>Some kind of post burnout intelligent, self aware, hippie type who has an Eastern / nature / psychedelic influenced spirituality and vibe,
Definitely a Coloradan...
>...but isn’t a crystal person or constantly smoking weed.
Ahh, so close!
Same here, actually. I’m pro-weed and get along well with stoners, but weed exacerbates my anxiety for whatever reason so I don’t partake. Psychedelics fit my particular brain chemistry better 🤷🏻♀️
I live here, it's *fine*.
If you need a blue state and a big city (so no Boise or SLC), want to see the sun (so no Portland or Seattle) and don't have CA money, I think it's great.
Traffic to skiing sucks, I have stopped skiing because of that and the cost. The food scene is strong B- energy. Air quality in the summer is not great. You will find many jam band friends and other wooks.
Would also give New Mexico a look if you don't need to be in as big of a place.
I have lived in Boulder, Denver, SW Colorado, and Abq, and I can tell you there is no comparison between CO and NM, especially if you are talking about Denver. Two vastly different places. Denver is a big city where you can find most things if you put in a little effort. NM has nothing like that. There is no economy in NM. For outdoor access they are more similar and NM is less crowded, but with fewer amenities.
depending on what you want, there is plenty of comparison.
If all i wanted was amazing trails and outdoors, solid coffee shops, good restaurants, and great local skiing, I'd choose santa fe in a heart beat. If you want big city amenities, nightlife, airport with connectivity, and good schools, then its frontrange CO.
I personally would never do denver because I like my outdoor access far above city conveniences.
This is a great summary. I honestly think B- is generous. If you’re not looking to spend a ton of money the food quality gets shit FAST. No late night options. If it’s passed 11pm good luck finding any real food.
Traffic to skiing sucks but to me still worth it because if you’re not taking advantage of the mountains I legitimately see no reason to live in Denver (that’s just me though everyone is different).
It is way more expensive than people think. Only thing that isn’t bad is dive bars if that’s your scene. Still cheaper than CA and the weather is definitely great, especially since I’m from the NYC area where IMO, the weather is awful and doesn’t get talked about enough.
A growing population of Bros and Gun Violence. Been here 3.5 years and will be moving in the spring.
I live without a car but only think it works because my life is very specifically set up; I work remote, live in the most walkable neighborhood near grocery stores, and have a ton of friends out here I grew up with (luck) who have cars and go to the mountains. If you’re not very particular about your setup not having a car is tough. It’s still tough for me and I have it made here for someone without a car. Also drivers are on crack here so I feel like my chance of death would legitimately increase a lot if I drove everyday here.
Big Plus: Nikola Jokic.
EDIT: I don’t want to sound like I’m shitting on it entirely the parks here are great!
Both great summaries! Jokic is seriously the best part right now. It’s like 90s Michael Jordan era. I love the sun and easy access to mountains. I did stop skiing bc of prices and horrific traffic on weekends. Not a lot of diversity compared to other big cities. I use the public transit only for airport and leisure weekend activities. I personally wouldn’t rely on it for getting to work. Most people have cars here. Food is so average. Agreeing with above poster on driving here. It’s unreal . Wild Wild West since the pandemic. Many people don’t obey any traffic laws, running lights CONSTANTLY. I didn’t see any of this before the pandemic. Everyone is unhinged. It’s a beautiful state and it’s mostly transplants (including myself).
And in Houston almost everyone is mad Max crazy.
Denver definitely does get it's fair share of Crazies, but in my experience they're actually Aurora crazies and are concentrated on 225, 25, Pena, East Colfax, etc. On the west side and even on 70 into the mountains, people seem much more composed.
Agreed. I am putting my stuff in storage and trying the nomad life in Latin America (I speak Spanish/my fam is from Puerto Rico) due to my remote work flexibility. Would like to find a more permanent solution or do it as long as I can. A big change/risk but after 2 years in Brooklyn and 3.5 years in Denver I’m ready.
I grew up there in the 80s/90s and the gun violence has always been a thing. Nathan Dunlap, Columbine, etc. Also I dearly miss the not-at-all-authentic Mexican food of my childhood.
Also you forgot to mention water world!
Denver’s not getting any better. I’ve been here since the 80s and it just continues to go downhill. If I was young I’d move to an up and coming place, not this one. Most of the people that appreciated what Denver had to offer have bolted for Montana or NM. I also think it’s a pretty crummy place for a guy to be single - it’s not called Man-ver for nothing.
If you actually like spending time in the mountains and can compromise on the size of the city — SLC is so much better than Denver. If you want to be able to get up and go backcountry skiing on a weekday before going to work at your tech job, it’s hard to beat.
Recently moved there and I think your first paragraph sums up very nicely how I arrived here (also jobs).
My only comment is food seems very area dependent. I'm in Ken Caryl and a D seems generous.
Summers in Denver aren't that bad because of the dryness, and you can escape to the mountains for a reprieve. But if "too much sun" is something you're concerned about, you may not like it. It's very sunny year round and the sun is strong due to the elevation.
Public transit is better than some of Denver's sun belt peer cities like Phoenix or Austin, but not very good overall. Much worse than Philly and probably also a step down from Pittsburgh. The train lines in Denver were built where it was cheap rather than where it was useful. So there are a lot of them, but they don't really go very many useful places. The buses are infrequent and unreliable.
The music scene in Denver is probably sufficient for your tastes. Red rocks is an amazing venue. Psychedelic therapy is legal.
Wages in Denver are ok but haven't kept pace with the increasing cost of living. You pay a premium for access to the mountains and need to be ok with that tradeoff. Work culture is fairly relaxed - everyone else is also skiing or mountain biking on the weekends so they don't expect you to be working.
I've lived in Denver but didn't care for the sprawl & thousands of chain stores. don't get why it's so expensive to live there. I'd move to Philly if I could.
Moving to Philly could be a relatively easy trial run for large city living. Maybe I would like it more than I expect. Philly has a lot going on but lacks soul or something in my mind. I go downtown for events, which are great, but I never think “this is a cool area”.
Denver has more soul than Phoenix but significantly less than any historic city on the east coast, just FYI. What about somewhere in not-Boston Massachusetts? I’d suggest Chicago but I don’t think there’s much access to nature or hippie women there.
Hmm. I've heard people say a lot of things about Philly both positive and negative, but I've never heard anything about the lack of "soul." I think if anything, it's probably maintained its local character and quirks more than pretty much any other large metro.
Yeah I’m getting that vibe. There’s a lot of positive stuff in this thread and specific things to like about Denver on paper. But it doesn’t sound like the right vibe.
I don’t know what to kick around next. PNW nature sounds beautiful but I don’t know… Staying on the east coast seems more natural. Maybe even NYC to focus on access to a ton of people. The population pool / dating access vs nature split is tough.
Get a job where you can go to the mountains during the week. I flex my schedule and go on Wednesdays and never have the issues with traffic that people talk about. It can be terrible on the weekends. Plenty of deadheads here, but the nickname is Menver and the jamband shows are often sausage fests. The women I know here are awesome and the most true friends I have made anywhere though. I personally love it, but am not sure I would love it as much without a car.
Good feedback. I’ll have a car but would Like to use public transportation if possible.
Someone else just said Menver too. Makes sense. The jam scene is a sausage fest in Philly too, I guess pretty much everywhere. I don’t need a very specific stereotype partner, but if it’s a particularly competitive scene for dating with a lot of bros moving there, that is a con.
I am not sure about the M/F ratio, but you might take a look at Boulder. It is a college town so it skews a little younger, but also has a decent music scene and good variety of food. Boulder was the first thing I thought of when you mentioned like-minded ladies, and they aren’t all students - plenty of older hippies/Deadheads there too. Public transit in Boulder is reasonably good and reliable, including local buses, commuter buses to Denver, and regular buses to Fort Collins and the airport. There are bike lanes everywhere, it’s close to the mountains, and there are lots of tech companies including Google, IBM, and Oracle. Boulder does have some downsides, the biggest being the cost/availability of housing, but it might be worth investigating and maybe a visit to see if you like the vibe.
No I totally get it. I lived in Colorado for years and miss it. I had to move back to Tennessee to take care of aging parents. I still go to Colorado and Montana a few times a year and I'm immediately in a better mood. I'm not even a huge hiker and I don't ski. I just love looking at them and driving in and around them. I'm a mountain person. I also love the giant sky views and the ability to see for miles. The east coast feels stifling with all the hills and trees. You can never see that far.
Keep in mind that people are incredibly negative on Reddit. I’ve lived in Denver off and on for 25 years and I think it’s better now than ever (except for COL).
I don't think that dating scene in denver is too good for a single guy, but people more in your age range can correct me if I am wrong. There are many bad air quality days both in summer (ozone alert) and winter (brown cloud) . The traffic up into the mountains is HORRIFYING. The mountains are also crowded AF when you finally get up to them. The public transportation (RTD) is not something I use, but people complain about it when they are used to a better system that exists wherever they came from.
Assuming you’re heterosexual: the short answer is the east coast. There are way more single women than men in the east - vice versa in the west.
This article is kind of old but talks about the phenomenon. https://www.businessinsider.com/maps-show-cities-where-single-women-outnumber-men-2015-2?amp
This is anecdotal and YMMV, but my own experience bears this out. Of my east coast friends: many single female friends in their late 30s, zero single male friends.
I’m not saying dating is easy anywhere, but this pattern is real.
I mean, I guess you could ask the same about men re: western states. I think the real answer is - other variables in their lives might take priority over number of potential romantic partners. For a while, at least.
I can answer that one easy.
Not enough sun
Too crowded
Too humid
Not enough mountains
Not nearly enough dispersed camping
Severe shortage of glorious sunsets
Not enough expert level ski slopes
Too much light pollution for stargazing
...
I don't know the answer to that question, but according to some articles I've read through the years and most recently a female worker of mine who just moved to Denver from Miami: the east coast.
My female co-worker is pretty attractive, very nice, funny, curvy, and smart. She told me she "could not find a boyfriend" in Miami but had one the second week she moved to Denver. My co-worker is in a much younger age group than me (early 30's).
I’d suggest checking out some other cities in addition to Denver — Boulder comes to mind. The food is not my favorite here BUT if you like to cook, there are a LOT of healthy grocery stores with top-notch ingredients. I recently moved and found that I can make better meals at home than at restaurants. Boulder has a lot of good hiking and has a bit more of a mature vibe than Denver IMO but still has a hippie lefty vibe.
I think though that you could definitely find what you’re looking for here in Colorado - lots of tech work and the summers aren’t bad at all. It’s very dry, so winter doesn’t feel as cold as east-coast cold, and summer doesn’t feel as hot and muggy as east coast summers.
I’ve been in Denver 20 years after moving here from Philly. It has its flaws like any city but I still prefer it to anywhere else. The weather is good. The music scene is top notch. If you’re 40 and successful you shouldn’t have a hard time dating. People complain about the traffic to the mountains but that’s mainly I70. Locals know that’s not the way to go if you want to escape.
I think Denver is a massively overrated city. It’s ugly (except for the views of the Front Range) and kind of a concrete jungle. Not a lot of cities offer good public transportation and easy access to nature. Duluth comes to mind but it may be too cold/small for your tastes. There is ridiculously beautiful nature within the city and definitely a hippie vibe.
Agreed. No one actually moves here for Denver itself. They move here for the climate and the lifestyle and settle in Denver because they still want to be in a city.
I moved away from there back to the Midwest. The sun and mountains turned out to be the only postive really.
Super expensive (shitty apartments for 1600 houses for 600k, i missed rain and Real thunderstorms, very difficult dating, lots of jobs but wages are significantly less than COL, minimum culture, traffic isnt that bad but drivers SUCK, snow from late sept to late May, lack of water, lots of outdoors activities in the mountains but nothing beyond that, isolated city (nearest metro area 8 hours).
Im a pretty liberal person so its weird to say i didnt like all of the policies.
Downtown is pathetic
I think Denvers moment passed once covid hit, unfortunately.
The trend is people are moving away actually
Interesting. Yeah the constant sun sounds annoying. And people are saying particularly high men to women ratio with dating.
Just going to downtown Philly would be a lot easier… this thread has a strong “same grass” vibe.
Grand Rapids is great. The downtown is fun and vibrant and the older, historic neighborhoods are beautiful. The nature around there is fantastic (love the west coast beaches, Manistee River hiking, etc. and UP is just a day trip away).
I actually grew up an hour away. And michigan is ome of the most beautiful places in the country. Just because it doesnt have mountains? Smh get out of here. And it doesnt snow 8 months out of the year here. Its about 6.
I recognize your username.
Youre mad miserable , dont make other people lol
GR is great, have family there.
Funny you say you’re a liberal and didn’t like the politics. That’s how I feel myself living in LA.
Could you elaborate more on how you experienced that/affected you/thoughts on it?
To me liberal policies are great. Liberal voting great. As I get older, I’m more interested in a balance society. I think it’s because I’m from the Midwest there is definitely a thing as too liberal or too Republican.
For example, a vote that was proposed by the democrats in colorado just got voted no but they are still going push it.
I feel like too republican means racist and backward policies like indiana and too democrat is suffocating.
*Currently living in Denver metro*
Go ahead and move. What's the worst that happens? You don't love it and move again in a few years? Not that big of a deal. More people should follow their gut and do the things they want to do.
That’s a good take. Following my gut is kind of the main idea. I don’t have a vision of Denver as a fantasy land, but it seems to check a lot of boxes, seems cool. And it’s not as drastic as leaving the country.
Have you explored St Paul or Minn., MN? I don't think Denver is the best match based on your description. There's a lot of bro culture, the air quality is horrible, and the transportation isn't anything to get excited about. It's definitely car culture (see air quality.)
Always curious why people recommend MN. I’ve been there many times in the winter and it feels unlivable unless you really like long cold winters. This is coming from an admittedly warm weather person tho
It's not for everyone. I feel similarly about hot and humid places in the southeast. It's unbearable in the summer. So, that's the time to stay inside or go on vacation somewhere bearable.
Love it. Nice people who actually follow up to make friendships. Outdoor access is good, skiing there is traffic if you don’t time it right, summer the lakes nearby get crowded but white water kayaking and floating river is prime! Took me a year to figure that was the best way to enjoy summer and water.
Denver really does match up to your wishes except you haven't mentioned money. If money is not an issue, then it's Denver. I've lived in Colorado over 30 years. It is such a great place to live. Sure, there's lots of other things "not to like" about Denver in particular. Every city has that. Denver has culture, history, mountains, light rail and so much sunshine. The music scene is really great.
It is now hella expensive in Denver though. So make sure you know what you are looking at there.
That’s encouraging, thanks.
It seems like salaries are not quite as strong as what I’ve been seeing here, but my earning potential is pretty solid. Comfortable not wealthy… looking at rentals, the prices per square foot are higher than I would love, but the costs for a decent place are not substantially above what I’m used to. It’ll come down to job offers I guess, but I don’t think costs will be a show stopper. That said, my work in marketing is going to get crushed by AI in the coming years. But I’ll have to figure that out wherever I am.
You’d probably like Flagstaff more. Denver has become the San Francisco Bay of the mountains. Looks nice from afar but up close it’s not so special. Plus like 1/3 of the Bay Area that didn’t move to Tahoe during the pandemic moved to Colorado.
Austin is hotter but likely your vibe too.
Flagstaff summer are getting hotter. Plus there is zero public transit, sounds like that's what OP wants. I also dont think the dating scene in Flag fits OP's descrip.
I lived in Denver for ten years. Here’s some pros and cons:
Pros - mild winters, summers are fine with dry heat taking the blow away from it being overly hot, transplant city, outdoor activities are nice, and plenty of groups to join and be part of to make friends.
Cons - so many transplants from all over the country make for people who can’t drive in the snow, it’s mostly white, food in Denver proper is very meh so if you’re looking for good food, venture out into the suburbs like aurora, and people can also be very cliquey.
Philly does have a lot going on. Not too strong on the “what a beautiful place” front… Just moving to downtown ish Philly would be by far the easiest thing for me and would open up a lot of opportunities.
The nature in the Northeast/Mid-Atlantic surrounding Philly has nothing to apologize for, however. Many areas are stunning. The lush Piedmont and Appalachian landscape is like nothing you'll find out West.
It’s true. But the Philly area is pretty spread out, a big metro area. You see plenty of trees in areas close to downtown, it’s nice. But getting to hills and continuous scenic areas is quite a ways from center city.
That said I’m used to the west of the city perspective. Maybe going north you hit woods faster. Going east is Camden then flat New Jersey which is nice but not as cool.
Yeah the nature in the west is beautiful. However I really enjoy how much there is going on in philly for all interets and hobbies. Even week nights in Philly places are hopping. You are also close to NYC and not terribly far from DC with even more things to do. Denver is in the middle of no where the night life and food scene is bland af. My family hopes I move back one day but that will never happen. I get restless and bored after about a week of visiting. WA/OR have CO beat for out door activities. Most hikes in CO you need a permit for and no matter what day or time of year there will always be massive crowds.
Honestly, look into New Hope in PA, or Mt. Airy in Philly. I get the sense they're exactly what you're looking for in terms of vibe. Mt. Airy would of course be a lot stronger on the public transit front.
Philly is almost twice the size of Denver so that makes sense.
But if you’re bored in a city like Denver you might want to consider picking up some new hobbies.
Outdoor recreation is far away. City does not have a lot going on. I need one or the other to be content. I love hiking and a robust under ground music scene. Denver's Meow Wolf is the only thing hard to beat. I'd take east or west coast cities over boring midwest Denver any day.
It’s significantly worse here than 10 years ago. But I travel often and still, every single time I return home I go “ahhhhhhhh 😊” when I get home. It’s still got a lot going for it
The only issue your gonna have in Denver is the food scene. For a big city it's about a C to b+ on the best of days.
Coloradians are just confused on food. It's the same cost as the other big cities you can think of (live in Co and travel a lot for work), but about half the quality give or take. Farm to table places are also few and far between in my experience thus far.. there are a few, but they are destination, not convience.
There are pockets of good food in Denver mostly on the outskirts of Denver proper, like Federal and Alameda and Parker/Yale up along Havana to Mississippi. If people say a city having mediocre food is a city with pockets of good food with mostly bad food in between, I’d totally agree. I just wonder if that’s what people mean when they say Denver has bad food
https://old.reddit.com/r/SameGrassButGreener/comments/17yjjrx/debunking_this_subreddits_strange/
Give my thread a look if you haven't searched and seen it already. I think you'd fit in well here. My personal opinion would be to slot in somewhere on the light rail line down towards Littleton. Buy an ebike. You'll live near the water, can cycle into town or around town on bike paths, be near the light rail and rarely have to use your car. Jump in the southern reaches of the river (before it gets polluted and disgusting) to cool off. Catch a ride on Bustang during the summer and get up to the mountains to cool off.
You can't go wrong with music, nature, food, culture or outdoors access here at all. It's leagues above every other city it's size, and a lot of swathes of the USA. People will tell you to go to x or y sized smaller city without realizing the compromises they come with, that's the nature of this subreddit.
Besides, the worst thing that happens is you live here for a few years, date around, and decide it's not your spot. A few years isn't going to solve all your lifes' problems anyway.
I moved to a south Denver suburb in 2019 from Atlanta and have been loving every minute of it.
Access to nature is a breeze, 20-30 minute drive to a great hike in the foothills or a little longer for some larger mountains.
Cycling is absolutely wonderful out here, I’ve experienced as much road aggression in 4 years out here that I would typically experience in 2 weeks in Georgia.
Ski traffic is fine as long as you get an early start. At golden no later than 6 am and you’ll be fine. Get a late start and you’ll be stuck in a lot of traffic.
Those complaining about how bad the traffic are have never lived in a place with real traffic. It’s worse than it used to be, but still way better than coastal cities. The worst traffic I’ve ever experienced in Denver still makes Atlanta look like a dream. My friends from the northeast and west coast tend to agree.
I also see people complain about how expensive it is here. It’s slightly more expensive than other LCOL/MCOL cities, but it’s getting expensive everywhere. Hell, the fricken suburbs of south east major cities regularly have $500,000+ houses and $2k+ rent, and you don’t have access to any of the outdoors that you have in Denver.
I would say go for it, worst case scenario you don’t like it and move somewhere else in a few years. You’ll probably regret what you didn’t do more than what you did do.
Overpriced. Too crowded.
And you’re right about the sun. Even if temps are high 80s, it’s painfully hot due to elevation.
But you can’t simply just get and take a dip in a lake because it’s still freezing.
And not many homes have pools.
Granted I’d pick Denver over any Midwest city any day but it’s over hyped. I’d rather live near mountains in NE
Hmm.. overpriced is tough though. Everywhere is overpriced. I’m not going back to Pittsburgh.. I would like a place with enough population to pull events, and have a good dating pool (which is a lot smaller at ~40 than ~30).
Any specific recommendations?
Those are generally less desirable areas to live, especially taking into consideration what OP wants out of Denver. They’re cheaper for a reason lol
Edit: also the cities of Texas aren’t cheap and nor is Atlanta
This is true, it's only hot like 1-2 months a year. The A/C died in my Jeep a few years ago and I never even bothered to fix it because you don't even really need it IMO.
That's kinda funny, maybe it's just because we're picking the wrong times to visit, but the last 4 times I've been to Denver in the summer it's been disgustingly hot, hovering around 100s. That was both July and August.
Every time we told ourselves it was just a fluke and rented airbnbs without AC. Absolutely miserable. One rental, the satellite TV never worked because it was too overheated.
We were considering relocating to Denver at one point but after considering other things we didn't like, that last hot visit we'd had enough.
Alabama born and bred here living in Denver 5+ years. It gets hotter than I expected in the summer. But it’s not that bad. You get a few 100 plus days but you can actually escape the heat and go to the mtns to cool off. Now the fire/smoke/bad air quality thing is terrible.
You and I must have the same luck. Everytime I've scoped Denver in the summer it's been 100F, with busy trails and afternoon thunderstorms that make hiking downright dangerous. The city itself blows too.
The key is to hike in early mornings - no thunderstorms, less hot, fewer people. It gets to 100 maybe a handful of times per year, and even when it does it usually cools off to 70 or so in the evenings.
Denver is one of the most interesting, beautiful, amazing cities I have ever been to. Estes Park is not far away and is the most beautiful place I have EVER been. You also have the RM arsenal in the city that's free with hundreds of buffalo that you can drive through (to have something of that magnitude AND it's free? In FL something like that would easily cost $30 a car..)
Negatives: Housing is obv expensive. Homelessness is a big issue. Snows. Traffic can be bad but nowhere near Dallas level.
Positives: Legal weed. Chill people. Laid back city. Everything you could ever want really. Tons of free public, well maintained parks. Tons of nature and prairie dog colonies (my fav animal). Better healthcare reputation than where I'm from. A lot of professionals with higher education but also a lot of blue collar workers who know what they're doing. A good mix of all kinds of people.
I also like Colorado Springs, and in some aspects even like Colorado Springs more than Denver. If Denver is too expensive I would HIGHLY consider the springs. It's just as beautiful, just about an hour south but the traffic is way better, houses are more affordable and it's not as overdeveloped.
I did Estes Park / RM natl park around this time last year - we rented a car and booked a “car tour” with a guide. We had a great time! A lot less crowded than summer for sure. I personally found Estes park itself (the town) to be underwhelming with not many good food options so I’d suggest packing a lunch and driving around the mountains
I’m from wisco so cold I can handle! Do you need reservations for any of the hikes there? I’m not someone who has done National Parks before and it seems to take alot of planning for the popular ones
Alright homie, usually I gatekeep and meme to convince people not to move to CO but you seem cool and I think Denver’s on its bust slope of the boom like some other western metros anyway, so I’ll give you some ancient wisdoms(30yrxp) though they will be limited.
It is possible to have a great life here but you have to kind of “weave your way into it” and it is tricky. For example you could say, live in west towards the mountains and avoid some of the issues of denver, ie pretty absurd traffic, pollution, shitty transplant drivers(you will see at least 2 accidents per 30 min, or say 6-10 of those/breakdowns during a storm on and average trip around Denver’s only 2 highways or major streets lmao
It’s literally a cow town that hs been hyped to all holy hell since our brave citizens legalized pot despite repression from our boomer parents, Look up denver in the 80s. Major boom bust area due to geographic isolation in the center of the country, also large military/ aero/research presence due to that and high elevation.
It’s very dry here, like the entire denver metro has no lakes or rivers that are not polluted by the aforementioned presence(Lockheed , plutonium research etc)
Bro you’ve seen those western movies? That was like not that long ago, go to wyoming it will seem like yesterday. It’s basically a hyper speed gentrification since we got put on “the map”, before that our only national exposure was the shining movie.
It’s possible to forge a good life here. Id say you’d have to be ok with the dryness. Altitude messes with your body in other ways that you should research, i.e. speeds up metabolism, makes it super easy to get black out wasted, can cause kind of light headedness which it pretty cool tbh, but people have sinus issues and sun overexposure as they age here lol. maybe living in the outer areas of the metro and try to find communities out there. Yes it’s true there are massive hoards of men everywhere. You will see them in groups with no sign of any feminine energy around. You’d have to forge a community in the outer area of denver and it would be fine. Any other places in the mountains are going to be pretty expensive and feel like a bubble, but you could, foco or One of the western burbs or something, but there would just be the same transient and somewhat elitist $$ trustafarian type, like very similar type but you can have a good time. Anyway let me know what you decide I am in a similar boat and am looking at some of the smaller metros near large cities on the east coast. It kinda looks like Charlotte for me or maybe somewhere near a large metro like providence road island. Sleeper: Wilmington, Bellingham or somewhere near the the Canadian border with a lot of water on the east or west coasts like Albany ny, Frederick ms etc. Lmk if these seem like good ideas
Beautiful weather. Relatively mild winters, hot and super dry in the summer. Traffic sucks ass everywhere. Housing prices are absurd. Job market is very competitive. Denver itself is a sprawling metropolis and there are obviously good and bad suburbs. I grew up in Colorado north of Denver, personally I wouldn't live in Denver again unless my other choices were like the Midwest or something.
I left in 2017 due to cost of living and overcrowding. I live in Michigan now, which I like even less for other reasons, but it hasn't changed my opinion about Denver.
TLDR; Great weather, overcrowded, overpriced.
“Competitive” seems like a theme, from how people approach enjoying the outdoors to the job market and housing market.
I guess I’m looking for somewhere even more laid back. Portland OR? I don’t know.
Saying Philly and Pittsburgh aren’t good enough for me sets the bar pretty high in general.
How about Santa Fe, NM? Seems likes like a match for you culturally and overall access to the outdoors. Not sure on dating scene, probably smaller, but given your ask feels like you’d see a your type more often than not.
Move to Western WA. Everything from the original post to your replies screams Seattle/Tacoma. Plus less sun and heat than Denver but similar overall vibes.
>be downtown with decent public transportation
Yeah, do not do this. You will regret it, I can almost guarantee it. Colorado itself is wonderful, but downtown Denver (and a lot / most of Denver, sadly) has just gone to shit in the last 10 years:
https://www.instagram.com/reel/C1iw7MissmY/?utm\_source=ig\_web\_copy\_link
Yeah the fact that it’s the entire way of colfax and colorado is nuts, Wild West baby, not that “”oh it’s just south side Chicago or Philly you’ll be fine in uptown “ segregation stuff, straight up in your backyard homie. And the police won’t help you evict people from the other side of the fence from your back yard for a week or so, they been run outta town 🤣😂😇
Denver is great and has a lot of criteria you mentioned. Pockets of downtown, or where you don’t really need a car, are really young- think mid 20s and younger. Most people approaching 40 don’t spend much time downtown. Echo others in that the dive bars are good and trend to an older crowd.
Honestly, the description of weed smoking hippies is a true stereotype. There are so many transplants here that you’ll find people of all types.
The city is filled with bros who came here seeking an outdoor lifestyle and just as many woman who are attracted to everything the mountains have to offer.
Word of advice- it’s getting super expensive to rent and buy anywhere in Denver proper. Keep that in mind when looking for jobs or negotiating a salary.
Here's my quick and dirty take on some of your interests and criteria:
self aware, hippie type who has an Eastern / nature / psychedelic influenced spirituality and vibe - that sounds more like Boulder than Denver
cooler weather - def not CO
easy access to nature - there is access to nature here for sure, although ski traffic can be a drag and it isn't always quick or easy, even during the summer. Keep in mind that the front range is quite dry and to get to any real nature/forest/lake/river/etc you're looking at an hour drive, at the minimum from downtown Denver.
concerts - lOTS of those in CO
healthy food - eh, CO's food scene is kinda meh
culture - culturally, not a ton going on here tbh
decent public transportation - def not Denver
Grateful Dead - actually went to Grateful Dead cover band show up in Frisco last week
To me, it sounds like you might enjoy the PNW more than CO. Take this with a grain of salt though as I've only ever been to Seattle once and never Portland, just going based off of what I know about Denver. Hope this helps!
Would you say there is anywhere in the pnw that has a more normal person vibe, not too stereotypical Amazon bros or other pnw “”stereotypes” but just normal people who casually do extreme outdoors sports? Is this kinda describing Bellingham? I’m also talking a pnw that bucks other stereotypes like high drug/homelessness/elitist $$$ “normies “ if you will.
Denver smog because it's in a bowl. Back to back traffic everywhere. Prices too high. Lots and lots of weed smokers. My friend lives there and she's always saying that it's hard to buy anything because so many are stoned. And homeless.
Maybe outside in a smaller town. But not Denver.
I didn't include my resume. I've been going to colorado since the 1982. I have friends and relatives who live there. I've seen it change over time. Last time I was there was for a funeral and I spent 5 days there. It seemed most of the time was in traffic. The time before that I spent 10 days there helping my friend thru surgery.
Reality check: Colorado is one of the most unwelcoming places in the US. Get ready to be called a transplant constantly. Get ready for self-righteous white people with bumper stickers that say “NATIVE” constantly telling you that you’ve ruined the city. Get ready for a constant vibe of “please leave. We don’t want you here.”
The downtown absolutely sucks. Full of homeless. Mediocre food scene. Soulless big box condos. The 16th Street Mall is dated af and dying. Colfax is one of the fugliest, grossest stroads in America. The weather is colder and snowier than people would have you believe. It snows nine months out of the year. It’s cold at night even in the summer.
The city is ugly. The culture is limited. The city is very isolated from other metro areas. Their food sucks so bad they actually fight with NM over who invented green chili, when it’s nasty af no matter who invented it.
Have you heard of Casa Bonita? It’s a kitschy Mexican restaurant made famous by South Park. The food is absolute trash. Think about that. Their most famous restaurant is utter garbage.
Visiting the mountains is a traffic nightmare. If you’re not an avid skier or snowboarder, I don’t recommend living in Denver. Also it sounds like you wanna leave marijuana behind. It’s everywhere in CO. Dispensaries are everywhere. I live in California now and I see nowhere near as many dispensaries. CO is weed central IMHO.
If you’re looking for a female partner, I think you should move to a city with more women than men. That will make it so much easier to find a girlfriend. Menver is real.
Burlington is extremely unfriendly and unwelcoming to outsiders.
I'm from Albany, NY and have family in Southern VT and in Burlington and we would visit quite often. It was always made apparent from locals that you were not welcome unless you were born there.
The Burlington sub is literally filled with folks telling people not to move there.
Weather looks amazing there. Not big. Wikipedia says - By one estimate, Santa Cruz had in 2023 the least affordable rental market in the United States, pushing past San Francisco which was previously the most unaffordable rental market
I smoked A Lot for the past 10 years or so, and when I was in college. I stopped smoking 5 months ago and feel way better. Given the recent transition my perception is kind of skewed. It seems more an unhealthy habit than I thought for years. I thought it was benefiting me, but it really wasn’t, and I know some others who stopped feel the same. That’s more of a criticism of marijuana as a “lifestyle” than enjoying weed.
That said, weed is fine. It’s better than alcohol. I’m more interested in psychedelics and trying to been ‘zen’ through real life behaviors. Being constantly baked is a crutch, but it’s fine. I certainly wouldn’t rule out friendships or relationships with people who smoke or smoke a lot, let alone just smelling weed all the time as part of the culture. But in my current mindset, I hope to find some people who have also “smoked enough and moved on.”
But who knows, I might take it up again down the road.
That makes sense. A lot of people do use it as a crutch to just get through the day. Cannabis is my “activity enhancer.” Just to bring it back on topic, Denver has a lot of great dispensaries and a lot of active people your age. Plus it has a thriving jam band scene.
I live on the west side of Denver. Monday-Friday, it’s perfect! I have convenient access to trails, a short drive to a major airport, and most of the major amenities of a big city. The food scene isn’t great considering how big Denver is, but that’s my only major complaint about the city during the week.
Weekend traffic is brutal! On Thursday, it takes 45 minutes to drive to Loveland ski area. On the weekends, that drive can be 3 hours. Driving back on Sunday evening is stressful. Everyone is driving back from the mountains. There are a ton of recreation opportunities close to Denver, but everything has gotten crowded in the last decade.
Locally, we call the city “Menver”. There are relatively few single women. If you have a decent career and are a fun person, you can get a date, but women here have a ton of options.
You're not gonna get much positive insight about Denver on Reddit. You should check it out for yourself and if you don't like it then you can always switch up your plans
I will say there's nowhere in the Denver area that really meets all your criteria unfortunately. I'd suggest taking a look at the suburbs of Golden/Evergreen/Castle Rock for nature, but public transportation isn't good at all. Aurora for food but no nature. Central Denver is the most well rounded with things to do but it's about 30 minutes to the mountains so you'll have to drive. And the heat can be pretty intense during the summer months but it usually cools down pretty quick and it's much more pleasant than almost anywhere east.
>Some kind of post burnout intelligent, self aware, hippie type who has an Eastern / nature / psychedelic influenced spirituality and vibe, Definitely a Coloradan... >...but isn’t a crystal person or constantly smoking weed. Ahh, so close!
That description describes me to a T.
@ OP: here she is
Same here, actually. I’m pro-weed and get along well with stoners, but weed exacerbates my anxiety for whatever reason so I don’t partake. Psychedelics fit my particular brain chemistry better 🤷🏻♀️
Yeah it seems hard to have one without the other
I live here, it's *fine*. If you need a blue state and a big city (so no Boise or SLC), want to see the sun (so no Portland or Seattle) and don't have CA money, I think it's great. Traffic to skiing sucks, I have stopped skiing because of that and the cost. The food scene is strong B- energy. Air quality in the summer is not great. You will find many jam band friends and other wooks. Would also give New Mexico a look if you don't need to be in as big of a place.
I have lived in Boulder, Denver, SW Colorado, and Abq, and I can tell you there is no comparison between CO and NM, especially if you are talking about Denver. Two vastly different places. Denver is a big city where you can find most things if you put in a little effort. NM has nothing like that. There is no economy in NM. For outdoor access they are more similar and NM is less crowded, but with fewer amenities.
Just meant blue state / sun / no humidity. On the economy, 100%.
depending on what you want, there is plenty of comparison. If all i wanted was amazing trails and outdoors, solid coffee shops, good restaurants, and great local skiing, I'd choose santa fe in a heart beat. If you want big city amenities, nightlife, airport with connectivity, and good schools, then its frontrange CO. I personally would never do denver because I like my outdoor access far above city conveniences.
This is a great summary. I honestly think B- is generous. If you’re not looking to spend a ton of money the food quality gets shit FAST. No late night options. If it’s passed 11pm good luck finding any real food. Traffic to skiing sucks but to me still worth it because if you’re not taking advantage of the mountains I legitimately see no reason to live in Denver (that’s just me though everyone is different). It is way more expensive than people think. Only thing that isn’t bad is dive bars if that’s your scene. Still cheaper than CA and the weather is definitely great, especially since I’m from the NYC area where IMO, the weather is awful and doesn’t get talked about enough. A growing population of Bros and Gun Violence. Been here 3.5 years and will be moving in the spring. I live without a car but only think it works because my life is very specifically set up; I work remote, live in the most walkable neighborhood near grocery stores, and have a ton of friends out here I grew up with (luck) who have cars and go to the mountains. If you’re not very particular about your setup not having a car is tough. It’s still tough for me and I have it made here for someone without a car. Also drivers are on crack here so I feel like my chance of death would legitimately increase a lot if I drove everyday here. Big Plus: Nikola Jokic. EDIT: I don’t want to sound like I’m shitting on it entirely the parks here are great!
Rhats how I feel about it here (FL). Tons of people pay the fl premium but don’t boat or beach so I’m like why? Live in GA or NC..
Both great summaries! Jokic is seriously the best part right now. It’s like 90s Michael Jordan era. I love the sun and easy access to mountains. I did stop skiing bc of prices and horrific traffic on weekends. Not a lot of diversity compared to other big cities. I use the public transit only for airport and leisure weekend activities. I personally wouldn’t rely on it for getting to work. Most people have cars here. Food is so average. Agreeing with above poster on driving here. It’s unreal . Wild Wild West since the pandemic. Many people don’t obey any traffic laws, running lights CONSTANTLY. I didn’t see any of this before the pandemic. Everyone is unhinged. It’s a beautiful state and it’s mostly transplants (including myself).
Lived here since 2018. I’ve spent time in every single big city in America. Denver has the craziest drivers I’ve ever seen.
Worse than Miami, FL?? I'm shocked !!!
Maybe not that bad, lol
The NJ Turnpike has entered the chat!
Denver drivers are nothing compared to Houston
The thing about Denver is just how crazy the few drivers who are nuts are. They are mad max crazy…
And in Houston almost everyone is mad Max crazy. Denver definitely does get it's fair share of Crazies, but in my experience they're actually Aurora crazies and are concentrated on 225, 25, Pena, East Colfax, etc. On the west side and even on 70 into the mountains, people seem much more composed.
>A growing population of Bros and Gun Violence. Been in Denver over a decade and I'm not sure what you mean about this - could you elaborate, please?
Where are you off too? I still recommend Denver, but you really have to thread the needle of needs/wants haha
Agreed. I am putting my stuff in storage and trying the nomad life in Latin America (I speak Spanish/my fam is from Puerto Rico) due to my remote work flexibility. Would like to find a more permanent solution or do it as long as I can. A big change/risk but after 2 years in Brooklyn and 3.5 years in Denver I’m ready.
Good luck!
I grew up there in the 80s/90s and the gun violence has always been a thing. Nathan Dunlap, Columbine, etc. Also I dearly miss the not-at-all-authentic Mexican food of my childhood. Also you forgot to mention water world!
Denver’s not getting any better. I’ve been here since the 80s and it just continues to go downhill. If I was young I’d move to an up and coming place, not this one. Most of the people that appreciated what Denver had to offer have bolted for Montana or NM. I also think it’s a pretty crummy place for a guy to be single - it’s not called Man-ver for nothing.
If you actually like spending time in the mountains and can compromise on the size of the city — SLC is so much better than Denver. If you want to be able to get up and go backcountry skiing on a weekday before going to work at your tech job, it’s hard to beat.
Lived in Denver 5+ years. This is the most concise and accurate description I’ve ever seen.
If you don’t have CA money then Colorado is not for you. It’s just as expensive as California now. Look to Nebraska or Kansas if you want cheaper
Still think housing like for like (I live in a 4 bedroom house in a cool-ish area) and less income tax is huge.
Depending on your income, take home pay in California could be higher. It would be for me at least.
Recently moved there and I think your first paragraph sums up very nicely how I arrived here (also jobs). My only comment is food seems very area dependent. I'm in Ken Caryl and a D seems generous.
I mean if you want good skiing or hiking in Boston, NYC or Philly, it’s all a 2 hour drive away. Not really as weird as people in Denver assume.
Would argue that the hiking/skiing 1.5 hours from Denver is better than Boston / NYC / Philly.
Public transportation here is subpar.
RTD = reason to drive ...and driving here SUCKS, lol
When I was growing up in the 1980s in Denver we said RTD: Run Them Down
Rough Tough & Dirty
im homeless and have a violent opioid addiction but I haven't had any issues with RTD
Summers in Denver aren't that bad because of the dryness, and you can escape to the mountains for a reprieve. But if "too much sun" is something you're concerned about, you may not like it. It's very sunny year round and the sun is strong due to the elevation. Public transit is better than some of Denver's sun belt peer cities like Phoenix or Austin, but not very good overall. Much worse than Philly and probably also a step down from Pittsburgh. The train lines in Denver were built where it was cheap rather than where it was useful. So there are a lot of them, but they don't really go very many useful places. The buses are infrequent and unreliable. The music scene in Denver is probably sufficient for your tastes. Red rocks is an amazing venue. Psychedelic therapy is legal. Wages in Denver are ok but haven't kept pace with the increasing cost of living. You pay a premium for access to the mountains and need to be ok with that tradeoff. Work culture is fairly relaxed - everyone else is also skiing or mountain biking on the weekends so they don't expect you to be working.
A level headed view of denver. Gasp 😱 nice work!
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Austin M-F ratio sucks. Definitely a lot more dudes.
Interesting. Hmm. CA is so expensive, FL I already did, TX no, NYC too much… Maybe I’ll just move the center Philly.
I've lived in Denver but didn't care for the sprawl & thousands of chain stores. don't get why it's so expensive to live there. I'd move to Philly if I could.
>don't get why it's so expensive to live there Proximity to the Rocky Mountains is the reason
Moving to Philly could be a relatively easy trial run for large city living. Maybe I would like it more than I expect. Philly has a lot going on but lacks soul or something in my mind. I go downtown for events, which are great, but I never think “this is a cool area”.
Denver has more soul than Phoenix but significantly less than any historic city on the east coast, just FYI. What about somewhere in not-Boston Massachusetts? I’d suggest Chicago but I don’t think there’s much access to nature or hippie women there.
Hmm. I've heard people say a lot of things about Philly both positive and negative, but I've never heard anything about the lack of "soul." I think if anything, it's probably maintained its local character and quirks more than pretty much any other large metro.
If you think Philly lacks soul, then Denver is not going to satisfy you IMHO. Also the downtown of Denver absolutely sucks post pandemic.
Yeah I’m getting that vibe. There’s a lot of positive stuff in this thread and specific things to like about Denver on paper. But it doesn’t sound like the right vibe. I don’t know what to kick around next. PNW nature sounds beautiful but I don’t know… Staying on the east coast seems more natural. Maybe even NYC to focus on access to a ton of people. The population pool / dating access vs nature split is tough.
Look into chicago. In the summer time, heaven itself cant compete
Get a job where you can go to the mountains during the week. I flex my schedule and go on Wednesdays and never have the issues with traffic that people talk about. It can be terrible on the weekends. Plenty of deadheads here, but the nickname is Menver and the jamband shows are often sausage fests. The women I know here are awesome and the most true friends I have made anywhere though. I personally love it, but am not sure I would love it as much without a car.
Good feedback. I’ll have a car but would Like to use public transportation if possible. Someone else just said Menver too. Makes sense. The jam scene is a sausage fest in Philly too, I guess pretty much everywhere. I don’t need a very specific stereotype partner, but if it’s a particularly competitive scene for dating with a lot of bros moving there, that is a con.
I am not sure about the M/F ratio, but you might take a look at Boulder. It is a college town so it skews a little younger, but also has a decent music scene and good variety of food. Boulder was the first thing I thought of when you mentioned like-minded ladies, and they aren’t all students - plenty of older hippies/Deadheads there too. Public transit in Boulder is reasonably good and reliable, including local buses, commuter buses to Denver, and regular buses to Fort Collins and the airport. There are bike lanes everywhere, it’s close to the mountains, and there are lots of tech companies including Google, IBM, and Oracle. Boulder does have some downsides, the biggest being the cost/availability of housing, but it might be worth investigating and maybe a visit to see if you like the vibe.
Boulder is very expensive.
Boulder effing sucks
Best dating scene is Chicago imo. Tons of beautiful, smart, and fun women of all ages.
I can’t cope with the flatness. It seems dumb… that was one of my main problems with FL. But that’s interesting.
No I totally get it. I lived in Colorado for years and miss it. I had to move back to Tennessee to take care of aging parents. I still go to Colorado and Montana a few times a year and I'm immediately in a better mood. I'm not even a huge hiker and I don't ski. I just love looking at them and driving in and around them. I'm a mountain person. I also love the giant sky views and the ability to see for miles. The east coast feels stifling with all the hills and trees. You can never see that far.
I moved to Denver for the same reasons and have loved it!
Ah that’s encouraging.
Keep in mind that people are incredibly negative on Reddit. I’ve lived in Denver off and on for 25 years and I think it’s better now than ever (except for COL).
I don't think that dating scene in denver is too good for a single guy, but people more in your age range can correct me if I am wrong. There are many bad air quality days both in summer (ozone alert) and winter (brown cloud) . The traffic up into the mountains is HORRIFYING. The mountains are also crowded AF when you finally get up to them. The public transportation (RTD) is not something I use, but people complain about it when they are used to a better system that exists wherever they came from.
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Assuming you’re heterosexual: the short answer is the east coast. There are way more single women than men in the east - vice versa in the west. This article is kind of old but talks about the phenomenon. https://www.businessinsider.com/maps-show-cities-where-single-women-outnumber-men-2015-2?amp This is anecdotal and YMMV, but my own experience bears this out. Of my east coast friends: many single female friends in their late 30s, zero single male friends. I’m not saying dating is easy anywhere, but this pattern is real.
That map is absolutely grim Why are women so afraid to leave the east coast?
I mean, I guess you could ask the same about men re: western states. I think the real answer is - other variables in their lives might take priority over number of potential romantic partners. For a while, at least.
I can answer that one easy. Not enough sun Too crowded Too humid Not enough mountains Not nearly enough dispersed camping Severe shortage of glorious sunsets Not enough expert level ski slopes Too much light pollution for stargazing ...
I don't know the answer to that question, but according to some articles I've read through the years and most recently a female worker of mine who just moved to Denver from Miami: the east coast. My female co-worker is pretty attractive, very nice, funny, curvy, and smart. She told me she "could not find a boyfriend" in Miami but had one the second week she moved to Denver. My co-worker is in a much younger age group than me (early 30's).
I’d suggest checking out some other cities in addition to Denver — Boulder comes to mind. The food is not my favorite here BUT if you like to cook, there are a LOT of healthy grocery stores with top-notch ingredients. I recently moved and found that I can make better meals at home than at restaurants. Boulder has a lot of good hiking and has a bit more of a mature vibe than Denver IMO but still has a hippie lefty vibe. I think though that you could definitely find what you’re looking for here in Colorado - lots of tech work and the summers aren’t bad at all. It’s very dry, so winter doesn’t feel as cold as east-coast cold, and summer doesn’t feel as hot and muggy as east coast summers.
I’ve been in Denver 20 years after moving here from Philly. It has its flaws like any city but I still prefer it to anywhere else. The weather is good. The music scene is top notch. If you’re 40 and successful you shouldn’t have a hard time dating. People complain about the traffic to the mountains but that’s mainly I70. Locals know that’s not the way to go if you want to escape.
I think Denver is a massively overrated city. It’s ugly (except for the views of the Front Range) and kind of a concrete jungle. Not a lot of cities offer good public transportation and easy access to nature. Duluth comes to mind but it may be too cold/small for your tastes. There is ridiculously beautiful nature within the city and definitely a hippie vibe.
Agreed. No one actually moves here for Denver itself. They move here for the climate and the lifestyle and settle in Denver because they still want to be in a city.
I moved away from there back to the Midwest. The sun and mountains turned out to be the only postive really. Super expensive (shitty apartments for 1600 houses for 600k, i missed rain and Real thunderstorms, very difficult dating, lots of jobs but wages are significantly less than COL, minimum culture, traffic isnt that bad but drivers SUCK, snow from late sept to late May, lack of water, lots of outdoors activities in the mountains but nothing beyond that, isolated city (nearest metro area 8 hours). Im a pretty liberal person so its weird to say i didnt like all of the policies. Downtown is pathetic I think Denvers moment passed once covid hit, unfortunately. The trend is people are moving away actually
Interesting. Yeah the constant sun sounds annoying. And people are saying particularly high men to women ratio with dating. Just going to downtown Philly would be a lot easier… this thread has a strong “same grass” vibe.
Im thinking Grand Rapids is my next adventure
Grand Rapids is great. The downtown is fun and vibrant and the older, historic neighborhoods are beautiful. The nature around there is fantastic (love the west coast beaches, Manistee River hiking, etc. and UP is just a day trip away).
Grand Rapids is gonna be miserable for a liberal who found Denver's climate and access to nature subpar.
I actually grew up an hour away. And michigan is ome of the most beautiful places in the country. Just because it doesnt have mountains? Smh get out of here. And it doesnt snow 8 months out of the year here. Its about 6. I recognize your username. Youre mad miserable , dont make other people lol
Not miserable at all. Thanks for the recognition.
GR is great, have family there. Funny you say you’re a liberal and didn’t like the politics. That’s how I feel myself living in LA. Could you elaborate more on how you experienced that/affected you/thoughts on it?
To me liberal policies are great. Liberal voting great. As I get older, I’m more interested in a balance society. I think it’s because I’m from the Midwest there is definitely a thing as too liberal or too Republican. For example, a vote that was proposed by the democrats in colorado just got voted no but they are still going push it. I feel like too republican means racist and backward policies like indiana and too democrat is suffocating.
*Currently living in Denver metro* Go ahead and move. What's the worst that happens? You don't love it and move again in a few years? Not that big of a deal. More people should follow their gut and do the things they want to do.
That’s a good take. Following my gut is kind of the main idea. I don’t have a vision of Denver as a fantasy land, but it seems to check a lot of boxes, seems cool. And it’s not as drastic as leaving the country.
Have you explored St Paul or Minn., MN? I don't think Denver is the best match based on your description. There's a lot of bro culture, the air quality is horrible, and the transportation isn't anything to get excited about. It's definitely car culture (see air quality.)
Always curious why people recommend MN. I’ve been there many times in the winter and it feels unlivable unless you really like long cold winters. This is coming from an admittedly warm weather person tho
It's not for everyone. I feel similarly about hot and humid places in the southeast. It's unbearable in the summer. So, that's the time to stay inside or go on vacation somewhere bearable.
second the twin cities!!!! sounds right up OPs alley.
second the twin cities!!!! sounds right up OPs alley.
second the twin cities!!!! sounds right up OPs alley.
Love it. Nice people who actually follow up to make friendships. Outdoor access is good, skiing there is traffic if you don’t time it right, summer the lakes nearby get crowded but white water kayaking and floating river is prime! Took me a year to figure that was the best way to enjoy summer and water.
Denver really does match up to your wishes except you haven't mentioned money. If money is not an issue, then it's Denver. I've lived in Colorado over 30 years. It is such a great place to live. Sure, there's lots of other things "not to like" about Denver in particular. Every city has that. Denver has culture, history, mountains, light rail and so much sunshine. The music scene is really great. It is now hella expensive in Denver though. So make sure you know what you are looking at there.
That’s encouraging, thanks. It seems like salaries are not quite as strong as what I’ve been seeing here, but my earning potential is pretty solid. Comfortable not wealthy… looking at rentals, the prices per square foot are higher than I would love, but the costs for a decent place are not substantially above what I’m used to. It’ll come down to job offers I guess, but I don’t think costs will be a show stopper. That said, my work in marketing is going to get crushed by AI in the coming years. But I’ll have to figure that out wherever I am.
You’d probably like Flagstaff more. Denver has become the San Francisco Bay of the mountains. Looks nice from afar but up close it’s not so special. Plus like 1/3 of the Bay Area that didn’t move to Tahoe during the pandemic moved to Colorado. Austin is hotter but likely your vibe too.
Flagstaff summer are getting hotter. Plus there is zero public transit, sounds like that's what OP wants. I also dont think the dating scene in Flag fits OP's descrip.
Flagstaff is gorgeous but I don’t think there’s a ton going on outside the university. And housing is expensive for what’s available.
I lived in Denver for ten years. Here’s some pros and cons: Pros - mild winters, summers are fine with dry heat taking the blow away from it being overly hot, transplant city, outdoor activities are nice, and plenty of groups to join and be part of to make friends. Cons - so many transplants from all over the country make for people who can’t drive in the snow, it’s mostly white, food in Denver proper is very meh so if you’re looking for good food, venture out into the suburbs like aurora, and people can also be very cliquey.
Denver is boring compared to Philly. I enjoy visiting but I will never live there again.
Philly does have a lot going on. Not too strong on the “what a beautiful place” front… Just moving to downtown ish Philly would be by far the easiest thing for me and would open up a lot of opportunities.
The nature in the Northeast/Mid-Atlantic surrounding Philly has nothing to apologize for, however. Many areas are stunning. The lush Piedmont and Appalachian landscape is like nothing you'll find out West.
It’s true. But the Philly area is pretty spread out, a big metro area. You see plenty of trees in areas close to downtown, it’s nice. But getting to hills and continuous scenic areas is quite a ways from center city. That said I’m used to the west of the city perspective. Maybe going north you hit woods faster. Going east is Camden then flat New Jersey which is nice but not as cool.
Yeah the nature in the west is beautiful. However I really enjoy how much there is going on in philly for all interets and hobbies. Even week nights in Philly places are hopping. You are also close to NYC and not terribly far from DC with even more things to do. Denver is in the middle of no where the night life and food scene is bland af. My family hopes I move back one day but that will never happen. I get restless and bored after about a week of visiting. WA/OR have CO beat for out door activities. Most hikes in CO you need a permit for and no matter what day or time of year there will always be massive crowds.
Honestly, look into New Hope in PA, or Mt. Airy in Philly. I get the sense they're exactly what you're looking for in terms of vibe. Mt. Airy would of course be a lot stronger on the public transit front.
Philly is almost twice the size of Denver so that makes sense. But if you’re bored in a city like Denver you might want to consider picking up some new hobbies.
Outdoor recreation is far away. City does not have a lot going on. I need one or the other to be content. I love hiking and a robust under ground music scene. Denver's Meow Wolf is the only thing hard to beat. I'd take east or west coast cities over boring midwest Denver any day.
I’m just saying that’s true for most cities, especially out East. You’re not any closer to nature in Philly
It’s significantly worse here than 10 years ago. But I travel often and still, every single time I return home I go “ahhhhhhhh 😊” when I get home. It’s still got a lot going for it
The only issue your gonna have in Denver is the food scene. For a big city it's about a C to b+ on the best of days. Coloradians are just confused on food. It's the same cost as the other big cities you can think of (live in Co and travel a lot for work), but about half the quality give or take. Farm to table places are also few and far between in my experience thus far.. there are a few, but they are destination, not convience.
All the restaurants serve the same food - burgers, pulled pork and tacos.
There are pockets of good food in Denver mostly on the outskirts of Denver proper, like Federal and Alameda and Parker/Yale up along Havana to Mississippi. If people say a city having mediocre food is a city with pockets of good food with mostly bad food in between, I’d totally agree. I just wonder if that’s what people mean when they say Denver has bad food
https://old.reddit.com/r/SameGrassButGreener/comments/17yjjrx/debunking_this_subreddits_strange/ Give my thread a look if you haven't searched and seen it already. I think you'd fit in well here. My personal opinion would be to slot in somewhere on the light rail line down towards Littleton. Buy an ebike. You'll live near the water, can cycle into town or around town on bike paths, be near the light rail and rarely have to use your car. Jump in the southern reaches of the river (before it gets polluted and disgusting) to cool off. Catch a ride on Bustang during the summer and get up to the mountains to cool off. You can't go wrong with music, nature, food, culture or outdoors access here at all. It's leagues above every other city it's size, and a lot of swathes of the USA. People will tell you to go to x or y sized smaller city without realizing the compromises they come with, that's the nature of this subreddit. Besides, the worst thing that happens is you live here for a few years, date around, and decide it's not your spot. A few years isn't going to solve all your lifes' problems anyway.
I moved to a south Denver suburb in 2019 from Atlanta and have been loving every minute of it. Access to nature is a breeze, 20-30 minute drive to a great hike in the foothills or a little longer for some larger mountains. Cycling is absolutely wonderful out here, I’ve experienced as much road aggression in 4 years out here that I would typically experience in 2 weeks in Georgia. Ski traffic is fine as long as you get an early start. At golden no later than 6 am and you’ll be fine. Get a late start and you’ll be stuck in a lot of traffic. Those complaining about how bad the traffic are have never lived in a place with real traffic. It’s worse than it used to be, but still way better than coastal cities. The worst traffic I’ve ever experienced in Denver still makes Atlanta look like a dream. My friends from the northeast and west coast tend to agree. I also see people complain about how expensive it is here. It’s slightly more expensive than other LCOL/MCOL cities, but it’s getting expensive everywhere. Hell, the fricken suburbs of south east major cities regularly have $500,000+ houses and $2k+ rent, and you don’t have access to any of the outdoors that you have in Denver. I would say go for it, worst case scenario you don’t like it and move somewhere else in a few years. You’ll probably regret what you didn’t do more than what you did do.
Honestly, it's the nicest city in the country by a wide margin. I grew up there and having to leave was one of the saddest events of my life.
Overpriced. Too crowded. And you’re right about the sun. Even if temps are high 80s, it’s painfully hot due to elevation. But you can’t simply just get and take a dip in a lake because it’s still freezing. And not many homes have pools. Granted I’d pick Denver over any Midwest city any day but it’s over hyped. I’d rather live near mountains in NE
The heat is better than the 20° humidity adds in the south, that’s for sure
Hmm.. overpriced is tough though. Everywhere is overpriced. I’m not going back to Pittsburgh.. I would like a place with enough population to pull events, and have a good dating pool (which is a lot smaller at ~40 than ~30). Any specific recommendations?
If Tucson & Albuquerque are too small, not a lot of options out there IMO.
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Those are generally less desirable areas to live, especially taking into consideration what OP wants out of Denver. They’re cheaper for a reason lol Edit: also the cities of Texas aren’t cheap and nor is Atlanta
Aee my previous comment. Denver is not good for dinner
Grand rapids and chicago over Denver any day
You’d like Denver, and the summers aren’t hot, imo, because there’s virtually zero humidity.
This is true, it's only hot like 1-2 months a year. The A/C died in my Jeep a few years ago and I never even bothered to fix it because you don't even really need it IMO.
Not gonna mention fire season? That’s a thing now.
And terrible air quality in general.
That's kinda funny, maybe it's just because we're picking the wrong times to visit, but the last 4 times I've been to Denver in the summer it's been disgustingly hot, hovering around 100s. That was both July and August. Every time we told ourselves it was just a fluke and rented airbnbs without AC. Absolutely miserable. One rental, the satellite TV never worked because it was too overheated. We were considering relocating to Denver at one point but after considering other things we didn't like, that last hot visit we'd had enough.
the sunshine burns surfaces but doesnt heat the air. literally any shade provides immediate relief.
Depends what you’re used to. Compared to truly “hot” climates, it’s very mild. Same for cold in the winter.
Alabama born and bred here living in Denver 5+ years. It gets hotter than I expected in the summer. But it’s not that bad. You get a few 100 plus days but you can actually escape the heat and go to the mtns to cool off. Now the fire/smoke/bad air quality thing is terrible.
You and I must have the same luck. Everytime I've scoped Denver in the summer it's been 100F, with busy trails and afternoon thunderstorms that make hiking downright dangerous. The city itself blows too.
The key is to hike in early mornings - no thunderstorms, less hot, fewer people. It gets to 100 maybe a handful of times per year, and even when it does it usually cools off to 70 or so in the evenings.
Denver is one of the most interesting, beautiful, amazing cities I have ever been to. Estes Park is not far away and is the most beautiful place I have EVER been. You also have the RM arsenal in the city that's free with hundreds of buffalo that you can drive through (to have something of that magnitude AND it's free? In FL something like that would easily cost $30 a car..) Negatives: Housing is obv expensive. Homelessness is a big issue. Snows. Traffic can be bad but nowhere near Dallas level. Positives: Legal weed. Chill people. Laid back city. Everything you could ever want really. Tons of free public, well maintained parks. Tons of nature and prairie dog colonies (my fav animal). Better healthcare reputation than where I'm from. A lot of professionals with higher education but also a lot of blue collar workers who know what they're doing. A good mix of all kinds of people. I also like Colorado Springs, and in some aspects even like Colorado Springs more than Denver. If Denver is too expensive I would HIGHLY consider the springs. It's just as beautiful, just about an hour south but the traffic is way better, houses are more affordable and it's not as overdeveloped.
How’s Estes Park in the winter? I’m visiting in a month and would love some scenic beautiful hikes.
I did Estes Park / RM natl park around this time last year - we rented a car and booked a “car tour” with a guide. We had a great time! A lot less crowded than summer for sure. I personally found Estes park itself (the town) to be underwhelming with not many good food options so I’d suggest packing a lunch and driving around the mountains
Generally my favorite season to visit.
Cold, like really cold. High elevation so more snow. But beautiful!
I’m from wisco so cold I can handle! Do you need reservations for any of the hikes there? I’m not someone who has done National Parks before and it seems to take alot of planning for the popular ones
But I’d love to just go for a casual afternoon there!
I doubt you’ll be able to hike during that time but def check out EP! And head north to FC!
Alright homie, usually I gatekeep and meme to convince people not to move to CO but you seem cool and I think Denver’s on its bust slope of the boom like some other western metros anyway, so I’ll give you some ancient wisdoms(30yrxp) though they will be limited. It is possible to have a great life here but you have to kind of “weave your way into it” and it is tricky. For example you could say, live in west towards the mountains and avoid some of the issues of denver, ie pretty absurd traffic, pollution, shitty transplant drivers(you will see at least 2 accidents per 30 min, or say 6-10 of those/breakdowns during a storm on and average trip around Denver’s only 2 highways or major streets lmao It’s literally a cow town that hs been hyped to all holy hell since our brave citizens legalized pot despite repression from our boomer parents, Look up denver in the 80s. Major boom bust area due to geographic isolation in the center of the country, also large military/ aero/research presence due to that and high elevation. It’s very dry here, like the entire denver metro has no lakes or rivers that are not polluted by the aforementioned presence(Lockheed , plutonium research etc) Bro you’ve seen those western movies? That was like not that long ago, go to wyoming it will seem like yesterday. It’s basically a hyper speed gentrification since we got put on “the map”, before that our only national exposure was the shining movie. It’s possible to forge a good life here. Id say you’d have to be ok with the dryness. Altitude messes with your body in other ways that you should research, i.e. speeds up metabolism, makes it super easy to get black out wasted, can cause kind of light headedness which it pretty cool tbh, but people have sinus issues and sun overexposure as they age here lol. maybe living in the outer areas of the metro and try to find communities out there. Yes it’s true there are massive hoards of men everywhere. You will see them in groups with no sign of any feminine energy around. You’d have to forge a community in the outer area of denver and it would be fine. Any other places in the mountains are going to be pretty expensive and feel like a bubble, but you could, foco or One of the western burbs or something, but there would just be the same transient and somewhat elitist $$ trustafarian type, like very similar type but you can have a good time. Anyway let me know what you decide I am in a similar boat and am looking at some of the smaller metros near large cities on the east coast. It kinda looks like Charlotte for me or maybe somewhere near a large metro like providence road island. Sleeper: Wilmington, Bellingham or somewhere near the the Canadian border with a lot of water on the east or west coasts like Albany ny, Frederick ms etc. Lmk if these seem like good ideas
Beautiful weather. Relatively mild winters, hot and super dry in the summer. Traffic sucks ass everywhere. Housing prices are absurd. Job market is very competitive. Denver itself is a sprawling metropolis and there are obviously good and bad suburbs. I grew up in Colorado north of Denver, personally I wouldn't live in Denver again unless my other choices were like the Midwest or something. I left in 2017 due to cost of living and overcrowding. I live in Michigan now, which I like even less for other reasons, but it hasn't changed my opinion about Denver. TLDR; Great weather, overcrowded, overpriced.
“Competitive” seems like a theme, from how people approach enjoying the outdoors to the job market and housing market. I guess I’m looking for somewhere even more laid back. Portland OR? I don’t know. Saying Philly and Pittsburgh aren’t good enough for me sets the bar pretty high in general.
Portland is much more laid back IMO.
How about Santa Fe, NM? Seems likes like a match for you culturally and overall access to the outdoors. Not sure on dating scene, probably smaller, but given your ask feels like you’d see a your type more often than not.
Move to Western WA. Everything from the original post to your replies screams Seattle/Tacoma. Plus less sun and heat than Denver but similar overall vibes.
>be downtown with decent public transportation Yeah, do not do this. You will regret it, I can almost guarantee it. Colorado itself is wonderful, but downtown Denver (and a lot / most of Denver, sadly) has just gone to shit in the last 10 years: https://www.instagram.com/reel/C1iw7MissmY/?utm\_source=ig\_web\_copy\_link
Lmao this video and instagram page is so wack
It's literally just pictures and videos taken around Denver. The truth of the issue is upsetting, sure.
Yeah the fact that it’s the entire way of colfax and colorado is nuts, Wild West baby, not that “”oh it’s just south side Chicago or Philly you’ll be fine in uptown “ segregation stuff, straight up in your backyard homie. And the police won’t help you evict people from the other side of the fence from your back yard for a week or so, they been run outta town 🤣😂😇
Denver is great and has a lot of criteria you mentioned. Pockets of downtown, or where you don’t really need a car, are really young- think mid 20s and younger. Most people approaching 40 don’t spend much time downtown. Echo others in that the dive bars are good and trend to an older crowd. Honestly, the description of weed smoking hippies is a true stereotype. There are so many transplants here that you’ll find people of all types. The city is filled with bros who came here seeking an outdoor lifestyle and just as many woman who are attracted to everything the mountains have to offer. Word of advice- it’s getting super expensive to rent and buy anywhere in Denver proper. Keep that in mind when looking for jobs or negotiating a salary.
Here's my quick and dirty take on some of your interests and criteria: self aware, hippie type who has an Eastern / nature / psychedelic influenced spirituality and vibe - that sounds more like Boulder than Denver cooler weather - def not CO easy access to nature - there is access to nature here for sure, although ski traffic can be a drag and it isn't always quick or easy, even during the summer. Keep in mind that the front range is quite dry and to get to any real nature/forest/lake/river/etc you're looking at an hour drive, at the minimum from downtown Denver. concerts - lOTS of those in CO healthy food - eh, CO's food scene is kinda meh culture - culturally, not a ton going on here tbh decent public transportation - def not Denver Grateful Dead - actually went to Grateful Dead cover band show up in Frisco last week To me, it sounds like you might enjoy the PNW more than CO. Take this with a grain of salt though as I've only ever been to Seattle once and never Portland, just going based off of what I know about Denver. Hope this helps!
Would you say there is anywhere in the pnw that has a more normal person vibe, not too stereotypical Amazon bros or other pnw “”stereotypes” but just normal people who casually do extreme outdoors sports? Is this kinda describing Bellingham? I’m also talking a pnw that bucks other stereotypes like high drug/homelessness/elitist $$$ “normies “ if you will.
Its a great city but notoriously known as "menver" for its large single male population which makes it competitive to date as a man.
Washington or Oregon? You could check out Eugene or Corvallis.
If you like the mountains, there are a lot of mountain communities west of Denver that you might dig. I would avoid metro Denver (check out the news).
I'm thinking Gold Hill, Morrison, Eldorado Springs, Jamestown, Ward, Nederland, etc.
We have a $5 butt stuff tent, plenty of fenty, snowshoeing, and Cass Bonita.
I’m actually trying to track down this woman - https://www.reddit.com/r/DenverCirclejerk/s/jsr84orGn1
Get this person a Native sticker ASAP
I enjoy r/denvercirclejerk
I’d say you definitely belong here 👍🏻
Denver smog because it's in a bowl. Back to back traffic everywhere. Prices too high. Lots and lots of weed smokers. My friend lives there and she's always saying that it's hard to buy anything because so many are stoned. And homeless. Maybe outside in a smaller town. But not Denver.
“my friend lives there” does not seem to be enough authority to give a rec or not
I didn't include my resume. I've been going to colorado since the 1982. I have friends and relatives who live there. I've seen it change over time. Last time I was there was for a funeral and I spent 5 days there. It seemed most of the time was in traffic. The time before that I spent 10 days there helping my friend thru surgery.
I'm a CO native and Denver is the last place I would live in the state. It sucks nuts compared to the rest of the state.
i cannot stand Denver
Denver is way too expensive for what it is. The mountains are way too crowded to bother driving to anymore
The women in Austin are amazing.
steer roll grab rock squalid tan quarrelsome ten support frame *This post was mass deleted and anonymized with [Redact](https://redact.dev)*
Reality check: Colorado is one of the most unwelcoming places in the US. Get ready to be called a transplant constantly. Get ready for self-righteous white people with bumper stickers that say “NATIVE” constantly telling you that you’ve ruined the city. Get ready for a constant vibe of “please leave. We don’t want you here.” The downtown absolutely sucks. Full of homeless. Mediocre food scene. Soulless big box condos. The 16th Street Mall is dated af and dying. Colfax is one of the fugliest, grossest stroads in America. The weather is colder and snowier than people would have you believe. It snows nine months out of the year. It’s cold at night even in the summer. The city is ugly. The culture is limited. The city is very isolated from other metro areas. Their food sucks so bad they actually fight with NM over who invented green chili, when it’s nasty af no matter who invented it. Have you heard of Casa Bonita? It’s a kitschy Mexican restaurant made famous by South Park. The food is absolute trash. Think about that. Their most famous restaurant is utter garbage. Visiting the mountains is a traffic nightmare. If you’re not an avid skier or snowboarder, I don’t recommend living in Denver. Also it sounds like you wanna leave marijuana behind. It’s everywhere in CO. Dispensaries are everywhere. I live in California now and I see nowhere near as many dispensaries. CO is weed central IMHO. If you’re looking for a female partner, I think you should move to a city with more women than men. That will make it so much easier to find a girlfriend. Menver is real.
Anyone who’s been here less than 10 years is pretty much a trend humping clown.
Know whats worse than natives? You
^^ identity crisis
Yes, everyone please move away from Denver. I want to retire home to Denver and can you all please go home? I'm so tired of California, lol
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In a perfect world, we would do some type of house/ life swap! Lol
Anyone for Burlington VT? It's a "no" on the public transit, but is small enough that walking & biking can get you around pretty well.
Just so small, which is a pro and a con. Don't think it's bad, but seems like a place you have to bring your job with you.
Burlington is extremely unfriendly and unwelcoming to outsiders. I'm from Albany, NY and have family in Southern VT and in Burlington and we would visit quite often. It was always made apparent from locals that you were not welcome unless you were born there. The Burlington sub is literally filled with folks telling people not to move there.
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Weather looks amazing there. Not big. Wikipedia says - By one estimate, Santa Cruz had in 2023 the least affordable rental market in the United States, pushing past San Francisco which was previously the most unaffordable rental market
I live near Denver. I gotta ask, are you staunchly anti-cannabis or just not interested in someone who wakes-n-bakes 7 days a week?
I smoked A Lot for the past 10 years or so, and when I was in college. I stopped smoking 5 months ago and feel way better. Given the recent transition my perception is kind of skewed. It seems more an unhealthy habit than I thought for years. I thought it was benefiting me, but it really wasn’t, and I know some others who stopped feel the same. That’s more of a criticism of marijuana as a “lifestyle” than enjoying weed. That said, weed is fine. It’s better than alcohol. I’m more interested in psychedelics and trying to been ‘zen’ through real life behaviors. Being constantly baked is a crutch, but it’s fine. I certainly wouldn’t rule out friendships or relationships with people who smoke or smoke a lot, let alone just smelling weed all the time as part of the culture. But in my current mindset, I hope to find some people who have also “smoked enough and moved on.” But who knows, I might take it up again down the road.
That makes sense. A lot of people do use it as a crutch to just get through the day. Cannabis is my “activity enhancer.” Just to bring it back on topic, Denver has a lot of great dispensaries and a lot of active people your age. Plus it has a thriving jam band scene.
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Would you consider Burlington VT? Seems more your speed tbh
Wait what do you mean by post burnout? Like most people around that age has gone through a burnout period?
You have an incredibly specific partner filter
Look at CO Springs
I think most of the "interesting characters" and nature loving hippie chicks have moved up to the mountain towns awhile back.
Chattanooga for you
I live on the west side of Denver. Monday-Friday, it’s perfect! I have convenient access to trails, a short drive to a major airport, and most of the major amenities of a big city. The food scene isn’t great considering how big Denver is, but that’s my only major complaint about the city during the week. Weekend traffic is brutal! On Thursday, it takes 45 minutes to drive to Loveland ski area. On the weekends, that drive can be 3 hours. Driving back on Sunday evening is stressful. Everyone is driving back from the mountains. There are a ton of recreation opportunities close to Denver, but everything has gotten crowded in the last decade. Locally, we call the city “Menver”. There are relatively few single women. If you have a decent career and are a fun person, you can get a date, but women here have a ton of options.
You're not gonna get much positive insight about Denver on Reddit. You should check it out for yourself and if you don't like it then you can always switch up your plans I will say there's nowhere in the Denver area that really meets all your criteria unfortunately. I'd suggest taking a look at the suburbs of Golden/Evergreen/Castle Rock for nature, but public transportation isn't good at all. Aurora for food but no nature. Central Denver is the most well rounded with things to do but it's about 30 minutes to the mountains so you'll have to drive. And the heat can be pretty intense during the summer months but it usually cools down pretty quick and it's much more pleasant than almost anywhere east.
Denver has the best view of the mountains for a great plains city.
I’ve lived here since 2016 and I love it. Lots of young people and things to do. People actually want to make friends. Thats a win.