Anonymous wrote:This thread really highlights how different people are.

I loved Denver and hated DC. I could have loved DC with a third less people in it and a little more sunshine. But how anyone can denve boring is beyond me—and I didn’t even ski.

Ulitimately it just boils down to what you’re into.

Anonymous wrote:It took me less than an hour in the evening to come back from Keystone to south Littleton, right after Christmas. Less than an hour in the morning there. On I-70. The good thing if you live in Denver, is that you go for the day and if traffic is bad, you are generally easy going and can return. Nothing is life and death, here, everything is life and death. How old are your kids, OP? Do you have kids? If you have a bit older kids, they will hate your guts for moving them here.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:30% increase isn't enough unless you're already pulling down $120K+ in Denver.

And even then, your standards of living will need some adjustment downward. Quite a bit in fact, because you can't get the kind of home in the DC area you can get in Denver for even 3x the money.

Making 180k base now. What kind of homes are you talking about though?

Well, an equivalent $300,000 home in Denver will cost you more than $900,000 here. And I know what $300k gets you in Denver. Here $300k gets you a townhouse in a sketchy neighborhood in MD or VA, with a one hour+ commute. Or it will get you a one BR condo in a cheaper, older building in the city.

I think you are a little bit out of touch with Denver real estate prices. 650k will give you a bungalow in Wash park in Denver, or a condo in Cherry Creek.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We left Denver to move to Northern Virginia. Yes, it was jobs but our family is in the area and while there are a lot of great things about Denver our salaries tripled when we moved here. Jobs pay less there because of the quality of life, but housing is crazy. There is a shortage and honestly looking at Stapleton our budget was basically the same as in Fairfax 650K.

I actually enjoyed the weather and outdoors, but I found people in Denver to be very, very flaky and self-involved. People are definitely into their hobbies and stuff, but we didn't make good friends. It was very surface experience.

I lived right by Cheesman Park. We miss it and the gardens, but it's so much better being closer to family. My mother helps us out and my in-laws come down as well.

I grew up and Denver and still visit at least once a year but have been in DC for 20 years now.

With the explosive growth in Denver the last few years traffic has really worsened and some of the coarseness and frustration that dominate public discourse here has started to creep in there - nowhere close to what we have here but it is starting to happen.

I also agree with the comment about not making good friends - people in CO are very outwardly friendly but also much more guarded and private. I find it is really hard to get into interesting conversations with people when I visit about much beyond the Broncos (and the Broncos dominate local sports in a way that is hard to describe if you live out here) because people are just guarded about talking about things but here it is never hard to find smart and well read people who will engage. But it is also nice that people don't immediately talk about their jobs.

If you are into the urban experience and like diversity, walkability, and livable neighborhoods and otherwise engaging with people DC is head and shoulders a better place to live but if you are going to live in a generic suburb Denver has nicer weather and is more affordable and less stressful.

But on the stuff to do metric it just isn't even close - DC has tons more culture and stuff to do and there are also so many more places you can reach quickly from DC or even half a days drive away. Even on the outdoors stuff there really isn't that much more to do in and around Denver - the skiing and hiking/backpacking are better but there really are no things to do on the water and DC has better urban options in terms of parks and hiking/biking than Denver.

PP here. You hit the nail on the head about Colorado. I feel way more connected and engaged with people in my boring Fairfax suburban community than I did living in the Denver proper.

Also, the suburbs are definitely cheaper in Denver (though not the Cherry Creek School district), but I found the schools to be super lacking. We thought seriously about moving to Stapleton, but it's such a mess because the development grew so quickly that the schools and infrastructure couldn't keep up. You weren't guaranteed a spot in a specific elementary school, but rather one spot in one of the many schools scattered through Stapleton. My friends have kids who are bussed across the neighborhood even though they live across the street from a school. It's bonkers.

And the job market thing was the biggest killer. Employers pay way less than market because it's a desirable location. But housing costs have risen, traffic is worse, and I found myself wondering why bother. So, we moved to DC, tripled our income, live modest but comfortable lives and are perfectly happy.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We left Denver to move to Northern Virginia. Yes, it was jobs but our family is in the area and while there are a lot of great things about Denver our salaries tripled when we moved here. Jobs pay less there because of the quality of life, but housing is crazy. There is a shortage and honestly looking at Stapleton our budget was basically the same as in Fairfax 650K.

I actually enjoyed the weather and outdoors, but I found people in Denver to be very, very flaky and self-involved. People are definitely into their hobbies and stuff, but we didn't make good friends. It was very surface experience.

I lived right by Cheesman Park. We miss it and the gardens, but it's so much better being closer to family. My mother helps us out and my in-laws come down as well.

I grew up and Denver and still visit at least once a year but have been in DC for 20 years now.

With the explosive growth in Denver the last few years traffic has really worsened and some of the coarseness and frustration that dominate public discourse here has started to creep in there - nowhere close to what we have here but it is starting to happen.

I also agree with the comment about not making good friends - people in CO are very outwardly friendly but also much more guarded and private. I find it is really hard to get into interesting conversations with people when I visit about much beyond the Broncos (and the Broncos dominate local sports in a way that is hard to describe if you live out here) because people are just guarded about talking about things but here it is never hard to find smart and well read people who will engage. But it is also nice that people don't immediately talk about their jobs.

If you are into the urban experience and like diversity, walkability, and livable neighborhoods and otherwise engaging with people DC is head and shoulders a better place to live but if you are going to live in a generic suburb Denver has nicer weather and is more affordable and less stressful.

But on the stuff to do metric it just isn't even close - DC has tons more culture and stuff to do and there are also so many more places you can reach quickly from DC or even half a days drive away. Even on the outdoors stuff there really isn't that much more to do in and around Denver - the skiing and hiking/backpacking are better but there really are no things to do on the water and DC has better urban options in terms of parks and hiking/biking than Denver.

I've heard that the traffic to get to the mountains has become insane; basically the rush hour everyone loathes is Sat morning trying to get 'outside'

Yep. It took us 8 hours once to get to Vail.

That should be like a drive to Shenandoah — about 1.5 hrs. Is there any point if you basically get there at the end of the day?

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We left Denver to move to Northern Virginia. Yes, it was jobs but our family is in the area and while there are a lot of great things about Denver our salaries tripled when we moved here. Jobs pay less there because of the quality of life, but housing is crazy. There is a shortage and honestly looking at Stapleton our budget was basically the same as in Fairfax 650K.

I actually enjoyed the weather and outdoors, but I found people in Denver to be very, very flaky and self-involved. People are definitely into their hobbies and stuff, but we didn't make good friends. It was very surface experience.

I lived right by Cheesman Park. We miss it and the gardens, but it's so much better being closer to family. My mother helps us out and my in-laws come down as well.

I grew up and Denver and still visit at least once a year but have been in DC for 20 years now.

With the explosive growth in Denver the last few years traffic has really worsened and some of the coarseness and frustration that dominate public discourse here has started to creep in there - nowhere close to what we have here but it is starting to happen.

I also agree with the comment about not making good friends - people in CO are very outwardly friendly but also much more guarded and private. I find it is really hard to get into interesting conversations with people when I visit about much beyond the Broncos (and the Broncos dominate local sports in a way that is hard to describe if you live out here) because people are just guarded about talking about things but here it is never hard to find smart and well read people who will engage. But it is also nice that people don't immediately talk about their jobs.

If you are into the urban experience and like diversity, walkability, and livable neighborhoods and otherwise engaging with people DC is head and shoulders a better place to live but if you are going to live in a generic suburb Denver has nicer weather and is more affordable and less stressful.

But on the stuff to do metric it just isn't even close - DC has tons more culture and stuff to do and there are also so many more places you can reach quickly from DC or even half a days drive away. Even on the outdoors stuff there really isn't that much more to do in and around Denver - the skiing and hiking/backpacking are better but there really are no things to do on the water and DC has better urban options in terms of parks and hiking/biking than Denver.

I've heard that the traffic to get to the mountains has become insane; basically the rush hour everyone loathes is Sat morning trying to get 'outside'

Yep. It took us 8 hours once to get to Vail.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We left Denver to move to Northern Virginia. Yes, it was jobs but our family is in the area and while there are a lot of great things about Denver our salaries tripled when we moved here. Jobs pay less there because of the quality of life, but housing is crazy. There is a shortage and honestly looking at Stapleton our budget was basically the same as in Fairfax 650K.

I actually enjoyed the weather and outdoors, but I found people in Denver to be very, very flaky and self-involved. People are definitely into their hobbies and stuff, but we didn't make good friends. It was very surface experience.

I lived right by Cheesman Park. We miss it and the gardens, but it's so much better being closer to family. My mother helps us out and my in-laws come down as well.

I grew up and Denver and still visit at least once a year but have been in DC for 20 years now.

With the explosive growth in Denver the last few years traffic has really worsened and some of the coarseness and frustration that dominate public discourse here has started to creep in there - nowhere close to what we have here but it is starting to happen.

I also agree with the comment about not making good friends - people in CO are very outwardly friendly but also much more guarded and private. I find it is really hard to get into interesting conversations with people when I visit about much beyond the Broncos (and the Broncos dominate local sports in a way that is hard to describe if you live out here) because people are just guarded about talking about things but here it is never hard to find smart and well read people who will engage. But it is also nice that people don't immediately talk about their jobs.

If you are into the urban experience and like diversity, walkability, and livable neighborhoods and otherwise engaging with people DC is head and shoulders a better place to live but if you are going to live in a generic suburb Denver has nicer weather and is more affordable and less stressful.

But on the stuff to do metric it just isn't even close - DC has tons more culture and stuff to do and there are also so many more places you can reach quickly from DC or even half a days drive away. Even on the outdoors stuff there really isn't that much more to do in and around Denver - the skiing and hiking/backpacking are better but there really are no things to do on the water and DC has better urban options in terms of parks and hiking/biking than Denver.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We left Denver to move to Northern Virginia. Yes, it was jobs but our family is in the area and while there are a lot of great things about Denver our salaries tripled when we moved here. Jobs pay less there because of the quality of life, but housing is crazy. There is a shortage and honestly looking at Stapleton our budget was basically the same as in Fairfax 650K.

I actually enjoyed the weather and outdoors, but I found people in Denver to be very, very flaky and self-involved. People are definitely into their hobbies and stuff, but we didn't make good friends. It was very surface experience.

I lived right by Cheesman Park. We miss it and the gardens, but it's so much better being closer to family. My mother helps us out and my in-laws come down as well.

I grew up and Denver and still visit at least once a year but have been in DC for 20 years now.

With the explosive growth in Denver the last few years traffic has really worsened and some of the coarseness and frustration that dominate public discourse here has started to creep in there - nowhere close to what we have here but it is starting to happen.

I also agree with the comment about not making good friends - people in CO are very outwardly friendly but also much more guarded and private. I find it is really hard to get into interesting conversations with people when I visit about much beyond the Broncos (and the Broncos dominate local sports in a way that is hard to describe if you live out here) because people are just guarded about talking about things but here it is never hard to find smart and well read people who will engage. But it is also nice that people don't immediately talk about their jobs.

If you are into the urban experience and like diversity, walkability, and livable neighborhoods and otherwise engaging with people DC is head and shoulders a better place to live but if you are going to live in a generic suburb Denver has nicer weather and is more affordable and less stressful.

But on the stuff to do metric it just isn't even close - DC has tons more culture and stuff to do and there are also so many more places you can reach quickly from DC or even half a days drive away. Even on the outdoors stuff there really isn't that much more to do in and around Denver - the skiing and hiking/backpacking are better but there really are no things to do on the water and DC has better urban options in terms of parks and hiking/biking than Denver.

I've heard that the traffic to get to the mountains has become insane; basically the rush hour everyone loathes is Sat morning trying to get 'outside'

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We left Denver to move to Northern Virginia. Yes, it was jobs but our family is in the area and while there are a lot of great things about Denver our salaries tripled when we moved here. Jobs pay less there because of the quality of life, but housing is crazy. There is a shortage and honestly looking at Stapleton our budget was basically the same as in Fairfax 650K.

I actually enjoyed the weather and outdoors, but I found people in Denver to be very, very flaky and self-involved. People are definitely into their hobbies and stuff, but we didn't make good friends. It was very surface experience.

I lived right by Cheesman Park. We miss it and the gardens, but it's so much better being closer to family. My mother helps us out and my in-laws come down as well.

I grew up and Denver and still visit at least once a year but have been in DC for 20 years now.

With the explosive growth in Denver the last few years traffic has really worsened and some of the coarseness and frustration that dominate public discourse here has started to creep in there - nowhere close to what we have here but it is starting to happen.

I also agree with the comment about not making good friends - people in CO are very outwardly friendly but also much more guarded and private. I find it is really hard to get into interesting conversations with people when I visit about much beyond the Broncos (and the Broncos dominate local sports in a way that is hard to describe if you live out here) because people are just guarded about talking about things but here it is never hard to find smart and well read people who will engage. But it is also nice that people don't immediately talk about their jobs.

If you are into the urban experience and like diversity, walkability, and livable neighborhoods and otherwise engaging with people DC is head and shoulders a better place to live but if you are going to live in a generic suburb Denver has nicer weather and is more affordable and less stressful.

But on the stuff to do metric it just isn't even close - DC has tons more culture and stuff to do and there are also so many more places you can reach quickly from DC or even half a days drive away. Even on the outdoors stuff there really isn't that much more to do in and around Denver - the skiing and hiking/backpacking are better but there really are no things to do on the water and DC has better urban options in terms of parks and hiking/biking than Denver.

Anonymous wrote:We left Denver to move to Northern Virginia. Yes, it was jobs but our family is in the area and while there are a lot of great things about Denver our salaries tripled when we moved here. Jobs pay less there because of the quality of life, but housing is crazy. There is a shortage and honestly looking at Stapleton our budget was basically the same as in Fairfax 650K.

I actually enjoyed the weather and outdoors, but I found people in Denver to be very, very flaky and self-involved. People are definitely into their hobbies and stuff, but we didn't make good friends. It was very surface experience.

I lived right by Cheesman Park. We miss it and the gardens, but it's so much better being closer to family. My mother helps us out and my in-laws come down as well.