I am considering a move to the Denver area- have spent just over a year in S Florida and its just way to hot for me in the summer- i love the outdoors and skiing in the rocky mountains. the geography would be denver north- including cheyenne and jackson. sounds like a lot of drive time but from a quality of life stand point any denverites that could elaborate would like to hear from you, thanks

Just marking the thread as I may be doing something similar in the future.

OK, Denver? Incredible burgeoning night life, restaurants, great symphony, ballet, huge theater complex with original plays to all the national tours, gorgeous parks, trails, river renovation,(relative) bargain lofts going in all over, easy access to mountains (except on weekends in the winter): what's not to like? Heat in the summer (but very dry), but also golf in the winter (don't tell anyone). Cheyenne? Read posts in this forum. Jackson? Jackson Hole? Whole different part of the world. For quality of life and value of your money, Denver is a no-brainer.

p.s. You might also want to look at Fort Collins (fab college town), a little farther north.

thanks for your posts... these were sort of my thoughts on denver as well... love every visit i have made there; just back from 2 weeks in vail- where i lived for 6 mos. would love to live there and commute for my job; not sure if it would be realistic or not.. maybe small place there and small place in denver.

Vail commute to Denver? Not remotely reasonable, even in good weather--maybe Evergreen?

I know you are looking for input from Denverites, but I looked long and hard at Denver and chose not to live there. It is a great place, but here were my pros and cons. I actually spent a year there on a temporary assignment, so got a good feel for the place:

What I loved: Very sunny. Going to the mountains was fun in the summer. A couple older neighborhoods really caught my eye, especially Wash Park and the DU area (but $$$). Boulder is a great town. People in Denver seemed nice. Good job market. Lots of younger people moving in to the area. Investment in mass transit will pay off over time. Great air service by United, as long as they stay in business.

What I didn't like: Traffic jams every Friday afternoon getting to the mountains to ski in the winter.... that doesn't happen in the movies! The neighborhoods that I liked (mentioned above)were outrageously expensive. That left alot of bland suburbia in my price range, but I wasn't looking for that... you can get that in anywhere, USA for cheap. Growth rate is a little alarming... is it going to be the sprawl of Southern Cal in 20 years? And after I had spent my year there, I realized that I really missed green. That's just me. Denver is in the high desert, and very arid and brown by nature. I found that I need lots of trees and lush plants and grass to feel comfortable.

With all that said, Denver was on a very short list of places I was looking at, so I certainly wouldn't discourage you from looking there. All in all, a town that I would probably move to if my job took me there.

Hazelmm - What's DU?

Denver University. I believe that neighborhood is called University Park. A friend just bought a charming brick home on a nice block there.... 1,350 sq. feet for $450,000.

I second Evergreen as a possible commute to Denver. West of town on the way to Summit County and gorgeous scenery.

Lucky you.
Not sure what you mean by the "geography would be Denver north". Is the job a traveling job? If so, someplace north of Denver would be great. I was thinking of Fort Collins as well. My brother and family moved from Cheyenne and the kids miss the West terribly. Cheyenne is not that appealing though. I'd love Estes Park, but hard to get in and out on a regular (traveling) basis.

I grew up in Fort Collins, moved away for college and worked in Denver, Dallas and the SF Bay Area before DH and I decided to move back and buy a house, start a family. We absolutely LOVE living here. Its a fantastic college town with great restaurants, fun bars, wonderful Old Town (downtown) and an amazing place to raise children.

having lived in downtown boston and recently making almost 200k on a home in sw florida (after only 8 mos of ownership!) the prices in denver are reasonable in comparison. i may find eventually that moving back to new england is my thing; but 3 winters now of sunshine (vail and then 2 seasons in FL) - the darkness in new england is daunting to me- but so much character. appreciate all of your posts- keepm' coming! Thanks-

If you are willing to spend $500,000 - $750,000 on a house, then there are lots of nice neighborhoods in Denver that will appeal to you. Cherry Creek and Washington Park just to name a couple. They provide a bit of character. I ditto the idea of Evergreen, a great alternative.

If you like more of a suburban, planned feel, Littleton is nice.

New England is great, too. There is no place west of the Mississippi where you can re-create that type of character and charm.

wont spend that much on a house.. but could i spend 350 or so on a nice town house in one of those areas?

I would imagine that you could find a nice townhouse for that price range. As with any neighborhood, if you want to give up character, you'll gain size and amenitieis. You could probably do very well in some neighborhoods with $350K, but I prefer the ones that remind me of the east coast.

What I'm contemplating, when I retire in a few years (early 50s) is moving to Denver or 'burbs and become a ski bum of sorts. I figure I'd get a season ticket to Winter Park and make day trips there 3-4 days/week (weekdays only), and perhaps work part-time in or around Denver.

Does it make sense to stay on the west side of I-25, to keep the trip under an hour? If so, are there any sections of the city or 'burbs anyone would recommend? Kids will be in college, so looking to downsize to a condo or townhouse (with pool, tennis courts, etc.) to minimize maintenance hassles. Also would like easy access to bike trails. Wife does not want to be "out in the country" and would like easy access to the city as well as Cherry Creek Mall :.) Current house is worth 700-800K, so would want to spend less than that. Any thoughts appreciated.

I would think that being on the west ring of suburbs would cut down on your commute time to/from mountains. Evergreen is a nice option that is actually in the mountains (would be a long drive to Cherry Creek), Golden is on the west side. And Lakewood is nice with lots of new housing stock.

You wouldn't be getting the old, quaint character and charm in those suburbs, but that isn't as important to everyone.

Being on the west or in the western suburbs is a good idea. Golden is at the entrance to the I70 corridor to the mountains, and has a lot of home building going on right now. It's home to the School of Mines and has a pretty nice downtown that is being preserved well. (Morrison (at Red Rocks) is very close to the mountains and Denver, and is a very funky little town; also probably priced a little high.)

Barry -

When you start talking Morrison or Evergreen, your wife might feel like she is "out in the country".

I-70 is your gateway to the mountains, so plan your location around that. Being a weekday ski-bum would be the life.... now crowds, no traffic, that is what it was meant to be like!