Denver or San Antonio?

[jmvan74]

Okay, all of this find your spot and relocation talk has got me thinking. I know that it would be possible for us to move to Denver or San Antonio. If you had the choice where would you go and why?
If you live in either place or have been there....what is your favorite thing about that city and your least favorite thing about it?

[ajlanden]

I'll speak for Denver.

Pluses: Big city, with a western type feel. Beautiful Mountains, camping, fishing, hunting, hiking, biking at your door step. The weather is great. The summers are fantastic. It doesn't get too hot most days, not a lot of rain. The winters are also fairly mild. Snow does come, but usually doesn't hang around long. I think there are good cultural, sporting and other recreational activies to take part in Denver.

Minuses (according to me): Not a very good public transportation system so traffic isn't great (I live it in a small city, so maybe it isn't that bad)--Cost of living is fairly high--for example real estate is on the high side of things

Over all, if you are looking for a bigger city, I think Denver is great!

[DiscoDiva]

If you'd like a city with a large Hispanic population as well as a great many spanish/mexican cultural events and attractions, then you'd love San Antonio! It is the #1 tourist and honeymoon destination in Texas. It is also near the Texas hill country, where you will find tons of quaint B&Bs and antique shops. It's also near San Marcos & Austin, where again, there are tons of fun things to do. Also, it's a few hours drive to go to the gulf coast and go swimming/fishing on the beach.

As a city for living, San Antonio has never excited me, and I don't know why. Outside of the touristy things (the Riverwalk, the Alamo, the Missions), I've never seen the other side that made me want to move there. I'd move to nearby San Marcos or New Braunfels - I LOVE those towns! Maybe it's because they have more of a small town feel?

[emmjay]

For Denver -

Pros: nicely sized city (not too big, not too small), tons of outdoor activities, amazing weather, low crime, large performing arts complex and several small theaters, big sports town, lots of continuing education opportunities, tons of parks and bike paths within the city, affordable restaurants

Cons: people aren't as friendly as Texans ;), lots of ugly suburban sprawl outside of the center of the city, housing prices are rising faster than salaries (but are still relatively affordable compared to the coasts), job market is so-so (but improving), and most importantly there are no good Mexican restaurants! :p

Overall I think Denver is the best place I've ever lived (out of Northern VA, Connecticut, NYC and Houston). The public transportation and traffic are both fine if you live right in Denver (I don't have a car myself), but as soon as you get into the suburbs they are both horrible. I love the houses here - Victorians and early 20th C bungalows - and the huge number of parks. And having the mountains so close by is a huge plus as well.

[amew]

I love Denver, for many of the reasons ajlanden posted. I live near San Antonio (I'm in Austin), and I don't think I would particularly want to live there. IMO, it's a very fun place to visit, but I think there are more interesting cities in Texas when it comes to living someplace full-time. I have a couple friends who live there and like it okay, but neither of them are in love with living there.

[DiscoDiva]

... San Antonio... I don't think I would particularly want to live there. IMO, it's a very fun place to visit, but I think there are more interesting cities in Texas when it comes to living someplace full-time. I have a couple friends who live there and like it okay, but neither of them are in love with living there.
Kinda what I feel. One advantage to San Antonio (or Texas in general) is the low cost of housing.

[hockeybrat]

I lived in the Denver Metro area so I could add to the comments -

Pros - weather (lots of sunshine), outdoor activities, mountains, lakes, sports teams (Go Avs!), cool shopping areas (Flatiron Crossing, Cherry Creek), Boulder has some really cool restaurants

Cons - mass transportation, housing costs, and people aren't as friendly as folks here in WA

[AttyGrl74]

For Denver -
and most importantly there are no good Mexican restaurants! :p



Shut your mouth!

El Parral is the BOMB. 3 locations, none downtown.

Or La Fiesta best chile rellenos in all the land. Near 5 points/curtis park - but in the nice part that's been fixed up.

[AttyGrl74]

Oh yeah - Denver is great. I've never been to San Antonio, so I can't compare.

[emmjay]

Shut your mouth!

El Parral is the BOMB. 3 locations, none downtown.

Or La Fiesta best chile rellenos in all the land. Near 5 points/curtis park - but in the nice part that's been fixed up.

Ha, I was hoping to get some recommendations with that comment. I'll try those - actually La Cueva on East Colfax (in Aurora) is good. Most people I have asked say Hacienda Colorado or *shudder* benny's.

Sorry for the hijack! :D

[hockeybrat]

Shut your mouth!

El Parral is the BOMB. 3 locations, none downtown.

Or La Fiesta best chile rellenos in all the land. Near 5 points/curtis park - but in the nice part that's been fixed up.

I wish I had known about these places when I lived there. The place I went to, I think it was out in Broomfield, was bad. :( I ended up getting my Mexican food fix by going to Rubios at Flatiron Crossing.

[imagirliegirl]

I grew up in San Antonio and personally I don't like it. It's a big tourist attraction (although as a native I can't imagine why) but I don't think there is a lot to do there. The only pro I can think of is the low cost of living.

I've never been to Denver but I say go for that. :D

[Tanya]

I went to college in SA, so I can sort-of speak for living there (albeit mostly in dorms). I really enjoyed it, it was a fun town to spend 4 years in. But, with my field, there wasn't a lot of job opportunities. I would definitely choose Houston to live over SA. I have a friend who grew up there and still lives there (med school) and it's a lot of fun to visit, but I'm not sure I'd choose to live there. Most people didn't seem to stay after graduating--mostly the job thing. Now, if you had a great job opportunity, that would be another thing entirely. And it's quite close to San Marcos, Austin, DFW, the hill country, etc. There are parts of the city that are really beautiful!

[jmvan74]

Thanks for all of the comments! I think I'm leaning a little more toward Denver b/c I really like snow and haven't lived somewhere with a great deal of it in 10 years.

[AttyGrl74]

Ha, I was hoping to get some recommendations with that comment. I'll try those - actually La Cueva on East Colfax (in Aurora) is good. Most people I have asked say Hacienda Colorado or *shudder* benny's.

Sorry for the hijack! :D

HA HA! I loathe Hacienda Colorado and their service really stinks. Actually the food isn't so bad, I guess.

DH goes to Benny's literally every Friday for lunch with his little political pals.

Seriously - go to La Fiesta.

Sorry for the re-hi-jack!

Oh yeah and jmvan74, we do have some snow - but not as much as we like people to think we have! We've had maybe 2" in January and it melted the same day! But a 30 minute drive up into the mountains and you can play in feet upon feet of snow!

[tinkerbelljenny]

Denver!!!!!!!!!

[DiscoDiva]

If you want to get great Mexican food, then you definitely should live in San Antonio!

After reading all of this, I want to move to Denver. :)

[nektarine]

i was in Denver the week before last for an interview, with thoughts of relocating!

i don't have much to add that hasn't already been mentioned, but i could not get over how beautiful the Rocky Mountains were as a backdrop for a city! wow.

gotta second what was mentioned about the great architecture... we saw MANY bungalows not too far from the downtown area. we even picked up a few flyers for 2BR rental apts located within craftsman-style homes, and we were pleasantly surprised by the going rate (although we are currently NYC-metro, so its all relative).

you may care less, but denver also has a GREAT vegetarian restaurant - www.watercoursefoods.com spots like that might be hard to come by in san antonio!

good luck!

[jmvan74]

I'm confused...Denver is not in the southwest?:confused:

[Southlooper]

Denver.

(Speaking as a former Texas resident) San Antonio is too hot.

[hockeybrat]

I'm confused...Denver is not in the southwest?:confused:

I think Denver is considered part of the Rocky Mountain states.