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Moving to Denver
I’m moving to Denver in the new year with my wife and 2 kids.
We are trying to work out the best areas in and around Denver for a family to live. I’ll be working in Downtown Denver so a commute that is sub 30 mins is what I’m looking for. From my research so far, places like Wash Park and Cherry Creek keep popping up as top places but these seem to be quite pricey. We have a budget of $5k a month for a furnished house so any recommendations on where you could get a high spec 3 bed with a back yard would be helpful. Ive also been told that we won’t have any credit rating in the US but you can still get good deals on car leases if you put down a bigger deposit, is this true? My wife won’t be working so access to communities with activities for kids and mums is important for us to help us settle in. Are there any networking groups that we should look at to meet people in the area? Any recommendations from expats or US nationals who have moved to Denver would be great! Thanks James |
Re: Moving to Denver
Which visa? L1? H1B?
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Re: Moving to Denver
We are moving over on an E visa |
Re: Moving to Denver
E2, EB5, E3, EB1,2,3?
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Re: Moving to Denver
E2 visa |
Re: Moving to Denver
My daughter and Son in Law live in Denver.
Rentals are really expansive, increased dramatically over the past 5 years. They purchased a house in an area called Aurora, typical American suburb. About 30 min drive into the city. With a budget of $5k a month, you should be fine. Check out rentals on Zillow.com |
Re: Moving to Denver
Originally Posted by excpomea
(Post 12742227)
They purchased a house in an area called Aurora, typical American suburb. About 30 min drive into the city.
Another co-worker is in a new build across town on the border Westminster/Arvada, and it seemed a nice area when he hosted us for Christmas year before last. Both of them work from home however and don't have a commute, so that might be a factor that you will want to consider especially given how bad the winters can be in Colorado. |
Re: Moving to Denver
I just moved out of Denver to Missoula MT.
It's a great city, incredibly expensive however. I lived in the Westminster/Broomfield area and commuted via bus (and sometimes car) into downtown. Although, if your office doesn't have designated parking, expect to pay $200+ a month for parking. Also, traffic is a nightmare and it can take well over an hour each way via car. Even worse in winter and if there is a sporting event going on (Rockies Stadium, Broncos stadium and the Pepsi Center where the Nuggets and Avalanche play) are all in ridiculously close proximity to Downtown and I25 (which you'll no doubt be using a lot). I'm significantly happier living in Missoula. More money in a significantly cheaper place, less liberal, less crowded etc etc. You'll no doubt enjoy your time in Denver, just be prepared to pay a lot of money and be prepared to sit in traffic a lot (especially I25, US36 and I70) if you ever want to venture to the mountains/ski-resorts which themselves are stupid expensive and crowded. Happy to answer any questions you have on here or via PM :) |
Re: Moving to Denver
'Been in Denver since 2002.
Cherry Creek is where all the mansions are. Not sure I'd bother looking there. Wash Park is another expensive area - lots of yuppies and hipsters and yoga barbies. Might find something there. Not a bad commute to downtown. You want to keep off I-25, 6th, and I-70. Stick to surface streets. Capitol Hill is nice. I lived in Cheesman Park for 12 years. Loved it. Super close to downtown (mile and a half), but it's mainly apartments and condos. Aurora is way too far from downtown - your commute would be miserable. Consider Lakewood, which is where we live, which is about ten minutes from downtown. Also consider the Highlands and Little Five Points. That's being gentrified. Vanilla-ton - I mean Littleton - is also too far. Ditto Highlands Ranch. Avoid the Tech Center - cause you'd have to take I-25 downtown. Denver is great but is unfortunately starting to go downhill. After pot was legalized, people started flocking here. House prices and rent have gone through the roof. Traffic is getting worse - we were up near Nederland with the dogs this weekend - and it looked like the Fourth of July scene in Jaws where hordes descend on Amity/Martha's Vineyard. Little "secret" spots we enjoyed have now been discovered by the masses. Our favorite spot we call the Beaver Pond was overrun by foreigners and out-of-staters. Anyway, the worst of it is Californification. These entitled morons are simply the worst. After messing up their own state with ridiculous liberal policies and ideologies, they are coming here in droves and bringing their nonsense with them, so they can eff up another state. Don't California our Colorado is the bumper sticker - but it's already too late. They're changing the demographics and political landscape for the worse. It's very sad. We too are thinking of a move to Montana. |
Re: Moving to Denver
How old are your kids?
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Re: Moving to Denver
Denver has changed a lot and I do not live down there but get enough feedback from those who do to confirm Octang Frye's comments.
They basically say the same thing, will be interesting to see how all this pans out, plenty of water this year but what when we hit a drought? We had the leaf lookers up last weekend, best to hide! Some of the things you get asked are hilarious, another few days and they will be gone. |
Re: Moving to Denver
Originally Posted by Octang Frye
(Post 12742490)
We too are thinking of a move to Montana.
When my parents in law came to visit us here, my father in law stated “this is what Colorado was like 15 years ago before it got ruinedâ€. MT is equally as beautiful, if not more. Significantly cheaper, sensible politics and one of the least populous states. |
Re: Moving to Denver
Leaf lookers! Ha! Yep, we saw them this weekend. Stopped on the Peak to Peak highway, streaming across the road, taking their snaps as the leaves change.
It's so funny to hear oneself sounding like a miserable old curmudgeon; it was better in my day, back then this was all fields... There's still life in the old girl yet, but sure as heck things are changing. One of the reasons I mention "foreigners" - of course, noting the irony of being an immigrant myself - is some of the experiences we have had lately with respect to our dogs. Boulder is (was) pretty dog friendly. There are some great off-leash areas - Boulder Reservoir, Chautauqua, Marshall Mesa etc. We also go to the mountains with them too. Anyway, we have three big dogs. Leonbergers. They're gentle giants, extremely affectionate. Biggest is 165lbs The smallest, our puppy, is 110. We've been going to these places for years, just enjoying watching the dogs play and swim etc. This last year, we've had encounters with foreigners who demand we leash our dogs in off-leash places. They're not used to big dogs and expect that we accommodate them and their fears/beliefs(unclean) etc. Most recent were two Europeans walking their dog at the Res. Our puppy went over to see their dog and they had a meltdown. Shrieking. Panicking. We recalled our puppy. They then proceeded to call the cops and report our "dangerous" dogs. My wife was livid and wanted to tell them to sling their hook back to Spain or Portugal or whatever. Yes, we get it. Culturally (and religiously) people can have an aversion to dogs. But don't go to an off-leash area and freak out and demand we leash our dogs. Some people are great. At the Beaver Pond, we were coming down the trail, when we came across two Indian couples. Clearly, they're not used to seeing giant dogs appear out of the forest and coming down the trail. They jumped off to the side and made some kind of nervous noises, but they also had delighted grins on their faces, and one lady just couldn't get enough pictures. Indian people are generally awesome. Colorado welcomes Indian people. Californians? Sorry, we're closed. Ditto New Jerseyians. |
Re: Moving to Denver
Actually one of the better things about Boulder was that it was dog friendly.
The main Hunting season will start soon, fortunately they do not really clash which is just as well. Joke around here is that they let them out once a year to come up an look at the leaves, FLL is the more common term. Normally all gone by now, been a long time since they have been this late. |
Re: Moving to Denver
Our kids are young, newborn and a 3 year old so areas where there’s plenty of activities for toddlers is key. Thanks so far for some of the advice on the best areas for a family to live! We are only planning to be in Denver for 9 months or so and then I’ll be moving again with my family for my job up to the PNW to somewhere like Bellevue, WA. Given that hat we are only going to be in Denver for a short period, I want to make sure that my family enjoys where we live. I can imagine it’s going to be challenging meeting new people considering we are not laying down roots in Denver. Has anyone had any experience of moving around the US with a family for work and how you’ve handled the challenges your spouse/family might face? Regarding the expense, it’s good to know it’s not cheap living in Denver. Up until recently, I was on the cusp of moving to LA with my job and that seemed to be ridiculously expensive! So I’m kind of used to the fact that all of these locations are not cheap to live, but I don’t want to be paying over the odds for something that is fashionable. As long as the area is very safe, clean, good community feel, young families, etc that would be great. We are moving out with our dog so having access to open space on your doorstep is important too. Any other advice on the above would be helpful. Also, if anyone has an opinion on Denver vs Seattle/Bellevue that would be useful to know the main differences. |
Re: Moving to Denver
Originally Posted by JJ84
(Post 12742847)
Also, if anyone has an opinion on Denver vs Seattle/Bellevue that would be useful to know the main differences. |
Re: Moving to Denver
Denver is a hot market and I did not realise this was short term. I thought most regular rentals in Denver were a year minimum? so might be a complication. Not that you can not find something but may be a different market. Do you have someone helping you with this process.
There is a bigger difference in seasons than there is in Reading, more things to do in the Summer. |
Re: Moving to Denver
Not to put you off, but the beautiful outdoors of CO isn't particularly accessible. If you're living in Denver, expect a long traffic slog on any of the freeways to get to said beauty spots. When we'd leave work early on a Friday to get to our preferred Ski Resort, Keystone - it could take us at least two and a half hours depending on traffic and weather, even worse leaving on a Sunday and heading back down I-70.
Boiler is also right, we wanted to lease our last place for 10 months which they would allow, however they wanted an astronomical amount a month for the rent as it wasn't a 12/13 month lease. Crime definitely seems to be on the up also due to the sheer amount of people flocking to the state and the weed, which obviously attracts unsavory people. Would also put some of it down to the fact there is now a Californian Democrat who is Governor of the state and is a complete and utter dickhead. Denver saw largest rise in violent crime rate last year compared to other large cities < Denver Post Article. |
Re: Moving to Denver
Originally Posted by Octang Frye
(Post 12742490)
'Been in Denver since 2002.
Cherry Creek is where all the mansions are. Not sure I'd bother looking there. Wash Park is another expensive area - lots of yuppies and hipsters and yoga barbies. Might find something there. Not a bad commute to downtown. You want to keep off I-25, 6th, and I-70. Stick to surface streets. Capitol Hill is nice. I lived in Cheesman Park for 12 years. Loved it. Super close to downtown (mile and a half), but it's mainly apartments and condos. Aurora is way too far from downtown - your commute would be miserable. Consider Lakewood, which is where we live, which is about ten minutes from downtown. Also consider the Highlands and Little Five Points. That's being gentrified. Vanilla-ton - I mean Littleton - is also too far. Ditto Highlands Ranch. Avoid the Tech Center - cause you'd have to take I-25 downtown. Denver is great but is unfortunately starting to go downhill. After pot was legalized, people started flocking here. House prices and rent have gone through the roof. Traffic is getting worse - we were up near Nederland with the dogs this weekend - and it looked like the Fourth of July scene in Jaws where hordes descend on Amity/Martha's Vineyard. Little "secret" spots we enjoyed have now been discovered by the masses. Our favorite spot we call the Beaver Pond was overrun by foreigners and out-of-staters. Anyway, the worst of it is Californification. These entitled morons are simply the worst. After messing up their own state with ridiculous liberal policies and ideologies, they are coming here in droves and bringing their nonsense with them, so they can eff up another state. Don't California our Colorado is the bumper sticker - but it's already too late. They're changing the demographics and political landscape for the worse. It's very sad. We too are thinking of a move to Montana. To the OP, I'd recommend staying within Denver if possible. There are some nice suburbs, but they're extremely suburby and pretty boring if you're not used to US suburban life, and you'll definitely need 2 cars. Places like Lakewood or Lone Tree or Highlands Ranch are basically a collection of shopping malls with no real distinguishing characteristics. Public transport is pretty limited here, but if you're commuting downtown from Cherry Creek, Wash Park, Cheesman Park, Cap Hill etc you could probably cycle, Lyft, bus, light rail etc and get by with just one car. With your budget, you should be OK if you look around. The market here is crazy, but it's definitely softening. I live in Wash Park, and it really is a fantastic area. Cherry Creek is great, and very walkable by Denver standards, although your budget won't stretch as far. A lot of families are moving to Stapleton, which isn't exactly hip, but there is a decent amount happening there. Credit rating will be a challenge, for both renting a home, and leasing a car. Make sure your employer are prepared to help you out, cosign etc. |
Re: Moving to Denver
"Your kind"? Odious little twonk. Nothing I said is not demonstrably true. There's an influx of liberal/democrat morons from the Left Coast.
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Re: Moving to Denver
Good grief.
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Re: Moving to Denver
Originally Posted by pejp
(Post 12748238)
Yep, and get used to it. Your kind are being chased out, and I'm very happy about it. Hopefully you'll be happy in Montana, Texas, or some other red state where the 'demographics' are more to your liking and there are less 'foreigners' to deal with.
Perhaps West Virginia might be an option? |
Re: Moving to Denver
I wouldn't live in Texas. I spent several miserable months there finishing my green card.
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Re: Moving to Denver
Originally Posted by Leslie
(Post 12748302)
Good grief.
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Re: Moving to Denver
Originally Posted by Octang Frye
(Post 12748279)
"Your kind"? Odious little twonk. Nothing I said is not demonstrably true. There's an influx of liberal/democrat morons from the Left Coast.
With the current administration, you genuinely believe that ‘Liberals’ are the morons? You honestly think someone like Walker Stapleton should have been governor? So yes, your kind aren’t feeling welcome in Denver anymore, and that’s a good thing. I’ve long been middle of the road, even slightly conservative leaning, but the fact that the Republican Party have gone so far right, and people like you still whine about liberals, means my tolerance for listening to your BS is non existent. |
Re: Moving to Denver
Originally Posted by Octang Frye
(Post 12748313)
Hi, Leslie!
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Re: Moving to Denver
Denver is not in the mountains, down on the plain.
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Re: Moving to Denver
Originally Posted by pejp
(Post 12748342)
Yep, your kind. Bitter people who are angry that the world is changing so go on and on about liberals. Let me guess, anyone who doesn’t agree with you is a snowflake, right? The kind that speaks in code about ‘foreigners’ and ‘demographics’. Colorado is in an economic boom, and economic numbers seems to be the only thing that Conservatives find important, yet will still whine about change. With the current administration, you genuinely believe that ‘Liberals’ are the morons? You honestly think someone like Walker Stapleton should have been governor? So yes, your kind aren’t feeling welcome in Denver anymore, and that’s a good thing. I’ve long been middle of the road, even slightly conservative leaning, but the fact that the Republican Party have gone so far right, and people like you still whine about liberals, means my tolerance for listening to your BS is non existent. The current administration's policies are probably the most moderate since Gerry Ford or Jimmy Carter (last I heard he's taking the troops out of Syria) but keep drinking the Kool-Aide and keep your stomach in a knot. |
Re: Moving to Denver
Originally Posted by jeepster
(Post 12748477)
Everybody is bitter and angry because they believe all this Orwellian propaganda on the internet.
The current administration's policies are probably the most moderate since Gerry Ford or Jimmy Carter (last I heard he's taking the troops out of Syria) but keep drinking the Kool-Aide and keep your stomach in a knot. Anyone who can watch one of his rallies, or listen to him speak for more than 2 or 3 minutes, and still think that he should be anywhere near public office, is a moron. It's that simple. The man is a disaster of a human being, and an absolute intellectual vacuum. I started out trying to understand 'the other side', but there comes a point where his supporters need to own what they support, so I have no time for them. It's nothing to do with drinking the media kool-aide. If anything, it's the opposite. Trump is basically a cult leader at this point. No amount of very obvious evidence will convince his supporters otherwise, so for that reason, I'm extremely hostile to them or anyone else who is concerned about 'liberals', in the current climate. |
Re: Moving to Denver
I agree with you Trump is a dangerous buffoon. Abandoning the Kurds/Peshmerga just beggars belief and is the worst foreign policy gaffe I can think of spanning decades.
But I disliked social marxists way before Trump - who is a re-branded NY liberal - I was born that way. Anyway, back to the OP's question. Denver is nice. No one really queried OP on what is E2 visa was. |
Re: Moving to Denver
Moved to Denver 2 years ago and lived in Highlands Ranch for most of it but now live downtown right by Union station. I used to park at the Littleton Mineral station, which is free, and get the light rail in. Really easy and cheap commute. been all the mountain resorts and done lots of trips and things locally so happy to offer any advice. one tip for credit is to get yourself an Amex card in the UK. Once you have had it for 3 months you can apply for an American card when you get here and they will assess you under their global transfer scheme. I got a high limit as soon as I arrived and it really helps with building credit fast. I also managed to get a large mortgage in less than 2 years by understanding the credit system and building fast. Get your wife to join the British Girls in Denver group on Facebook. Lots of really nice people who will offer lots of advice and your wife will get to meet lots of. We friends. pm me if you want any info. |
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