Moving from the East Coast to Denver area-

Traffic sucks in EVERY growing US metro area. My company invests in real estate IN GROWTH MARKETS coast to coast and I hear that same song in each city. Its not unique to Denver. What is unique is great climate with 4 seasons and reasonable access to the mountains,

The really scary thing about the 100,000 people a year moving to Colorado won't be truly evident until we have another low water year. The state has been lucky to have had plenty of water over the last 6 or so years. When we have a drought year with another 3/4 of a million people trying to water their new lawns it's gonna get ugly.

limitless wrote:

Traffic sucks in EVERY growing US metro area. My company invests in real estate IN GROWTH MARKETS coast to coast and I hear that same song in each city. Its not unique to Denver. What is unique is great climate with 4 seasons and reasonable access to the mountains,

Don't be such a wise guy, mac! Sure...great climate & reasonable access to the mountains 😁. Do you live here mac? Summers are getting hotter than the Devil and the smog is choking many of us native runners to death. And there ain't no reasonable access to the mountains. I-70 is overwhelmed with vehicles night & day, year-round, and you get these transplants driving like idiots in the winter causing pileups the last forever on I-70 & I-25!

Wise guys like you think you know everything about this city and you've never lived here for 50+ yrs like I have! 😠. Why don't you take your real estate gig & invest somewhere like in Flagstaff or Albuquerque where they could actually use the growth & development!

Shoebacca, those two issues should be separated as the answers to the questions are the exact opposite. So, to break down the issues and answer them individually....

1) Is the population boom due to the leagealization of recreational pot?

Yes, I think the leagalization of pot has significantly contributed to population growth in Denver and Colorado in general.

2) Is homelessness in Denver related to the legalization of recreational pot?

No, I have noticed no difference in the number of homeless in Denver since legalization. I am a fourth generation Denverite. My family has lived in the area since the late 1800s. According to my Dad who is almost 70 and who has lived here his whole life, homelessness has been an issue in Denver since the late 1960s. He remembers it getting much worse in the 70s and 80s but says it's been about the same since. My memories really only go back to the 80s but downtown, five points, and Colfax have always been meccas for homeless people as far back as I can remember.

Leagalized weed--other then the smell as you drive from the airport downtown along I-70--has been a big win economically for the state. Depending on your perspective, it's been good for Colorado overall--though I definitely understand that many natives dislike the fact that there are so many more people here now and that traffic is much worse.

OP, welcome to the area. I would agree with folks who have suggested living close to where you work. Avoiding traffic and a crappy commute significant improve quality of life in my opinion. I live 15 minutes (drive) or 30 minute (bike) from my work and I love it here. It's a great place to live and depending on where you are from out east it may not seem crowded to you at all.

4th generation Denverite... wrote:

OP, welcome to the area. I would agree with folks who have suggested living close to where you work. Avoiding traffic and a crappy commute significant improve quality of life in my opinion. I live 15 minutes (drive) or 30 minute (bike) from my work and I love it here. It's a great place to live and depending on where you are from out east it may not seem crowded to you at all.

Thanks- yeah that's what I am thinking. I have lived in NYC and honestly hated it. And now I live in a suburb of Worcester area. (I know how to drive in the snow already, so that other guy needn't worry.)

Thank you for not moving to Oregon.

Blessed wrote:

Thank you for not moving to Oregon.

Just where I happened to get a job. But sure. Haha

Nuke em till they glow wrote:

Don't be tempted to move west of Westminster toward hwy 93-Arvada, Superior, etc thinking its closer to mountains. Traffic is horrible- there is a long studied beltway highway that has been stalled in this quadrant for 30 years. Driving in this area is terrible. There's also the issue of Rocky Flats. I'd certainly not live down wind of s Cold War era plutonium processing facility, no matter how safe the government and the real estate agent say it is.

So which suburbs are downwind of Rocky Flats?? Which do you consider dangerous because of Rky Flats?? Are Westminster and Broomfield far enough away to be okay??

3453454 wrote:

Nuke em till they glow wrote:

Don't be tempted to move west of Westminster toward hwy 93-Arvada, Superior, etc thinking its closer to mountains. Traffic is horrible- there is a long studied beltway highway that has been stalled in this quadrant for 30 years. Driving in this area is terrible. There's also the issue of Rocky Flats. I'd certainly not live down wind of s Cold War era plutonium processing facility, no matter how safe the government and the real estate agent say it is.

So which suburbs are downwind of Rocky Flats?? Which do you consider dangerous because of Rky Flats?? Are Westminster and Broomfield far enough away to be okay??

bump

Rocky flats is at the northeast quadrant of hwy 72 and 93 intersection. 30 square miles or so. They machined plutonium to build cores and triggers for nuclear weapons from the mid 50s to the mid 80s. In the early 70s, there was a building fire and lots of plutonium was allegedly released in a plume that deposited material as Far East as Standley reservoir. Supposedly cleaned up, but I'd, not eat from a garden up there. The new section of Arvada-where all the new homes are going is bad news. North of 64th ave, south of hwy 128 and west of the Kipling longitude would be my no fly zone if I was buying a house.

Don't buy in Candelas, Rock Creek, west Arvada, west Broomfield north Golden, or Superior. I hate most enviro wacko crap ... but the area in and around Rocky Flats "National Wildlife Refuge" is contaminated with plutonium, americium and uranium. The "wildlife refuge" part is BS. Great American Reservoir, Mower Reservoir and even Standley Lake is contaminated.

https://leroymoore.files.wordpress.com/2012/02/krey-hardy-with-hwy-revis-2.jpg

Good call. Thanks for the tips, I'll avoid this area.

Angry Willy wrote:

Don't buy in Candelas, Rock Creek, west Arvada, west Broomfield north Golden, or Superior. I hate most enviro wacko crap ... but the area in and around Rocky Flats "National Wildlife Refuge" is contaminated with plutonium, americium and uranium. The "wildlife refuge" part is BS. Great American Reservoir, Mower Reservoir and even Standley Lake is contaminated.

https://leroymoore.files.wordpress.com/2012/02/krey-hardy-with-hwy-revis-2.jpg

What kind of 10K time do you run?

asfdsfdasfdasfdsa wrote:

Thank you for ruining Colorado

Ya stay out we don't want you

Questrun wrote:

asfdsfdasfdasfdsa wrote:

Thank you for ruining Colorado

Ya stay out we don't want you

Sorry, can't help it. Wasn't my first choice anyways.

Lots of hot BBWs with big butts and juggs there.

Nuke me till they glow wrote:

Rocky flats is at the northeast quadrant of hwy 72 and 93 intersection. 30 square miles or so. They machined plutonium to build cores and triggers for nuclear weapons from the mid 50s to the mid 80s. In the early 70s, there was a building fire and lots of plutonium was allegedly released in a plume that deposited material as Far East as Standley reservoir. Supposedly cleaned up, but I'd, not eat from a garden up there. The new section of Arvada-where all the new homes are going is bad news. North of 64th ave, south of hwy 128 and west of the Kipling longitude would be my no fly zone if I was buying a house.

This is useful information. Do you think Broomfield from 120th up to Highway 7 is safe? (Longitudinally, along on Sheridan Boulevard).

moving to CO wrote:

Questrun wrote:

Ya stay out we don't want you

Sorry, can't help it. Wasn't my first choice anyways.

Likewise. I'm a native and have lived in CO for >25 years, but had moved away a couple times. Didn't miss it all that much but work brought me back.

Welcome to the state and don't let the idiots on this thread discourage you.

Angry Willy wrote:

Don't buy in Candelas, Rock Creek, west Arvada, west Broomfield north Golden, or Superior. I hate most enviro wacko crap ... but the area in and around Rocky Flats "National Wildlife Refuge" is contaminated with plutonium, americium and uranium. The "wildlife refuge" part is BS. Great American Reservoir, Mower Reservoir and even Standley Lake is contaminated.

https://leroymoore.files.wordpress.com/2012/02/krey-hardy-with-hwy-revis-2.jpg

That 30 square miles of the Flats would have been PRIME real estate, too bad they didn't have the foresight to keep the plutonium in some east Colorado wasteland.