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Offer is there, just have to decide it is truly what we want. How was the transition for most of you? We are both right at 30. No kids (maybe in 2 years if we move to Denver after we get settled in).
The transition was awesome. Moving from TX to Denver is a huge upgrade, especially after spending 5 years in Houston. My wife and I were 29 when we moved, no kids. We loved Denver from day one (actually, I visited here in 2007 and was obsessed about moving here for 2+ years). We now have an 18-month old and another one on the way, and I can’t think of a better place to raise kids.
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I love cold weather and love the fact that it never gets scorching hot.
The weather is outstanding. Denver gets a decent amount of snow, but it usually melts pretty quick because it’s sunny 320 days a year. There are tons of 50-75 degree days and 35-50 degree nights in Fall and Spring. Even when it gets “hot” in the summer (like 90* & 20% humidity), you can drive an hour to the mountains and the temps drop 15-20 degrees.
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Was the increased cost of living / state income tax noticeable?
A little, but not much. Property taxes are about 1.5% less here, but state income tax is 4.6% or so. A hypothetical of 175k income & 300k house price = 4,500 less on property taxes & 8,000 more on state income tax…. So, it costs 2% more of income considering only prop taxes and state income. Of course, this % will fluctuate as you vary the income and house price. And, I’d expect to pay 30-40% more for a house here. There are plenty of nice houses for 260-325k in the suburbs; it will generally cost more to live in the city but you can still find some deals there too.
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Also, if any of you moved from Houston or Dallas, where you concerned about the economy and have your concerns been alleviated after seeing the economy first hand?
I’m in oil/gas, and the industry is doing well. With that in mind, I don’t have a great pulse for how other industries are doing. I will say a couple things about the job market in Denver: (1) Denver has a very high % of college-educated people so there is solid competition, and (2) Denver is a really good size- if you network, do a good job, and treat others well…. You will have plenty of open doors and opportunity for upward mobility.
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We will most likely want to live in or around downtown to truly enjoy the city. Sorry for the rambling but lots of things running through my mind.
Great idea. Some of the neighborhoods to consider are: Cherry Creek, City Park (or even Park Hill, if you don’t mind kicking down doors and rescuing people from fires- like one poster on this thread has done), Wash Park, Congress Park, Cheesman Park, LoDo, Capitol Hill. There are tons of good eats and bars, parks, festivals, and always something to do.
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Realize people are a little different here. The hospitality and family feel of Texas is few and far between.
This can go both ways. People here tend to be a little less in your face, confrontational, and judgmental, and they also tend to not gossip nearly as much as Texans. More of a “what you see is what you get”. People here are much more laid back. People care a lot more about where you ski/what kind of beers you like/what you do on the weekends than where you work/how much do you make/how big is your house. In other words, I really enjoy the lack of pretentious people. It may be an adjustment for some, especially if you’re of the mindset that TX is the greatest place ever. If you have an open mind and enjoy all that CO has to offer, I think you’ll enjoy it quite a bit. I was very ready to get out of TX, and like I expected, I plan on living in CO forever.
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Now that I have been negative, realize that this is the greatest place on earth. It's Colorado for gods sake. Ski, hike, drink beer. I love Colorado and I met my wife here. You only love once and you might as well give it a shot.
You can always go back, but I doubt you will.
I agree 100%, other than “only loving once” like my pal db said.
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Cost of living outside of house, I think it's exactly the same. Gas, groceries, bars/restaurants, entertainment.. all the same as Houston. Yes car registration is maybe $300 instead of $75 in Houston.. who cares, just once a year.
I agree. Just for comparison (because I haven’t been to a TX grocery store in a long time), I pay around $2.50-$3.00 for a gallon of milk ($2 last week) at King Sooper/Costco/Sprouts, get apples for $.79-$1.79/pound depending on variety, get choice Rib Eye from Costco for $6-8/pound. Sprouts also usually has BlueBell for $5-6.
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On the house price, don't let the statement above give you jitters. Yes the price is higher here for same house, but you'll quickly find your monthly payment is not. Simple explanation is property taxes, and lack thereof here in CO.
I agree here also. I think property taxes were around 2.25% in the Houston burbs, and they are less than 1% here. I think you can expect to pay 30-45% more for a home here than in Houston/Dallas. However, there are exceptions. We paid less than $90/square foot in a nice suburb 20 minutes from downtown, and we really like our house (in great shape, lots of upgrades). There are many nice suburbs here. However, there are also several nice neighborhoods surrounding downtown- some are fairly affordable & some you’re looking at 400-500k for a 1,500-1,800 sf bungalow.
