lesmilesmoretraffic

After moving to Denver from NOLA five years ago it was the best decision I made. Professionally, there are so many opportunities to grow in many fields and a ton of jobs are available. Denver proper is a massive upgrade from NOLA, as there is a solid LSU alumni/BR/NOLA presence, fantastic entertainment, recreation and schools. However, Denver has significantly changed since I moved here. Five years ago, $400-500k could get you into a decent starter home, downtown was clean, and homelessness was not a big issue. However, Denver and the surrounding suburbs are become insanely expensive. Denver does a great job of attracting younger folks with its glamour to move here; however, I found a lot of these folks don't stay if they are single and not in a position to buy a starter home in the $600-700k range. They end up renting for a year or two, and become frustrated with the market and leave for TX, FL, etc. Friends with several folks from LA who live here now, and our discussions lately are about how some are wanting to leave and head to Tennessee, Texas, Florida or the Carolinas. The commutes, costs, and homeless are getting to these folks with the only option of living and working exclusively in the $600k+ burbs. Living in the burbs is fantastic, but it puts you 25-60 minutes away from Downtown or other sides of the city. There is no telling how Colorado will be in the next few years, but I personally believe it will become CA.