I fell in love with Colorado on my first visit to Boulder 6 years ago. I currently live in the DC area, but have always wanted to move to the mountains. And now I may finally have a chance! I have convinced my fiance that we should seriously consider moving to Denver (he has never been to CO before). We are going snowboarding at Winter Park, CO for our honeymoon in February, and I’m hoping that will convince him and seal the deal.
We are both software developers, so we assume the jobs we will be able to find will be in or close to Denver. I hear Broomfield has a lot of tech jobs, as well. Also Englewood. (At least, this is what I see on Dice).
I really want to take a long weekend trip out there soon to decide if we really do want to try to do this. So, if we visit Denver, where should we go to see it in its best light? And to be fair, what is there NOT to like about the city? How about the suburbs - any place to avoid at all costs? Anyone live in or near Broomfield that can tell me about it? What is rush hour traffic like?
Also if you are in the tech industry…do you think 2 years from now (when we will make the move, in all likelihood due to various factors) will there still be plenty of secure jobs to be had?
On a final note, if anyone is in real estate, where would be a good place to have an investment property (single family home) that we could rent out relatively easily? My cousin is a real estate agent in Denver, so I’ve asked her this, but I’m always looking for more input.
(Our plan is to buy a house there now, rent it out for two years, and then move into it ourselves when we relocate to CO. Various reasons for needing to do that, suffice to say, that’s the way this move has to work).
Broomfield is nice, kind of quiet - actually, that covers most of the NW suburbs. Commute through the I25 corridor (say, Broomfield to the Tech Center/Centennial) could run an hour or more on a normal day.
Most of the area has seen extensive renovation in the past decade or so, even crappy little towns that I avoided as a teenager are now upscale communities.
If you participate in the cultural activities of your home city now, you might look at Denver proper. I wouldn’t live there, but it’s centrally located, has those arts things - the symphony & most big Broadway shows eventually make it out here.
Most people get used to the altitude, but don’t expect either of you to enjoy your first couple of days visiting. Seriously, going from sea level to 13000 feet can wipe out even the most fit person, so please plan a couple days extra before you hit the slopes.
We get frequent temperature inversions that trap all the pollution (we’re in a bit of a valley) and so the Brown Cloud is not unusual in the winter, I say this in case either of you have asthma or other breathing conditions.
Honestly, I don’t think there will ever be “plenty of secure jobs” anywhere, but if you’re good at what you do you’ll be fine.
Lots of other DenverDopers around that’ll chime in, I’m sure.
Tech jobs in general aren’t secure. But there are a lot of large tech companies in the Front Range area (IBM, Sun, HP, etc.) if that’s the sort of thing you’re looking for.
As far as areas to avoid at all costs: Aurora and Commerce City.
Rush hour traffic? Pretty much sucks, depending on where you are going, but you are used to commuting from VA to DC, it’s better than that. I commute every day from I-70 and Ward to the Tech Center, and some days it’s a half-hour drive, some days an hour and a half.
I am not a fan of the Broomfield area, nor of the DTC/Centennial/Highlands Ranch area, but I know a lot of people like it. I am more of a western suburbs guy (I live right at the base of North Table Mountain).
The weather here is great, but the area, while not exactly a cultural wasteland, is not NYC or even DC. Lots of chain restaurants and typical suburban life on the outskirts. The downtown area is fun, but not the equal of someplace like Georgetown.
