Austin, TX vs Denver, CO (living, cost, state, better)

[Patness]

Looking to relocate from CA to one of these two areas. I've done a fair amount of research and both seem to have plenty to offer related to culture, employment, etc..

It seems that TX has a lower cost of living (and mild winters). Outside of those two items, they seem to be fairly comparable.

Being in IT - these two locations seem to be two cities I should definitely have on my short list.

I'm married and schools are important to me as well.

Any thoughts from anyone on these two cities?

[mommyliviningaustin]

We were in CO. for a year before, for the very same reason, we couldn't choose between the both. I love CO. but outside of mountains Austin is a fantastic city and no snow, but ice storms.

[Lee55]

Lived in both Colorado (near Denver) and am now living in Austin.

If you like HEAT and HUMID go to Austin.

If you like COLD and DRY go to Denver.

If you like a BIG city go to Denver, as Austin is relatively small compared to Denver.

Texas has no income taxes, Colorado does.

I think Colorado has beauty hands down, but is expensive (relative to Texas).

Lots of jobs in Texas, less in Colorado.

Lots to do in Colorado, variety. Texas prevents much outdoors activity due to the extreme heat in summer.

Can't compare schools as schools vary SO much from district to district in BOTH states.

Heavy Catholic, Hispanic influence in Texas, not so much so once you get north of Pueblo in Colorado.

I won't be staying in Texas...I have just had enough of the heat. One year you will have record drought the next year you need a boat!

[CptnRn]

https://www.city-data.com/forum/austi...er-austin.html

https://www.city-data.com/forum/austi...ue-denver.html

[Exiled Texan]

I always wanted to live in Denver.....but my family is in Texas. Summer is brutal. You have to be indoors from about noon until 6pm.

[love roses]

I've lived in Denver and now outside of Austin. I guess I'd break it down like lee55, however, Colorado has been known to have a drought or two themselves. I remember one summer when one of the towns in the foothills actually ran out of water and had to have it trucked in. School districts do vary in both states, but I think the area around Highlands Ranch towards Castle Rock has the largest concentration of highly rated schools. Eanes and Lake Travis in Austin do as well. Leander/RR/CP have good schools too. Austin and Denver actually have a similar vibe. Denver IS larger than Austin, but somehow has managed to maintain a certain "Cowtown" or Small town vibe. Austin likewise has a close knit, friendly, laid back vibe. One thing I DID NOT like about Denver, actually, 2 things were that every winter it sucked to touch anything metallic because the static charges that build up are on steroids or something and the lakes there, even in the summer, can be pretty cold to swim in. In Texas it's much easier and more comfortable to swim for a lot longer. Cherry Creek Reservoir in Aurora, Co. is probably one exception. Grand Lake is COLD !! Beautiful though Highland Chain of Lakes in Central Texas are also pretty and large. They are currently running pretty low because of the drought. Lots of people are heading to lakes other than Travis, such as Inks or even Lake Belton up near Temple/Killeen. Some friends of ours went to check it out this weekend. We may go tomorrow.

I would actually just recommend visiting both cities. There is a lot of good about both of them. I think Texas has friendlier people.

[texastrigirl]

I have lived in both and agree with most of the above. Denver is a much bigger city though (3 million with the Boulder corridor included) so I don't know if it is an apples to apples comparison. We found salaries to be higher in Austin and COL lower and since we were just starting a family we chose to stay in Austin rather than move back to Denver (much to my husband's dismay as he thought TX was too hot). I loved Austin and thought it was a great place to raise children. We left a few years ago for Seattle which we also really like. I don't think you can go wrong with either city personally but if you can visit, that is a better test than anecdotal evidence from CD as helpful as it can be.

[blakely]

We were faced with a similar decision when we moved to Austin, and Denver & Austin were 2 of the 3 cities on our short list of places we considered moving to.

I think Lee55 did a good job of simplifying the major differences. I would think really hard about your lifestyle and interests when you make the decision. One of the biggest differences is the climate. In Colorado you may have months of snow, where in Austin, you will have months of very high temperatures (most days this summer have been 100+ and humid). Which of those are you more willing to take on for ~5 months a year?

I love to be outdoors and like lots of physical activity. I will say that the extreme heat here has made it difficult for me to be outside as much as I like (I didn't grow up in this heat, so perhaps I don't acclimate as well as natives). So I go running at 6:30 in the morning...I just can't do that at 2 in the afternoon. I love to hike with my kids but won't do it often in the middle of a summer day...in Colorado I would. (Now I know native Texans that would, but that's not me.) On the other hand, if I were in 5 months of snow/cold, that could be confining at a different time of year. Which extreme do you see yourself fitting into better? I will say the winters here are very mild and I love being outdoors then!!

The other thing to consider if you are a Californian, is that you will no longer have the option of driving 3-4 hours to make it to the ski slopes. If that is important to you, Colorado might be a better fit. To get to Santa Fe or Taos, it is a 12-14 hr drive from central Austin. There is another spot farther south in New Mexico that is about a 9 hour drive. Colorado is even further. So that eliminates the ability to go Friday after work, ski Saturday and Sunday and drive home Sunday night. You need to take vacation time to ski.

Austin is a great place to raise a family. We are really happy here and I could go on & on about all the great things about this city, but you probably know that stuff because it's on your short list. Of course, I could probably be very happy in Colorado too!

Good luck with your decision.

[artsyguy]

Denver is far better except for cost of living.

[love roses]

Yes, C.O.L is higher in Denver.