Thinking about moving to Denver? You might want to pump the brakes for a second. Everyone keeps talking about mountain views, sunshine, and an “active lifestyle,” but nobody warns you about the real problems. The kind of problems that slowly creep into your daily life until suddenly you’re hiking before work and arguing about the best green chile in town.
For the sake of public service, here are seven very serious reasons you should absolutely not move to Denver.
1. The Mountains Will Ruin Every Other View for You
At first, the mountains seem cool. You drive around, glance west, and think, “Wow, those are nice.” But give it a few weeks.
Pretty soon you’re judging every skyline you see anywhere else in the country. Flat horizons start to feel suspicious. Visiting relatives in the Midwest? You catch yourself staring out the window thinking, “Wait… where are the mountains?”
I remember flying back from a trip to Florida once. As the plane descended and the Rockies appeared, half the passengers leaned toward the windows like kids at an aquarium. Someone behind me actually whispered, “There they are.”
Now imagine living with that every day. Dangerous levels of scenic beauty. Hard pass.
2. The Weather Is Suspiciously Nice
Denver has around 300 days of sunshine a year. Which sounds great until you realize what that does to your lifestyle.
You wake up on a random Tuesday in February expecting gloom. Instead, the sky is bright blue and it’s 55 degrees. Suddenly you feel guilty staying inside.
One time I planned an entire Saturday around doing nothing. Coffee, couch, maybe a movie. But the sun came out and ruined everything. I ended up walking around Wash Park for two hours like some kind of healthy person.
Even the snow refuses to stick around properly. It dumps a foot overnight, everyone freaks out, and by the afternoon the sun melts half of it. Your dramatic winter day becomes a slushy inconvenience.
If you enjoy complaining about bad weather for months at a time, Denver is not the place for you.
3. You Might Accidentally Become Outdoorsy
Moving to Denver can trigger unexpected personality changes.
Maybe you start out normal. You like a casual walk. Nothing extreme. Then a coworker says something like, “You should try a short hike. It’s easy.”
Next thing you know you’re Googling trail conditions, buying a hydration pack, and discussing elevation gain like it actually matters.
I once watched a friend move here from Chicago. Within six months he owned hiking poles, a roof rack, and three different types of trail snacks. He now uses phrases like “sunrise summit.”
This can happen to anyone. Stay vigilant.
4. Your Dog Will Have a Better Social Life Than You
Denver might be the most dog-obsessed city in America.
Every park is full of dogs. Every patio has dogs. Some offices have dogs wandering around like they pay rent. It’s normal here.
I once met someone’s golden retriever before I met the person. The dog had a name tag, a bandana, and what looked like a better haircut than mine.
Dog parks are basically social clubs. People stand around discussing hiking trails while their dogs sprint in chaotic circles like furry tornadoes.
And heaven help you if your dog is particularly friendly. You will spend half your day making small talk with strangers because your dog decided everyone within 100 feet is their new best friend.
Honestly, I’m pretty sure my neighbor’s lab has more friends in this city than I do.
5. You Will Develop Strong Opinions About Green Chile
Before moving to Denver, green chile is just a food topping. After moving here, it becomes a personality trait.
People have intense loyalty to their favorite spots. One restaurant’s green chile is “perfectly balanced.” Another one is “too thick.” Someone else insists the best version is served in a place that looks like it hasn’t been updated since 1987.
I once made the mistake of asking a group of locals where the best green chile was. The conversation turned into a 30 minute debate that included maps, hand gestures, and at least one person claiming their grandma made the only authentic version.
By the end of it I still didn’t know the answer, but I had six restaurant recommendations and a mild headache.
If you’re not ready for spicy culinary arguments, Denver might not be your city.
6. Everyone Is Weirdly Friendly
You know that thing in big cities where nobody makes eye contact and everyone pretends other humans don’t exist?
Yeah, that doesn’t really work in Denver.
People smile at you on the sidewalk. They say hello on hiking trails. Cashiers ask what you’re doing this weekend and actually seem interested in the answer.
The first time it happened to me I thought the guy was trying to sell me something. Nope. He just wanted to talk about the weather and recommend a breakfast burrito place.
Even drivers sometimes let you merge in traffic. I know. It’s unsettling.
After a while you start doing it too. One day you catch yourself chatting with a stranger about ski conditions in a grocery store line. That’s when you realize the transformation is complete.
7. Leaving Denver Becomes the Real Problem
Here’s the biggest reason you shouldn’t move to Denver.
Once you’re here for a while, it gets really hard to leave.
Maybe it’s the mountains glowing pink at sunset. Maybe it’s the random Tuesday patio lunches in October. Maybe it’s the fact that you can go from downtown coffee shops to alpine lakes in a couple of hours.
Whatever it is, the place kind of sneaks up on you.
I know several people who moved here “for a year.” That was a decade ago. They’re still here, still hiking, still arguing about green chile.
So if you’re considering moving to Denver, just be careful. Because the real risk isn’t that you won’t like it.
The real risk is that you will.
Bonus reasons NOT to move to Denver:
- We have only one of the best football team in the country. (Probably best for you to move to Seattle?)
- Being one of the happiest cities in the country gets truly annoying.
- Lazy folks get easily irritated living in one of the most active cities in the U.S.
- You will need to adjust your baking recipes due to the altitude.
But really…
Why IS Denver such a great place to live?
Our weather is basically 365 days of sunshine. But it’s not just that, we also get all four seasons. Winter, Spring, Summer and Fall are beautiful. In fact, we often get all four in just one week. You can start off on Monday jogging in shorts under a hot sun, spend Tuesday feeling the cool breeze of fall, get a foot of snow on Wednesday, and then Thursday it will melt and feel just like Spring.
If you want a change of climate for any reason you can just head up to the mountains. Denver doesn’t have just any backyard, we have one of the most beautiful spots on earth within an hours drive to go skiing, hiking, biking, or just pause and reflect on the beauty of nature.
And of course the city, our wonderful Denver Urban living environment. We have great restaurants, shopping, sports teams, bars, bistros, festivals, events, transit, bike paths, green space, and more.
If you read the headline and thought we were going to tell you why you shouldn’t move to Denver you have the wrong website. Denver is the best.
