Anyone here moved from NYC to Denver? How do you feel about the move? Any regrets?

If you’re white and you love culturelessness its great

I did it at beginning of the pandemic. Mixed feelings. If you are super into outdoors and take advantage of the mountains and hiking / biking / skiing, etc then it’s definitely a big unlock. I love how much space we have and the general pace of things is more chill. Love the access to the mountains and great parks. But food is so mediocre relative to New York, and the homeless/open drug use situation has gotten really out of control. Lots of car theft and petty crime- I’m not saying this doesn’t happen elsewhere, but it’s definitely very pervasive in many of the more urban parts of the city.

I have friends who moved here and love it, but it’s never felt like home to me.

Feel the same as AD1. Been here about 2 years and I’m still pretty meh about it. My mantra has basically been “adjust your expectations”.

I’m not into winter sports, but the hiking has been great and I like how much nicer everyone is here (though that took some getting used to). And I like just being outdoors and having the space to breathe. Ppl out here also have a work to live attitude which I like. And the weather is so much better than NYC.

It’s a little more affordable than NYC, esp around my big expenses (rent, parking), but the restaurants and food are pretty blah. There are some great spots, but not many esp considering what you’re spending at these places.

The drug use and homelessness isn’t great but I’ve seen worse. It’s what every major city deals with. What I don’t like is the gun violence. My folks lived in NJ where we had pretty high regulation but we still owned plenty of guns. Out here people who shouldn’t be using safety scissors without proper supervision are armed. Oh and the drivers out here suck. And you can say it’s the CA or TX ppl, but I’ve seen ppl from the mountains who drive like they think AWD and snow tires make them invincible. For a bunch of mountain ppl, they can’t seem to drive in weather that well.

Sports has been great; love hockey and basketball so having 2 national champs is great. Tickets are way cheaper than MSG so it’s great going to games esp when ball arena is like a 20 min walk for me. But the city shuts down so early; places closing at 9 pm is somehow normal. And the suburbs are even worse than that.

My final thought: I’m having a decent time here but I’m still waiting to be impressed.

Found Denver to be way harder to make real friends in than any other city and I’ve lived in like 10 cities

Made the move last summer after ~6 years in NYC and have absolutely no regrets. Life feels more balanced, people here are generally nicer and more welcoming. Weather is excellent and no more sweaty subway rides.

I love it. Still live in a city and within walking distance to the essentials, but now in a house. My friend group is now based on early morning biking, hiking and skiing, not on bars and clubs. One caution I give people is that to fully experience the mountains you have to make a deliberate effort, it doesn’t just happen because of proximity. A lot of people move here and end up seeing it as a chore. You can’t go out late and still hit a trail at 6am feeling great, or leave at 7am thinking you won’t get stuck in ski traffic. Tldr; I now have my beers between 4-8, not 8-12.

As someone who was born & raised in Colorado & then lived in NYC for 12 years before moving back 2 years ago during COVID, below are a few observations:

1) Unlike in NYC, there is so much space in Denver, like most other cities in U.S.

2) Unlike in NYC, you must have a vehicle to thrive and be prepared to take extra time to get to places in Denver, like most other cities in U.S.

3) Hail seems SO much worse now than ever in Colorado!

4) Unless you have a remote position, the job market in most professional services positions is must stronger in NYC than in Denver.

5) I have not seen more homelessness / open drug use here in Colorado than in NYC as it is a problem all over the U.S.

6) While living in Colorado does provide for some great outdoor adventures, the cold can be brutal; and Denver does not quite give me the Big City NYC feel.

There’s a lot of facts above, but the feeling of home aspect is very objective.

All of these takes are accurate. With any city it comes down to you, where you’re currently at in life, and where you’re trying to be in a few years. They’re both great cities, but they offer different benefits and challenges. You can make life work in either. It’s all about you.

I split time in both locations and I love CO more, but that’s just me. I’m little older, looking for more comforts, less cost, and more outdoor adventure than finding a new restaurant or bar. Also, Denver’s music scene is surprisingly amazing year round.

I’m from Denver, lived in NYC for a decade and planning a move back to Denver.

Here’s what your new goals should be:
- climb all 14ers
- 30+ ski days a year
- 30+ mountain biking days a year
- buy a home and pay off the mortgage

If you want Michelin restaurants and night life stay in NYC and rent at $4000/month never to be able to purchase your own home.

That’s how I see it

Lived in nyc for 5 years and in Denver for a few. I much prefer midsize city vibes personally, but don’t move thinking it’s a mini nyc bc it’s definitely not. Outside of the mountains, there’s not much here that you couldn’t find somewhere like Houston. It’s also extremely white which means overall bad food scene and lack of culture. Like everyone else has said, if you’re into the mountains then you’ll probs be happy, but I think a city like Atlanta has much more to offer inside city lines

Yup and I left! Had a nice time for the short chapter I lived there, but no regrets LEAVING, more regrets that I spent too much professional time in Denver

I did a long time ago. Very different cities, lifestyles. I was in NYC, Denver, and now live in the mountains and couldn’t imagine it any other way. 50+ days of skiing, world class road cycling, trail running, great weather. Great place to raise kids.

Like everywhere real estate and prices have skyrocketed especially in the mountain towns. Denver used to be medium cost of living - now more medium to high - vs. NYC which is very high and always was.

This decision really depends on your lifestyle, hobbies. You won’t get amazing high end restaurants, walkability, cultural experiences, single life “experiences”, nightlife in Denver like you would in NYC.

Thank you all for the thoughtful responses. A lot to think about. I love skiing so that is definitely a big appeal - biggest concern right now is impact to my career.

Don’t do it, just don’t

Nobody is from here anymore(natives are an endangered species). Implants have made it less hospitable. Still it's better than what NYC has become the last few years. If you are expecting the upper west side or Northport you'll be disappointed