Reviews & Comments
Austin, TX
re: EXTREME Urban Sprawl
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8/17/2018Tampa? I'm from NJ and finally back in CA after two weird years in Denver. If you didn't like Austin I would sure as hell not move there. I know I'm better off in Los Angeles.
Phoenix, AZ
Better Than Expected -
8/17/2018I used to work for a company based outside of Phoenix. I had to come here a few times and actually really enjoyed the bar and restaurant scene out here. People were relatively friendly, not as nasty as some of the other reviews on here. That said, some people are genuinely miserable people living here.
I will say there was an under-rooted distrust towards recent transplants, especially people from CA, mainly out of jealously I think. This was at least at my employer, which was a bizarre place to work out of the gate for other reasons. Some other people just seemed surly or that they knew something you didn't, even though they were probably White Trash from the Upper Midwest (of which people from there seem to have some sort of magnet obsession with Arizona because it's warmer than Wisconsin, Iowa, Minnesota, etc.)
Bottom line: Not a lot of culture, if anything uprooted "Passive Aggressive" Midwest culture in Phoenix. You can have a good time here, whether you fit in or not is how others will judge you long term. If anything, visiting here reminded me a lot of living in Denver - insular and WASPY.
Dallas, TX
DFW is my kind of place but probably not for all -
7/30/2018Every time I've visited Dallas/Ft. Worth (mainly for work) I've been impressed. People are pretty straightforward and direct and there's not a lot of BS in the workplace which I like. People here work hard so it seems.
Dallas itself is HUGE. Did some biking using Lime app and it's surprisingly bike friendly with bike lanes and trails. Neighborhoods are diverse - went out with a buddy and we lyfted to different bars and it felt like I was in video game. Ft. Worth is like a whole separate city but the downtown area was pretty nice too.
Food here is great as well. You can have your country grit eating breakfast followed by Japanese BBQ for dinner. Really impressive restaurant and bar scene here. Breweries are cropping up everywhere.
Cons would include some very bad gridlock traffic. Not like Los Angeles but just massive slowdowns during rush hour. I haven't witnessed snobbery here too much but if there is a place for it that would be Uptown. It's a nice area but filled with snobs.
Weather here is pretty mild with cold streaks during the winter (40s and 50s in Jan/Feb) and it's already in the 70s by March. The summers are very hot - be near a body of water as much as you can.
For what it's worth, I've met several women who moved to and left DFW (they were from other parts of the country) because they hated it so much. Maybe women back stab each other more than men here? DFW is filled with hot women so IDK.
Denver, CO
Update 6 Months Later - I'm Out -
10/21/2017I left, but will always be back periodically to visit. Some things that really pushed me over the line:
1. Dating scene continued to be lacking. Not sure if it's because people have less oxygen going to the brain at high altitude or Denver just attracts nut jobs in general. I'm thinking a combination of both. I have several other guy friends who have been taken advantage of my women over the last few months as well.
2. The city is expanding in the most obnoxious ways. 16 wheeler trucks and cement mixers are everywhere. There is constant traffic and nobody seems to want (or care) of how to drive properly. Road lanes are often blocked out for construction of apartment complexes and office buildings. I almost got run over by an Asian lady driving a white Subaru while crossing the street and having the right of way signal - sadly I'm not making this up.
3. Service at bars and restaurants continues to suck. I can't get over this one - don't make me wait 10 minutes for a drink while you converse with your co-workers after getting high in the alleyway. Denver has a very weird slash cliquey service culture. It's extremely unprofessional.
4. Awful pet owners. Seriously, why do owners not put their dogs on leashes? I've been chased by several dogs over the last year and each time the owner was like "it's fine, he's friendly." Really, are you freaking serious? Your dog just chased me. The final straw with this was hearing a dog get run over by a car. It was the most awful sound I ever heard in my life.
5. Terrible apartment complex associations. Maintenance calls were ignored, they didn't take out the trash in the common areas for 3 weeks while they sold the building to another company. It took them 4 days to clean up the laundry room after a homeless person defecated there in the middle of the night. This would all be against California Law BTW, but Denver sure as hell is not going to care.
I'm preserving the good memories, but people need to think twice before relocating here. Denver needs to start conducting "exit interviews" for people that leave on the quick.
Austin, TX
Been here enough times to write a review -
9/19/2017I enjoy Austin compared to other cities I've lived in and visited. I can safely say I like it better than Denver, Minneapolis, San Francisco in terms of weather and vibe of the people. To me Austin and Denver are very similar, but the weather, people, and outdoor activities are superior.
First the cons - For a rapidly expanding city, the traffic here is on par with Washington DC or L.A. It's awful, and there's no public transit to break it down like they have here in Denver. They also banned Lyft and Uber last year which makes things even more chaotic.
Austin does seem rather cliquey and insular like a Denver but people don't seem to be as trashy and a little friendlier (most Texans are just nice people in general). 6th street to me was the most cliquey place I've ever visited. I did not get approached even once by a girl, and that happens pretty frequently to me without making too much effort. When I went out in East Austin that was no issue at all. Dating-wise it seems like there's a lot of dudes here.
That said, Austin has a great bar scene and there are areas to go out in outside the city that are hip like East Austin. They are close to cheaper residential homes and developments as well. Denver doesn't really have that - you don't want to go out in a place like Arvada which is a mix of white trash and Mexican gangs.
A few more comparisons to Denver: Austin has a WAY more professional and robust tech scene which is tiny up here. So having better connections for employment, or just to talk about tech seems to be better in Austin. It's a city filled with smart people and the higher ed scene is quite strong.
Outdoor activities: I've come to realize I'm more of a water person, and Austin is great for this. The parks have amazing vegetation and are amazing. Denver has good parks, but lack of trees and very little water. This also ties into the weather which Austin has a hot spring and warmer winters which Denver doesn't have as much (it can like this year but it's not consistent.)
I compare AUS and DEN because they are very similar in ways, but Austin is just too small for my tastes. I know that I would fit in there better than here. Both cities are rapidly expanding and need to get smart about rising costs and infrastructure issues.
Minneapolis, MN
Big City Appeal With Smug & White Trash Values -
8/25/2017I used to work for a company based in MSP so I had the distinct "pleasure" of visiting nearly half a dozen times.
Let's start with the positives: There are some very nice and genuine people here. Not everyone is "Minnesota Nice" but the stereotype seems to suck in the majority. It's a very clean city with good biking trails and parks. It's more affordable to buy a house and raise a family compared to the coasts. There are a lot of Fortune 500 companies based here, so unemployment is a non issue.
The bad - well, there's a ton. The passive aggressive element is real and as someone who was raised in Northern NJ, this type of tone (especially in the business world) is downright unacceptable. People are shallow and extremely insular - as in the coastal cities are frightening and intimidating and anywhere outside the city is too far and unknown. Yet many are "progressive" and are card carrying Democrats who tug the party line. If you even mildly criticize any ideals they get triggered real fast.
Culturally, this place tries to mold itself after Norway yet there aren't any mountains around to make it even a little interesting geographically. Weather-wise this place reminds me of Morristown, NJ (near where I grew up). Bi-Polar weather conditions with a no real spring, hot and humid summers, and cold winters - except in MSP they are even colder and stick around slightly longer. I enjoy the cold but I'll take what we have in Denver over this type of weather any day of the week.
Who knows, perhaps there is still hope for some sort of change. Maybe that's why MN came around 1 percent away from flipping to Trump.
Denver, CO
re: Need Help deciding! -
5/10/2017Oh and to add - the "slowness" UGH! I grew up on the East Coast and the overly chill vibe of the city gets to me as well. I feel like L.A. or Dallas is like 50x faster than Denver. People are writing checks in line at the Safeway like in Denver - that's for sure ;-)
Denver, CO
re: Need Help deciding! -
5/10/2017Honestly, the city has changed so much since you lived here that I probably don't know. As someone who's about to turn 30 and has been here a little over a year, I always have the idea of leaving in the back of my head.
Dating scene here is rough - girls really do play games (or maybe it's the lack of oxygen questioning their judgement, who knows?) Talked to an EX that I'm now friends with again and she's like "you should be killing it out there." I'm like "I do OK, but not for all the amount of awful dates I've been on."
And BTW: It's not just me. I've seen many good looking guys get railroaded by awful young girls in this town. I can't imagine it being a lot better for someone single and a little bit older but it's possible.
Last night I went out with a bunch of co-workers as well as with mgmt from SoCal. Everyone was talking about extreme sports, this camping trip, this zip line trip, this mountain biking trip. And he's joking like "Well everyone but N598UA does this extreme stuff since he used to live in SoCal." I laughed and was like "ha, yeah, it's kind of true." The thrill seeking is starting to be a turn off and the mountains are too far away for me prioritize them with my job. Which is kind of funny since L.A. has mountains but nobody obsesses over them either.
I've met some really great guys out here, but every now and again there's always a warning that even they want to get out of here.
Bottom line: I'm still evaluating but to be almost 30 I'm not sure if it's worth staying here. I feel the high altitude heightens my depression and anxiety in the form of anger which was not the case when I lived in SoCal.
If I do leave, it will be to Austin or back to Los Angeles. I was just back out in L.A. for work and immediately felt more level headed upon hitting curbside at LAX.
Yeah, not a good sign. The choice is yours, but I'd be careful about coming back.
Denver, CO
re: Where Dreams Go To Die -
4/28/2017Well Said - I'm a guy form the Northeast and agree with every single point you made. Including loving L.A.
Denver, CO
Still Self-Evaluating - Too Much Midwest Influence -
3/30/2017I've lived in Denver for a year and moved here for work from CA. I grew up in the NYC-metro area in the NJ suburbs. Let's just say I'm a rare breed and it was a "roll the dice" move on relocating to Denver.
I will say when they say it's the "Queen City of the Plains," It truly is. Despite all the transplants from CA, TX, or the Northeast, the city is molded by Midwesterners. It's "their" town, with their intoxicated passive aggressive rules. It's either fit in or get out. And to me that's a dysfunctional mindset to have.
I honestly go back and fourth. Last month with the exceptionally mild weather was pretty great. But when there are low, man, there are lows.
I echo many of the comments about how professionalism just isn't relevant or cared about out here. I was terminated from my old job for reasons that were unexplained. My bosses were totally aloof and had their heads literally up their a**es. Direct people in the work place are generally frowned upon - thankfully I found a new job with MUCH better and direct people.
The dating scene for a laid back, sarcastic, fun guy is cruel. Girls here are largely damaged and/or seriously dumb upstairs. Many like to take advantage and/or use you. One wrong move on a date (mannerisms, topics of conversation, jokes) and the date is dead on the table.
For a city that's so "chill" I've never met so many single women who aren't. Never have I been in so many heated arguments by pig headed thrill seekers or gold diggers. And good luck defending yourself even if you're right. You'll be berated by lying into how wrong you are. Honestly, I wouldn't consider Denver to be filled with intelligent people by any means.
Other lows include literally the worst drivers in the nation, dryness (always picking my nose,) a local population that is hooked on soft and hard drugs, rising cost of living. Coming from CA, I don't see traffic as too much of a problem.
As for the highs, coming into the fold within the last few months is literally realizing how within a year I've casually met friends, built a small network, and have become reliable. They have literally backed me up in a fight a few months ago. My friend network in CA was pretty dried up, so I'm grateful for them.
Also if you like drinking, Denver is your place. This place has a fun and walkable bar scene, even if the service tends to be slow and terrible (it is.)
I'm happy that I've met some great people, but I'm not convinced if it's enough to stay. Life is too short to be meeting oddball women and feeling drained by it.