Recently my manager has talked to me about relocating to the Mid-West for my job. Currently my role is in sales where I cover the US and Canada. She wants me in the Mid-West as there is no presence right now in the Mid-West on my team. I'd ideally like to hit an airport hub of some airline if I were to move, so pretty much I think Chicago, Dallas and Denver are my best options, though since most of my status is in Delta, Minneapolis might come up, but not sure yet. I love all three with the times I've visited them for work and could definitely see myself living in each of them.

I know several TWWers live in Chicago, but don't know about Dallas or Denver. I was wondering what are some great spots to live in Dallas and Denver are as I'm doing my initial cost analysis of moving to each and will probably choose the one that has the most Fun:Cost ratio. Right now, Chicago is typically my top choice as I love the city a lot with how much there is to do there, but there is just so much that I didn't get to do in Denver, that I think it would be a great choice too. Dallas is probably the cheapest, but hottest as well, but not necessarily a draw back.

tl;dr Need to move to Chicago, Dallas or Denver (outside chance at Minneapolis), where would you go and why?

6/11/2011 2:07:10 PM

^I'd personally pick Dallas. But this is all based on personal preference. I just tend to like TX more than IL. Chicago certainly is a great town with lots of great things to do, its also close to Indy, Louisville (for the Derby) and other great cities.

Dallas isn't too far from the Gulf of Mexico, so if you like sport fishing, that is a bonus. Plus the low cost of living in Dallas will allow you to have a lot more fun. I know Dallas can get hot, but Chi-town gets COLD. Rather sweat than freeze.

6/11/2011 3:01:07 PM

Concur on Dallas for cost of living, NO STATE TAX, etc. Denver and Chi are too cold for my blood.

6/11/2011 3:41:50 PM

moved from Charlotte to Boulder about four years ago for grad school at CU. I also got into Northwestern and Texas, so my decision was somewhat similar to yours. Denver wins hands down IMO. It's still a huge city so you get all the big-city stuff, but with the Rockies half an hour to your west, you get activities that almost no other big city in the US can offer.

Plus the weather is way better in Denver than in Dallas (super fucking hot) or Chicago (super hot in summer, really cold in winter). Denver really doesn't get that much snow, and it doesn't stick around like it does in the Rust Belt. The average monthly temp in January, our coldest month, is 47.

On the weather thing, I visited UT in March, connected through Dallas. Temp was well above 80 in both Austin and Dallas. It's just way too hot down there. Makes NC seem cold.

[Edited on June 11, 2011 at 3:54 PM. Reason : texas]

6/11/2011 3:44:37 PM

Denver is a great, great city

6/11/2011 3:47:16 PM

dallas is the worst

6/11/2011 3:47:26 PM

i would go denver, dallas would be my last choice

6/11/2011 3:48:11 PM

Denver for sure. Nothing like the Rockies in your backyard.

6/11/2011 3:51:21 PM

Chicago

that's the answer

obvious reasons

6/11/2011 4:18:59 PM

I just moved out to Dallas and love it. It might be hot but I wouldn't say it is worse than NC by any means since there isn't much humidity. The food here is absolutely incredible and there are tons of local places to eat.

We live in the Lakewood area and love it because we are close to downtown, the houses have character, it is still quiet, and we are close to so many things. Other areas to look in are the M-Streets and Uptown. We chose Lakewood because we needed a house with a yard for our dogs. Let me know if you have any questions, I haven't been here too long but I will do my best to help out.

6/11/2011 4:19:11 PM

Yeah but then you'd be in Texas.

6/11/2011 5:00:51 PM

lololololololol at one of the reasons to move to Chicago being close to goddamn Louisville.

Chicago is a very easy choice here.

6/11/2011 6:06:19 PM

Denver.

Lots of outdoor activities, 300+ days of sunshine per year (that's a fact), only 15" of rain per year, tons of music, festivals, restaurants, night-life. The key is to leave close to downtown and not in the 'burbs. Skiing & snowboarding, rock climbing, hiking, camping, huge cycling scene (road biking & mtn.) The Napa Valley of Beer (quality micro-breweries). Extremely affordable place to live... Quality of life is incredible.

Best places (neighborhoods) to live in Denver:
1. Park Hill
2. City Park West / Whittier (I live here)
3. Baker
4. Washington Park (Wash Park, expensive)
5. Highlands (over-hyped IMHO, not the same as Highlands Range, that's a suburb)
6. Downtown, (ball park lofts or off of 17/18th) of course.

Dallas would be my last pick as well. Extremely hot and the biggest sprawl next to Atlanta.

[Edited on June 11, 2011 at 7:00 PM. Reason : .]

6/11/2011 6:57:33 PM

^^this guy HATES THE KENTUCKY DERBY....taking a 4 hr drive to one of the coolest annual sporting events in the nation > spending money on flights and hotels etc etc.

6/11/2011 6:58:37 PM

where in the world is this starting to go

6/11/2011 7:00:44 PM

I think Chicago is a nice place to visit, but you couldn't offer me a pay raise big enough to live there.

I'm torn between Denver and Dallas as I've been to both and love both. Dallas is a big city and it isn't too far from other large cities as well. And you can still easily do weekend beach trips. But Denver has the mountains and everything that goes with them. In the end, I would probably lean more towards Denver.

6/11/2011 7:12:04 PM

Quote :

"She "

ha... what kind of man works for a woman? pathetic.

6/11/2011 7:38:40 PM

Denver...then chicago...then dallas

6/11/2011 7:39:18 PM

^


denver, chi, dallas. i don't think i'd ever relocate to dallas actually.

6/11/2011 7:39:57 PM

I've started to lean towards Denver, as comparable apartments are cheaper in Denver than Chicago plus having the Rockies in the backyard would be pretty awesome. I loved the nightlife on 15th/16th Street when I was there this week. I definitely would need to explore more.

Does anyone have a lot of experience flying out of the Denver airport on the regular? My experience today was awful in terms of the flight getting delayed (mechanical issue, can't really blame it on DIA), but security was a breeze thanks to having first class. Just wondering how often flights are delayed out of Denver, be it United, Delta or American really. I honestly think it might be the best option when all is said and done as I love the opportunities the work/life balance it could create.

6/11/2011 8:17:09 PM

Can't speak much to Chicago the city but traffic is horrible.

O'Hare is actually run extremely well considering how big it is. My delays there are always less than Newark Liberty.

6/11/2011 8:34:38 PM

I haven't flown into DIA on the regular, but in probably about 10 flights I've never had a delay. Don't think it's worse than any other airport. DIA is a pretty major airport so flights in and out are affordable.

6/11/2011 8:41:04 PM

^^ My O'Hare flights were awful last week. I was scheduled to leave Cincy at 7pm on Thursday, and then fly back at 7pm on Friday. Actual flights times were 6am Friday morning (11 hour delay) and 1130 pm return (4.5 hour delay). However, I dont believe it's typically that bad, or nearly that bad, and there's always Midway if you want.

With respect to the cities themselves, Id definitely pick Chicago as it's my favorite city in the US personally. Ive never been to Denver, but Ive heard its nice (cant really comment either way). No to Dallas, besides SA Ive never liked any Texas cities much.

[Edited on June 11, 2011 at 8:59 PM. Reason : ]

6/11/2011 8:57:58 PM

^ I definitely prefer Midway to O'Hare anyways. It is also easier to get from the Loop to there than O'Hare. I definitely don't think delays are the norm out of either O'Hare or DIA. I mean I was on Delta in a United Hub, needed parts are harder to find.

I just love the idea of looking out my window in Denver and being downtown but seeing the Rockies as well. It was quite amazing this morning seeing that from my hotel balcony.

6/11/2011 9:26:14 PM

Rockpile tickets are only $4.... one of the best things about the Rockies, cheap games.

http://colorado.rockies.mlb.com/col/ballpark/seating_pricing.jsp

[Edited on June 11, 2011 at 9:39 PM. Reason : .]

6/11/2011 9:37:18 PM

Denver.

6/11/2011 9:48:56 PM

denver, because there are large snow covered mountains nearby that you can throw yourself down while your feet are attached to wonders of modern engineering.

6/11/2011 10:11:49 PM

Denver >> Chicago >>>>>> Dallas

I've flown out of each a few times at least, and I am most impressed with DIA. I love the view on accents or decents, getting through security is never too bad, you can hop terminals pretty quickly and easily, and most major airlines go through there on the regular. You should be able to get nonstops to most Midwest cities from there too. And you are correct, seeing the Rockies from nearly anywhere is damn near impossible to beat.

Chicago isn't bad because of O'Hare and Midway as options. I think me having family there influences my liking the city, but its a good city. But the cost of living can be pretty damn high unless you're in the burbs where you loose a lot of the advantages. You gotta be ok with the long winters though.

Dallas's DFW is a huge airport and I've been flying out if it a bunch recently. The lines aren't super bad but they can be spotty. I've gotten some nasty delays or cancellations there because its American's hub and if you get a thunder or hail storm, it can screw with flights for a few days. I haven't flown out of Dallas Love Field, so can't comment on that. And incase you haven't been there, Dallas gets HOT.

6/12/2011 2:20:43 AM

Good thing he cares about each city's airports

6/12/2011 2:52:27 AM

Tim actually flies a fuck ton, so I wouldn't be surprised that a good airport has some weight in this decision

After reading the thread, looks like it does

I'd choose Denver. When I was in Salt Lake City the mountain view was amazing, and sounds like Denver has that too. Being able to get both big city and mountain trips would be pretty sweet. You can go see Nate Irving play

[Edited on June 12, 2011 at 11:04 AM. Reason : jkk]

6/12/2011 10:56:26 AM

i was just joking about the working for a woman thing. in fact, in most of the jobs i've worked i've had female supervisors.

6/12/2011 11:37:26 AM

As Peter said I fly a "fuck ton". My job has about 85% travel once I finish my training and all. Right now it is still that anyways. So the airport is probably the second biggest thing in the decision outside of fun:cost to have that fun ratio. I actually learned that in DIA if you enter through terminal A, security is a breeze than if you try to do B and C, as it only took me like 3 minutes total to go through security (yay first class, but regular line wouldn't have taken long as they have competent people working it seems..). Just a hint if you fly through there on the regular though it only really works if you don't have any checked bags as you have to go to your counter regardless then.

Though going around Lake Michigan and the parks in Chicago would be cool, I still think in the long run the Rockies will win, there are just too many possibilities with those. However, Crisps in Chicago might be enough to convince me to move there just for the wings as they are amazing.

The one positive out of this is that I have a few months to decide where to go and being that I'm quite analytical in my thinking that is necessary. These suggestions are really helping out, so I appreciate all the input!

6/12/2011 11:59:11 AM

I'd suggest Dallas, only because I wouldn't be a fan of all the winter mess in Chi or Den

6/12/2011 12:31:28 PM

What do you do for hobbies? Are you an outdoorsy type? Then Denver.

If you like big cities, Chicago is nice, not too dense, plenty of stuff to do, places to walk/bike/etc.

Dallas...no.

6/12/2011 2:04:48 PM

Chicago for sure

6/12/2011 4:13:25 PM

I'm starting to get more outdoorsy than when I was in school. Are there any good places to go boating/jet skiing in the Denver area as that is something I have considered purchasing. I know I could in theory go out on Lake Michigan if I was in Chicago. I love the city feel of Chicago when I lived in the suburbs for an internship in 2008. Denver had a fun down town and I really enjoyed myself there this week. The thing about Denver is that I know about 2 or 3 people in the area, while Chicago I know a ton of people. That's not necessarily a bad thing towards Denver, but does make adapting to the new city a lot easier.

6/12/2011 4:19:31 PM

Dallas.

No state income taxes. Argument ends there for me.

6/13/2011 9:38:39 AM

not Chicago. Denver, if you dont mind cold and snow. Dallas if you dont mind the heat.

6/13/2011 10:07:14 AM

Denver isn't that cold

6/13/2011 10:18:33 AM

It snows more there than here, but they deal with it INFINITELY better so it's no big deal. The summers get hot but dry and nowhere near as unbearable as here.

The only thing I would miss would be the beaches. The city is great, the mountains are great, the airport is great. If I could convince my wife to move to Denver, I'd be there myself.

[Edited on June 13, 2011 at 10:31 AM. Reason : ]

6/13/2011 10:30:42 AM

I really hate texas

6/13/2011 10:48:48 AM

If you're going to be traveling 85% of the time, I would think cost of living/taxes would be a huge deal, which would heavily favor dallas. Lots of outdoor options and its warm enough to do things most of the year. The sprawl/traffic is bad, but if you're near the airport, that shouldn't be a big deal. The heat in dallas isn't much worse than Raleigh, because their humidity is lower (North Texas is much cooler & lower humidity than Southeast Texas).

I like visiting Chicago, but its too cold and expensive.

Never been to denver, but it seems nice.

Dallas > Denver > Chicago

6/13/2011 2:48:05 PM

Denver is a beautiful city.

6/13/2011 3:12:08 PM

The only positive thing I can say about dallas is that there are no state income taxes.

If you're really traveling 85% of the time, that could be worth it to you.

Otherwise, Denver, and then chicago would be my choices... all the reasons have been mentioned by others.

but mostly this would win it for me:

Quote :

"denver, because there are large snow covered mountains nearby that you can throw yourself down while your feet are attached to wonders of modern engineering."

6/13/2011 3:13:44 PM

Denver > Chicago > Dallas


I'd probably be living in Denver right now if it wasn't so damn far away from the coast (any coast really). I need to be near the beach. I also love Denver's airport (been there about 10 times).


Also, there are a lot of pussies in here, complaining about cold weather. Damn.

6/13/2011 4:34:54 PM

Dallas is awesome as fuck. Plus, NO STATE TAX so you actually get to keep your money instead of involuntarily handing portions of it over.

6/13/2011 4:55:26 PM

Denver.

I second the Wash park area. The neighborhoods right around downtown are great because I-25 cuts right next to the area and I-70 is just north of downtown, so you can get anywhere you need to go really fast.

Denver has good night life, a mixture of people from all over the country, affordable seats at pro sporting events, tremendously good parks and open space, fantastic mountains if you like to fish, hike, ski, good public school systems (surrounding counties are a little better than Denver proper) etc. It's the nicest place I've lived. Seriously, I should move back!

6/13/2011 5:00:48 PM

Coldish snow near mountains >>> Colder, windier snow by lake

6/13/2011 6:37:49 PM

Quote :

"Dallas is awesome as fuck. Plus, NO STATE TAX so you actually get to keep your money instead of involuntarily handing portions of it over."

I would not even live in Dallas for $500 savings in State income tax.... hell no, that's not even CLOSE to being worth it. Now if it saved me $10,000 $20,000 it might be worth it. Quality of life is worth TOO MUCH!

[Edited on June 13, 2011 at 8:25 PM. Reason : s]

6/13/2011 8:23:51 PM

I don't get the hate for Dallas. Traffic seems like it would be bad, but there are tons of restaurants there and lots of things to keep you entertained. I've only flown out of Dallas Love, so I don't have any experience with DFW. DAL is pretty big, and efficient when the weather is nice, but the slightest snow, ice, or thunderstorm will shut it down pretty easily. Still, my #1 choice would be Denver. I have never been impressed by Chicago.

Denver >>>>>> Dallas >> Chicago

6/13/2011 10:49:26 PM