I know a few people have lived/visited there. I haven't been to Denver since I was a kid and don't remember anything about it.

What's it like?
Fun place to live?
How are the property values?
Traffic?
What is there to do? And I'm not talking about places to get drunk, I'm talking about places to hike, museums, restaurants, etc.

I'm looking for honest opinions, not "I went there for three days last winter and it sucked." Reason I'm asking is cause I might be moving there soon

It's funny you posted this because I just got back from Denver this weekend.

Denver is a large city so of course there are lots of bars, restaurants, museums and anything you want to do. They just opened up a new art museum downtown and funny enough it was on the front page of USA Today on Friday.

The Geography of Denver is pretty similar to Lubbuck, it's FLAT, with the exception of mountains in the background.

Colorado is a haven for people who like the outdoors, there's plenty of hiking, swimming, rock climbing, off-roading etc. to be had.

The traffic on I25 is horrible. It was bumper to bumper the whole time I was there but at least it flows. The speed limit is 75 but I got honked at a dozen times for doing 90 in the fast lane. If you like doing 100 with a car two feet in front of you and one right on your ass then you're in luck. Also, the toll road is EXPENSIVE... they rape you in the ass on that one.

Overall, I like Denver.

the traffic isn't bad except at 8 and 5 like everywhere else. the hov is a toll and the prices change throughout the day. mostly it's .50 unless it's rush hour and then it gets up to 3.50. they have a great transportation system. i take the bus 25 miles to work at 7:30 am and 4:30 pm and it takes 30 minutes with 2 stops. i pay $45 a month and can use any public transportation in the city. light rail and bus. i can go anywhere. it's nice during games when everyone is fighting to get out of the lots the bus just cruises through a private lane. i've been here 3 months and i've filled up my z71 3 times and most of that gas was from going into the mountains. i filled up every week in lubbock.

there's an endless amount of crap to do. a sports haven. rockies, broncos, avalanche, lacrosse, soccer, 3 colleges. obviously the outdoor stuff. cherry creek runs through downtown and you can kayak in it. great night life. ridiculous amount of dive bars but also lots of high class places too.

it is surprisingly flat unless you drive 15 miles west and you're in the mountains. 15 miles west and you're in the plains.

property values are above average with a lot of people wanting to move here.. personally i rent a nice 1700 sq. foot house in a nice neighborhood and it's $1200 a month. apartment values are slightly above par than lubbock. it depends on location but something like a single bedroom like ashton pointe in a suburb would run about $750-800. in downtown it would be closer to $1000 by coors field and towards the capitol around $900. lofts are obviously expensive.

I think he accidentally said "west" twice. Probably west is the mountains, east is the plains.

oh i get what he means.

i am just mocking him.

I am in Denver right now... Let me finish up what I'm doing and I'll post a full opinion.

yeah, you got what i meant. east plains, west mountains.

oh, the people tend to lean towards the hippy side slightly. this could be because of the places i hang out but i see a lot walking around. free spirited type of people. granola girls that sort of thing. not in a bad way though. for me anyway. there's of course your average business man too. i think denver has the most single people in the us. also just picked as the skinniest place in the us. everyone is very healthy. 7 eleven sells numerous premade salads and has a fruit stand that sells a large number of fruit. that was strange to me at first. i'm used to the candy bars being the spotlight of a convenience store.

also denver is very dog friendly if that means anything to you. people walk their dogs downtown all the time. there are tons of dogs tied up to posts on sidewalks waiting for their owners to come out of stores. many stores let you take your dog inside. i saw a lab in starbucks this morning (not a seeing eye dog). i saw something on the news about a new city ordinance that allows for dogs to come onto restaurant patios while people eat.

the only thing i don't like so far is being 20 minutes from downtown. i do a lot there. i'm gonna move into the city when my lease is up. or into golden, a more "mountain town." i can't decide yet. probably the city.

This post has been edited by cmac: Oct 31 2007, 03:19 PM

I am staying at 120th and I-25 (north of downtown) and the refinery I am at is located just a little northeast of downtown. It is about an 12-18 mile drive and takes about 30 minutes to drive in the morning.

The reason I think Denver traffic is more frustrating is because here, they are just now getting used to the whole traffic mentality. There will be a letup in the traffic and people will gun it and then realize that it's stopped again and will slam on their brakes.

Like cmac said, people here are a little hippie like, more laid back, but all around nice people. Where I am staying I would say it is a little poorer (cmac, your take on Westminster?) but I have been to Golden and liked it.

I've been in Denver during winter and can honestly say I don't think it's that bad unless you get days and days of continuous snow. It reminds me of Lubbock. It snows, then the snow will melt because the temperature goes back up slightly in the middle of the day. Don't get me wrong, the full out blizzards are bad but I'm sure you'd get used to it.

Downtown Denver is enjoyable. LoDo, in my opinion, is slightly overrated and I prefer to stay away from the "popular" bars. There are some great brewery and bar options, you just gotta look. South of town you can live pretty comfortably and take the train into downtown which is a nice feature.

Getting to the airport here is an experience all its own. You either take 470 or I-70 to Pena Blvd. Those are really the only options. This means everyone is on these roads going to and from the airport.

I don't think it's flat here. It's not sheer cliffs but it sure is not Lubbock. There is a pretty decent elevation change simply going from Westminster into Denver and another one from Denver to Golden. I know coming down from Westminster I get a beautiful panoramic view of downtown and the mountains to the west.

westminster is slightly poorer. i think northeast of i-25, the thornton area is that way. i'm more northwest in broomfield northglenn. 136th and 25. it's a little more developing there.

airport is nice but damn did they have to put it out there so far?

This post has been edited by cmac: Oct 31 2007, 03:40 PM

The suburb I was in was Parker BTW. It's like Plano is to Dallas.

While I was there over the weekend for my Uncle's wedding, my mom and I went down to Colorado Springs and Manitou Springs... we saw Garden of the Gods, went to the top of Pike's Peak, saw the Cliff Dwellings and then went down to Canon City to see the Royal Gorge. Then we went off-roading through the mountains on a dirt road in the Jeep.

We had quite a fun-packed little vacation.

BTW trying driving I25 by Colorado Springs... geez.

Oh, and where Denver is flat (kinda) is by the airport, but that's because it's the plains, just like Lubbock.

Then you get rolling hills as you move in from the airport (notice the snow breaks?), then you hit the mountains.

I like the Denver airport, it's designed well (except for security) and is comfortable. I flew into Stapleton once while it was still around and it was crap compared to the new one.

I've heard rumors that the airport will be adding a few more runways at some point and probably another terminal.

cmac, what's up with the haze lately? Is that normal? I figured it was a one time thing but have seen it since Sunday. I guess with the mountains the smog just kind of gets trapped over the city?

I got pics of the New World Order murals at DIA and the Freemason dedication plaque out front.

In case anyone doesn't know DIA is rumored to have a 10-story base below it which is the headquarters of the New World Order/America's shadow government. I met another couple there who were taking pics of the murals and exploring the airport. Google DIA, underground bases, etc. and you'll find a bunch of info and evidence.

The haze you saw over Denver this weekend was smoke from the California wildfires. The jet stream goes right over CO and as a consequence they get all the pollution from California. CO is one of the most polluted states because of this.

I live there. Been in Colorado since June of last year. Definitely a fun place to live, but that also depends on what you like to do. There's more breweries per capita than any other state. Lots of stuff to do and close to Boulder.

Property values, depends where. Like everywhere across the country, houses are for sale. The housing slump is hitting everyone, just some places worse than others. A lot of people move to Colorado, especially Texans and Californians. The Colorado "Natives" don't like either.

Traffic, just like any other big city. Can be bad if you hit it at the wrong times. Avoid I-225, I-25, C-470 between 3-6pm. Don't know about the mornings because I leave for work at 5:30am. Also I only know about the south side.

What is there to do? Get a guide book. Each city has their tourism website with a guide of shit to do. Colorado Springs, Castle Rock, Denver, Longmont, Ft. Collins, Boulder. All fairly close to each other, and all have their "attractions".

The one thing I love about Colorado is the weather. It's pretty mild in the summer(though there have been several record breaking days this year, like I'm sure there will be every following year), the humidity is low, and it does a little cold in the winter. Obviously you're house has to be "winterized" before winter comes. It snows a fair amount, but some years more than others. The city is good about getting the roads cleaned, so a car with all-seaons should do alright. All wheel drive cars are pretty helpful up here.