of living in the city of Denver is ever increasing, if you want affordable housing which is still in commuting distance of the city then I would look at places like Arvada, Littleton and Aurora.

The school system in the city of Denver consists of the Community College of Denver (CCD), Metropolitan State College of Denver (MSCD) and Denver University (DU).

These are located in the downtown Denver and the websites are listed below:
http://www.ccd.edu/
http://www.mscd.edu/
http://www.du.edu/

There are other schools throughout the Denver-Aurora Metropolitan area.

The weather in Denver is very unpredictable, it as all four seasons. The average temperature is around mid 50's but during the summer months it often reaches the high 80's-low 90's.

The winters can be vary from mild to cold with large amounts of snow fall on the mountains, which are just to the west of the city. It as been known during winter to reach into the minuses.

The plus to the climate in Denver is that there is little to no humidity all year round and Denver also receives the most sunny days per year than any other city - over 300.

As far as people go, this depends on where you are. There are good and bad everywhere you do in the world. The racial make up of the city is mainly white and Hispanic.

My personal experience is that the people of Denver, regardless of race, background, social and economic standings are generally very welcoming and accepting of new people. The city itself is very diverse and you would have no problem fitting or blending in and making new friends.

Answer 2

Can you be more specific in what part of October you will be visiting? The weather changes a lot from the beginning of the month to the end. Generally October is one of the nicest months to visit the area. The weather is gorgeous for most of the month. It can snow in Denver in October but its not often. Usually the temps are in the 60s or 70s. However by the end of the month and close to Halloween there always seems to be a change and the weather turns more cold and wet. So if you can come in the first half of the month you won't be disappointed. The fall foliage is fantastic at this time as well! As for Winter Park, it would be a nice place to visit as well. Its usually just a ski area and in early October they will not be open for skiing yet. I'd recommend staying a little closer to town more geared to tourists such as Vail or Brekenridge. Both are about an hour or a little longer away from Denver. I am also glad to hear you are interested in going to a Broncos game! Tickets will not be available for quite some time as the NFL schedule is not announced until the second week in April. The last week in July the Broncos sell individual game tickets through Ticketmaster. But you have to act quick, those tickets will sell out in about 10 minutes or less. If you don't manage to get tickets that way you'll have to use a ticket broker such as stub hub or buy tickets from scalpers on game day. You will pay a mark up this way but the prices are not outrageous like some of the east coast teams are. You'll have a great time at the game! The atmosphere is a great and October is my favorite time to go to a game.

Answer 3

The cost of living is normal but it depends on where your coming from. If your from California, Alaska, or Hawaii you'll find that everything is cheaper. There are plenty of schools but IMO this is a bad thing. Too many choices it's hard to decide. The people for the most part are the same as everywhere else, but about half of the the teenagers are emos. The climate is warm year round, and has the most days of sunshine a year of any major city.

Also a warning, though not sure if it'll affect you. The laws here are going through some major changes, it's harder than ever to buy a gun, the emission standards are the toughest of any state, The legal blood alcohol level will soon be .04 instead of .08.

Answer 4

I've lived here 35 years and I've been trying to leave ever since I got here. I guess if you're from someplace like Detroit or Cincinnati or maybe Oklahoma City, you'd like Denver. If you're not, I'd suggest going somewhere else. the last time i read - which was about 4 years ago - the average price of a home in the Denver area was $365,000. The traffic is horrible, people are jerks, the pollution is bad. If you want a job for $10-14/hr, you won't have any trouble. If you're in the mid-range of job salaries, you're screwed. People move here because they want the mountains so much that they're willing to over look the other things. Then they flock to the mountains and screw up what they came here for in the first place. Really, either stay where you are or go somewhere else.

Answer 5

Denver doesn't give the best impression to people on their first visit. But if after living here for some time, that could change...

- Cons:
. Not as green as the East (yep we're pretty dry).
. Public transportation is not as popular, although available in most parts of town.
. Jobs don't pay as much as in California.

- Pros:
. Winter temperature can get pretty low but doesn't feel very cold, because of the low humidity level. Snow usually melts quickly.
. Houses aren't nearly expensive as CA.
. Jobs pay enough compared to the cost of living.
. You get to drive your own car (well maybe it's not a great thing any more).

Recommend: Live outside of Denver downtown (it's downtown, just like any other, crowded and messy). Outside you'll get more space, and mostly cleaner environment.

Good luck.

Answer 6

I love it here.

You didn't mention where you are currently living, so comparing it to your city might prove difficult.

If you like little to no humidity and pleasant weather year-round, then you will love it here.

Don't let the negative people put you off -- I moved to Littleton from Santa Monica California 4 years ago and I would never in a million years move back to Cali with the traffic, rude people and 2 seasons instead of 4.. Yes it snows once in a while (last winter was very snowy), but for the most part, the day after it snows, it melts... it is beautiful here....

Schools are highly regarded in our state in my opinion.

Cost of living -- if you're renting, you can find a 1-bedroom apartment in a nice area for around $600-$900/month...

Here are some websites:
www.myfoxcolorado.com
www.den-chamber.org
www.douglas.co.us
www.townofcastlerock.org
www.lps.k12.co.us
www.thedenverchannel.com

There are links for job info and myriad entertainment info on some of the above websites.

Good luck!

Answer 7

I have a friend who lives there. He just moved there this past spring. He loves it. He had no problem finding a job. There are many job fares around town. He hasn't complained about the prices of anything. He tells me that all the people are friendly. This past winter was a pretty rough one, but unless you're in the mountains then they're usually not so bad. (His family has lived there for years.) There are lots of places for entertainment. He's showed me several sites, but I can't remember any of them right now. Hope some of this helps.

Answer 8

i moved here from East ( new york) and I'm still having hard time adjusting to it. Denver is boring, not a very good looking city, people are not very friendly, and sometimes cold. food is expensive cause they don't have much of a agriculture, not a very profitable state, but i love the weather, the rents are low. i also like the taste of the water here. it's not a very diverse environment compare to Ny. not so much fun unless you're a nature person and like to ski, hike or bike.

Answer 9

Castle Rock,30 min. south of Denver just off I25.
http://www.townofcastlerock.org Moved here in 91, great town , love it

Answer 10

I'm not from Denver -- close to there but not quite. I will say that this past winter we had more blizzards (yes, blizzards) than I've ever seen!