Should I move to Denver

[Jimmy_MacElroy]

So im currently a college student living in Maryland. I got a job offer for next year in Denver but im nervous about the move. I like the job a lot its more leaving friends and family to move across the country. The more I think about it the argument becomes skiing vs friends.

Could anyone whos gone through the same experience give some insight to the transition? Or anyone who lives there tell me more about what the city is like? And finally, since skiing would be limited to weekends for me, how bad are the Saturday morning drives up to the mountains?

 

[ASSholebomber22]

You should absolutely move, it will broaden your horizons in ways you never knew. That said, ski traffic on the weekends coming out of Denver is probably the worst in the country and Colorado is far too expensive for it's own good. I'm not trying to be that 'dont move here' guy, do what you wish but if skiing is a priority and you only have weekends to do it, unless you have a 2nd home in the high country to stay in it isn't worth it imo

 

[Jems]

no for the love of god

 

[RH406]

It’s better than Maryland, go for it! Best thing I ever did was packing up my car and driving west.

 

[SWRTOFFICIAL]

eek, don't wanna be the "dont move here" gatekeeper MF. but Denver...Colorado is definitely way over capacity environmentally and unless ur making 6 figures its gonna be pretty harsh to find a place to live. Denver traffic is hell lmao

 

[Chunderface]

Honestly? Terrible idea. I will not even try to ski on weekends. Absolutely not. You'll 100% spend hours each way in traffic, then deal with parking issues, then deal with massive lines.

As far as Denver, good luck finding any place in or near the city. Seriously. Good fucking luck. Enjoy overcrowded everything, traffic always and everywhere, lines everywhere for everything, and overpriced everything. Have fun going downtown if you can make it through the homeless tent cities (which literally caused Denver's main park to be shuttered indefinitely and surrounded with a giant fence) and protestors, so you can hang out with the transplant douchbags at the Irish themed bar doing shots and getting in fights. But weed is legal bro!

For real though, skiing from Denver on the weekend is a non-starter.

 

[arnie_grape]

ur gonna get a nosebleed

 

[SuspiciousFish]

Honestly? Terrible idea. I will not even try to ski on weekends. Absolutely not. You'll 100% spend hours each way in traffic, then deal with parking issues, then deal with massive lines.

As far as Denver, good luck finding any place in or near the city. Seriously. Good fucking luck. Enjoy overcrowded everything, traffic always and everywhere, lines everywhere for everything, and overpriced everything. Have fun going downtown if you can make it through the homeless tent cities (which literally caused Denver's main park to be shuttered indefinitely and surrounded with a giant fence) and protestors, so you can hang out with the transplant douchbags at the Irish themed bar doing shots and getting in fights. But weed is legal bro!

For real though, skiing from Denver on the weekend is a non-starter.

Downtown Denver literally looks like the zombie apocalypse. Downtown was such a dope place back in the 2000s and now its literally hell on earth with 'protest' damage, homeless tents everywhere and druggies wandering around. My Wife's cousin is a hair stylist and had a shop downtown but she had to move because she didnt feel safe anymore. The best part is the cops eventually try to clean up the camps then the Antifa shitheads come out and break windows over it.

 

[Non_State_Actor]

Where else do you have job offers?

 

[hoodratz47]

The Colorado thing. Woof

 

[BrandoComando]

Living in or near a big city can be life-changing. It can help with networking and can broaden horizons regarding culture and activities. The cost of living is higher, but so is income and the number of opportunities. If you're fortunate to be at a place in your life where you can make the jump, I recommend it. You'll stay friends with the people who matter most. And luckily for you, Denver has an excellent big airport so it's easy and relatively inexpensive (compared to a more "remote" town like Bozeman) for friends and family to visit and vice versa.

As others have said, Denver is experiencing a homelessness crisis similar to most cities in the Western half of the United States (and maybe eastern/midwest cities too, idk since I'm a west coast boy). I wouldn't let that deter you. It's the same in Portland, SF, LA, Seattle, etc. People make it political, but in my experience, these people are down on their luck and are just trying to make it through each day without being worse off than they already are. They'll leave you be if you leave them be.

That being said, Denver isn't the best city for straight-up skiing if that's your #1 priority. That I-70 grind is legit. There are literally more ski resorts 2 hours from Sacramento, CA than there are from Denver, plus there are multiple interstates to get to them, rather than just 1. Salt Lake City is far better for ski access and it's not close. If you choose Denver, be sure you're choosing Denver for more than just skiing. As a weekend warrior, you'll be spending 300+ days a year not skiing, so you should enjoy other aspects of the place you live.

 

[theabortionator]

Everyone is different. That said you will make friends where ever you move. It can be a little bit tough at first but you learn a lot about yourself and different people. You can still catch a flight back east, DIA is a plenty big airport.

Denver is cool, not really my scene but I have a lot of good friends that live there and spend a bit of time every year. The traffic too the mountains and back can be fucked, and I haven't even done it in the winter in 4 years. I'm sure it's gotten worse. You do have a lot of skiing options though close.

Denver has some pretty sick skateparks. Arvada is one of the best parks ever built imo. Been to several of the parks around there. Some pretty cool parks in other parts.

WY is awesome and right there, MT is just a little farther. Utah with the nat parks in Moab etc isn't that far.

Red Rocks is a great venue if you like live music. One of the "must go to" venues. I've only seen 6 or so shows there but love that spot. Also denver has a really thriving music scene that's still growing.

Idk, you'll be able to do a lot of stuff, still get skiing in, and when you have time off being able to road trip WY and MT or spend some time in UT that's pretty sick.

If you move there it doesn't mean you have to stay there forever. It doesn't mean that you won't talk to your friends anymore. I still talk to some of my friends on the east coast and my best friend lives in summit still, talk to him pretty much daily.

It really depends on what you want. But it sounds like a cool opportunity, and you already have a job lined up. Also the commute on weekends can make it tough but at least you still have an outdoors outlet. You may not ski as much as you were previously(idk what you're getting on hill now). With work and the commute, but it's still very accessible from Denver.

But yeah, do you man. I personally think a lot of people miss out on some great opportunities because they don't want to leave friends and stuff. I get it, but you def meet new people, and can def stay in contact with others.

If you don't know anyone living there, a lot of nsers live in denver. Could probably hike, ski, skate, etc with some people from here.

Good luck

 

[theabortionator]

Living in or near a big city can be life-changing. It can help with networking and can broaden horizons regarding culture and activities. The cost of living is higher, but so is income and the number of opportunities. If you're fortunate to be at a place in your life where you can make the jump, I recommend it. You'll stay friends with the people who matter most. And luckily for you, Denver has an excellent big airport so it's easy and relatively inexpensive (compared to a more "remote" town like Bozeman) for friends and family to visit and vice versa.

As others have said, Denver is experiencing a homelessness crisis similar to most cities in the Western half of the United States (and maybe eastern/midwest cities too, idk since I'm a west coast boy). I wouldn't let that deter you. It's the same in Portland, SF, LA, Seattle, etc. People make it political, but in my experience, these people are down on their luck and are just trying to make it through each day without being worse off than they already are. They'll leave you be if you leave them be.

That being said, Denver isn't the best city for straight-up skiing if that's your #1 priority. That I-70 grind is legit. There are literally more ski resorts 2 hours from Sacramento, CA than there are from Denver, plus there are multiple interstates to get to them, rather than just 1. Salt Lake City is far better for ski access and it's not close. If you choose Denver, be sure you're choosing Denver for more than just skiing. As a weekend warrior, you'll be spending 300+ days a year not skiing, so you should enjoy other aspects of the place you live.

Agree for sure on the homeless thing. It's growing in most cities and a big problem in several.

As far as CA. Reno has been growing a bunch and seeing some different industries moving in. Even on a crowded day it seems to beat the hell out of commuting from Denver. Tahoe keeps getting more crowded and pow days almost aren't worth it if you have to commute far but you have a lot of ski areas close together.

I miss having an epic pass through work with 3 mountains there, and usually picking up another pass like Diamond Peak or Boreal to have options. Also snagging the occasional comp to hit some different spots. I've never worked in Reno how jobs pay versus Denver, and housing like everywhere is going up a bunch, but it seems like an option worth looking into. With Mt Rose and even DP pretty close and all the other mountains.

 

[50Kal]

What’s the job? Yeah, Denver is crowded but any major city is.

If your job is getting your foot in the door in a industry you want to be in consider it.

It doesn’t have to be your forever home. Work there for a little while, get experience then the next move could be closer to a mountain you want be at.

 

[ReturnToMonkey]

Man hearing about the gentrification and growth of Denver is sad to hear. I haven't really been back since the start of Covid, and about to spend a month there. I hope it's better than it sounds.

 

[Young_patty]

As someone who lives in a ski town that isn’t Denver, I’d say you should absolutely move to Denver.

 

[theabortionator]

Man hearing about the gentrification and growth of Denver is sad to hear. I haven't really been back since the start of Covid, and about to spend a month there. I hope it's better than it sounds.

I mean, covid just happened, Denver has been changing for a long time before that.

 

[CLQ]

Man hearing about the gentrification and growth of Denver is sad to hear. I haven't really been back since the start of Covid, and about to spend a month there. I hope it's better than it sounds.

The problems are so overblown in this thread, Denver is amazing

 

[ReturnToMonkey]

I mean, covid just happened, Denver has been changing for a long time before that.

Oh yeah I am fully aware. Going back a couple of times a year before covid, it was pretty interesting to see the changes. I went back right at the beginning of covid for a bit and it was the typical barren, everything-closed stuff everywhere. I went back later very breifly just for Christmas and for a few overnight layovers (at my parents) this summer, and each time I pretty much stuck to the highways, my neighborhood, and the mountains, so I only got a brief glipse, but it seemed widly different. The culture, how busy everything is, etc. I'm anxious to get to experience a lot more of the deeper changes, and see if what people are saying are exaggerations or misleading or whatnot. I have a feeling they're notm

 

[ReturnToMonkey]

The problems are so overblown in this thread, Denver is amazing

Yeah that's what I'm saying. Ive seen them on a surface level, but I am excited to find out how bad it really is or if it's only surface level and not really so bad.

 

[bbw.enthusiast]

If you’re from colorado i’m automatically gonna assume you’re a kook

 

[Jimmy_MacElroy]

I would have the same job in either Denver or Arlington. Arlington’s tech sector, the industry im applying to, is probably better due to the government. My biggest draw out to Denver is skiing. I live around an hour to the closest hills in PA as of now and can barely find the time to get up there. Growing up blows.

 

[gravel]

points about the proximity and crowdedness of skiing and traffic are all accurate and valid.

acting like denver is some shithole? not really. all cities have issues. just like any city in the us, it's worse than it was a couple years ago but there are so many other dimensions to that. there are tons of nice places to live nearby to the city or even in a suburban town or something closer to the mountains. it's expensive but not as blown out as people are leading on. the climate is milder and arguably nicer than you'll get in most other cities that are close to skiing.

 

[divine]

Downtown Denver literally looks like the zombie apocalypse. Downtown was such a dope place back in the 2000s and now its literally hell on earth with 'protest' damage, homeless tents everywhere and druggies wandering around. My Wife's cousin is a hair stylist and had a shop downtown but she had to move because she didnt feel safe anymore. The best part is the cops eventually try to clean up the camps then the Antifa shitheads come out and break windows over it.

There are Homeless people Everywhere man! That's not a valid reason! Lol ?.

btw : great job buddy. I love the pictures

 

[SmokedGouda]

Im a Denverite. Have been my entire life and the place just seems to be going downhill. I-70 is a grind too. Personally, its made me hate cities to the core. Mean people always in a hurry. I-25 by the t-rex project(tech center) is a racetrack. The homelessness issue has gone completely out of hand and the politics arent my thing. Personally, after exploring the Nederland area and going farther west, I would much rather live in a small mountain town. its moreso my vibe too. Cities feel very corporate to me. I love capitalism, but something slow is my cup of tea. I guess cities do offer quite a lot of job opportunities, but downtown is a dump. Colorado Springs, although the buildings are older, is a much nicer city without all the issues of Denver. If you plan to live in the metro area, definitely find a place in the suburbs. You'll be much better off. Not being offensive to the homeless, but after traveling from Fort Collins to Denver and back during college on the Bustang, Union Station is not how I remembered it back in the 2010s and 2000s. I wanted to use the restroom there, walked in and saw guys with trench coats on. Saw a lot of illicit drug deals at the bus depot too. It really hurts that Denver, a highly rated city in the country, has really gone downhill and made me wanna leave the life that cities offer for something far away. I think this is also my love of photography, nature, and skiing that's having me wanting to move away so badly. Id still be in Colorado, its a great state. Just not in Denver.

 

[ColoradoDogfart]

no for the love of god

jems dont even live here and he still gatekeeping, thank you for your work

 

[dolanslebensraum]

Question to all the people in this thread bashing denver, do you guys think all these problems came due to immigration? Or due to legalizing marawanas?

ive never lived in denver but i love colorado. Its too bad denver has gone to shit. Maybe one day other states will legalize and libertarianize and relieve some of the immigration pressure on colorado….

 

[WoFIowz]

The problems are so overblown in this thread, Denver is amazing

I concur. Maybe they're poor and can't do fun stuff? Maybe they don't wake up early enough? Maybe working for the weekend is finally getting to these gapers? Idk. Any of you wanna complain, I'll gladly trade my place for you. Try moving to a city in the Midwest or rust belt and then you can complain about a city "going downhill". Jfc

 

[JLej]

denver literally smells like shit. one of the most demonic places ive ever been

 

[ASSholebomber22]

I concur. Maybe they're poor and can't do fun stuff? Maybe they don't wake up early enough? Maybe working for the weekend is finally getting to these gapers? Idk. Any of you wanna complain, I'll gladly trade my place for you. Try moving to a city in the Midwest or rust belt and then you can complain about a city "going downhill". Jfc

Awww the flatlander thinks you can beat traffic by waking up early that's so precious lmao

 

[CalumSKI]

if you do, please say hi to [tag=252953]@ColoradoDogfart[/tag] for me

 

[Chunderface]

Trading one shithole for another doesn't make either not a shithole.

I concur. Maybe they're poor and can't do fun stuff? Maybe they don't wake up early enough? Maybe working for the weekend is finally getting to these gapers? Idk. Any of you wanna complain, I'll gladly trade my place for you. Try moving to a city in the Midwest or rust belt and then you can complain about a city "going downhill". Jfc

 

[SuspiciousFish]

Man hearing about the gentrification and growth of Denver is sad to hear. I haven't really been back since the start of Covid, and about to spend a month there. I hope it's better than it sounds.

I hate to tell you but its pretty horrifying. Most of the people saying things like, "There is a homeless issue everywhere" have not actually seen what happened to downtown. Its not like a few homeless tents under a freeway, there are literally homeless camps lining the streets everywhere downtown. They even had to close the parks due to needles and trash and the public library looks like a fortress with a double fence and a restricted entrance thing.

 

[BrandoComando]

I hate to tell you but its pretty horrifying. Most of the people saying things like, "There is a homeless issue everywhere" have not actually seen what happened to downtown. Its not like a few homeless tents under a freeway, there are literally homeless camps lining the streets everywhere downtown. They even had to close the parks due to needles and trash and the public library looks like a fortress with a double fence and a restricted entrance thing.

I understand it's bad, but you could take that video in downtown Portland, Seattle, San Francisco, Los Angeles, or any major metro on the west. Tents up and down sidewalks, fenced-off parks, trash and graffiti everywhere, human shit on the street. It's an epidemic that got significantly worse since Covid. I found videos just like yours for the four cities I mentioned. I'm not saying it's not a problem in Denver, but it's certainly not exclusive.

Homelessness is a sad problem that doesn't have an easy solution right now. Until governments can figure it out, it's going to get worse before it gets better.

 

[CLQ]

I concur. Maybe they're poor and can't do fun stuff? Maybe they don't wake up early enough? Maybe working for the weekend is finally getting to these gapers? Idk. Any of you wanna complain, I'll gladly trade my place for you. Try moving to a city in the Midwest or rust belt and then you can complain about a city "going downhill". Jfc

Yeah there are certainly ways around the traffic. You do have to wake up early, typically being on I70 heading up by 6:30ish. Or if you leave later, on i70 at like 10am you can miss most of the traffic. Just ski til close. At least that one worked a few years ago when I still regularly skied the I70 resorts.

What’s funny about the people in this thread shitting one Denver is that most of them live in Colorado Springs. That city has all the negatives of being a city without any of the positives. At least Denver has a great nightlife, food, and generally pretty nice people.

 

[SmokedGouda]

Yeah there are certainly ways around the traffic. You do have to wake up early, typically being on I70 heading up by 6:30ish. Or if you leave later, on i70 at like 10am you can miss most of the traffic. Just ski til close. At least that one worked a few years ago when I still regularly skied the I70 resorts.

What’s funny about the people in this thread shitting one Denver is that most of them live in Colorado Springs. That city has all the negatives of being a city without any of the positives. At least Denver has a great nightlife, food, and generally pretty nice people.

I just hate cities in general. Too many stupid people.

 

[dolanslebensraum]

Question to all the people in this thread bashing denver, do you guys think all these problems came due to immigration? Or due to legalizing marawanas?

ive never lived in denver but i love colorado. Its too bad denver has gone to shit. Maybe one day other states will legalize and libertarianize and relieve some of the immigration pressure on colorado….

Bump

 

[Chunderface]

Yeah there are certainly ways around the traffic. You do have to wake up early, typically being on I70 heading up by 6:30ish. Or if you leave later, on i70 at like 10am you can miss most of the traffic. Just ski til close. At least that one worked a few years ago when I still regularly skied the I70 resorts.

What’s funny about the people in this thread shitting one Denver is that most of them live in Colorado Springs. That city has all the negatives of being a city without any of the positives. At least Denver has a great nightlife, food, and generally pretty nice people.

This is totally wrong. I am from Denver and live in Denver. If you leave at 630 on a weekend you're fucked. If you ski til close, you're super fucked. If you are on i70 at 10am you're fucked. None of these are viable options at all. I have a feeling you haven't spent much time on i70 trying to ski on the weekend because this is flat out nonsense.

And just LOL at Denver having great food. Compared to what? Every kitchen closes by 9 on the weekends, and everything is trendy and overpriced, with shit service, and has been open less than a year. I worked in the industry and know it well. The Denver food scene is a joke.

You even from here bruh?

 

[CLQ]

This is totally wrong. I am from Denver and live in Denver. If you leave at 630 on a weekend you're fucked. If you ski til close, you're super fucked. If you are on i70 at 10am you're fucked. None of these are viable options at all. I have a feeling you haven't spent much time on i70 trying to ski on the weekend because this is flat out nonsense.

And just LOL at Denver having great food. Compared to what? Every kitchen closes by 9 on the weekends, and everything is trendy and overpriced, with shit service, and has been open less than a year. I worked in the industry and know it well. The Denver food scene is a joke.

You even from here bruh?

Just the vast majority of my life

 

[SmokedGouda]

This is totally wrong. I am from Denver and live in Denver. If you leave at 630 on a weekend you're fucked. If you ski til close, you're super fucked. If you are on i70 at 10am you're fucked. None of these are viable options at all. I have a feeling you haven't spent much time on i70 trying to ski on the weekend because this is flat out nonsense.

And just LOL at Denver having great food. Compared to what? Every kitchen closes by 9 on the weekends, and everything is trendy and overpriced, with shit service, and has been open less than a year. I worked in the industry and know it well. The Denver food scene is a joke.

You even from here bruh?

Weekends you gotta get to mt Vernon canyon(carpool lots) by 6 to beat the traffic or go at a decent speed. Earlier on a pow day.

 

[WoFIowz]

I just hate cities in general. Too many stupid people.

Omg 100% agree

This is totally wrong. I am from Denver and live in Denver. If you leave at 630 on a weekend you're fucked. If you ski til close, you're super fucked. If you are on i70 at 10am you're fucked. None of these are viable options at all. I have a feeling you haven't spent much time on i70 trying to ski on the weekend because this is flat out nonsense.

And just LOL at Denver having great food. Compared to what? Every kitchen closes by 9 on the weekends, and everything is trendy and overpriced, with shit service, and has been open less than a year. I worked in the industry and know it well. The Denver food scene is a joke.

You even from here bruh?

So move then

 

[.nasty]

I'd say it's rad if you just live around the foothills like Littleton/Ken Caryl where I grew up (or golden or something), but anything in that area is as expensive as it is up here in summit nowadays albeit a tad more availability.

 

[dolanslebensraum]

Question to all the people in this thread bashing denver, do you guys think all these problems came due to immigration? Or due to legalizing marawanas?

ive never lived in denver but i love colorado. Its too bad denver has gone to shit. Maybe one day other states will legalize and libertarianize and relieve some of the immigration pressure on colorado….

Could someone pls answer my question

 

[ColoradoDogfart]

I'd say it's rad if you just live around the foothills like Littleton/Ken Caryl where I grew up (or golden or something), but anything in that area is as expensive as it is up here in summit nowadays albeit a tad more availability.

Ay no way you grew up in ken caryl?! What part?

 

[SmokedGouda]

I grew up in Highlands Ranch which ain't too far from there.

 

[50Kal]

Also OP if your gonna move to Denver, makes sure your job is cool with days off on weekdays.

You would have to be part of the weekend warrior crew of Denver which would suck.

 

[Chunderface]

Also OP if your gonna move to Denver, makes sure your job is cool with days off on weekdays.

You would have to be part of the weekend warrior crew of Denver which would suck.

He says in his post he can only ski weekends.

 

[Granby_killdozer]

Be prepared to see some of the worst driving behavior in the country. People are straight-up malicious and deranged here. I got rear ended 3 times when I first moved. Noone here was raised right and knows how to extend basic courtesy or check their ego when they're behind the wheel. I've passed a two mile long line of people just sitting in the left lane on I-70 before, no construction or need to merge or anything it was literally just a thousand dumbasses piled into the left lane with a completely open right lane for no reason. Motherfuckers will try to squeeze by you when you're all the way backed out of a parking spot. fucking savages dude. And in the winter they all head to mountains with their bald ass tires to fuck shit up there.

This place is honestly mediocre as hell in my experience and everything within two hours is crowded on weekends. Sure, you have access to every outdoor activity imaginable, all easily accessible and public, but just be prepared to be doing it with 1000 other assholes. And many of those people have no regard for other people or nature. I've camped out on dirtbike trails to go riding with friends and had people who dont even ride show up and camp next to us and blast their shitty music all night and leave trash the next day. Every off road trail along i70 gets blown up in the summer by dude bros with their mall crawlers they bought with daddys money, doing it for the gram and showing how outdoorsy they are on trails that I could get a honda civic up. There's a lot of good people here but god damn are there even more annoying jackasses. I'm moving in a week and even though I'm going to miss the great friends I've made it can't come soon enough.

So with that said, good luck OP

**This post was edited on Dec 2nd 2021 at 12:49:25pm

 

[Chunderface]

Be prepared to see some of the worst driving behavior in the country. People are straight-up malicious and deranged here. I got rear ended 3 times when I first moved. Noone here was raised right and knows how to extend basic courtesy or check their ego when they're behind the wheel. I've passed a two mile long line of people just sitting in the left lane on I-70 before, no construction or need to merge or anything it was literally just a thousand dumbasses piled into the left lane with a completely open right lane for no reason. Motherfuckers will try to squeeze by you when you're all the way backed out of a parking spot. fucking savages dude. And in the winter they all head to mountains with their bald ass tires to fuck shit up there.

This place is honestly mediocre as hell in my experience and everything within two hours is crowded on weekends. Sure, you have access to every outdoor activity imaginable, all easily accessible and public, but just be prepared to be doing it with 1000 other assholes. And many of those people have no regard for other people or nature. I've camped out on dirtbike trails to go riding with friends and had people who dont even ride show up and camp next to us and blast their shitty music all night and leave trash the next day. Every off road trail along i70 gets blown up in the summer by dude bros with their mall crawlers they bought with daddys money, doing it for the gram and showing how outdoorsy they are on trails that I could get a honda civic up. There's a lot of good people here but god damn are there even more annoying jackasses. I'm moving in a week and even though I'm going to miss the great friends I've made it can't come soon enough.

So with that said, good luck OP

**This post was edited on Dec 2nd 2021 at 12:49:25pm

Bro I have been hit 4 times in the last 5 years in Denver. The last time was 2 months ago when I guy tried to make a left right in front of me. Totaled the Grand Cherokee I was driving, all airbags deployed. We were lucky to walk away. Driver of the other car spoke no English. Another accident was a hit and run, involving a third car with a family inside who did have injuries. The two other's were more minor, and neither driver in those accidents had insurance or spoke English.

 

[CaptainObvious.]

As per usual, everytime this topic comes up it just turns into epic battles of hyperbole.

OP, you should 100% do it. It is going to be an experience and it sounds like you've been in Maryland your whole life. Make the move, feel the pain, and grow. You won't regret it.

As you've seen in the many dramatic posts here, Denver is overhyped and if you've bought into an idealistic version of living in the mile high, you might be disappointed. I've been here for 12 years and always been a weekend warrior. I'm on the road by 6am on Saturday and I miss the traffic, but it means chilling in your car for an hour at the hill. I get first-ish chair and I'm driving home by 2pm, no exceptions. If you push it any further than that your drive is hours (unless you literally stick around until 8 or 9). I hit some traffic on the way home, but it tacks on maybe another 30 min to my normal 90 min drive. If you're used to an easy trip up like I was, it gets very taxing. So if you're planning to live in the metro and ski literally every weekend, you might be let down by how much of your life you spend in the car. That being said, there are LOTS of people who go in on condos for the season with friends, or do other solutions to sleep at the hill and cut it early on Sunday - which is also a great way to make friends.

The hard truth is that for the past 8 years or so Denver has been seen as the Mecca for the young and adventurous. This means tons of people have moved here. A lot of companies relocated their large employee bases to Denver from 2012-2019, which brought jobs, people, and coincidentally a lot of people who were living in an extremely cost-inflated area (SF, New York, LA, etc.). All of these factors combine into the whirlwind that is our strangled housing market that's bumped rent, competition, etc. And yes, the homeless problem has gotten worse, but people who act like it's something unique to Denver haven't ever been to a big city. It didn't used to be a problem, but we've literally added over 100k people to the city of Denver in the past decade. The status has changed.

All that being said, living here is great. You just have to understand that your hobbies and passions are the exact same reason many others came. You wanna mountain bike in the summer? Hell yeah, but get there early and do some research on where is the best to go. You want to hike a 14er? Yup, so does the rest of the city checking off their bucket lists. You can have the time of your life out here, but it takes a little more work than it used to and a little more work than a lot of people are prepared for when they come.

 

[Granby_killdozer]

Bro I have been hit 4 times in the last 5 years in Denver. The last time was 2 months ago when I guy tried to make a left right in front of me. Totaled the Grand Cherokee I was driving, all airbags deployed. We were lucky to walk away. Driver of the other car spoke no English. Another accident was a hit and run, involving a third car with a family inside who did have injuries. The two other's were more minor, and neither driver in those accidents had insurance or spoke English.

Haha yeah no surprise there. They probably would've tried to steal your catalytic converter if you left the scene too...