Wondering if you should move to Denver? Maybe the southern summers slipped into the dog days. Perhaps the hustle and bustle of the big city has lost its charm and entered bedlam. Or, it could be that you love where you live, but the mountains are calling, like they have for so many before. Whatever the reason, Denver provides ample excuses to ditch your day job and head west. (Learn more about how you can get a free personal assistant for your apartment search here!)
Quality of Life
The reason so many people move to Denver: this city and its residents push the ‘work hard, play hard’ mentality to its limits. Many city dwellers will put in long hours during the week at tech startups, string together multiple freelance gigs, or pick up doubles just to earn some extra play money or time.
Denver is no stranger to after work happy hours, lunch hour jogging groups, and weekend warriors who head to the western slope Friday at five. And although they might be returning bruised and beaten to their desks on Monday, they’ll be stocked up with stories of mountain biking, skiing, climbing or rafting.
Denver prides itself on an open-minded, progressive culture that is inclusive and welcoming. If you’re not sure what you’re passionate about, Denver supplies so many options around every corner. You don’t have to come here with a certain purpose, desire or goal. You can simple show up and hit the town – the friendly people of Denver, its’ blue skies, and vibrant city life will take you in and show you around.
Related: City Guide to Living in Denver and Its Neighborhood, written by our friends at NeighborWho
Mountain Views
Life in America’s big cities is often claustrophobic, leaving little escape to nature besides manicured parks and crowded lakeshores. Denver’s mountains are just a short hour away, while the foothills in Golden and Boulder are even more accessible, allowing city dwellers to play outdoors after work during the long summer evenings.
Weekend getaways take on new meaning when the road map leads into the mountains. Colorado’s beautiful ranges are vast and varied, depending on which you’ve chosen to explore. More than just ski towns, Colorado’s mountain villages contain culture, history, and pristine beauty – making each weekend that you spend exploring, feel like a life-changing experience.
Exploding Job Market
From December 2017 – December 2018, Denver’s job market grew by 2.1% – accompanied by job growth in the surrounding areas of Boulder, Fort Collins, and Colorado Springs as well. Denver’s expanding resume reflects its roots of agriculture, energy, finance and is ever-growing to now include technology, aerospace, tourism, creative industries, and more. Whether you want to continue in your chosen career or start something entirely new, Denver reigns superior to many other metro areas in regards to job prospects.
Related: The Best Luxury Apartments in Denver
Transportation is Accessible and Affordable
As Denver continues to grow, the cost of airfare continues to shrink. Flights into and out of Denver’s busy International Airport are fairly inexpensive and readily available to almost everywhere in the U.S. Friends and Family can come out for holidays and catch the leaves change on the Aspen trees or play in Summit County’s dreamy powder.
RTD is also expanding the light rail routes, providing increasing access to Denver’s farther flung neighborhoods. Bird and Lime scooter companies, as well as, Bcycle, gives members an easy, quick way to get around the city without the cost and hassle of a car. As Denver grows, the city works to combat traffic issues by increasing public transportation options – it will only continue to improve.
However There Are Housing Shortages
With that being said, the cat has long been out of the bag and Denver is becoming increasingly notorious for housing shortages and expensive rent. It can take renters months to secure a place that even remotely resembles what they originally wanted. Also, if you’re new to the area and have just dropped a chunk of change on the move out here, you won’t have a ton of spare cash for Airbnb’s while you set back-to-back house tours.
Denver is an approachable take on big city living that all young adults should experience at least once in their lives. If Manhattan is too pricey, and Chicago is too cold, set your sights on Denver for a perfect combination of the two. We look forward to hearing from you soon!
Now that you’ve read all the reasons you should move to Denver, let AptAmigo do the searching, touring, and vetting for you – making it your job to just pack up and drive west. Give us a call to get started on the easiest apartment search of your life!
Abigail is a freelance writer who loves exploring new places - especially in the southwest - and moved into her van full time last fall. When she's not working on writing gigs to support her #vanlife endeavors, she loves packrafting alpine lakes, floating lazy rivers, and trail running.
