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What would it take to get you to move to Denver?

Original Post
GhaMby Eagan · · Heaven · Joined Oct 2006 · Points: 385

I now live in Bishop CA (AKA HEAVEN!), I used to live in Utah and miss a lot of aspects of the place. I'm flying to Denver for a job interview next week, a GOOD job. In Bishop I have a very low paying-short term job, but I can probably stay here and 'survive' for 6-8 months ($10/hr and I'm married). The job in Denver sounds like a great job and opportunity that should allow me to pay off my school loans, live in a big enough house that I'm not bumping my shoulders on all 4 walls at once, and hopefully gain enough experience that I can choose to live where ever I want in 5 years. The downside is of course living in Denver, when I was in Utah every time I ran into a dickhead he was travelling from CO (or CA).

Bishop is such a great place to live, very few people at the crags, and when they are people they are either friendly locals (usually) or friendly travelers. There is a shit load of climbing here (more than bouldering and owens, I hope I'm not letting a secret out!). The only downsides are job prospects, right now I'm making just enough to survive, and there don't appear to be a lot of long term prospects in the future.

I posted up on the co regional section, of course people take too much pride in their current residence! Anyone have experience in Denver? Can you contrast it with SLC?

Thanks!

Greg D · · Here · Joined Apr 2006 · Points: 883

Denver sucks. Stay in Bishop.

Glenn Schuler · · Monument, Co. · Joined Jun 2006 · Points: 1,330

Cash is king right? If they will pay you enough, suck it up and get your bills payed. There are plenty of worse places to live than Denver. Quit being such a drama queen - dickheads are everywhere, deal with it.

Mike Lane · · AnCapistan · Joined Jan 2006 · Points: 880

Yeah Glenn!

Kid- learn how to pee in the tall grass.

Scott McMahon · · Boulder, CO · Joined Feb 2006 · Points: 1,425

I love it in CO and will most likely never move. It's not gonna hurt you at all to move here.

talkinrocks · · Boulder, CO · Joined Aug 2008 · Points: 80
sweagan wrote: The downside is of course living in Denver, when I was in Utah every time I ran into a dickhead he was travelling from CO (or CA).
You can find dickheads from everywhere. Making blanket statements and having a pre-concieved notion of people before you get there wont allow you to make any friends once you do arrive. Its what you make of it. Colorado has some of the nicest people I have ever been fortunate to know and easy to get humbled by some badass mofos. Like I said in your other thread on the same topic, at least it aint Houston.

BTW, Bishop is no secret.
Richard Fernandez · · Flagstaff, AZ · Joined Nov 2008 · Points: 859

Move to Denver, pay yo bills, stash some ca$h.

'nuff said.

It could be worse, i.e. Houston, TX or Miami, FL

JCM · · Unknown Hometown · Joined Jun 2008 · Points: 115
Richard Fernandez wrote:Move to Denver, pay yo bills, stash some ca$h. 'nuff said. It could be worse, i.e. Houston, TX or Miami, FL
Seriously. Many climbers, even the very dedicated, find themselves moving to non-optimal places for career/financial/family/etc reasons. Within the spectrum of "non-optimal", Denver is pretty incredible. It isn't as good as Bishop, but where is? The only reason that Denver seems like a major step down is that you are currently sitting on the very top of the pyramid of US climber's towns. Unless you move to Spain, a step in any direction is a step down.

If you think you can make it work to stay in Bishop long-term, then stick it out there and enjoy the Eastside. But if you think that you can only keep it going in Bishop for another 6 months, then you should probably take the job in Denver. Otherwise, in 6 months you may find yourself needing to move, and end up settling for somewhere far worse than Denver.

Denver has a lot to offer. It doesn't have the quality of climbing that the Eastside has, but it does have a lot of good stuff. It isn't a death sentence to your climbing (like Miami or Houston would be), and it has a lot of great non-climbing resources. If the job is really that good, it probably is worth it, especially since it will give you more freedom in the long-term to be able to choose where you can to live/work.
Will S · · Joshua Tree · Joined Nov 2006 · Points: 1,061

New town = new crags, new partners.

Go there, but continue to live like you were making $8/hr, save all you can and pay off all debt.

You ever want to retire? Or you wanna be working at sixty, sixty-five, seventy years old? Figure you got about thirty years of work, max to stash enough. And if you want kids, not even now, but ever, that's big money too.

Really, you can only climb hard 3 days a week max for any length of time without injuring yourself, so what are you missing with a real job?

I usually go crazy after about 2-3 years grinding for the man at real jobs, quit, take a couple years off, and start again. It's hard, and every cycle gets harder as a white collar professional...nobody wants to hire someone who has regular, extended gaps in the resume. But I've made it work so far, and in my fortieth year have only worked about half the time since I graduated college...yet those were all high paying engineering jobs, and I live like a college kid on very little money. No debt, my little shack is paid off, etc. I fully plan on being retired for good by 55 at the very latest, and more likely by 47 or so.

A little planning and sacrifice go a long ways. Good luck to you.

Nick Barczak · · Unknown Hometown · Joined Oct 2008 · Points: 75

sweagan,

I moved to the front range (Fort Collins) back in November, and I LOVE it here.

Granted I was living in Orange County, CA. So obviously moving was a big improvement.

But nonetheless, everyone I've met out here has been incredibly nice.

I'm actually super depressed that I'll probably have to move again sometime next year, as there really aren't jobs for people in my profession here.

I say go for it! Move to Denver. Pay off any debts with that beefier paycheck. Save up some money. And if you find that you hate it here, then move back to CA.

Walt Barker · · Western NC · Joined Dec 2010 · Points: 425

I moved to Denver from Jackson Hole WY about 2 years ago for the aformentioned family/financial/etc reasons. I had a natural resources career for about 15 years that kept me constantly living rural and playing in the backcountry. I suffered a bit of "metro-shock" at first, but have made it work. I've found like-minded folks here; you just have to keep the radar on. I live on the west side. It makes for a pretty quick getaway time to the hills. The volume of easily acessible climbing along the front-range is staggering, but I usually am able to find un-crowded routes in my range.
So yeah, come on out. Get some $$ cash saved. I'll show you around. Look me up.

Woodchuck ATC · · Unknown Hometown · Joined Nov 2007 · Points: 3,280

Guaranteed job, easy flexible hours, affordable homes with low interest loans and small downpayment. That's what it would take for me.

Matt H · · Unknown Hometown · Joined Feb 2009 · Points: 5

Denver is a pretty rad town. I just moved here from San Francisco and while the city isn't quite as awesome, the climbing possibilities are fantastic. And if we're going to go around making blanket statements about the quality of people, I've met more dickheads at the Buttermilks than all other climbing destinations combined.

Colonel Mustard · · Sacramento, CA · Joined Sep 2005 · Points: 1,241

I'm a dickhead and I don't live in CO or CA.

Matt H · · Unknown Hometown · Joined Feb 2009 · Points: 5

See? Dickheads are everywhere.

Victor K · · Denver, CO · Joined Jul 2003 · Points: 170

"The downside is of course living in Denver, when I was in Utah every time I ran into a dickhead he was traveling from CO (or CA)."

1. Isn't Bishop in CA?

2. If living in Denver is a "downside", then you're starting on the wrong foot. I moved here from Santa Cruz (AKA HEAVEN!). Wasn't happy for a while, now I absolutely love it. Go figure.

I also grew up in SLC. The previous thread had accurate comparisons between the two places. How you feel about Mormons could also be an issue. There are a few in the region.

Tom Mulholland · · #1 Cheese Producing State! · Joined Apr 2010 · Points: 50

Would you do it for a Klondike bar?

sevrdhed · · Unknown Hometown · Joined Oct 2006 · Points: 155

150k annually, full benefits, moving expenses paid. That'd do it.

Shawn Mitchell · · Broomfield · Joined Mar 2008 · Points: 250

Sweagan, you are quite a uniter. You've got Denver climbers and Boulder climbers singing the same tune, and that's not always easy.

GhaMby Eagan · · Heaven · Joined Oct 2006 · Points: 385

I know I talk a lot of shit, but I thought denverds could take it, well most of you can and most of you realize what a pickle i'm in. I'll be there next weekend climbing with a friend of mine from when I was in Portland, he says it's okay, but very suburban.

I'll keep an open mind, and hopefully we can climb somewhere not to crowded. Does anyone know how Denver and Portland compare? That is where I just moved from, I really like a lot of aspects about PDX, like really great food for decent prices, BIKE COMMUTING!, the circuit bouldering gym (I would rather climb ropes though), an hour and a half from surfing, access to mountain bike trails, good climbing in the summer and of course the beer (I was not a huge IPA fan when I first moved there, but now a well hopped beer is delicious). Things I did not like, sitting in traffic, rain, the portland rock gym (the weirdest place on earth!), and of course the rain.

I'll try to have as open of a mind about Denver as I can (I am a bit of a dumbass with a huge mouth!), Golden sounds sweet though anyone know how long the train should take from Golden to Downtown? Otherwise I would like to be within a 15 minute bike commute to work. The more I think about how much school loan debt I have, the lack of retirement, healthcare and no engineering experience the more I have to be willing to leave Bishop.

Copperhead · · Unknown Hometown · Joined Aug 2011 · Points: 0

Drama queen sounds about right. If you actually plan to work in an engineering job, you can.t live anywhere you want if you have no experience. The secret is that once you get some, you might be able to work remotely from anywhere, depending on what type of engineering we're taking about.

I'm sure bishop kicks ass, but really every place has it's positives. Some of the ones you mentioned are funny, like beer, because Colorado is as good as anywhere for beer. Go to great divide while you are out, try every type of yeti, and tell me it doesn't kick ass. Denver likely beats bishop in a zillion categories, many of which you may not be interested in (yet), but if you give a life change like that a chance, with the right attitude, you'll only gain from the experience. You can always go back.

End
Edit: after rereading, with current attitude, you'll hate it.

Guideline #1: Don't be a jerk.

Northern Utah & Idaho
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