According to a new report from U.S. News & World Report, Denver ranks #2 in a new analysis of 125 best places to live in the US. But before you make the leap, here are 5 things you must know (and may possibly regret) about moving to Colorado.
1. Altitude
Denver is a mile above sea level. I’m sure you have heard it called “the mile-high city”. That’s not just a fun nickname. The air is thinner and there is a lower level of oxygen in the air. You will need to adjust. And it is only going to get worse when you actually head towards the mountains and explore the higher altitudes. So give yourself some time to acclimate. Even after living here for years, you may still get winded at times going upstairs or going for an evening jog. And your recipes will all have to be altered to allow for the changes in altitude. But there are plenty of blogs that cover how to cook at altitude. Lastly, alcohol consumption is also affected by altitude. Alcohol will have a greater effect on you since you are getting less oxygen into your bloodstream; you may not be able to consume as much as when you are at the beach!
2. Taxes
Colorado has a state income tax. If you are moving from one of the 9 states that do not have a state income tax, this could a big shock to your pocketbook. The state income tax rate is a flat 4.63% and there are not many tax deductions to offset this flat rate.
Car Registration Taxes are also quite a shocker. The registration taxes are based on the value of the car. I moved from Texas and my car registration went from $70 a year to $425 dollars a year. So get your checkbook ready!
3. Dry Air
Yes, Dryness. I can’t think of any other city that has this concern. Have you heard the saying “it’s a dry heat.” Well, it is. This dryness is one of the reasons everyone loves the weather here in Colorado. It’s hot in the summer, but not humid. Same with the winter, it gets cold but since there is not much humidity, the cold doesn’t really “stick to you”. it’s like you walk through the cold instead.
But the dryness brings its own problems. You will need vats of good skin lotion. And don’t go anywhere without chapstick and a full water bottle. You will need to hydrate all the time. And in the winter, you will need a humidifier in your bedroom. I also had to change my contacts after moving here because my contacts could not deal with the dryness and were making my eyes red all the time. So, yeah, dryness is a thing.
4. Marijuana Clouds
Marijuana is legal in Colorado, but public consumption is not. This means you won’t often see people partaking in marijuana, but you will oftentimes smell it. This may or may not bother you, but I noticed more often than not, there are smoke clouds just wafting around any public event or arena, especially the 16th street mall in downtown Denver. So while marijuana comes in so many forms like topicals, edibles and vaping, smoking is the one that generates the most marijuana clouds. So be prepared to accidentally wander into the clouds at unexpected times. Hopefully, its the good stuff and not skunk weed.
5. Traffic in and out of the city
Every city has traffic during rush hour. You come to expect that. But Denver is situated just 70 miles from dozens of world-renowned ski resorts. This means that you can expect heavy traffic on I-70 (gateway to the Rockies) on Friday evenings and Saturday mornings in the winter. It can take anywhere from a 1.5-hour drive to a 5-hour parking lot nightmare. And this is true of coming back down the mountain on Sunday afternoon as well when everyone is trying to get back home.
And because Denver has on average 300 days a year of sunshine, you can expect pretty heavy traffic on I-70 even in the spring and summer as thousands of city folk head to the mountains for camping, hiking, and biking pretty much every weekend.
All that said, I love living in Colorado! The good outweighs the bad. What regrets do you have about where you live? Comment below what you love or hate about Colorado!
