Vincent

The company I work for is interested in having me move to Denver. I used to go there as a child to visit my Uncle, but I don't remember much. Is there good riding? Are the summers hot? If I do move there, any neighborhoods to avoid? Any info is quite welcome. Thanks!

superbling

The owner/admin of VFRdiscussion.com lives there and he is always posting ride reports/video of the area that are awesome. It's in the mountains so of course it's good riding!

Can't answer the other questions as I've never been to the mile high city. On the topic of hot: that's relative and depends upon where you're coming from; Canada or Death Valley? :-)

In the past, I've followed links to Colorado sport bike forums. Those would be worth searching for and posting your queries there if you need a real quick answer.

Jake D

I don't live in Denver but I go there a lot. I'm going Friday, in fact.

I guess the best way to answer you question is to ask: where do you live now?

Vincent

I live in the Seattle suburbs. We have a very moderate climate, barely breaking into the 90's in the summer and rarely reaching freezing in the winter. I know the winters will be full of snow in Denver, but I have no idea about the summer. I'm sure it will be sunny more often than here!

Jake D

I was in Denver last summer and it was hotter than a well digger's ***. I mean like 102 degrees. But I think that was pretty rare. Most people rave about it that I know that have moved there. But here is the catch: those people I know that moved there didn't move there from Seattle. I go to Seattle a lot, too.

A) that traffic is bad maybe slightly worse in Denver than Seattle.
B) the night life in Denver is like 1,000,000 times better in Denver than Seattle.
C) they both have good food but Seattle may be better.
D) Denver's down town is better but Seattle might have more non-alcohol related things to do in the city.
E) Seattle has more outdoor related stuff to do with in a quick drive. To get anywhere cool in Denver, you gotta hit the road at the butt crack of dawn (second butt crack reference if you're scoring at home).
F) the women are (a lot) hotter in Denver.
G) I'd say it is a push, but if I COULD PICk between Denver and Seattle, I'd pick Seattle.

Having said all that, I choose to live in Kansas City, Missouri even though I know it sucks compared to those two places. Why? Beats me. Cost of living, probably. And very little traffic. So depending on your criteria, you may want to live in Kansas City instead.

MisterMohawk

I used to live in Dnever. I grew up in western Colorado and went to college in Denver. Lived there for several years and know it pretty well. I still try to go back when I visit the family at Christmas. It is RARELY 102F in the summer. This summer, oddly, has been one of the hottest on record in CO. Summer temps average in the mid-90s. But there's no humidity. Winters are cold but not bitterly so. Everybody assumes Denver gets a zillion inches of snowfall each winter but it's not that bad. I don't have a figure but it's usually less than, say, Long Island. The great thing about Denver is that it may snow a foot overnight but the next day the sun comes out, it's 60 degrees and it melts off.

The mountains are and hour's drive west, Boulder's Flatirons 45 minutes northwest and the great wide-open is everywhere east. There are a TON of outdoor activities to participate in. You name it, it's possible in a weekend. Whitewater, hanggliding, biking, off-roading, horseback, mountain-biking, all the winter sports, damn near anything is a couple hours away.

The traffic, sadly, sucks with all the projects they've got going on. I-25, the main north-south artery running through the city is mangled up mostly southern half of the metro area. I-70, the east-west thoroughfare is bolloxed in different places. I can't be specific because I don't keep up on traffic. They're extending the light-rail system both north and south of the metro area.

The nightlife is great. Lower downtown (or LoDo if you're hip) is a bar-hopper's paradise. Several good clubs downtown. The Church, on Lincoln and 11th (I think) is the oldest church in Denver that's been turned into a club. It gets pretty packed, but I had good times there and it's not as cheesedick as some places. Go Sunday night. I lived downtown for many years and skated everywhere. Never had to worry about getting home drunk. Only problem is that last call is 1am. I think. Hm. Is it 2? Anyway, it's not as damn late as it is here.

Of course, the riding is pretty groovy. Many of the great twisty roads near denver are pretty well traveled, but you can make a weekend of a nice trip north- or south-west. I don't know the roads and highways but a little research will reward you with great riding.

If you're looking for a place near the city, look near capitol hill. It's near the state capitol, go figure. Lots of young professionals, college students and dames.

Speaking of dames, there are plenty. And plenty good-looking. There are several community colleges downtown, and Denver gets many CU and CSU expats. Denver's becoming a pretty tech-savy city so them dames be smart to boot.

So, high standard of living, most sunny days of any state in the country, good nightlife, riding and outdoorsy stuff. Why wouldn't you go? Hell, why don't I go back?

Jake D

Please don't misunderstand either, aside from the traffic and the cost of living, Denver is badass. But Seattle just happens to be one of my favorite cities in America.

But I would like to second the fact that Denver has awsome night life and hot women.

Vincent

I have a really hard time with the idea of leaving Seattle. I have been here for 7 years and am absolutely in love with it. It has everything. The problem is the real estate market. The median price of a home in my neighborhood is $450k. Compared with $250k in say, Golden. Thats appealing. The snowboarding is a draw too. I used to live in Bend, OR and the climate there is almost identical to Denver. I am 29, married(so hotties are only good for eye candy) and heavily into the Drum&Bass dance scene, which kicks *** here. Honestly, its all going to come down to what the company offers me. They are flying me out sometime in the next few weeks to familiarize me with the account.

Jake D

Real estate sucks to buy in good cities. For example, a house that would cost $180,000 in KC costs $350,000 in Denver. That same house would be more like $600,000 in Seattle. A really good friend of mine bought a bungalow in West Seattle. Don't get me wrong, it is pimp, great view, etc., but sheesh, real estate is high up there.

Vincent

Yeah, check out Houston. Dayamn its cheap there! I can't get over the pollution, heat and humidity though. That and its flat, that is not an option! I am thinking the Seattle market is going to bust next year though. Its still going strong when the market in the rest of the country is overloaded with houses. I'm thinking its just going to be a bigger bust than everywhere else when it actually does break. Things tend to happen like that around here(anyone remember the great .com bust?).

Jake D

I just got back from Denver. It changes to fast! Traffic was still goofy. It was jammed up at 5:00 (rush hour) on a Friday hearding INTO the city!!
But LoDo was cool. Some good new bars down there. I went to Slim 7, the 9th Door, the Cowboy Lounge, and others that I don't recall.
On Saturday, we took my buddy's Jeep Rubicon up some really gnarley trail near Lyons, Colorado and had a blast.
Denver rocks. Seattle rocks. KC rocks. Cleveland rocks. It's all good man. You can't go wrong.

Vincent

I ended up turning down Denver. It wasn't a good fit and they wanted me out there by the end of September, which is way too fast for me. So, I guess I have to stay here in Seattle. Shucks. :P