Who should move to Denver
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11/24/2006
There seems to be a lot of people who want to know just how much they'd fit in in Denver (gays, culture-lovers, culinary arts students, etc.). First, people should know that in the City and County of Denver, just about any lifestyle is accepted. The city's residents are quite liberal. Residents are young and very much into the party atmosphere. If this is you, then you'd love the city of Denver. Imagine a giant college campus and you've got something like Denver.
But realize that Denver is actually only about 1/5 of the total metro area population (2.5 million; Denver= 500,000). Suburban Denver and the rest of Colorado is much more conservative. I live in Lakewood and while non-traditional lifestyles are tolerated here, they are certainly not embraced. Colorado is nothing if not pro-family. Moral values still matter a great deal. Suburban Denverites tend to have more kids than the national average, too. It's not Utah, but Colorado shares a whole lot of similarities.
I spent my freshman year of college in Oregon and I dearly missed by very square suburban hometown. I intend on raising my family in the suburbs precisely because it is so good for families. On that note, I very rarely visit the city of Denver, although it's so close, because it is very different now than it was several years ago. There's a huge homeless population and waaaay too many drunks and drugees.
We've had tons of young people and immigrants move here making things a bit tense for residents. I recommend if you're looking for a wild, sexy lifestyle you'd do much better in Manhattan or Los Angeles. Denver (metro Denver) is a little reserved, fairly conservative, and concerned about keeping things wholesome. If that sounds appealing, then head west, young man.
Bp | Lakewood, CO