The city contains one of the nation's most walkable downtowns, inviting exploration on foot. (stories.du.edu)
Job seekers report mixed outcomes, from high paying tech postings to months of fruitless applications. (Reddit, Reddit)
Families researching the move weigh suburban options and specific school feeder patterns before relocating. (Reddit, Reddit)
“Denver ticks many of the boxes I'm looking for” (a resident)
Who tends to love Denver, CO
Hikers and outdoor lovers: Many trails, lakes, and reservoirs are available for hiking, kayaking, and biking trips.
Arts and culture fans: Residents praise the museums, performing arts complex, and art supply store for meeting like minded people.
People seeking community connections: Strangers often strike up friendly conversations and meetup groups help people find friends.
Healthcare job seekers: Denver Health is described as a strong nurse driven hospital good for applying to work.
Outdoors and trails
The Fountain Valley loop is an easy beginner hike, while Willow Creek South Rim loop offers more challenge. (Reddit)
Mt. Falcon offers relatively flat, high trails with sweeping views of the city below. Falcon has some great, relatively flat but high trails that give you great views of the city.(Reddit)
One resident suggested Waterton Canyon to Cheesman Reservoir as another hike option. Waterton Canyon to Cheesman Reservoir.(Reddit)
One resident recommends Quincy Lake in Aurora and mentions Grand Lake as a fun town with easy kayak access at the beach Try Quincy Lake in Aurora. Grand Lake is a fun town(Reddit)
Nightlife and social
For dance and nightclub vibes, one local suggested Bar Standard, Club Vinyl, Temple, and Beacon's. Bar Standard, Club Vinyl, Temple, 1134 Broadway are all good options for general dance/nightclub vibes.(Reddit)
One resident said Avanti and Happy Camper work well as upscale hangout spots with music but not a full club scene. Avanti and Happy Camper would be your upscale hangout and eatery spots which are also great places to drink with music but not your club scene.(Reddit)
One resident recommends Knotted Root and Cerebral Brewery for those who enjoy IPAs and Hazys since they focus on and excel at that style They do other beers too, but they focus on on IPAs, and do them very well(Reddit)
One resident finds it hard to have good conversations and meet new people in social settings because everyone already comes in groups sometimes it's hard when everyone is already with their groups(Reddit)
Jobs and work
One resident described eight months of job hunting in Denver that ended in repeated rejection. about eight months of applying to jobs in Denver and I have essentially fallen flat on my face(Reddit)
One resident said the typical salary for a single person in Denver is 50 to 57k, noting roommates are common. average /typical salary for a single person in Denver is 50-57k(Reddit)
One resident said low skill, low wage jobs are in high demand and that is boosting the job market report numbers. Low skill, low wage jobs are in high demand and that's what's boosting the report numbers(Reddit)
One resident said that two years ago as a DC manager in Denver, the pay was just barely over 60k despite the workload. for everything I was doing, the pay was just barely over 60k(Reddit)
Making friends
One resident made good friends through activity-based meetup groups without needing a special friend-finding app. I made some really good friends on activity-based meetup groups(Reddit)
One resident suggests using meetup.com to find groups for 20-30 year olds, saying they met many people this way. find groups for 20-30 year olds. I've met so many people through this(Reddit)
One resident advises going to group gatherings like clubs, volunteering, or bars and simply talking to people normally. Go to a group gathering with expectations of socialization (club, volunteer, bar, etc)(Reddit)
One resident of eight years says it can be hard to actually make new friends as an adult in Denver. something I've noticed is how hard it can be to actually make new friends as an adult(Reddit)
Dating
One resident describes mixed feelings, saying Denver dating is both bad and great due to lots of young people and activities. Denver is so bad for dating. Denver is great for dating(Reddit)
One resident has lived in Colorado for over 15 years and has noticed many people calling it one of the worst cities to meet singles. recently have noticed so many people talking about how it's one of the worst cities to meet singles(Reddit)
One resident described feeling discouraged after three dates and one cancellation. I had 3 dates and then one date that canceled(Reddit)
One resident said Feeld only produces frequent matches if you pay for the subscription, otherwise matches are rare. you really have to use their paid subscription to match properly(Reddit)
Events and festivals
One resident said they could only find very small venues and no bigger venues when searching for places to see shows. I have found a few very small venues but no bigger venues(Reddit)
Cost of living
One resident says you can live well in Denver without roommates on $85k but a family of four needs over $270k to live comfortably. live a great life in Denver without roommates for $85k a year(Reddit)
One resident listed monthly expenses including rent, electric, car insurance, groceries and beer. Monthly expenses: $1300 rent, $30 electric, $300 car insurance, $250 groceries and beer(Reddit)
One resident noted that Denver rents may be falling faster than official data suggests due to concessions like free months. With free months and other concessions, Denver's rents may be falling faster than the industry data shows(Reddit)
One resident said they are unsure if cost of living is medium or high but it has definitely risen over the years. Cost of living has definitely gone up here over the years(Reddit)
Arts and culture
One resident listed several arts and culture spots including the Clyfford Still Museum, Red Rocks Amphitheater, the Ogden Theater, the Gothic, the art district off Broadway, the Denver Art Museum, and the Byers Evans house. Clyfford Still Museum. Red Rocks Amphitheater, The Ogden theater, The Gothic, the Art district off Broadway, Denver Art Museum(Reddit)
One resident recommended visiting Meininger at 5th and Broadway, a big independently owned art supply store that is a great place to meet like minded people. visit Meininger at 5th & Broadway. It's a big, independently owned art supply store(Reddit)
One resident describes themselves as an over 40, artsy, music loving person struggling to find like minded people over 40, artsy, music loving weirdo. And I can't find my people(Reddit)
One resident says the performing arts complex is great, with fantastic opera, ballet, theatre, and symphony, citing the Denver Art Museum as an example performing arts complex is great. opera, ballet, theatre, and symphony put on are fantastic(Reddit)
What Denver, CO is known for
Denver PrideFest (June): Annual pride celebration in Denver
Cherry Creek Arts Festival (July): Fine arts festival in Denver
Denver Film Festival: Annual film festival celebrating cinema
More on Denver, CO
The full Varro guide adds rent and home prices, local taxes, schools, healthcare, getting around, weather by month, and a quiz that shows how Denver, CO fits what you want.