Denver, Colorado

Denver has a great eclectic group of people.  Most people tend to be transplants; it is extremely rare to meet someone that was born and raised in Denver.  A lot of people make their way here from Texas, California and New England. About 30% of Denver's population is Hispanic, 11% African American and 3% Asian.  While Denver is not overly diverse, we are getting there! 

Denver has LOTS of places to drink and eat away your sorrows if you have any.  Great notable spots/areas to whet your whistle and fill your tummy are everywhere.  LoDo (Lower Downtown) is overflowing with all kinds of restaurants and bars and is probably the most popular area to dine if you are close to downtown. My Favorites in this hood are Jax Fish House and The Cruise Room in the Oxford Hotel.  Denver also has lots of neighborhood bars and fantastic places to eat in areas like the Gaylord district which is just East of Wash Park.  Two faves in this hood: Wash Park Grill and Reivers.  South Pearl street is also a great place to get coffee at Stella's or sushi at the Sushi Den.  Lower Highland which is just West of dowtown has some new and notable restaurants-Lola is a good one to check out. Highland Square at 32nd and Lowell is a great place to hang too, my fave is brunch at the Coral Room!  There is also Cherry Creek which is loaded with shops that sell the finer (very expensive) things in life.  Cherry Creek is very walkable and is East of downtown. I didn't realize this list would be so long.  Lastly, cruise over to Uptown which is just a little Northeast of downtown to grab some grub at The Dish or go vegetarian at Watercourse-one of Denvers yummy veggie spots.

With the explosion of rentals, condos and lofts in Lodo and the Ballpark District, rent is still competitive.  I have noticed rent has stayed pretty steady over the last year.  You get a great unit, in most cases, for the price.  Everyone is trying to keep up with the Jones' so you can find the square footage you would expect downtown covered with laminate or hardwood floors, accented with granite countertops and streamlined appliances.  All of this at a competitive and reasonable price.  I love to shop for rentals, even though I am happy where I am at, only because I love to see the new ideas properties are coming up with to earn your business.  

The traffic situation has really improved over the past few years due to some key projects like the widening of I-25 and the addition of a light rail line that goes from North of downtown all the way past the Denver Tech Center.  The average commuter in Denver spends 25 minutes getting to work.

As for public transportation, you can get pretty much anywhere in Denver and surrounding burbs by RTD Light Rail or RTD bus.  The schedules and route maps can be found here: www.rtd-denver.com. RTD will also get you to the airport for about $10 depending on where you are.

Bike paths: Lots of people bike to work here even if it's snowing.  Maps to bike routes in CO/Denver can be found here: http://www.outspokin.org/Bike_Maps.htm

Don't forget the ski train!  You can take the Ski Train right from downtown to Winter Park which is a nice alternative to sitting in Colorado's ever increasing ski traffic

Colorado is a very landlord friendly state, so make sure you do your research before renting!

There is plenty to do here in the city.  We've got 3 very new sports venues: Coors Field-baseball, Pespsi Center-Hockey and Basketball and Invesco Field at Mile High-of course the Broncos.  Lastly, we do have a professional soccer team here too: The Colorado Rapids. If you are a sports fan without a lot of $, your best bet is to be a Rockies fan where you can get $4 tickets and sit in "The Rockpile". 

The Denver Performing Arts Complex is also brand new and houses 8 theatres for all kinds of shows.  Don't miss the Denver Museum of Natural History located just west of Colorado Blvd and the Denver Zoo is right next to it.  Another great thing to do is catch first Friday's on Sante Fe Blvd where you can tour local art galeries and swill some free wine. The Denver Botanic Gardens, located right next to Cheeseman Park, holds outdoor concerts in the Summer in addition to having beautiful grouds.

Outside.  When people think of Denver, they think of the mountains.  Yes, they are spectacular but there is plenty of recreation right here in the city. Dever has a vast network of bike paths and bike lanes all over the city.  Lot's of avid cyclists here.  Also, with so many parks there are TONS of sports leagues both serious and the beer drinking kind at most major parks.  Washington Park, the city's most visited is a good place to start.  Wash Park is also great if you have kids because you can rent paddle boats and little buggy style things to ride around the park in.  Also, there are two playgrounds. Other favorite parks are City Park which has a public golf course and Cheeseman park which used to be a burial ground and is rumored to be haunted.

Areas to check out, eat, drink and spend money:

Uptown-some good places on 17th and 20th streets

Highlands (both lower and West highland)  specific areas are 32nd and Lowell and 15th/Boulder in Lower Highlands

South Pearl: Just south of I 25 and Wash park/West Wash Park neighborhood

Gaylord District

5 Points-up and coming area-good music

DTC: The Denver Tech Center is an area that is partiall in denver (partially in Greenwood Village)  but is part of the metro and good portion of the peeps that live in Denver work in DTC.  DTC also has some good restaurants along Bellevue.

Cherry Creek Mall and Cherry Creek North

Also 38th and Tennyson area has some good eats/galleries shops

Park Meadows Mall-just south of DTC

The main grocery stores here are SafeWay, King Soopers and Albertsons.  Albertson's seems to have a lot less of a presence than any of the others.  Also there are 4 Whole Foods Makets within the Denver Metro area.  We've also got a few Vitamin Cottages and Sunflower Markets for less expensive natural groceries.  Banks are everywhere:  Bank of the West, Key Bank, 1st Bank, Bank of America and countless others.

Preliminary data suggests statewide employment increased one percent in 2008. Job losses totaling 0.4 percent are likely in 2009. Colorado personal income is projected to increase five percent in 2008. Income growth will slow to 2.7 percent in 2009.

There is additional info at http://www.metrodenver.org/metro-denver-economy/forecasts

If you are the type of person that needs four seasons and and lots of Sun you have come to the right place.  Aside from a few thunderstorms in the Summer and a few snowfalls in the winter, it's pretty dry and Sunny.  It rarely gets bitter cold and occasionally in the Summer we have a few days that top 100.  Nights in the Summer are always cool thanks to the low humidity.