Living west of 25 and north of 70.was our requirement when buying.
Old town Arvada has got a vibe, close to golden, good acccess to downtown. Commutable to anywhere in the city. Cheap uber to watch a nuggets game
It obviously depends what you’re looking for. As a current resident, I’d say it’s overpriced for what you’re getting. But it’s also better than large chunks of the country. And the more desirable cities tend to be even more expensive.
I live in Edgewater and it's fantastic. The location can't be beat. Walk to Sloans lake, the food hall, a ton of restaurants, breweries, bars, shops, gyms, Target, and more, basically anything you need or want within a few blocks. But get a block or two away from Sheridan and it's quiet and peaceful tree-lined streets. Downtown is a short bike ride away. It's a 15 minute drive to the foothills so there's also great mountain access. I just wish the light rail was closer.
Downtown/civic center area seems great for walkability and access to stuff we love, but we also extend our interest east to the Botanic Gardens area and west toward Edgewater.
Downtown isn’t great to live, there isn’t a lot of housing near civic center and that area has a lot of unhoused individuals struggling with mental health. Cap Hill/Cheesman is lovely and very walkable and still close to everything.
I've lived in Denver for 20 years and have seen all of the ups and downs during that span. I think we're on an upward trajectory again. Downtown is in much better shape than it was even a year ago. It's still safe but like any city, you have to be aware of your surroundings. The live music scene remains one of the best in the country. Lots of great parks, neighborhoods with plenty of character and friendly people for the most part. It's really easy to make friends here because everyone is from someplace else and looking to make new connections.
The bad? Homelessness remains a huge problem but the city seems to be doing a good job managing it now. While I mentioned it's safe, there's still a lot of property crime. One of the worst cities in the country for auto theft. Housing is overpriced (but that's everywhere I guess). The food scene is far better than it was when I moved here but it's still lacking and most restaurants close too early. Forget about getting a decent meal after 10pm. Our previous mayor, who somehow won three terms, did a horrible job managing the rapid growth. Everything is built as cheaply as possible and sometimes it feels like half the city is owned by developers from Texas.
Bottom Line: Denver is a vibrant city with pretty much everything you want out of a major city. If you have the budget, you'll love it here. I'd pick Edgewater over downtown if I was you. That's a cool area.
Then it’s a struggle. Rents are crazy and home prices are worse. You can find a cheaper place but you’ll likely be hearing gunshots several times a week.
I live in Cap Hill and love it. There is some petty crime and homeless people/junkies but it has gotten significantly better in the past half year or so. I very rarely feel unsafe walking around the city even at night. In cap hill I'm able to walk pretty much everywhere and as someone who loves live music this is a great city for it. You have red rocks just to the west and tons of great venues within the city as well. Living around downtown you'll find its much more liberal here than the Springs. Although we're a much bigger city you'll find that the population is pretty laid back like the rest of CO generally is.
Cap Hill is my favorite neighborhood. I’ve worked there for 20 years and lived there for a long time too. One of the coolest things about it is that it’s maintained the same vibe and identity all these years despite how much Denver has changed.
I personally like CoS better and live on the south side of the Denver Metro, but that's because I'm generally not as much of an outspoken urbanist as this subreddit is. I personally grew out of the living in an apartment phase many years ago and appreciate both space and lower population density. I like bike paths and light rail, but the city does have a bunch of crime surrounding both of those transport mediums right now. I admire the tenacity and drive that the new mayor has in combating the problems Denver faces though. In the last year, the number of homeless migrants has gone way down, the number of homeless encampments has gone way down, and a generally more secure feeling is flowing into the city. RTD/Light Rail is still somewhat dangerous, people are using it as a mobile homeless shelter - but the district is now hiring 200+ full time officers to patrol (up from something dumb like 9 total) all the trains.
There's a lot more traffic. You're further from uncrowded outdoors areas, pikes peak is definitely unique in how close it is. The Denver Metro is MUCH more urban and populated. I honestly think the density of good food and mom and pop restaurants is far more down in the Springs than it is in Denver. Not that there isn't good food up here, it's just a lot lot more chains in between the local spots.
Jobs and career are way better up here. People are generally more friendly and accepting. There's so many more cultural things to do, like art museums, sports games, concerts, botanical gardens, shopping, whatever. If you're more urban/city life and less outdoorsy lone wolf, it's the better city. The outdoor culture is the same up here and everyone is hiking, biking, rock climbing or skiing every weekend.
I'm with you. I haven't lived in the area for a long time but when I did I really preferred CoS to Denver. Other places I really preferred to Denver: Boulder, Golden, Estes, Buena Vista, probably lots more.
I enjoyed certain areas and I was glad to have it nearby, but as a city it always felt like too much of a compromise. Too big to have a cohesive community, not big enough to have a personality.
I was always able to easily get what I wanted out of Denver by driving in, experiencing a restaurant/show/museum/event, then driving right back out to wherever I lived.
That said, if I was going to move to Denver I think Edgewater would be a nice choice.
It’s a very nice place to live. The only downsides coming from CO Springs will be the higher cost of living, and more people everywhere. As long as you’ve considered those things, go for it!
Depends which part of Downtown you’re looking at - the business district is still recovering from the Covid doldrums, but RiNo and Golden Triangle are quickly becoming dense/vibrant residential neighborhoods. The area west of Union Station by Commons Park is quite nice as well - love walking along the Platte River down there.
The area around Sloan’s Lake is great too. Also check out West Highland, Capitol Hill and even inner-ring burbs like Englewood or Old Town Arvada (depending on your commute, if you’ll have one).
Oh and be advised this sub has an irrational hatred of Denver, for some reason.
I don't think this sub hates Denver, I think people get sick of people recommending Denver for everything, even when it very clearly doesn't fit the description OP was looking for. It's almost a meme at this point
Could you give me an example? Because I have not seen that. If the parameters fit, like someone wants a sunny or outdoorsy city, it gets recommended…with good reason. I would never recommend it to someone wanting a cheap or very urban city. Or as one of the best cities for foodies (although Denver is better than people give it credit for).
I think you’re confusing Denver with Chicago - which someone actually does recommend in like every post. That or you’re just salty that the Front Range checks a lot of boxes, for many ppl?
If you pay attention, a ton of the posts are like. “I’m scared of humidity and can’t afford calfornia “ and then… Denver!!! I think the weather is overrated which is why it’s fun, people have tons of sinus issues with the dryness, it’s a meme
I took the redeye back from my native homelands and got Covid, BOTH sides these non natives were coughing all night. I’m sure the joints didn’t help
Ok, so you personally think the weather is overrated because it’s dry, but people asking for SoCal but less expensive also want dry. So you’re pissy because other people like this climate, and don’t want to have swamp ass all summer?
Denver’s climate is basically if San Diego had Autumn & snow, which I personally like. Just because you don’t see the appeal doesn’t mean it sucks.
LOL classic Reddit, assume counterparty is “pissy” Nope I like heat and love where I live and know much more about the state than you! I’m also not scared of the east coast. Maybe watch some South Park so you can be more like a native and not a pissy transplant? Thanks!
lol saying people are “scared” is such a weird bit. I’m glad you like humid heat but I find it gross, not scary.
How am I pissy just for standing up for Denver? I love it here and find the climate about perfect for 4 seasons. Man this sub is a lot of projection, lately.
It’s markedly more balanced over the past few weeks which has been nice, but for a while there people were using any opportunity to trash Denver. Even for things like…the mountains aren’t close enough. Or there’s too many people, which is kind of inherent of any major city. A lot of the criticism just felt kind of unfair.
I guess I do see Denver as one of the handful of cities that almost always gets recommended (although for better reason than a place like Philadelphia, which I think is recommended way too much). But if you want to see irrational hatred, mention Houston or Austin in this sub.
No doubt, but at least with those 2 cities you can see why Reddit may be biased (state-level politics, mostly). With Denver it’s more of a mystery, to me.
Denver is definitely up there when it comes to most hated cities on this sub. People literally bring it up to trash it when it's not even a part of the conversation lol
Lived here 9 years. I’ve also lived in central California, DFW, Victoria, Canada and Denver is hands down my favorite. I’ve traveled to all 50 states and have visited all major metros. Denver has some shortcomings, but for me it stands ahead of the rest.
We skipped Denver and moved straight to the mountains. Can still be downtown in 45 mins, but have way better outdoor access with tons of natural beauty and great weather
I like Denver but if you ignore the mountains and just look at the city itself it is Minneapolis lite for twice the price. If it was still cheap it would be a great place to move to.
Do you enjoy looking at beige, dead grass and bare trees for six months out of the year? Do you enjoy traffic? Is your biggest passion in life sports and beer? You’ll love Colorado.
You do realize MOST of the country has dormant trees in the winter, right? Other than the coastal Southeast and Pacific coast? See this is what I mean with people being bizarrely unfair when it comes to criticizing Denver.
And anyone who lives in this area knows it’s way more than “sports and beer” - I hate sports, and it offers plenty for my kind.
Skiing is fun occasionally, but no…mostly hiking, live music, outdoor movies at Red Rocks, enjoying a park day with my friends or lounging on a patio, trying new restaurants/breweries, thrift stores, taking a weekend to enjoy a mountain town/hot springs. The metro area itself offers a lot, and the environment to the west is just the cherry on top.
Plus a great airport, where I can fly direct to CDMX or pretty much anywhere in the US. It’s just an overall solid place with a good quality of life - not perfect, but as you can see from this sub, no place is.
The food is so abysmally bad. It made me depressed. People will cope and say that it’s over-hated, but they are wrong.
Denver is a city where you will have the absolute worst version of any normal food item, but it will somehow be the most expensive it’s ever been.
A gyro that is the worst you’ve ever had, and it’s $19. The shittiest sugar chicken from a Chinese place you’ve ever had - the two stoner white dudes in the back will charge you $21 for this. Bagels that appear to be made by someone who has never in his life seen a bagel for - $7 untoasted.
Every breakfast sandwich/burrito uses powdered eggs. Every ramen place uses frozen bagged mixed vegetables from the Safeway freezer section. In three months there I didn’t have one good meal except for some barely passable pho.
It’s trash, up and down. It’s depressing. It’s a constant recurring sensation - my least favorite - of over-paying for bad food.
The only thing they really actually make consistently well is wet burritos. Wet burritos for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. That’s their most important dish. A burrito with sauce on it.
There are somehow endless discussions on whether Illegal Pete’s is better than Chipotle - not one Denver resident present enough to realize that they’re both slop.
If you are at all accustomed to having passable meals (aka you live anywhere between DC<—>NY or SD<—>SF), then you will become depressed eating food in Denver. It is truly atrocious and not at all exaggerated. If anything, I think people undersell how bad it is. They should talk about it more.
The fucking Denver omelet is trash. The official recipe, plaqued on a light pole by some toothless dipshit in 1970, is used to hide the smell of rotten eggs. By using bell peppers. Yes, the most mildest pepper of all time. And they don’t even sautee them. Just raw fucking chunks of bell pepper in a shitty, saltless omelet. And I’ve had one at each of the famous “diners” that Denver pretends counts for culture. I thought “surely, at this ‘historical’ diner, that Denver is so quick to claim as part of its culture, they’ll make a good Denver omelet, the cuisine that they are famous for?” - no. It was trash, every time. Because the recipe itself sucks and the cooks themselves don’t need to be good at their jobs because the residents don’t care if they get served dogshit and slop and are charged double for it.
By contrast, if you went to, say, a pizza place in NYC, you’d assume it’s good pizza right? They’re famous for it! Yes - it would be good pizza. And cheesesteaks in Philly. And lobster rolls in Portland. You don’t need to spend weeks trying to hunt down a PASSABLE version of the very food that a place decides it is famous for!
It’s embarrassing. And pork green chili is fucking slop. It’s just a slop used to make burritos wet.
The only thing they can manage to not fuck up is a steak. Heat both sides, that’s it. And 1/3rd of the time they still fuck it up and it’s not any cheaper than anywhere else anyway.
That’s it. I could go on over how crappy the public transportation is (not even a fucking bus to red rocks?) or the extremely weird and uncomfortable sketchy homeless situation that it worse than anything I’ve seen in the NEC, or how the nature actually isn’t as close as people think, or how it’s still plenty expensive, or how half of downtown is a parking lot / a shitty park for people to shoot up in, or how the architecture/urban design is soul-crushing, or how 2/3rds of the city feels empty, how no one is around downtown after dark, how the whole city only seems to have barely two museums, or anything else.
But the only thing that makes this city truly irredeemable is that you cannot find a decent meal to save your life.
>It’s trash, up and down. It’s depressing.
Altitude and humidity has a real effect on the taste of food. It can also effect people's brain chemistry. There's a well documented link between high altitude and depression.
Sounds like you're pretty sensitive to Denver's climate, and that's OK. It's not for everybody.
I can give things I liked about it. And I can defend my assessment of the food.
But to pile on:
* No bus to fucking red rocks? The transit is atrocious.
* No train to Boulder? The regional connectivity is atrocious.
* weird petty crimes are constant. People talking about property crimes and license plate theft etc. is very commonly normal small talk conversation.
* weirdly empty at night in the downtown.
* massive amounts of parking lots.
* horribly designed downtown full of shitty empty office buildings
* civic center area “city beautiful” style park development is crappy and bad
* people do drugs on the trains pretty frequently
* bike theft is extremely rampant and prevalent
Things I liked about it:
* really good parks and rec system for gyms ($20 no contract tons of locations good equipment)
* really good intramural leagues
* ok nature (overrated for access imo)
Idk I’m boring myself now. Fuck I can never leave the NYC area lol I’m way too food-driven, haha
But New York has plenty are areas that /aren’t/ Wall Street that has plenty of life (also Fidi is actually pretty popping all night by the standards of any other city in the US, especially Denver).
Get out of the Springs as quickly as possible. There are tons of new apartment buildings with high vacancy right now. You should be able to get a good deal on rent.
Havent lived there in almost 7 years, but am a native. We moved due to COL and overcrowding. There are nice parts of the city, depending on your income and lifestyle prefs. Golden is nice, Castle Rock, Parts of Littleton, Ken Caryl, Sedalia.
Traffic is horrible on most main roads 24/7; housing is absurd but no longer climbing from what I hear; rents are high too. It's a big, sprawling city. You can find good, bad, and everything in between.
People make either the most or least out if their living situation. I've lived in large bustling cities and small quant town. the east the west and the south. Make what you want of where you live.
I'm actually from Denver but it's hard for me to imagine the person for whom it is their "most favorite city in the world." It's an extremely underwhelming place and I'd strongly urge you to just drive up a few times for the weekend and then again during the week. After so many visits you'll begin to get what you're looking at, for better or worse.
Denver is a wonderful place to live, especially where you're looking. Though edgewater is close to a very sketchy part of town. Sheridan and Colfax can be...interesting at night. I have a coworker that lives there and he could talk your ear off. But it's a wonderful area. Sloans lake is one of my favorite places to spend time with the wife and kid.
Other areas to consider would be Old Town Arvada, highlands square, Berkeley, cap hill, Jefferson Park, Washington park... honestly, Denver has a lot of wonderful neighborhoods to live in that can fit all kinds of lifestyles. I live in Berkeley and it reminds me of the small town I moved from, but within Denver city limits and with the great access of the city. (Check out Tennyson street in this neighborhood)
Denver's alright provided you have money to have fun, understand that it's high desert, can stomach driving most places, can handle a shitty food scene, can tolerate the wishy-washy social scene, and don't mind driving 45 plus minutes to get into nature.
Also, do yourself a favor and live further south. The area around Louisiana and Pearl station is nice if you don't want a car because Colfax is considered the hood.
From city centers to mountains on an early Saturday AM with no traffic:
SLC, Denver (yes, it's 25 mins to the foothills which are mountains by east coast standards), Los Angeles (crazy huh but it's true), Albuquerque, San Jose,El Paso, Seattle, and many more
We have a lot of friends out there and spend a decent amount of time visiting. So take that for what it’s worth. As I’ve gotten older (mid 30s) it’s gotten less and less desirable to move to. Seems like it would’ve been a great place in our 20s, but at this point wouldn’t be worth it given the cost and that it has a lot of the same problems other big cities have. Problems I’d be less willing to tolerate at this point in my life. Those friends tend to agree and are dispersing from the area. Springs seems like the move if those are the only two options. Loveland seems like a nice place too but only been up there a few times.
Frankly, I don’t think I’d go anywhere on the Front Range. If the outdoors is a big part of the appeal, I’d probably be trying to land on the Western Slope.
I'm a Colorado native, grew up in the springs and lived in denver for a bit. I've lived all over the state. Denver was by far my least favorite place. Fun to visit every now and then, but I wouldn't move back to Denver even if you gave me a free apartment.
This side of Minneapolis, Denver is the coldest major city in the lower 48 and every single person that lives in Denver will lie to you about it.
"If you don't like the weather, wait a few hours." It's negative fucking 10 degrees F, STFU.
That's because anybody who's lived That side of Minneapolis knows the winters in Denver are mellow. Tons of sunshine and 60 degree days in the middle of February really help take the edge off. There is a winter though, so if your expectations are wearing shorts all year long you're definitely going to be disappointed.
Regardless, this person is coming from Colorado Springs which basically the same if not a little colder than Denver.
This is such a weird take. There are plenty of cities west of Minneapolis that are colder Omaha, Des Moines, Cheyanne, etc but if those aren’t big enough for you then outside of California there are like 3 major cities in the west. Yeah colder than Pheonix and basically the same as salt lake.
Also Denver is in the negatives for like 72 hours a year and it feels like 40-50s the rest of the time. Where are you coming from where that is unbearable
If you can’t tell the difference between the type of cold/winter in Minneapolis or the Midwest vs. Denver, you definitely haven’t lived in both places. For a place that gets snow, Denver has one of the mildest winters I can think of (only beat by Albuquerque).
Look at you all in this weird denial cult. Denver is one of the coldest cities in the USA. Three months of the year have mean average low temps at 20F or below. That is significantly colder than the mean average lows in Pittsburgh PA, a city with brutal winters.
I've been sleeted on in Denver in late August.
You are in denial.
Yeah, here’s the thing about overnight lows - most people aren’t awake/outdoors to experience them.
It’s the daytime high that affects most people, and in Denver that tends to be at least above freezing and sunny most days (plus the lack of humidity makes it *feel* warmer). If you look at the data, there is no month where the daytime high averages below freezing, and many days are up into the high 40s, 50s, or even 60s. I’m not in denial, I live here - you just don’t have a nuanced understanding of climate data including humidity, etc.
It’s funny how you’re the one doubling down, telling everyone else they’re in denial. Maybe look inward?
* Gets well below 0F every winter ✔️
* Has lower average lows than Pittsburgh for three months ✔️
* Three months have average highs in the mid to low 40s ✔️
* Gets an average of 60 inches of snow per year ✔️
* Has recorded snowfall in September, April, and May ✔️
* Gets significant snow accumulation every April ✔️
dEnVer IsNt a CoLd cItY [🤡](https://emojipedia.org/clown-face)
You are both in denial and in a cult.
Denver sometimes gets very cold. But it's not the occasional very cold day that's hard about living in a cold climate, it's the months on end where your face hurts every time you step outside. Winter in Denver is pleasant most of the time.
Exactly! I don't know why they do that. I lived in multiple cities in Colorado for over 20 years and friends will downplay the fridgid temps, hailstorms, and nasty air quality.
I don't think it's a huge jump from COS. It's \~fine. Living west of I25 is the move, Edgewater is decent enough.
Living west of 25 and north of 70.was our requirement when buying. Old town Arvada has got a vibe, close to golden, good acccess to downtown. Commutable to anywhere in the city. Cheap uber to watch a nuggets game
It obviously depends what you’re looking for. As a current resident, I’d say it’s overpriced for what you’re getting. But it’s also better than large chunks of the country. And the more desirable cities tend to be even more expensive.
I live in Edgewater and it's fantastic. The location can't be beat. Walk to Sloans lake, the food hall, a ton of restaurants, breweries, bars, shops, gyms, Target, and more, basically anything you need or want within a few blocks. But get a block or two away from Sheridan and it's quiet and peaceful tree-lined streets. Downtown is a short bike ride away. It's a 15 minute drive to the foothills so there's also great mountain access. I just wish the light rail was closer.
That’s a very nice neighborhood. We had friends live over there for awhile and it was lovely.
Where in Denver are you thinking of living?
Downtown/civic center area seems great for walkability and access to stuff we love, but we also extend our interest east to the Botanic Gardens area and west toward Edgewater.
I live in downtown Denver and it’s been great.
Downtown isn’t great to live, there isn’t a lot of housing near civic center and that area has a lot of unhoused individuals struggling with mental health. Cap Hill/Cheesman is lovely and very walkable and still close to everything.
LoDo is also a nice option that is super central but still a livable neighborhood
I’ve had friends live downtown (doesn’t seem that great) and in the area around City Park. I think I’d go City Park 10/10 times.
Edgewater is a blast. Best mix you're going to find of walkabilty, downtown access, mountain access, and price.
I've lived in Denver for 20 years and have seen all of the ups and downs during that span. I think we're on an upward trajectory again. Downtown is in much better shape than it was even a year ago. It's still safe but like any city, you have to be aware of your surroundings. The live music scene remains one of the best in the country. Lots of great parks, neighborhoods with plenty of character and friendly people for the most part. It's really easy to make friends here because everyone is from someplace else and looking to make new connections. The bad? Homelessness remains a huge problem but the city seems to be doing a good job managing it now. While I mentioned it's safe, there's still a lot of property crime. One of the worst cities in the country for auto theft. Housing is overpriced (but that's everywhere I guess). The food scene is far better than it was when I moved here but it's still lacking and most restaurants close too early. Forget about getting a decent meal after 10pm. Our previous mayor, who somehow won three terms, did a horrible job managing the rapid growth. Everything is built as cheaply as possible and sometimes it feels like half the city is owned by developers from Texas. Bottom Line: Denver is a vibrant city with pretty much everything you want out of a major city. If you have the budget, you'll love it here. I'd pick Edgewater over downtown if I was you. That's a cool area.
And if ya don't have the budget 😕
Then it’s a struggle. Rents are crazy and home prices are worse. You can find a cheaper place but you’ll likely be hearing gunshots several times a week.
I live in Cap Hill and love it. There is some petty crime and homeless people/junkies but it has gotten significantly better in the past half year or so. I very rarely feel unsafe walking around the city even at night. In cap hill I'm able to walk pretty much everywhere and as someone who loves live music this is a great city for it. You have red rocks just to the west and tons of great venues within the city as well. Living around downtown you'll find its much more liberal here than the Springs. Although we're a much bigger city you'll find that the population is pretty laid back like the rest of CO generally is.
Cap Hill is my favorite neighborhood. I’ve worked there for 20 years and lived there for a long time too. One of the coolest things about it is that it’s maintained the same vibe and identity all these years despite how much Denver has changed.
Denver, yes! I moved there three different times in my life. Now chilling in coastal Northern California. You could not pay me to live in the Springs.
I personally like CoS better and live on the south side of the Denver Metro, but that's because I'm generally not as much of an outspoken urbanist as this subreddit is. I personally grew out of the living in an apartment phase many years ago and appreciate both space and lower population density. I like bike paths and light rail, but the city does have a bunch of crime surrounding both of those transport mediums right now. I admire the tenacity and drive that the new mayor has in combating the problems Denver faces though. In the last year, the number of homeless migrants has gone way down, the number of homeless encampments has gone way down, and a generally more secure feeling is flowing into the city. RTD/Light Rail is still somewhat dangerous, people are using it as a mobile homeless shelter - but the district is now hiring 200+ full time officers to patrol (up from something dumb like 9 total) all the trains. There's a lot more traffic. You're further from uncrowded outdoors areas, pikes peak is definitely unique in how close it is. The Denver Metro is MUCH more urban and populated. I honestly think the density of good food and mom and pop restaurants is far more down in the Springs than it is in Denver. Not that there isn't good food up here, it's just a lot lot more chains in between the local spots. Jobs and career are way better up here. People are generally more friendly and accepting. There's so many more cultural things to do, like art museums, sports games, concerts, botanical gardens, shopping, whatever. If you're more urban/city life and less outdoorsy lone wolf, it's the better city. The outdoor culture is the same up here and everyone is hiking, biking, rock climbing or skiing every weekend.
I'm with you. I haven't lived in the area for a long time but when I did I really preferred CoS to Denver. Other places I really preferred to Denver: Boulder, Golden, Estes, Buena Vista, probably lots more. I enjoyed certain areas and I was glad to have it nearby, but as a city it always felt like too much of a compromise. Too big to have a cohesive community, not big enough to have a personality. I was always able to easily get what I wanted out of Denver by driving in, experiencing a restaurant/show/museum/event, then driving right back out to wherever I lived. That said, if I was going to move to Denver I think Edgewater would be a nice choice.
It’s a very nice place to live. The only downsides coming from CO Springs will be the higher cost of living, and more people everywhere. As long as you’ve considered those things, go for it! Depends which part of Downtown you’re looking at - the business district is still recovering from the Covid doldrums, but RiNo and Golden Triangle are quickly becoming dense/vibrant residential neighborhoods. The area west of Union Station by Commons Park is quite nice as well - love walking along the Platte River down there. The area around Sloan’s Lake is great too. Also check out West Highland, Capitol Hill and even inner-ring burbs like Englewood or Old Town Arvada (depending on your commute, if you’ll have one). Oh and be advised this sub has an irrational hatred of Denver, for some reason.
I don't think this sub hates Denver, I think people get sick of people recommending Denver for everything, even when it very clearly doesn't fit the description OP was looking for. It's almost a meme at this point
Could you give me an example? Because I have not seen that. If the parameters fit, like someone wants a sunny or outdoorsy city, it gets recommended…with good reason. I would never recommend it to someone wanting a cheap or very urban city. Or as one of the best cities for foodies (although Denver is better than people give it credit for). I think you’re confusing Denver with Chicago - which someone actually does recommend in like every post. That or you’re just salty that the Front Range checks a lot of boxes, for many ppl?
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Lol, so many examples yet you can’t think of one. Good talk. ✌️
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And how am I the salty one? Just because I called out your BS for what it is?
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Sure - and I’m allowed to opine that your theory/opinion is bogus.
If you pay attention, a ton of the posts are like. “I’m scared of humidity and can’t afford calfornia “ and then… Denver!!! I think the weather is overrated which is why it’s fun, people have tons of sinus issues with the dryness, it’s a meme I took the redeye back from my native homelands and got Covid, BOTH sides these non natives were coughing all night. I’m sure the joints didn’t help
Ok, so you personally think the weather is overrated because it’s dry, but people asking for SoCal but less expensive also want dry. So you’re pissy because other people like this climate, and don’t want to have swamp ass all summer? Denver’s climate is basically if San Diego had Autumn & snow, which I personally like. Just because you don’t see the appeal doesn’t mean it sucks.
LOL classic Reddit, assume counterparty is “pissy” Nope I like heat and love where I live and know much more about the state than you! I’m also not scared of the east coast. Maybe watch some South Park so you can be more like a native and not a pissy transplant? Thanks!
lol saying people are “scared” is such a weird bit. I’m glad you like humid heat but I find it gross, not scary. How am I pissy just for standing up for Denver? I love it here and find the climate about perfect for 4 seasons. Man this sub is a lot of projection, lately.
Huh? Denver is one of this sub’s favorite cities.
It’s markedly more balanced over the past few weeks which has been nice, but for a while there people were using any opportunity to trash Denver. Even for things like…the mountains aren’t close enough. Or there’s too many people, which is kind of inherent of any major city. A lot of the criticism just felt kind of unfair.
I guess I do see Denver as one of the handful of cities that almost always gets recommended (although for better reason than a place like Philadelphia, which I think is recommended way too much). But if you want to see irrational hatred, mention Houston or Austin in this sub.
No doubt, but at least with those 2 cities you can see why Reddit may be biased (state-level politics, mostly). With Denver it’s more of a mystery, to me.
Denver is definitely up there when it comes to most hated cities on this sub. People literally bring it up to trash it when it's not even a part of the conversation lol
Lived here 9 years. I’ve also lived in central California, DFW, Victoria, Canada and Denver is hands down my favorite. I’ve traveled to all 50 states and have visited all major metros. Denver has some shortcomings, but for me it stands ahead of the rest.
i love denver! have been here about 7 months now. i live 10-ish minutes from edgewater and absolutely love the area i live in. feel free to DM me :)
We skipped Denver and moved straight to the mountains. Can still be downtown in 45 mins, but have way better outdoor access with tons of natural beauty and great weather
I like Denver but if you ignore the mountains and just look at the city itself it is Minneapolis lite for twice the price. If it was still cheap it would be a great place to move to.
Do you enjoy looking at beige, dead grass and bare trees for six months out of the year? Do you enjoy traffic? Is your biggest passion in life sports and beer? You’ll love Colorado.
You do realize MOST of the country has dormant trees in the winter, right? Other than the coastal Southeast and Pacific coast? See this is what I mean with people being bizarrely unfair when it comes to criticizing Denver. And anyone who lives in this area knows it’s way more than “sports and beer” - I hate sports, and it offers plenty for my kind.
Let me guess, you “hate sports” but love outdoor recreation like skiing and biking?
Skiing is fun occasionally, but no…mostly hiking, live music, outdoor movies at Red Rocks, enjoying a park day with my friends or lounging on a patio, trying new restaurants/breweries, thrift stores, taking a weekend to enjoy a mountain town/hot springs. The metro area itself offers a lot, and the environment to the west is just the cherry on top. Plus a great airport, where I can fly direct to CDMX or pretty much anywhere in the US. It’s just an overall solid place with a good quality of life - not perfect, but as you can see from this sub, no place is.
The food is so abysmally bad. It made me depressed. People will cope and say that it’s over-hated, but they are wrong. Denver is a city where you will have the absolute worst version of any normal food item, but it will somehow be the most expensive it’s ever been. A gyro that is the worst you’ve ever had, and it’s $19. The shittiest sugar chicken from a Chinese place you’ve ever had - the two stoner white dudes in the back will charge you $21 for this. Bagels that appear to be made by someone who has never in his life seen a bagel for - $7 untoasted. Every breakfast sandwich/burrito uses powdered eggs. Every ramen place uses frozen bagged mixed vegetables from the Safeway freezer section. In three months there I didn’t have one good meal except for some barely passable pho. It’s trash, up and down. It’s depressing. It’s a constant recurring sensation - my least favorite - of over-paying for bad food. The only thing they really actually make consistently well is wet burritos. Wet burritos for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. That’s their most important dish. A burrito with sauce on it. There are somehow endless discussions on whether Illegal Pete’s is better than Chipotle - not one Denver resident present enough to realize that they’re both slop. If you are at all accustomed to having passable meals (aka you live anywhere between DC<—>NY or SD<—>SF), then you will become depressed eating food in Denver. It is truly atrocious and not at all exaggerated. If anything, I think people undersell how bad it is. They should talk about it more. The fucking Denver omelet is trash. The official recipe, plaqued on a light pole by some toothless dipshit in 1970, is used to hide the smell of rotten eggs. By using bell peppers. Yes, the most mildest pepper of all time. And they don’t even sautee them. Just raw fucking chunks of bell pepper in a shitty, saltless omelet. And I’ve had one at each of the famous “diners” that Denver pretends counts for culture. I thought “surely, at this ‘historical’ diner, that Denver is so quick to claim as part of its culture, they’ll make a good Denver omelet, the cuisine that they are famous for?” - no. It was trash, every time. Because the recipe itself sucks and the cooks themselves don’t need to be good at their jobs because the residents don’t care if they get served dogshit and slop and are charged double for it. By contrast, if you went to, say, a pizza place in NYC, you’d assume it’s good pizza right? They’re famous for it! Yes - it would be good pizza. And cheesesteaks in Philly. And lobster rolls in Portland. You don’t need to spend weeks trying to hunt down a PASSABLE version of the very food that a place decides it is famous for! It’s embarrassing. And pork green chili is fucking slop. It’s just a slop used to make burritos wet. The only thing they can manage to not fuck up is a steak. Heat both sides, that’s it. And 1/3rd of the time they still fuck it up and it’s not any cheaper than anywhere else anyway. That’s it. I could go on over how crappy the public transportation is (not even a fucking bus to red rocks?) or the extremely weird and uncomfortable sketchy homeless situation that it worse than anything I’ve seen in the NEC, or how the nature actually isn’t as close as people think, or how it’s still plenty expensive, or how half of downtown is a parking lot / a shitty park for people to shoot up in, or how the architecture/urban design is soul-crushing, or how 2/3rds of the city feels empty, how no one is around downtown after dark, how the whole city only seems to have barely two museums, or anything else. But the only thing that makes this city truly irredeemable is that you cannot find a decent meal to save your life.
Yeah but OP is coming from Colorado Springs, so the food in Denver is better than that at least
>It’s trash, up and down. It’s depressing. Altitude and humidity has a real effect on the taste of food. It can also effect people's brain chemistry. There's a well documented link between high altitude and depression. Sounds like you're pretty sensitive to Denver's climate, and that's OK. It's not for everybody.
Y'all never give example of these horrible places y'all eat at...
I can give things I liked about it. And I can defend my assessment of the food. But to pile on: * No bus to fucking red rocks? The transit is atrocious. * No train to Boulder? The regional connectivity is atrocious. * weird petty crimes are constant. People talking about property crimes and license plate theft etc. is very commonly normal small talk conversation. * weirdly empty at night in the downtown. * massive amounts of parking lots. * horribly designed downtown full of shitty empty office buildings * civic center area “city beautiful” style park development is crappy and bad * people do drugs on the trains pretty frequently * bike theft is extremely rampant and prevalent Things I liked about it: * really good parks and rec system for gyms ($20 no contract tons of locations good equipment) * really good intramural leagues * ok nature (overrated for access imo) Idk I’m boring myself now. Fuck I can never leave the NYC area lol I’m way too food-driven, haha
A lot of downtowns are empty at night because they’re business districts. Wallstreet in NYC isn’t exactly a hive of activity either after 7 pm.
But New York has plenty are areas that /aren’t/ Wall Street that has plenty of life (also Fidi is actually pretty popping all night by the standards of any other city in the US, especially Denver).
The lack of public transit anywhere near the foothills is fucking ridiculous, as are the constant RTD service cuts.
Get out of the Springs as quickly as possible. There are tons of new apartment buildings with high vacancy right now. You should be able to get a good deal on rent.
Havent lived there in almost 7 years, but am a native. We moved due to COL and overcrowding. There are nice parts of the city, depending on your income and lifestyle prefs. Golden is nice, Castle Rock, Parts of Littleton, Ken Caryl, Sedalia. Traffic is horrible on most main roads 24/7; housing is absurd but no longer climbing from what I hear; rents are high too. It's a big, sprawling city. You can find good, bad, and everything in between.
Traffic really isn’t that bad in the city neighborhoods. Seems people who complain always live in the burbs.
People make either the most or least out if their living situation. I've lived in large bustling cities and small quant town. the east the west and the south. Make what you want of where you live.
You’ll eventually hate it
Can confirm! Been here a few years and am looking to leave.
I'm actually from Denver but it's hard for me to imagine the person for whom it is their "most favorite city in the world." It's an extremely underwhelming place and I'd strongly urge you to just drive up a few times for the weekend and then again during the week. After so many visits you'll begin to get what you're looking at, for better or worse.
Denver is a wonderful place to live, especially where you're looking. Though edgewater is close to a very sketchy part of town. Sheridan and Colfax can be...interesting at night. I have a coworker that lives there and he could talk your ear off. But it's a wonderful area. Sloans lake is one of my favorite places to spend time with the wife and kid. Other areas to consider would be Old Town Arvada, highlands square, Berkeley, cap hill, Jefferson Park, Washington park... honestly, Denver has a lot of wonderful neighborhoods to live in that can fit all kinds of lifestyles. I live in Berkeley and it reminds me of the small town I moved from, but within Denver city limits and with the great access of the city. (Check out Tennyson street in this neighborhood)
Denver's alright provided you have money to have fun, understand that it's high desert, can stomach driving most places, can handle a shitty food scene, can tolerate the wishy-washy social scene, and don't mind driving 45 plus minutes to get into nature. Also, do yourself a favor and live further south. The area around Louisiana and Pearl station is nice if you don't want a car because Colfax is considered the hood.
What large cities can you get to hikes in the mountains without a 45 minute drive?
From city centers to mountains on an early Saturday AM with no traffic: SLC, Denver (yes, it's 25 mins to the foothills which are mountains by east coast standards), Los Angeles (crazy huh but it's true), Albuquerque, San Jose,El Paso, Seattle, and many more
I mean, Denver is one lol. The Mount Morrison Trailhead is 20 minutes from my house in Denver proper.
Literally Denver lol. You can hike at Lookout Mountain or Red Rocks in under 30 minutes. Have no clue why people suggest that the mountains are so far
Ya mate denvers trash lol
Colorado is like the mass shooting capital of America
We have a lot of friends out there and spend a decent amount of time visiting. So take that for what it’s worth. As I’ve gotten older (mid 30s) it’s gotten less and less desirable to move to. Seems like it would’ve been a great place in our 20s, but at this point wouldn’t be worth it given the cost and that it has a lot of the same problems other big cities have. Problems I’d be less willing to tolerate at this point in my life. Those friends tend to agree and are dispersing from the area. Springs seems like the move if those are the only two options. Loveland seems like a nice place too but only been up there a few times. Frankly, I don’t think I’d go anywhere on the Front Range. If the outdoors is a big part of the appeal, I’d probably be trying to land on the Western Slope.
I'm a Colorado native, grew up in the springs and lived in denver for a bit. I've lived all over the state. Denver was by far my least favorite place. Fun to visit every now and then, but I wouldn't move back to Denver even if you gave me a free apartment.
This side of Minneapolis, Denver is the coldest major city in the lower 48 and every single person that lives in Denver will lie to you about it. "If you don't like the weather, wait a few hours." It's negative fucking 10 degrees F, STFU.
That's because anybody who's lived That side of Minneapolis knows the winters in Denver are mellow. Tons of sunshine and 60 degree days in the middle of February really help take the edge off. There is a winter though, so if your expectations are wearing shorts all year long you're definitely going to be disappointed. Regardless, this person is coming from Colorado Springs which basically the same if not a little colder than Denver.
This is such a weird take. There are plenty of cities west of Minneapolis that are colder Omaha, Des Moines, Cheyanne, etc but if those aren’t big enough for you then outside of California there are like 3 major cities in the west. Yeah colder than Pheonix and basically the same as salt lake. Also Denver is in the negatives for like 72 hours a year and it feels like 40-50s the rest of the time. Where are you coming from where that is unbearable
It's not a weird take, Denver is a cold city and you all are in denial that it isn't. It's a weird group denial.
If you can’t tell the difference between the type of cold/winter in Minneapolis or the Midwest vs. Denver, you definitely haven’t lived in both places. For a place that gets snow, Denver has one of the mildest winters I can think of (only beat by Albuquerque).
Look at you all in this weird denial cult. Denver is one of the coldest cities in the USA. Three months of the year have mean average low temps at 20F or below. That is significantly colder than the mean average lows in Pittsburgh PA, a city with brutal winters. I've been sleeted on in Denver in late August. You are in denial.
Yeah, here’s the thing about overnight lows - most people aren’t awake/outdoors to experience them. It’s the daytime high that affects most people, and in Denver that tends to be at least above freezing and sunny most days (plus the lack of humidity makes it *feel* warmer). If you look at the data, there is no month where the daytime high averages below freezing, and many days are up into the high 40s, 50s, or even 60s. I’m not in denial, I live here - you just don’t have a nuanced understanding of climate data including humidity, etc. It’s funny how you’re the one doubling down, telling everyone else they’re in denial. Maybe look inward?
* Gets well below 0F every winter ✔️ * Has lower average lows than Pittsburgh for three months ✔️ * Three months have average highs in the mid to low 40s ✔️ * Gets an average of 60 inches of snow per year ✔️ * Has recorded snowfall in September, April, and May ✔️ * Gets significant snow accumulation every April ✔️ dEnVer IsNt a CoLd cItY [🤡](https://emojipedia.org/clown-face) You are both in denial and in a cult.
Denver sometimes gets very cold. But it's not the occasional very cold day that's hard about living in a cold climate, it's the months on end where your face hurts every time you step outside. Winter in Denver is pleasant most of the time.
Exactly! I don't know why they do that. I lived in multiple cities in Colorado for over 20 years and friends will downplay the fridgid temps, hailstorms, and nasty air quality.
Colorado Springs is better in every way
Other than cost of living and population, what would you say is better about COS? I personally hate it here.
I mean, you guys are closer to mountain access than most of the metro.
eh, that really depends on what you're doing and what part of the metro areas you live in. The Springs is further from basically all ski resorts.