10 Reasons Not To Live In Denver, Colorado

Are you thinking about moving to Denver and wonder what it's like to live in Colorado? In this video, I'm going to give you 10 reasons why you'd hate living in Denver, Colorado. We'll look at everything from snow to traffic so you know exactly what to expect if you decide to relocate here.

#10: The Snow

If you’re coming from a warmer climate, you’re going to hate the snow here - though it’s a little bit less than you’d probably expect. Because of the way that Denver sits just off the Rocky Mountain Continental Divide and on the eastern slope of the Rocky Mountains, the snow can pile up in snowstorms feet at a time. To be fair, though, it’s not all doom and gloom.

When we get snow, there are a couple of things to note. First, we do get 300 days of snow here in beautiful Colorado. That means that that snow that you get on a Tuesday, for instance, would be melted by the weekend. If you’re a homeowner, one of the key things that you can do is have a south-facing driveway. That way, you’re not going to have to do a whole lot of snow shoveling. This is because that snow bakes and then melts right off.

So if you hate the snow, don’t worry. We do get a ton of it, but it does melt relatively quickly

#9: Cost Of Housing

Another thing you’re going to hate about Colorado is the cost of housing. Rent and the average price of homes are skyrocketing, similar to many other large metropolitan cities where people want to live. However, Denver has been this way for the last decade that I’ve been here. It seems to be one of those high-rent areas.

These prices also apply to the whole state of Colorado. If you try to buy a house up in the mountains, you better get your pocketbook ready because it's going to cost you. Despite this, you can offset that super high cost of housing. If you are a homeowner that's going to be buying a home here and are relocating from the Midwest, Denver taxes are super low.

For example, on my property right here in the Sloan’s Lake neighborhood of Denver, I have a side-by-side duplex where we have a tenant on one side while my wife and I live on the other side. That’s a little bit of a house hack. There, our taxes for 2020 were just $3,000. If you compare that to anywhere in California, Texas, New York, Illinois, or Colorado in general, that's a bit lower for property taxes. So while you’re going to have higher overall acquisition costs, the carrying cost for that property will be a little bit lesser.

On top of that, if you are relocating here for a position of employment, the average household income here in Denver is well above the national average. This means we can actually afford to live here and play here, which is one of the reasons that people want to move here.

#8: The Smog

Number eight on this list is the smog. There is a ton of traffic here along the I-70 corridor along with I-25 - the two major arteries that intersect Colorado, going right through the Denver Metro area. Because Denver is on the eastern slope of the Continental Divide, the air quality here can be horrible.

There’s going to be a ton of times where you are driving around and you’ll see signs above the highways indicating an ozone alert. So if you want to avoid driving during the middle of the day, please carpool. If you haven't been to Colorado yet, we do have Express Lanes that are free for tolls if you have three or more people in your vehicle. Carpooling is hugely beneficial to anybody that does have to commute. The smog and the air quality sometimes make your throat get a little scratchy.

And if you’re a runner, a biker, or a hiker, you'll want to avoid doing those activities in the hot summer sun. It can get to 100 degrees sometimes here in the Denver Metro. In the end, I don’t have any spin on the smog to make it a little bit better for you. Air quality, to be honest, is quite shitty.

#7: Driving

If you suck at driving or don't take care of your vehicle, please don’t move here. Denver has a ton of transplants. If you’re driving around the mountains or anywhere in the local Denver Metro area, you’re gonna see a ton of different license plates - including Californians, Texans, and Coloradans. So if you suck at driving and you don’t take care of your vehicle, please avoid the mountains like the plague.

Lawmakers actually had to institute a new law about three years ago to deal with this issue. If you don’t have enough tread on your tires, you can potentially get a ticket driving in the mountains. That's because there’s a ton of traffic going to ski resorts in the wintertime and going camping in the summertime. Unfortunately, because people don’t take care of their vehicles, we have spinouts that cause closures on the I-70 - which is horrendous.

It's brutal to get stuck in a traffic jam on I-70, especially when you’re on your way to go ski for the day or the weekend. We once lost out on a ski weekend up in Steamboat because we got stuck on I-70 for four and a half hours. There was a spin-out from someone that did not have the right kind of tires or four-wheel drive. That's definitely one reason not to move here.

#6: Wild Animals

Number six on our list is wild animals. So if you’re kind of a knucklehead and think that wild animals are friendly, please stay away from Colorado - because you'll hate it here.

#5: Hard Work

Do you think we’re all hippies, we don’t work hard, we’re Trust Fund kids,  we’re always duck doped up on marijuana, and we love hugging trees? If so, Colorado is not the place for you. In all seriousness, Colorado has a ton of white-collar positions, blue-collar positions, and many people that are doing quite well.

Of course, I have a mortgage company here in the Denver Metro area and many of my clients do so well that they have multiple homes - including mountain houses and condos. It really is a testament to putting in the effort Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday so that you can take advantage of being a weekend warrior. Or if you want to take a mid-week, hump day off to get out and ski, hike, or take the dogs to the dog park, Colorado is a fantastic work hard, play hard state.

#4: Low Humidity

If you like humidity, you're going to hate living in Colorado. It's just not very humid. Of course, when it snows or rains, the humidity levels do rise. However, it’s not uncommon to have single-digit humidity levels of 30% or less. For you ladies, you won't have to worry about the humidity if you have frizzy hair.

What low humidity does do is lead to some dry skin, forest fires, and so on. One of the cool things, though, is that if you look are looking to buy an older property here in one of the neighboring suburbs of Denver, a lot of houses have a swamp cooler. This is instead of the central AC that you might be familiar with if you’re from the south or the desert. Swamp coolers work very well. They humidify the outside air, and that humidity is then pumped into the dry part of the house. This makes it cool and quite comfortable.

As I mentioned earlier, some people have skin problems when they get out here. I know I have sensitive skin, so I get pretty itchy. My plumber told me one other thing with the humidity is that we also have hard water here. One of the things that can combat, not only the hard water here in the Denver Metro but also the humidity, is to get a water softener. You put this right where the city water comes into your unit to your property. Your water gets softened and, once you test it, can alleviate a lot of the skin problems that most people have when they move to such a dry climate.

What some of our clients do when they buy these newer properties with central AC units is add a humidifier. That cleans up any issues that you have with low humidity.

#3: Sports

If you hate sports, you're going to hate living in Denver. Denver is a fanatical sports town. There are soccer teams, lacrosse teams, and rugby tournaments up in Aspen. Of course, we also have all four major sports teams here in Denver, including the Broncos. I’ve lived here two different times for about 13 years total and the Broncos have won three Super Bowls.

In addition to the Broncos, we have baseball games with the Rockies, basketball with the Nuggets, and hockey with the Avalanche. There’s always something to do regarding sports. I live within walking distance of the Bronco stadium and that place is buzzing during home games. I would say a huge negative, though, is that there’s always trash in the parking lots. At the Bronco Stadium, trash can be there for a few days after a game, which drives me freaking bonkers.

The good thing is that generally speaking, most of the sports games that you attend are jam-packed all the time. Broncos games are nuts, and Rockies games are really cool. They have the upper deck area that’s in left field, and the rooftop is amazing. The last time I went, you could get a ticket for $10 and a few free beers or one beer and a burger. It's not a bad way to spend the afternoon, but if you hate sports, you’re going to hate Denver.

#2: FOMO

If you like being cooped up all year, you’re gonna hate it here. Most everybody has FOMO, or fear of missing out, because there are all sorts of cool things to do indoors and outside every season. The reason that I moved here with my wife is that we love skiing, hiking, and camping.

So no matter what time of year it is, you can always hike and bike along the Front Range. And again, even though we do get snow, it does melt pretty rapidly. You can always take out the dogs and do something active and fun here in Colorado. While most people know about Colorado's skiing, there are some awesome things to do here in summer.

#1: Keeping Up With The Joneses

If you like keeping up with the Joneses, that is the number one thing that you are going to hate about Colorado. Do not move here if you like keeping up with the Joneses - and here’s why. As we've talked about, there’s always something to do in Colorado. Some people make a ton of money here. All these things to do also come with a massive cost.

This means that there’s always going to be somebody that has a nicer truck than you, a newer pair of skis, or a fancier mountain bike. If you like keeping up with the Joneses, do not move here. You are going to go as broke as a joke. While this might seem a little humorous, it's true. As the owner of Friel Good Mortgage, every single time I talk with clients and review their credit report for their mortgage, they mention recently buying new equipment for camping, lifting their truck, mud tires for offroading, and so on. So there's always a big expense that anybody will have living here in Colorado.

Is Colorado Right For You?

I hope this gave you a good idea of reasons you'll hate living in Denver, Colorado. However, if these don't bother you, Colorado just might be the place for you. So if you'd like more information or are ready to make the Denver Metro area your home, make sure to reach out to me and I'll be happy to guide you.

Don't forget to also subscribe to my channel so you never miss an episode of my show, where I talk all about living and playing in the Denver Metro. Stay tuned to see what I feature next!