Moving to Denver? Maybe?
May 23, 2011 10:46 AM Subscribe
Mr. Anonnymoose and I need your insider opinions of the city of Denver.
For various reasons, we are thinking about leaving our current home of Southern Arizona. We're looking at various new places to hang our hats (and the tiny hat of our dog), and the Denver/Boulder area keeps popping up as a possible destination. I almost went to grad school there, and really loved it from my few visits. We're curious about what it's like to live there.
Some questions:
- We are about 30 and thinking of starting a family in the next five years. How is the Denver area for young, reasonably-social people? Families?
- We are currently at sub-$80,000 household income, and would like to buy a house in the next few years. Is this realistically possible in the Denver area without moving into a subdivision at this time?
- How good is the public transit system, really? We have a car, but prefer not to use it all the time.
- Winter: How bad is it? Lots of snow and ice? Just generally cold?
Secondarily, we are thinking about going on a reconaissance trip for 3-4 days to see how we like the place. What are your must-do suggestions for two people who want to get the general feeling of the city? We like live music, films, theater (or "theatre", I guess), eating different kinds of foods, poking around in little shops, museums, bookstores, and exploring neighborhoods.
Thanks in advance for your thoughts!
For various reasons, we are thinking about leaving our current home of Southern Arizona. We're looking at various new places to hang our hats (and the tiny hat of our dog), and the Denver/Boulder area keeps popping up as a possible destination. I almost went to grad school there, and really loved it from my few visits. We're curious about what it's like to live there.
Some questions:
- We are about 30 and thinking of starting a family in the next five years. How is the Denver area for young, reasonably-social people? Families?
- We are currently at sub-$80,000 household income, and would like to buy a house in the next few years. Is this realistically possible in the Denver area without moving into a subdivision at this time?
- How good is the public transit system, really? We have a car, but prefer not to use it all the time.
- Winter: How bad is it? Lots of snow and ice? Just generally cold?
Secondarily, we are thinking about going on a reconaissance trip for 3-4 days to see how we like the place. What are your must-do suggestions for two people who want to get the general feeling of the city? We like live music, films, theater (or "theatre", I guess), eating different kinds of foods, poking around in little shops, museums, bookstores, and exploring neighborhoods.
Thanks in advance for your thoughts!
Also, the "what culture to check out" is always hard without examples of what you like. I like noisy experimental music played in a warehouse leased from some slumlord, but you may have different tastes. If I was to tell you to check that out, you may not be so into it. Give some examples of what you like :)
posted by alex_skazat at 11:03 AM on May 23, 2011
posted by alex_skazat at 11:03 AM on May 23, 2011
Response by poster: Thanks for the information! That's very helpful stuff. We like a wide variety of music including, but not limited to: alt country, old country, bluegrass, jazz, Americana, soul, New Pornographers-style Rock Music, folk, what my husband terms "cute girls playing love songs" (like Sara Lov) and pop. We also like Neil Diamond, but don't judge us.
posted by anonnymoose at 11:11 AM on May 23, 2011
posted by anonnymoose at 11:11 AM on May 23, 2011
Denver, yay! If you're thinking of starting a family, check out the Stapleton community. It's a well-planned little community, with lots of places to walk and play, many young families, close to shopping, restaurants, and good schools. My partner's sister and her husband live there, and I've spent many happy hours walking their dog on the great trails around the area. It's a newer community, and maybe a little more well-manicured than I personally prefer, but it seems like a good option for a family.
Concerts: The Fillmore is a fantastic venue -- small, characterful, lots of great shows. Redrocks Ampitheatre is an amazing place to see larger acts. There's a very good music scene in the Denver area. There are tons of bluegrass festivals in Lyons, which is just west of Boulder, and a nice little town to visit in the summertime (eat at Oskar Blues, yum).
You should stop in at one of the Tattered Cover bookshops for an afternoon. They're wonderful (especially the downtown one). And if you hang out in Lower Downtown, stop by The Market for coffee or tea and delicate comestibles.
Denver's a great place! I miss it. Have fun there! Memail me if you want more specific suggestions.
posted by Spinneret at 11:25 AM on May 23, 2011
Concerts: The Fillmore is a fantastic venue -- small, characterful, lots of great shows. Redrocks Ampitheatre is an amazing place to see larger acts. There's a very good music scene in the Denver area. There are tons of bluegrass festivals in Lyons, which is just west of Boulder, and a nice little town to visit in the summertime (eat at Oskar Blues, yum).
You should stop in at one of the Tattered Cover bookshops for an afternoon. They're wonderful (especially the downtown one). And if you hang out in Lower Downtown, stop by The Market for coffee or tea and delicate comestibles.
Denver's a great place! I miss it. Have fun there! Memail me if you want more specific suggestions.
posted by Spinneret at 11:25 AM on May 23, 2011
I love Neil Diamond.
Not sure what you mean but, "alt country", but there's some really amazing bands out of Denver that have that, "Denver Sound" to them, that mix country, gothic, with some more macabre and religious undertones. Try out Slim Cessna, Munly, 16 Horsepower, etc. The music scene here is one of the best kept secrets of Denver. Sadly.
Try the hi-dive on South Broadway for indie-rock stuff. "Cute Girls Playing Love Songs" would be the local Dressy Bessy. I'm sure you've heard of The Apples in Stereo
There's folk up our butt up here. There's the bluegrass festival in "nearby" Lyons and local...er bands, like Paper Bird, etc. I'm really not much into that, though. There's also a Ukulele festival, if that's something to make you go, "hmmmm"
posted by alex_skazat at 11:32 AM on May 23, 2011
Not sure what you mean but, "alt country", but there's some really amazing bands out of Denver that have that, "Denver Sound" to them, that mix country, gothic, with some more macabre and religious undertones. Try out Slim Cessna, Munly, 16 Horsepower, etc. The music scene here is one of the best kept secrets of Denver. Sadly.
Try the hi-dive on South Broadway for indie-rock stuff. "Cute Girls Playing Love Songs" would be the local Dressy Bessy. I'm sure you've heard of The Apples in Stereo
There's folk up our butt up here. There's the bluegrass festival in "nearby" Lyons and local...er bands, like Paper Bird, etc. I'm really not much into that, though. There's also a Ukulele festival, if that's something to make you go, "hmmmm"
posted by alex_skazat at 11:32 AM on May 23, 2011
For the house situation, it really depends on where you live. You might have to live in the burbs, but there are plenty of established neighborhoods that aren't sub-divisiony. Stapleton is a cute and upcoming area, but it is basically one big sprawling sub-division. Houses are really close together, postage stamp backyards, no old growth trees etc. We go to a cool dog park there, but I wouldn't want to buy a house there.
As others have mentioned public transportation is so-so, the light-rail is coming along nicely, but it's not at the point where it's a good substitute for a car. Not sure about buses.
Winters are not terribly cold, snow in the Denver Metro is not all that common and when it does snow it tends to melt because of all the sun we get there. Summers are warm (80s-90s), but probably not nearly as hot as they are in Arizona.
It's a fun, growing town with more to see and do every day. I think they have a bluegrass festival in Boulder every year.
posted by Kimberly at 11:51 AM on May 23, 2011
As others have mentioned public transportation is so-so, the light-rail is coming along nicely, but it's not at the point where it's a good substitute for a car. Not sure about buses.
Winters are not terribly cold, snow in the Denver Metro is not all that common and when it does snow it tends to melt because of all the sun we get there. Summers are warm (80s-90s), but probably not nearly as hot as they are in Arizona.
It's a fun, growing town with more to see and do every day. I think they have a bluegrass festival in Boulder every year.
posted by Kimberly at 11:51 AM on May 23, 2011
Quick but important note: Denver is lovely, but they have a very strict dog breed ban, so if your tiny hatted dog is or could be even remotely mistaken for a "pit bull," Denver could be a death sentence. They are extremely harsh, and very squishy on what dogs they declare 'pit bulls,' so I wouldn't be comfortable bringing any short haired, thirty-plus pound dog into Denver at all.
I currently live in a suburb and have a soft boycott of Denver (and Aurora) because I am a crazy dog lady, so my information might be a little spotty and outdated. However, I have a great fondness for the University Hills neighborhood and surrounding areas, where I raised my kid. It's relatively diverse, and was urban enough that we could walk or bike to shops, restaurants, etc., and still suburban enough that we had a yard and a quiet little street that kids played on. Broadway has a really vibrant strip, including Herman's Hideaway and a couple of other music venues, the Mayan Theater for movies, and a wealth of restaurants, antique and junk shops, and tons of other interesting things. I always found it difficult to stay bored for long.
That area, and I'm sure plenty of others in the area, would definitely fit your first two criteria.
Public transport can be iffy if you're going somewhere off the beaten path, or if you're crossing transportation districts. The latter shouldn't be a problem as long as you're commuting in the Denver Metro area, but the former could. If you work in downtown proper or some other area with a lot of commuters and live relatively near a park and ride, it's usually very reliable.
Winters here are really not too harsh. The biggest advantage we have is that generally speaking, our snowfalls melt off in a week or so as temperatures warm, so we don't get many of those big layers of dirty accumulated snow I remember so well from my childhood in the northeastern US.
posted by ernielundquist at 12:09 PM on May 23, 2011 [1 favorite]
I currently live in a suburb and have a soft boycott of Denver (and Aurora) because I am a crazy dog lady, so my information might be a little spotty and outdated. However, I have a great fondness for the University Hills neighborhood and surrounding areas, where I raised my kid. It's relatively diverse, and was urban enough that we could walk or bike to shops, restaurants, etc., and still suburban enough that we had a yard and a quiet little street that kids played on. Broadway has a really vibrant strip, including Herman's Hideaway and a couple of other music venues, the Mayan Theater for movies, and a wealth of restaurants, antique and junk shops, and tons of other interesting things. I always found it difficult to stay bored for long.
That area, and I'm sure plenty of others in the area, would definitely fit your first two criteria.
Public transport can be iffy if you're going somewhere off the beaten path, or if you're crossing transportation districts. The latter shouldn't be a problem as long as you're commuting in the Denver Metro area, but the former could. If you work in downtown proper or some other area with a lot of commuters and live relatively near a park and ride, it's usually very reliable.
Winters here are really not too harsh. The biggest advantage we have is that generally speaking, our snowfalls melt off in a week or so as temperatures warm, so we don't get many of those big layers of dirty accumulated snow I remember so well from my childhood in the northeastern US.
posted by ernielundquist at 12:09 PM on May 23, 2011 [1 favorite]
If you're doing your reconaissance trip in the summer and it happens to be a Sunday, definitely check out City Park Jazz. The whole city shows up to this free event and it's very family friendly. Bring a picnic and a bottle of wine and you can get a good feel for the people around here.
posted by shornco at 12:13 PM on May 23, 2011
posted by shornco at 12:13 PM on May 23, 2011
I moved to Denver 3.5 years ago after growing up in Chicago, living for six years in Albuquerque and then Boston for a short bit. Denver is my second home. It feels like the best of many worlds.
I was making around the same as your household when I bought a home in Denver's Baker neighborhood (just a couple blocks from all the awesomeness that is the Mayan Theater) for shy of $300k and I had zero problems affording my lifestyle, which some would say borders on extravagance due to frequent travel. Home prices have declined/stayed soft in my area since then so finding something in your price range shouldn't prove too difficult.
I don't use public transit much at this point, but I know many people who do and they seem to like it just fine, but I would agree that at the moment it feels a bit limiting unless you work downtown and live near a rail line. In a few years we'll have a line that goes out to the airport and that will make me all kinds of happy.
As I sit here at my desk I'm looking at the calendar of events I've cobbled together for the summer and I'm jazzed all to hell. Everything from this past weekend's English Car Boot Sale to the Chalk Art Festival, First Fridays, Urban Markets, HearseCon (!!), Juneteenth, Brewers Festival, The Cherry Creek Arts Fest and more.
The weather is usually a non-issue. While it can get cold, it's rarely COLD and it's rarely cold for any length of time. The sun (barring these last couple of weeks) is a pretty constant thing here and it keeps the snow that does fall in the winter from sticking around much.
I would agree with checking out neighborhoods being the important thing to do. All the touristy stuff isn't what makes or breaks a place to live. It's spending time in the places where you'll actually be... spending time. Rent a car or better yet - a bshare bike and ramble around Highlands, Baker, Uptown, Cap Hill, Wash Park, etc. Wash Park may well be out of your price range, but you'll spend time there at some point if you live here.
posted by FlamingBore at 2:24 PM on May 23, 2011
I was making around the same as your household when I bought a home in Denver's Baker neighborhood (just a couple blocks from all the awesomeness that is the Mayan Theater) for shy of $300k and I had zero problems affording my lifestyle, which some would say borders on extravagance due to frequent travel. Home prices have declined/stayed soft in my area since then so finding something in your price range shouldn't prove too difficult.
I don't use public transit much at this point, but I know many people who do and they seem to like it just fine, but I would agree that at the moment it feels a bit limiting unless you work downtown and live near a rail line. In a few years we'll have a line that goes out to the airport and that will make me all kinds of happy.
As I sit here at my desk I'm looking at the calendar of events I've cobbled together for the summer and I'm jazzed all to hell. Everything from this past weekend's English Car Boot Sale to the Chalk Art Festival, First Fridays, Urban Markets, HearseCon (!!), Juneteenth, Brewers Festival, The Cherry Creek Arts Fest and more.
The weather is usually a non-issue. While it can get cold, it's rarely COLD and it's rarely cold for any length of time. The sun (barring these last couple of weeks) is a pretty constant thing here and it keeps the snow that does fall in the winter from sticking around much.
I would agree with checking out neighborhoods being the important thing to do. All the touristy stuff isn't what makes or breaks a place to live. It's spending time in the places where you'll actually be... spending time. Rent a car or better yet - a bshare bike and ramble around Highlands, Baker, Uptown, Cap Hill, Wash Park, etc. Wash Park may well be out of your price range, but you'll spend time there at some point if you live here.
posted by FlamingBore at 2:24 PM on May 23, 2011
Definitely colder and snowier winters than southern Arizona, but not nearly as cold or snowy as Chicago or the Northeast. The sunshine really does melt the snow pretty quick. Summers similar to Arizona – dry & hot. See also the answers here about Boulder, which is a more expensive proposition and has a lot faster winter winds than Denver.
posted by exphysicist345 at 3:22 PM on May 23, 2011
posted by exphysicist345 at 3:22 PM on May 23, 2011
I'm 27, and if all goes well I'll be a married homeowner in Denver by the end of the summer.
- Denver is fantastic for social types. Just about everybody here is a transplant, so it's a great city for transplants. There arent many insular groups, since most people you'll meet were new in town at some point in recent memory.
- It's realistic to buy a house with your income and not in the suburbs. I just finsihed house hunting. If you want to live in a free-standing house near downtown that you don't have to do major work on, is in a walkable neighborhood, and is over 1,000 sq. ft., you're looking at homes priced $275,000 and up. Prices drop for attached housing, neighborhood quality, and distance from downtown.
- Public transport is good but not great. The trains are great if you live on a rail line, but there aren't many rail lines. Many employers will either give you a transit pass, or allow you to buy one with pre-tax money, which helps. I bike to work and take the train when it's crappy out, which seems like a nice compromise, especially since parking downtown isn't easy (and that's where I work). Rush hour can be busy, but if you're commuting against the flow it gets a lot easier.
- Winters are awesome. Yeah, it might snow, but it usually burns off within a week, you've got 50 degree days, and you get to head up to the mountains on the weekends to enjoy the snow (as long as you can deal with the ski traffic, which can be brutal, especially if it snows. Proper planning can avoid it though).
If you're coming out for a trip, rent one of the community bikes and bike around the neighborhoods you're interested in, or stop by for a beer with some MeFites. Jazz in City Park is a good suggestion, as is First Friday. Westword is the community free paper that has goings on and restaurant reviews; check out their "best of" online for some good suggestions of places to check out.
posted by craven_morhead at 3:25 PM on May 23, 2011
- Denver is fantastic for social types. Just about everybody here is a transplant, so it's a great city for transplants. There arent many insular groups, since most people you'll meet were new in town at some point in recent memory.
- It's realistic to buy a house with your income and not in the suburbs. I just finsihed house hunting. If you want to live in a free-standing house near downtown that you don't have to do major work on, is in a walkable neighborhood, and is over 1,000 sq. ft., you're looking at homes priced $275,000 and up. Prices drop for attached housing, neighborhood quality, and distance from downtown.
- Public transport is good but not great. The trains are great if you live on a rail line, but there aren't many rail lines. Many employers will either give you a transit pass, or allow you to buy one with pre-tax money, which helps. I bike to work and take the train when it's crappy out, which seems like a nice compromise, especially since parking downtown isn't easy (and that's where I work). Rush hour can be busy, but if you're commuting against the flow it gets a lot easier.
- Winters are awesome. Yeah, it might snow, but it usually burns off within a week, you've got 50 degree days, and you get to head up to the mountains on the weekends to enjoy the snow (as long as you can deal with the ski traffic, which can be brutal, especially if it snows. Proper planning can avoid it though).
If you're coming out for a trip, rent one of the community bikes and bike around the neighborhoods you're interested in, or stop by for a beer with some MeFites. Jazz in City Park is a good suggestion, as is First Friday. Westword is the community free paper that has goings on and restaurant reviews; check out their "best of" online for some good suggestions of places to check out.
posted by craven_morhead at 3:25 PM on May 23, 2011
Excellent choice. I love Denver/Boulder, lived there for 8 years before emigrating, and miss it like crazy. To answer your questions:
Denver is great for young, sociable people. Your types of music get plenty of live shows and festivals in Denver proper and within reasonable driving distance (especially Golden, Boulder, Fort Collins, and several mountain towns). There are a number of great venues in a wide range of sizes, including Red Rocks which is just amazing. The arts scene is lively. I have a number of working artist friends who love the Denver scene, and IMO, Denver is big enough to have a lively arts scene but not so big that it's pretentious and segregated. You should strongly consider making your reconnaisance trip occur during a First Friday, it's a great time. If you're into beer, Denver and the Front Range has an AMAZING craft beer scene.
In my experience, Denver is good for families. I don't have a wife and kids myself, but do have many friends in that stage of life. There are a couple neighborhoods you would probably want to avoid (or maybe not, depending on your level of adventurous living and social beliefs I guess), but there are a number of great neighborhoods within Denver city limits for starting/raising a family. Schools are generally good, and their quality generally corresponds with the quality of the neighborhood, with some exceptions of course.
Denver has heaps of dog people, and you'll often see them out for walks etc. There are a lot of parks and open space throughout the city and surrounding burbs. The only exception, as mentioned above, is if your small dog could be mistaken for a pit bull - there has indeed been some public backlash against the pitbull-looking breeds because of some high-profile dog attacks. In general, though, Denver people (myself included) seem to love dogs.
I used the light-rail about 3x a week while living just North of downtown and working in the Tech Center (about 10 miles South of downtown, along I-25). The light rail is great if it's near your destination, but the busses are pretty good, too. RTD (Denver public transport company) gets ranked highly in annual national rankings. I've found that public transport is most useful if you're in or near Denver city limits, or along the light rail lines. If you're living in the burbs, it's generally not horrible but not great either. Boulder is its own little island in this (and many other) arena, with great public transport, bike lanes, pedestrian walkways, etc. Your use of a car will depend on where you live, but you have plenty of limited-car-use options in that regard.
Denver was hit pretty hard (relatively speaking) by the housing market crash. I designed houses for a small engineering firm and was laid off really early on, and the Denver housing market has been slow to recover. Prices are generally low, but credit might be a bit tight for someone in your situation. It's hard to speak to your specific situation without more info (I'm not asking for it, just saying) so it would likely be worthwhile if you spoke to a few Denver-area realtors, and then to your bank about your options. That said, if you are motivated to buy a house in Denver in the next few years on that kind of income, you'll be okay.
Denver famously gets more than 300 sunny days a year, which is great. During the winter, you'll get probably half a dozen snow storms through the season, but most will melt off the next day. It's dry, not humid, and not windy. Winters are mild, and don't get cold like Wyoming, Minnesota, Michigan, etc. You can get to the ski hills easily but don't generally have to contend with bitter cold and snow in the city limits. Most winter days are in the 50s.
If you're into the outdoors, Denver is just about heaven. I could go on for hours, but since you didn't mention it, I won't. Suffice to say that there's amazing hiking, climbing, mountain and road biking, skiing, kayaking, hang gliding, you name it, all within a 30-minute drive from downtown. Even the REI store is great.
For your reconnaisance trip: try to make it over a First Friday (of the month). If you go during the summer, Wednesday nights they show movies at the Red Rocks amphitheater, you can bring in your own food and drink and there's a band that plays beforehand, it's a good time. Depending on who's playing, try to see a (music) show at one of the following venues (largest to smallest): Red Rocks amphitheater, the Fillmore, the Ogden, Gothic Theater, the Bluebird, Fox Theater (in Boulder), Soiled Dove, Marquis Theater, Hi-Dive. Get brunch at Snooze. Get a burrito at Illegal Pete's. Check out the Denver Art Museum, the new wing (designed by Libeskind) is fantastic. The Starz film center is always showing quality indie and documentary films. Neighborhood Flix cinema, attached to the Tattered Cover on Colfax, is a good theater as well. Eat great, authentic cheap Thai at Tommy's. Try any beer you can think of at Falling Rock. Eat some of the best home cooked southern food ever at Tom's. Get ice cream at Liks, or frozen custard at Good Times. Get lost in the best book store ever, Tattered Cover (in Lodo). Talk the dog for a walk in Washington (Wash) Park. Get amazing (but pricey) sushi at Sushi Den on Pearl Street, or a coffee across the street at the best coffee shop ever, Stella's. Stay away from the 16th Street Mall, it's very touristy. Do explore the Highlands, Wash Park, Capitol Hill, Southern Broadway neighborhoods. If you want a nice cocktail with epic views, head to the Peakview lounge in the downtown Hilton. If you like slam poetry, the weekly competition at the Mercury lounge on Sunday nights is pretty consistently good. Fire dancers usually hang out on Sunday nights on the riverfront.
Hope that helps.
posted by hootenatty at 7:08 PM on May 23, 2011 [3 favorites]
Denver is great for young, sociable people. Your types of music get plenty of live shows and festivals in Denver proper and within reasonable driving distance (especially Golden, Boulder, Fort Collins, and several mountain towns). There are a number of great venues in a wide range of sizes, including Red Rocks which is just amazing. The arts scene is lively. I have a number of working artist friends who love the Denver scene, and IMO, Denver is big enough to have a lively arts scene but not so big that it's pretentious and segregated. You should strongly consider making your reconnaisance trip occur during a First Friday, it's a great time. If you're into beer, Denver and the Front Range has an AMAZING craft beer scene.
In my experience, Denver is good for families. I don't have a wife and kids myself, but do have many friends in that stage of life. There are a couple neighborhoods you would probably want to avoid (or maybe not, depending on your level of adventurous living and social beliefs I guess), but there are a number of great neighborhoods within Denver city limits for starting/raising a family. Schools are generally good, and their quality generally corresponds with the quality of the neighborhood, with some exceptions of course.
Denver has heaps of dog people, and you'll often see them out for walks etc. There are a lot of parks and open space throughout the city and surrounding burbs. The only exception, as mentioned above, is if your small dog could be mistaken for a pit bull - there has indeed been some public backlash against the pitbull-looking breeds because of some high-profile dog attacks. In general, though, Denver people (myself included) seem to love dogs.
I used the light-rail about 3x a week while living just North of downtown and working in the Tech Center (about 10 miles South of downtown, along I-25). The light rail is great if it's near your destination, but the busses are pretty good, too. RTD (Denver public transport company) gets ranked highly in annual national rankings. I've found that public transport is most useful if you're in or near Denver city limits, or along the light rail lines. If you're living in the burbs, it's generally not horrible but not great either. Boulder is its own little island in this (and many other) arena, with great public transport, bike lanes, pedestrian walkways, etc. Your use of a car will depend on where you live, but you have plenty of limited-car-use options in that regard.
Denver was hit pretty hard (relatively speaking) by the housing market crash. I designed houses for a small engineering firm and was laid off really early on, and the Denver housing market has been slow to recover. Prices are generally low, but credit might be a bit tight for someone in your situation. It's hard to speak to your specific situation without more info (I'm not asking for it, just saying) so it would likely be worthwhile if you spoke to a few Denver-area realtors, and then to your bank about your options. That said, if you are motivated to buy a house in Denver in the next few years on that kind of income, you'll be okay.
Denver famously gets more than 300 sunny days a year, which is great. During the winter, you'll get probably half a dozen snow storms through the season, but most will melt off the next day. It's dry, not humid, and not windy. Winters are mild, and don't get cold like Wyoming, Minnesota, Michigan, etc. You can get to the ski hills easily but don't generally have to contend with bitter cold and snow in the city limits. Most winter days are in the 50s.
If you're into the outdoors, Denver is just about heaven. I could go on for hours, but since you didn't mention it, I won't. Suffice to say that there's amazing hiking, climbing, mountain and road biking, skiing, kayaking, hang gliding, you name it, all within a 30-minute drive from downtown. Even the REI store is great.
For your reconnaisance trip: try to make it over a First Friday (of the month). If you go during the summer, Wednesday nights they show movies at the Red Rocks amphitheater, you can bring in your own food and drink and there's a band that plays beforehand, it's a good time. Depending on who's playing, try to see a (music) show at one of the following venues (largest to smallest): Red Rocks amphitheater, the Fillmore, the Ogden, Gothic Theater, the Bluebird, Fox Theater (in Boulder), Soiled Dove, Marquis Theater, Hi-Dive. Get brunch at Snooze. Get a burrito at Illegal Pete's. Check out the Denver Art Museum, the new wing (designed by Libeskind) is fantastic. The Starz film center is always showing quality indie and documentary films. Neighborhood Flix cinema, attached to the Tattered Cover on Colfax, is a good theater as well. Eat great, authentic cheap Thai at Tommy's. Try any beer you can think of at Falling Rock. Eat some of the best home cooked southern food ever at Tom's. Get ice cream at Liks, or frozen custard at Good Times. Get lost in the best book store ever, Tattered Cover (in Lodo). Talk the dog for a walk in Washington (Wash) Park. Get amazing (but pricey) sushi at Sushi Den on Pearl Street, or a coffee across the street at the best coffee shop ever, Stella's. Stay away from the 16th Street Mall, it's very touristy. Do explore the Highlands, Wash Park, Capitol Hill, Southern Broadway neighborhoods. If you want a nice cocktail with epic views, head to the Peakview lounge in the downtown Hilton. If you like slam poetry, the weekly competition at the Mercury lounge on Sunday nights is pretty consistently good. Fire dancers usually hang out on Sunday nights on the riverfront.
Hope that helps.
posted by hootenatty at 7:08 PM on May 23, 2011 [3 favorites]
I grew up around Denver and spent most of my life there. It really has gone through something of a renaissance in the last few years, and is much more inviting now than it was when I was a kid. Based on your criteria, it does look like a good fit as long as you can handle the occasional snowstorm. There are two or three weeks of bitter cold (high temperatures well below freezing) and two or three weeks of summer where you'll miss air conditioning a lot. Denver is semi-arid and has water supply problems, but that's not going to be foreign to you coming from Arizona.
The more affordable City and County of Denver neighborhoods may not have schools that are attractive to you. Things will probably change in some of the up-and-coming neighborhoods in the next 5-10 years, though.
Unless you carefully engineer living and working in walkable and transit friendly neighborhoods, you'll use a car for most trips.
There is a lot of cool stuff about Boulder, but it is not really all that accessible a place to live anymore.
Economically, Denver is a boom town. Oil in the 80's, telecom in the mid-late 90's. I don't really know what replaced telecom. I guess I'd make sure there was enough breadth and depth in your chosen fields of employment (as best as one can). Anecdotally / naively, I believe the tax burden in Denver and Colorado in general is pretty close to average.
Denver itself is pretty progressive, but the suburbs may not be. Colorado has some pretty strong political conflicts.
In all my travels, I've only come across two people that lived in Denver and later left because they didn't like it.
Hope your move works out.
posted by jaredg at 7:40 PM on May 23, 2011
The more affordable City and County of Denver neighborhoods may not have schools that are attractive to you. Things will probably change in some of the up-and-coming neighborhoods in the next 5-10 years, though.
Unless you carefully engineer living and working in walkable and transit friendly neighborhoods, you'll use a car for most trips.
There is a lot of cool stuff about Boulder, but it is not really all that accessible a place to live anymore.
Economically, Denver is a boom town. Oil in the 80's, telecom in the mid-late 90's. I don't really know what replaced telecom. I guess I'd make sure there was enough breadth and depth in your chosen fields of employment (as best as one can). Anecdotally / naively, I believe the tax burden in Denver and Colorado in general is pretty close to average.
Denver itself is pretty progressive, but the suburbs may not be. Colorado has some pretty strong political conflicts.
In all my travels, I've only come across two people that lived in Denver and later left because they didn't like it.
Hope your move works out.
posted by jaredg at 7:40 PM on May 23, 2011
I lived there for 16 months in the mid-90s...my impression was "midwest with scenery". Tattered Cover, the Landmark movie houses and the CU and BBL film series were my oases.
I liked it better on my trips last year, but I still prefer New England.
posted by brujita at 9:46 PM on May 23, 2011
I liked it better on my trips last year, but I still prefer New England.
posted by brujita at 9:46 PM on May 23, 2011
Denver rules. There is a ton of good information above. I'll just reiterate a few things. While you can find a house in Denver that would be affordable for you with your income - it won't be anything like a new house - if your okay with that press on. The folks I know who wanted a new house end up living in the suburbs - or Stapleton.
Public transportation is good if you can plan where you are going to live and work accordingly. So, if you know you are going to be working downtown or in the tech center and can live on an appropriate bus or light rail line you are good to go. If you have to buy a place before getting your employment lined up or if your employer changes then things can get rough. Generally, I think the public transportation is pretty good. And, there are awesome bike paths and bike lanes here.
A lot of the public schools in Denver are pretty bad. Sorry, it is true. Parents who are able, generally choose very carefully where they live to be near a good school or end up driving their kids every day to a better school. Denver is a "choice" district meaning that you can try to get your kid into any school (I think there are lotteries and waiting lists for the most popular ones) but transportation isn't provided.
As far as some poking around suggestions: Pablo's on 6th for coffee, 2nding the Market in Larimer Square (LoDo) for more coffee and food, South Broadway in general, nthing First Friday on Santa Fe Drive, 2nding avoiding 16th Street mall, nthing getting up to the mountains or hiking around Boulder, 3rding getting a Bcycle and touring about.....please ask for some more specific recommendations.
Denver Film Society and the Landmark Theatres for film.
There is a folk/Americana/bluegrass live music venue in town called Swallow Hill.
Also, Lyons is actually north of Boulder - and there are great festivals there such as Rockygrass and Folks Fest.
posted by fieldtrip at 11:58 PM on May 23, 2011 [1 favorite]
Public transportation is good if you can plan where you are going to live and work accordingly. So, if you know you are going to be working downtown or in the tech center and can live on an appropriate bus or light rail line you are good to go. If you have to buy a place before getting your employment lined up or if your employer changes then things can get rough. Generally, I think the public transportation is pretty good. And, there are awesome bike paths and bike lanes here.
A lot of the public schools in Denver are pretty bad. Sorry, it is true. Parents who are able, generally choose very carefully where they live to be near a good school or end up driving their kids every day to a better school. Denver is a "choice" district meaning that you can try to get your kid into any school (I think there are lotteries and waiting lists for the most popular ones) but transportation isn't provided.
As far as some poking around suggestions: Pablo's on 6th for coffee, 2nding the Market in Larimer Square (LoDo) for more coffee and food, South Broadway in general, nthing First Friday on Santa Fe Drive, 2nding avoiding 16th Street mall, nthing getting up to the mountains or hiking around Boulder, 3rding getting a Bcycle and touring about.....please ask for some more specific recommendations.
Denver Film Society and the Landmark Theatres for film.
There is a folk/Americana/bluegrass live music venue in town called Swallow Hill.
Also, Lyons is actually north of Boulder - and there are great festivals there such as Rockygrass and Folks Fest.
posted by fieldtrip at 11:58 PM on May 23, 2011 [1 favorite]
I'm a 3rd generation Colorado native. As you can probably imagine, I love it here. I was thinking about moving somewhere else when I got out of school, but I knew I would always move back when I started a family and I just never moved. I'm 34 and live in Denver (Baker Neighborhood).
Your questions:
- We are about 30 and thinking of starting a family in the next five years. How is the Denver area for young, reasonably-social people? Families?
Great for families. There are some areas close to the urban core that are up and coming and families are moving in to them. I'm sure you can find affordable living in the Highlands, Lower Highlands (lo hi), and even Five Points. Washington park, Captal Hill and the Baker are all neighborhoods with their own scene, put still close to downtown. i.e. local bars, restaurants, music, etc...
- We are currently at sub-$80,000 household income, and would like to buy a house in the next few years. Is this realistically possible in the Denver area without moving into a subdivision at this time?
Yes. You may have to make some sacrifices for a 'fixer upper' if you want to remain in the downtown core. I think that's the way Denver neighborhoods have been going for the last 15 years or so though. Lots of people coming in and updating the aging neighborhoods. They are generally affordable though ($200-$300K with taxes at $100-$150/month).
- How good is the public transit system, really? We have a car, but prefer not to use it all the time.
Denver buses are okay. Light rail is the better alternative if you can find a home close to a station. I used buses and biked to work for 3 straight years when I worked downtown. Public transportation is pretty clean and on time. There are lots of routes, but not as many as I've seen in larger cities. You can definitely get around on RTD though. However, biking may be easier. Denver is becoming generally more bike friendly with many social bike activities (midnight madness, Denver Cruisers, etc...)
- Winter: How bad is it? Lots of snow and ice? Just generally cold?
Don't tell anyone else, but the winters are not as bad as transplants expect. It is generally colder, but not midwest (minnesota, illinois, etc..) cold. Lows in the 30s-40s, but we will get cold snaps that drop to 0s for days at a time occasionally. It will snow, but the snow will melt within a couple of days. Sometimes we get early spring weather (sunny days, but still a little cold) in January and February.
posted by kookywon at 8:09 AM on May 24, 2011
Your questions:
- We are about 30 and thinking of starting a family in the next five years. How is the Denver area for young, reasonably-social people? Families?
Great for families. There are some areas close to the urban core that are up and coming and families are moving in to them. I'm sure you can find affordable living in the Highlands, Lower Highlands (lo hi), and even Five Points. Washington park, Captal Hill and the Baker are all neighborhoods with their own scene, put still close to downtown. i.e. local bars, restaurants, music, etc...
- We are currently at sub-$80,000 household income, and would like to buy a house in the next few years. Is this realistically possible in the Denver area without moving into a subdivision at this time?
Yes. You may have to make some sacrifices for a 'fixer upper' if you want to remain in the downtown core. I think that's the way Denver neighborhoods have been going for the last 15 years or so though. Lots of people coming in and updating the aging neighborhoods. They are generally affordable though ($200-$300K with taxes at $100-$150/month).
- How good is the public transit system, really? We have a car, but prefer not to use it all the time.
Denver buses are okay. Light rail is the better alternative if you can find a home close to a station. I used buses and biked to work for 3 straight years when I worked downtown. Public transportation is pretty clean and on time. There are lots of routes, but not as many as I've seen in larger cities. You can definitely get around on RTD though. However, biking may be easier. Denver is becoming generally more bike friendly with many social bike activities (midnight madness, Denver Cruisers, etc...)
- Winter: How bad is it? Lots of snow and ice? Just generally cold?
Don't tell anyone else, but the winters are not as bad as transplants expect. It is generally colder, but not midwest (minnesota, illinois, etc..) cold. Lows in the 30s-40s, but we will get cold snaps that drop to 0s for days at a time occasionally. It will snow, but the snow will melt within a couple of days. Sometimes we get early spring weather (sunny days, but still a little cold) in January and February.
posted by kookywon at 8:09 AM on May 24, 2011
When people ask me why I like Denver I always say the same thing... it's the weather. The sun is always out (except today... crazy thunderstorms!).
posted by shew at 11:08 AM on May 24, 2011
posted by shew at 11:08 AM on May 24, 2011
We just went on a whirlwind tour of Denver...considering moving there ourselves. We have a one year old daughter and a dog. Stapleton is a planned community, and is loved by those who live there. There are several different builders with different styles, so look at a variety if you choose to look there.
We really liked the City Park neighborhood, Park Hill, Mayfair Park area, the Highlands, etc. We did not get too heavy into the schools yet, though all of these are city school district. It was explained to me that there are some pretty good elementary schools in the Denver Public Schools. I've found trulia.com to be very helpful in looking at listings.
If you're anything like us, you will find you love it, and that there are plenty of housing options for you.
The Tattered Cover bookstore is great! We also had breakfast at Snooze, dinner at Lola in the Highlands, and drinks at the Vine Street Pub, which was awesome and super family friendly!
Feel free to memail me any questions you have--I'd love to know what you decide if you move there.
posted by fyrebelley at 8:44 PM on May 24, 2011
We really liked the City Park neighborhood, Park Hill, Mayfair Park area, the Highlands, etc. We did not get too heavy into the schools yet, though all of these are city school district. It was explained to me that there are some pretty good elementary schools in the Denver Public Schools. I've found trulia.com to be very helpful in looking at listings.
If you're anything like us, you will find you love it, and that there are plenty of housing options for you.
The Tattered Cover bookstore is great! We also had breakfast at Snooze, dinner at Lola in the Highlands, and drinks at the Vine Street Pub, which was awesome and super family friendly!
Feel free to memail me any questions you have--I'd love to know what you decide if you move there.
posted by fyrebelley at 8:44 PM on May 24, 2011
This thread is closed to new comments.
Good. Like the outdoors? Even better.
- We are currently at sub-$80,000 household income, and would like to buy a house in the next few years. Is this realistically possible in the Denver area without moving into a subdivision at this time?
Yes. Very very very much so.
- How good is the public transit system, really? We have a car, but prefer not to use it all the time.
Eh.... OK? The lightrail system is growing and is going to rule, but the current system is limited. The bus system is alright. I travel 100% by bike and there's sharrows, bike lanes and bike paths freakin' everywhere.
- Winter: How bad is it? Lots of snow and ice? Just generally cold?
There's not lots of snow and ice and it's not generally cold. It's generally dry and fairly mild, actually. If not for the elevation, this area would be a desert, just like what's west of Denver in Utah.
The mountains are a completely different story. At 9,000 feet of elevation, getting showers of 1-3' isn't out of the ordinary. That's why we all LIVE in Denver and travel up I-70 to play.
Snow can and does happen in Denver, but getting a foot of snow is a curious event, getting 3 feet brings on a, "Remember that ONE time...." responses. This winter gave us a few storms of around 5" or so. Get snow tires if you have a car.
What are your must-do suggestions for two people who want to get the general feeling of the city? We like live music, films, theater (or "theatre", I guess), eating different kinds of foods, poking around in little shops, museums, bookstores, and exploring neighborhoods.
For neighborhoods, I'd suggest something like Highlands or Baker. Walk along South Broadway and 13th. Denver is a city of neighborhoods, so don't get weirded out when people tell you to check out a different 'hood that you've never heard of. Stay away from Highlands Ranch. Also, I would stay out of the 'burbs at all costs.
For everything else, Denver has a burgeoning art scene, but it's not Chicago, LA, NY by any stretch. The Center of Performing Arts is on 14th and is worth a look. The 16th street pedestrian mall is close by and is worth a pass. The Denver Museum of Contemporary Art is nice, the Denver Art Museum is Nice. For theatre, I'd suggest seeing what's being played at the tiny Buntport Theatre, which always puts on some nice shows.
First Fridays are the time to check out artwork, you may want to go to the Santa Fe Arts District and take on the spectacle.
A trip to Denver wouldn't be complete without a trip to the mountains as well. A lot of people live in Denver because of its close proximity to them.
posted by alex_skazat at 11:00 AM on May 23, 2011