Questions about Denver

[jsarno]

Originally Posted by canthetuna

Dear Warpath,

So my wife calls me at work and asks me if Id like to move to Denver. I've never been there. The situation is that her father has a job offer there that would be a much better arrangement for him. He doesn't want to separate the family and move away from his kids and grandkids, so he wants to know if everyone would pack up and go. I may like colorado, and have been wanting to move for a while, anyway.

Everyone has said yes except me, and if I don't go, they won't go. No pressure, right?

Problem is I don't know anything about Denver. (Except I hate the Broncos) Anyone know in what area I might find a house within a half hour of the city that I may get some land with relatively cheap?

Also, any insight on the economy or lifestyle would be appreciated.

I LOVE Denver. That is a great city. It's clean, it's beautiful, there are a million things to do too. It's quietly one of the greatest cities in America, and I've been to all but 8 states.
The only problem is it's hard to find jobs there. There are a ton of people for each position that opens up. If you know you'll have jobs, then you should have no worries. The restaurants are great, the scenary is amazing, the people are nice, and everything is pretty centrally located.
Of course, there is traffic, but if you go a little early, you'll be fine. I travelled into the city from Centennial at 7:15am ish, and hit NO traffic. I also travelled in from Aurora around 7:15am ish and hit no traffic there too. I had a house picked out right around where I-70 and E-470 meet. You could see the city from the new developments, and there was nothing but new houses there. The houses are going anywhere from 200k-290k depending on size. The house I picked out was around 240k and BRAND NEW, 2100 sq ft. It was literally 3 minutes to the interstate, and from there around 15-20 minute commute into the heart of the city. I'd move there in a heartbeat if I could find jobs there...but it's a catch 22. They will only hire people that are local. I guess I just didn't have faith into finding a job right away if we quit our current jobs and moved there.
If you are familiar with large cities, this city is better. Washington DC is much more cluttered and violent. I like DC, but Denver is amazing. You won't be disappointed.
It takes a couple months to acclimated to the fact that it's a mile high (literally). I live around 3200 ft high now, and it took a little while to get adjusted, but it's not hard.
Centennial is nice, but it has more people than Aurora and is more expensive. (290k-350k) You can always take the train into the city if you live there, but my suggestion is aurora...the new section. There are some poor sections of Aurora, but they are the old part of the city that is closest to Denver. The outside is beatiful and full of life and money. It's worth it.