Which Colorado city would be a good fit for me? (Denver: apartment, find a job)

[djohanna]

In a year and a half I'll be a 23-year-old grad and want to make the best decision about where to start life.

I currently live in Vancouver. I love its natural beauty, yuppie-hippie vibe (yoga, natural food & living, but people aren't hardcore hippie; they shave and dress nicely), the fact it's medium-sized, feels modern, and is cosmopolitan. But it also has a high cost of living, people seem hard to get to know (kind of cold & distant), the culture is overwhelmingly Chinese, there are a lot of people very concerned with designer clothes & cars (I enjoy dressing in an eye-pleasing way, but not to show the world how rich I am, and then I keep hearing about how it's hard to find a job because people generally are very well-educated here and thus there's quite a bit of competition. Oh, and living in East Van, I come across zombie-like crackheads and prostitutes on a regular basis.

Portland and Seattle sound like the most attractive options in the US thus far. But I keep hearing about Colorado--Denver, Boulder, Fort Collins, Colorado Springs...which would the best one to consider?

Favorable traits:
-not too hot/humid in summer (75 degrees is the cutoff)
-green; lots of good places to hike (well, sounds like Colorado is pretty dry overall)
-lots of natural food stores
-population of mid-size city; over 100,000
-a lively hip art gallery scene (hip as in, it's not all landscapes)
-more liberal people
-not too religious (that's why Salt Lake City, though pretty, is ruled out)
-lastly doesn't have a reputation as a sexually wild place; i don't want a man prone to cheat, go to strip clubs, hire prostitutes, hire 'sugar babies' etc.
-fairly affordable rent...by comparison, in Vancouver I pay 1800 for a small apartment.

Thanks in advance!

[Mike from back east]

Gets hot here in the summer, 95 is not uncommon in summer, but it's NOT humid so it feels decent.

Not really green, much brown around.

I'd say Portland or Seattle, but try visiting Denver once in the summer to see if it fits your needs.

[djohanna]

Aha, thanks

[livecontent]

Nothing in Colorado would meet your needs. You have all that you need where you are. Perhaps it would be best when you graduate, get a job in Vancouver and discover you own backyard. I have been to Vancouver and it is consider one of the great cities to live in the world by many people.

You say, in Vancouver: "..I keep hearing about how it's hard to find a job because people generally are very well-educated here and thus there's quite a bit of competition..." Oh, really, you have not finished your education and you have not yet looked for a job. Nothing like a little pessimism to help you along. Be aware that statement applies to the residents competing for jobs in all the places that you are considering to live.

You seem to be overly critical of select issues in Vancouver that are not representative of the whole. What you dislike in Vancouver is everywhere and everyplace and even more so. Overwhelming Chinese? I doubt that and so what is the problem with that? Too many prostitutes and crackheads--I do not believe that at all. People are unfriendly and too concerned with designer clothes and cars---all the people all the time? Another ridiculous exaggeration. I suspect that where you go, there you are and that may be the problem.

AND you say: "lastly doesn't have a reputation as a sexually wild place; i don't want a man prone to cheat, go to strip clubs, hire prostitutes, hire 'sugar babies' etc."

HHaaaaa....Haaaa... This is a total hilarious exaggeration of reality that does not describe most men in any city, anywhere in the world--where do you come up with that nonsense? Again, you need some reality of maturity in yourself and then you will be able to recognize reality in the place you call home.

Livecontent

[djohanna]

Um, no, I am not exaggerating. The crackheads and prostitutes are very concentrated in the downtown eastside of Vancouver, but oh boy, they're there alright. To say Vancouver is not very Chinese is also untrue! You're right I probably have a lot of maturing to go at 21, but noticing differences among cities and people is no sign of immaturity.
And as for the sex thing, um yes, it is fair to say there is a difference among cities in terms of how many strip club-goers, sugar daddies, porn stars, strippers are. For example Whister, BC is known for its sugar daddies and babies. And..where did I say 'MOST MEN'? If there are a lot of services catering to kinky sexual needs of dudes, chances are they will be more likely to advantage of them...need an example? The Red Light District of Amsterdam and various Asian cities known for child sex tourism. In Los Angeles, billboards with up-in-your-face (shameless) ads for sleazy ass strip clubs and Ashley Madison cheating website sprinkled all around the La Cienaga area.

[livecontent]

You are making me laugh more and more. You are totally not even close to reality and making big exaggerations of places and people that you know nothing about. You take the influence of these prurient activities far beyond what is the actual situations and apply it to whole cities and most people. I am much older than you and I have been to many of these places you mentioned and being a man, having been in the Army--I think you have some severe problems in understanding society and men. Not to mention, you have a dislike and hatred of the Chinese race--that is a disgusting attitude.

As a man and a one who respects and sees the value in all races, male and female--do not come to Colorado--please stay where you are or go somewhere else; I would suggest a Nunnery.

Livecontent

[Idunn]

Seattle would be the most similar to Vancouver, BC in size, culture and weather.

If you generally prefer the weather in Vancouver, then Colorado is probably not for you. The West Coast west of the Cascade Mountains, meaning from Vancouver down to and past Portland, OR, enjoys much the same climate with minor variations. Colorado has an overall far higher elevation, and is distinctly drier with little humidity. Also a lot more sun, winter or summer (although the summers out there are, yes, great).

One consequence of this is where Seattle and so forth will reliably be fairly green year-round, not the case here. In spring it is, and more so in the mountains through the summer, but by autumn if not well before at lower elevations the general aspect becomes more shades of brown. This is alleviated to an extent where there are more trees, again in the mountains, and also all the many within many towns. But there is nowhere the verdant greens and lush near-jungle (in comparison) exhibited out there. Many like, even prefer the climate here, but it is different. If 75º is your preferred high, forget the Front Range where summer highs are often in the 90's or higher; you'd want to be high in the mountains, say in a place like Breckenridge (although expect winter lows to be much colder than on the coast).

In towns such as Boulder and elsewhere there should be enough natural food stores to keep you happy; the West Coast still enjoys the best selection of fresh produce, and good restaurants to match. To an (much smaller) extent such food options can be found as well in the mountains, in places. But nowhere there any community anywhere close to 100,000 population. For that you would need to be somewhere along the Front Range, where most Coloradoans live.

I've never heard of Colorado being a favored haunt of libertines. You'd have your best chance of running across such a scene in the more liberal enclaves, again, as with Boulder. But not much of a problem, and within much of this state, say with some cowboy, they might not even know what you are talking about.

The good news is that compared to Vancouver or much of the West Coast, Colorado may seem almost a bargain with housing. All relative, though, so expect lower wages as well.

A thriving art scene may be harder to come by. What galleries could be found in favored tourist venues, most often in the mountains, tend to dwell on precisely what you do not prefer: landscapes, and western themes. Central Denver would surely be the best option for avant garde art, what there is of it in this state. Not exactly sure what they are up to. Although the geography of the state is different from Colorado, more often as desert, New Mexico has a thriving art scene primarily centered in Taos and especially Santa Fe. Even Santa Fe, as the state's capitol, is only about 66,000, and compared to Vancouver possibly seeming rather provincial. Moreover much of the art there is focused on Southwest themes. Nevertheless much of it can be fabulous, truly original even if thematic at times. There is a definite vibe there which encourages many, not all is Southwest, and you'll meet some truly gifted and unique artists. New Mexico terms itself "The Land of Enchantment," and so with some truth.

There are issues here, with ours often centered on lack of water and this rapidly changing climate. Yet it remains an often quite beautiful area in the West that defines some of the best the Rocky Mountain region has to offer. But dissimilar to the West Coast in a number of ways, in part culturally, and you may find the most so in weather.

Well worth a visit, and perhaps you might decide then.

[djohanna]

Another falsity--I never said I hate the Chinese race. Just because I don't want to live somewhere where there are a lot of Chinese people/food/culture doesn't mean I HATE them! I don't want to learn Chinese--it's too difficult, and not to say they don't know English, but it's like in LA it's good to know Spanish--easier to learn than Chinese IMO. I don't like Chinese food, nor Japanese food because I don't eat seafood...and as a similar example, just because I don't want to live in Mexico City doesn't mean I hate Mexicans themselves. Now you're the one exaggerating here. I'm making big exaggerations in what way? Can you provide some hard supportive facts that disprove my statements?

[brightdoglover]

Goodness, if Vancouver is so "too Chinese," wouldn't New Mexico be "too Hispanic?"
I agree with live content (as usual) and have nothing more to add.

[djohanna]

Now everything in life is love or hate. There's a lot of gray area as well. And when you don't particularly love something you're surrounding with, why not seek out what you do? I like French culture more than Chinese culture, so I'm considering Montreal.
I agree with myself. Case closed.