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OT: Denver area

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MCY

Junior
Sep 23, 2002
2,217
292
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Wife and I are thinking of pulling up stakes from the Garden State and heading West to Denver. We have spent some time in Denver and really liked the weather - hot and dry in the summer and winters (in the front range) are generally mild by NJ standards. Lots of growth in the Denver metro region, even though I hope to only work another 5 to 7 years, it is always more interesting (at least to me) to be in an area that is growing and building out with new stuff and opportunities.

Any NJ / RU transplants living in the Denver area that can offer some insight on the area would be greatly appreciated. TIA
 
S

SantaFeScarlet

All-Conference
Aug 8, 2001
5,217
3,004
113
MCY said:
Wife and I are thinking of pulling up stakes from the Garden State and heading West to Denver. We have spent some time in Denver and really liked the weather - hot and dry in the summer and winters (in the front range) are generally mild by NJ standards. Lots of growth in the Denver metro region, even though I hope to only work another 5 to 7 years, it is always more interesting (at least to me) to be in an area that is growing and building out with new stuff and opportunities.

Any NJ / RU transplants living in the Denver area that can offer some insight on the area would be greatly appreciated. TIA
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I've lived in Santa Fe since '94. It's not Denver, but we absolutely love it. Moved from the Gold Coast in Chicago and before that NYC. The Rocky Mountains are a special place. Again, can't comment specifically on Denver, but love living in the Rockies.
 
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anon_ivydyf0amkzay

Guest
I can’t comment on Denver (other than I loved visiting it) but best of luck with the potential move...

the weather is fascinating there...can get big snow in September and then be in the 70s...long stretches of amazing weather and dry! Makes winters tolerable!!
 
DJ Spanky

DJ Spanky

Heisman
Jul 25, 2001
48,220
59,127
113
The better half and I were looking to relocate to Denver around 2000 - I was on the second round of interviews. Then the Dot Com Crash hit. And not only were the jobs not there, but some of the people I was talking to were no longer there. In one case, the whole floor disappeared.
 
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RutgersRockies

All-Conference
Jul 7, 2017
1,454
1,998
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From a Front Range perspective, if you're in Denver proper, good luck finding anything affordable. This has extended all the way north to Fort Collins and is definitely finding its way to Colorado Springs. Lots of condos have sprung up along the light rail, which is convenient if you live in Denver and the surrounding suburbs. Lots of McMansions.

If you want new construction, you're going to be out on the Plains far away from any mountains. DIA used to be removed from everything, but there are houses abound near there now. Monument and Castle Rock are fairly affordable from a New Jersey perspective, I think (I never owned real estate during my time there). Pueblo, well, I'm not really a fan.

This also depends on what you want out of Colorado. I like the views and hiking in Colorado Springs, but I'm biased. It's not as convenient to access the big ski resorts, and there isn't as much to do in the way of culture and sports (though the Switchbacks are going to be moving into a downtown stadium). The beer scene is good pretty much anywhere in the state.

Colorado is almost completely Californicated, IMO. It has become expensive and congested. It's probably sitting on a bubble, but that won't burst for another 10 years.
 
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M

mdk02

Heisman
Aug 18, 2011
26,679
18,968
113
I have a nephew out there who's a skiing, hiking and mountain biking fanatic. Heard that the traffic to the mountains on the weekends is brutal. The outdoor opportunities are great if you can get there. Also heard the job market is tight.
 
K

koleszar

Heisman
Jan 1, 2010
37,342
58,670
113
MCY said:
Wife and I are thinking of pulling up stakes from the Garden State and heading West to Denver. We have spent some time in Denver and really liked the weather - hot and dry in the summer and winters (in the front range) are generally mild by NJ standards. Lots of growth in the Denver metro region, even though I hope to only work another 5 to 7 years, it is always more interesting (at least to me) to be in an area that is growing and building out with new stuff and opportunities.

Any NJ / RU transplants living in the Denver area that can offer some insight on the area would be greatly appreciated. TIA
Click to expand...
I remember the 1st time I went to Denver to see our tree hugging friends. As we drove from the airport I said, "Hmmm looks just like Central Jersey except with mountains." When my brother went to work for Crocs at their Headquarters they bought a house in Fort Collins, I said, "Hmm, looks like suburban South Jersey except with mountains".

They do love it and became more outdoorsy. My Sister-in-law was someone who would get lost if her feet weren't on asphalt. Next thing I know she's strapping on waiters and joining us in the stream fishing. She said it's what everyone does and basically you assimilate to those around you. I will say if you don't have a job lined up, don't go. The job market out there is scarce. My Brother got the Crocs job before he moved out when Hess in Woodbridge closed.
 
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F

fsg2_rivals

Heisman
Apr 3, 2018
10,881
13,184
0
Have family who recently moved to the Front Range, North of Denver outside Boulder. They're retired so don't have to worry about job but are super excited about the move and are planning to build a house. Think they looked back even less than I did.

I spent a couple years in CO mountains, then moved to UT. I'd consider the Front Range among my top choices if I ever get sick of UT's backwards laws. I'd prefer to be on the edge of the mountains somewhere like Golden, but sure that's probably more expensive. FR is a great area whose metro-outdoor access can only be beaten by one place in US 😛.

IMO, Mountain West weather is way better than NJ's. Still get four seasons, but dry heat summers with barely any rain for months are great. More snow, sure, but they deal with it more efficiently, too - I cannot recall a single school snow day in more than a decade living here. And most of the snow is up at elevation ...where you want it (if you ski or like purty high mountains).
 
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F

fsg2_rivals

Heisman
Apr 3, 2018
10,881
13,184
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koleszar said:
I remember the 1st time I went to Denver to see our tree hugging friends. As we drove from the airport I said, "Hmmm looks just like North Jersey except with mountains." When my brother went to work for Crocs at their Headquarters they bought a house in Fort Collins, I said, "Hmm, looks like suburban Central Jersey except with mountains".

They do love it and became more outdoorsy. My Sister-in-law was someone who would get lost if her feet weren't on asphalt. Next thing I know she's strapping on waiters and joining us in the stream fishing. She said it's what everyone does and basically you assimilate to those around you. I will say if you don't have a job lined up, don't go. The job market out there is scarce. My Brother got the Crocs job before he moved out when Hess in Woodbridge closed.
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Were you blindfolded?
 
R

RUKen

All-Conference
Sep 3, 2003
1,477
2,234
0
Lived in Littleton/Highlands Ranch about 10 years ago. Loved it. Great outdoor activities. Good people. Weather is amazing. Wide fluctuations of weather. Downtime Denver is not too large. Manageable. Very close to the Rockies. Getting expensive now
 
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RutgersRockies

All-Conference
Jul 7, 2017
1,454
1,998
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fsg2 said:
I'd consider the Front Range among my top choices if I ever get sick of UT's backwards laws.
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I am tired of the increased Colorado taxes and regulations, so I guess it's all in perspective. It used to be a state where no one cared about your personal life, but that changed. Used to be hippies and cowboys could get along.

Still better than most of the other United States, as far as I'm concerned. If I didn't need to be tied to a job location, Summit County is quite attractive (that I-70 drive is deadly, though). There's water and plenty of recreation (hockey rink in Breck, hiking and biking, and plenty of skiing).
 
M

miket007

All-American
Aug 9, 2007
11,762
9,099
113
My son lives in Colorado Springs, we love to visit but that winter weather can be a pain in the ***.
 
F

fsg2_rivals

Heisman
Apr 3, 2018
10,881
13,184
0
koleszar said:
You win, you're the expert of all things Colorado, congratulations. You should become the official Colorado tour guide with your vast knowledge. Feel better now, glad I could help.
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No reason to get so butthurt just 'cause your comparison was terrible.

Brah ...Chicago is just like the Jersey Shore, only with buildings instead of the ocean, sand and stuff.
 
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RUwilsonNC

Redshirt
Sep 9, 2008
36
20
8
Used to go to Denver area on business quite a bit in the Broomfield area (about half way between Denver and Boulder). The Rockies are very nice, But overall, it's a nice place to visit but I wouldn't want to live there. There are no trees !
 
S

Section124

Heisman
Dec 21, 2002
17,145
20,711
96
I used to travel on business to Denver in the late 90's every month and almost moved there. There was a huge California population moving in then. Went back on business 4 years ago and was shocked at all the development by the airport. Used to be nothing but empty land. Traffic was bad then and worse now. Still a nice area but the locals complain about all the outsiders due to pot being legal downtown.
 
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C

coloradoknight

Sophomore
Feb 9, 2004
245
186
43
I moved to Denver in 1991. I left in 2005 because it became too expensive and crowded. And, it has only gotten worse since I left. However, I really enjoyed my time there and have no regrets about it. I lived in Cherry Creek and my office was south of Denver. My 12 mile commute would often take an hour. And if it snowed, it could take 2 hours. The light rail was of no use because I had to drive to get to it. So, by the time I did that, I might as well just stay in the car.
 
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gmay8

All-Conference
Nov 29, 2005
2,625
2,693
113
My brother and sister in law moved out there after they were married. Both NJ locals, they were living in NYC and were sick of the concrete and asphalt and wanted some more outdoorsy options. They were hikers/bikers and just got sick of NYC. I give them a lot of credit because both families were against their move. Sister in law could work from home/anywhere, brother in law quit his JP Morgan job to go back to school for coding or some tech thing... he's got some job now where it's work from home, unlimited vacation days, computer stuff, one of those make believe jobs.
They love it... breweries on weekends, tons of skiing in the mountains, he got into fly fishing which he loves, they hike and bike and all that.

They did just have their first kid about a year ago, and you can tell it's tough on them to be isolated without any family to help or anything like that. We've visited a few times, I like it there, good place to visit, good weed, not sure I personally would want to live there but I'm a Jersey koolaid drinker.

I've been to Aspen, and Vail as well.... now those are places i could see spending more time in... awesome scene in the mountains out there.
 
Z

zappaa

Heisman
Jul 27, 2001
74,996
91,784
103
My wife’s family lives in Golden, I’m there twice a year.
Cool place
 
M

MCY

Junior
Sep 23, 2002
2,217
292
0
Thanks for all of the responses.

For those that mentioned housing - yes we are aware of pricing, but pricing everywhere in this country has exploded with Denver going from expensive to even more expensive in the last 10 years. The days of cashing in on our NE homes and moving elsewhere for a fraction of the cost are over. This obviously assumes you move to a similar locale in another state and not to some backwater in the Carolina's or Florida.

That said, for a similarly priced house as we have in NJ we will cut our property tax bill by ~60% depending on where exactly we land and whether or not it is in a Metro District in Colorado. I always look at property taxes in terms of a $1MM house. In NJ that will cost you anywhere from $20K to $30K (excluding shore houses). In Colorado you're looking at $8K to $12K. I'll take the savings and rent a nice shore house in OCNJ for 2 or 3 weeks (I've been going there my entire life) and still have money left over.

Other taxes - income taxes for a married couple in NJ are cheaper up to about $110K and then over that CO flat tax is less and sales taxes in CO are generally 1 or 2 points less. Colorado is one of those states where the sales tax can vary by county/city.

I hadn't realized the job market was tight, I guess the influx of people has overwhelmed job growth. Hopefully the startups I'm involved in (which allows me to work from home) will succeed. If not, back to getting on an airplane most weeks as a consultant which was fun when I was 35, not so much now.

Another thing I learned (thank you) was traffic in the Denver area. Not surprising to me as traffic is out of control in and around every major city I've been to in the last 5 years - Atlanta, DFW, LA (duh), Austin, etc. I'm beginning to think that our traffic here in Metro NY/NJ isn't bad. At least we have train options.

Thanks again and if there are any other thoughts do share.
 
RUfromSoCal?

RUfromSoCal?

Heisman
Nov 26, 2006
34,636
42,624
113
Aurora is nice. I prefer south of downtown closer to Littleton.

Growth has been insane the last 7 years - while there's still value - not as easy to find closer to downtown.

not trying to get politics in to this... but, what was a red-state 20 years ago is post purple to red. So, if that is okay with you for retirement - then may be a good fit.
 
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