RiccochetJ
Gold Member
Welcome!
I've seen enough people on GAF talking about wanting to move/visit Denver and/or Colorado. This thread is an attempt to provide people with information about this wonderful state and city!
I'm going to break this thread into 3 parts:
- Moving to Colorado
- Visiting Colorado
- Q&A
But first, let's take a look at a map so you can get a lay of the land:
The first thing you'll notice is that Denver itself on the map is quite busy. That's because Denver proper isn't all that big. The population of Denver is hovering around 650k people. It's when you combine all the sprawl which includes Littleton, Arvada, Lakewood, Aurora etc that Denver metro becomes quite large and the population jumps to close to 3 million.
To the north, you'll see Boulder and Fort Collins. Both house major universities with Boulder having Colorado University (CU) and Fort Collins having Colorado State University (CSU). From a College sports perspective CU is in the PAC 12 and CSU is in the Mountain West conference.
To the South, you'll find Colorado Springs. This city has the distinction of being the home of an Olympic Training Center as well as the Air Force Academy. From a college sports perspective, the Air Force is a member in the Mountain West Conference.
Looking to the East, honestly, it turns into a lot of farm land as you make your way to Nebraska and Kansas.
To the west, you see the mountains which is the way the camera's point when they're taking a shot of the Denver skyline. Where I live, it takes me a grand total of 10 minutes to get into the foothills and 45 minutes to get into the mountains proper. It's this direction that you're going to find all the skiing, snowboarding, mountain biking, and trail hiking you can shake your fist at.
So with that out of the way let's move onto the topics.
Moving to Colorado
During the great recession, Denver and area were hurting. At the time, the state was more reliant on Oil. While it was a bit of a Tech hub, that didn't really take off until the recovery happened.
Now Denver and area has become quite a hotspot with a lot of people from around the country moving here. Tech has really taken off and you'll find startups and headquarters popping up like crazy.
However, Denver has had troubles keeping up with the growth when it comes to housing. As such rent and housing prices have skyrocketed. For example, my house is now valued at 200% more than when I bought it during the infamous housing market crash.
But all is not lost! It's still not as crazy as the bay area and you can still find affordable places to live! Obviously, prices will vary depending on your tolerance for commuting.
Let's break down average prices. Note: I'm going to list major areas that make up Denver Metro and then Boulder, Fort Collins, and Colorado Springs. Also note that these are averages I'm pulling from Google so YMMV when you do your own research. Also, my google search is from Feb 2017 so things may have changed depending on when you read this!
- Arvada - Rent: ~1.3k/mo - 1.7k/mo Buy: 350k
- Aurora - Rent: ~1k/mo - 1.5k/mo Buy: 275k
- Centennial - Rent: ~1.4k/mo - 1.8k/mo Buy: 420k
- Golden - Rent: ~800/mo - 1.2k/mo Buy: 480k (most of these houses are up in the foothills)
- Englewood - Rent: ~870/mo - 1.2k/mo Buy: 320k
- Denver - Rent: ~1.5k/mo - 2k/mo Buy: 370k
- Lakewood - Rent: ~1.2k/mo - 1.5k/mo Buy: 350k
- Littleton - Rent: ~1.5k/mo - 2k/mo Buy: 400k
- Thornton - Rent: ~1.1k/mo - 1.4k/mo Buy: 300k
- Westminster - Rent: ~1.2k/mo - 1.6k/mo Buy: 320k
- Boulder - Rent: ~1.5k/mo - 2k/mo Buy: 675k
- Colorado Springs - Rent: ~900/mo - 1.2k/mo Buy: 240k
- Fort Collins - Rent: ~1.2k/mo - 1.6k/mo Buy: 340k
Remember, these are averages so you may find a sweet deal. Do your homework!
Visiting Colorado
So you're deciding to visit Colorado. What to do?
Well, it depends.Are you looking to go into the city or be out in nature?
If city, then there's a hotel right on 16th street and you're right in the middle of it all. Seriously, I love how diverse and active 16th street is and Denver made it a priority to be the focal point for all visiting people. If your legs are tired, there's the MallRide which is a bus that will ship you up and down that area to your hearts content. There's bars, restaurants, comedy venues, and little holes in the wall that you'll find if you decide to walk a block east or west from 16th.
One of my favorites is the Clock Tower Cabaret. It's mostly a burlesque show. Pierre is awesome. He's an equal opportunity fucker as he likes to say. No, you can't bring your kids as far as I know.
If you're feeling adventurous and time it right, you can make your way east down Coalfax. There you will find a lot of fun bars and concert halls like the Fillmore Auditorium and the Ogden Theater. Or, you could hop on Broadway which houses a ton of pubs and this is where a lot of the weed dispensaries reside.
If you stay on 16th, you're extremely close to Coors field if you want to take in a ball game, the Pepsi Center where the Avalanche and the Nuggets play, and Mile High (don't correct me, it's Mile High) where the Broncos play.
If you're more of a nature person, go west into the mountains. So much nature, you'll be sick of it by the time you leave. This is where all the ski resorts and hiking paths reside. If you decide to move to Colorado, at some point someone will either ask you or invite you to do a 14er. What it means is to climb a mountain to the summit that is over 14,000 feet above sea level. There's actually a list you can check off. Some are extremely easy as in you can almost drive to the summit, where others take a bit of planning and you're heading out at 4 in the morning. The biggest thing is that you should summit and leave before noon. Lightning is a serious threat in the afternoon.
If you find yourself at a ski resort in the summer, don't fret! The chairlifts are running at a lot of these places! The reason? You hook your mountain bike onto the back of the chair and get to ride down. It's awesome.
Q&A
Q: I heard weed's legal there. That true?
A: Yep!
Q: So I can smoke anywhere?
A: Nope, you will get in a lot of trouble. It's a keep it in your room/house type thing. Pretty much all the laws that apply to alcohol, apply to marijuana but more. That includes DUI's, public intox, smoking in public etc. Be responsible.
Q: Where does one go to purchase marijuana?
A: Seriously, just hop on Broadway and go south. You'll know you're in the area of a lot of dispensaries because you can smell it.
Q: That's cool, but are there any other areas?
A: Yep! Just go online and search.
Q: I heard I need to use cash.
A: You do. Unless it's changed recently. Federally, it's still illegal and there's some banking restrictions that make it different than other shops.
Q: I'm concerned about the shootings that have happened in Colorado. Should I be worried?
A: A valid concern, but you're more likely to get hit by someone who's texting while driving.
Q: How does Colorado lean politically?
A: Metro Denver and Boulder mostly lean left. That's enough to win the state when it comes to federal elections. Fort Collins I would say is kind of in the middle and then Colorado Springs is firmly to the right. After you get out of the metro areas, I would say it's mostly right leaning.
Q: Are there dangerous areas in Denver?
A: Like any city of a decent size, sure there's some sketchy areas. East Colfax can be intimidating when you first encounter it, but the people there are awesome.
Q: Are Subarus as prolific as the media makes them out to be?
A: They are quite prolific. There's a reason though. Spend one winter here and you'll discover why people like having a smaller vehicle with all-wheel drive and a Toyota longevity type reputation. If you move here from out of state and drive a Subaru, you'll be pleasantly surprised that your resale value jumped by a couple thousand dollars. Speaking of Toyota, the 4Runner is a fairly common sight too.
Q: Do I have to become part of Broncos Nation?
A: It's Country. Fuck the Raiders. And yes. Yes you do.
Anyways, I think that's good to kick things off. And again, welcome!
One last thing:
Praise Blucifer, the Neighslayer.
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