If you’re looking for a change of scenery for the next chapter of your life, Colorado should be on your shortlist. Whether you’re taking the next step in your educational journey or in your career, Colorado is the perfect location to achieve your goals and live life to the fullest.
Is Colorado a Good Place to Live and Work?
Perhaps you’ve visited Colorado before and had a great time while you were here. Of course, visiting somewhere and living there are two vastly different experiences. Maybe you’re wondering, is Colorado a good place to live and work?
Short answer: absolutely.
There are endless reasons why Colorado is the perfect destination for work and for life, but these are the top 13 reasons MSU Denver students and alumni can agree on.
- Innovative Business Climate
As the 15th-largest economy in the U.S., Colorado is home to an innovative business culture unlike anywhere else beyond the California and East Coast hubs. You’ll find numerous Colorado-based tech startups and others doing new and innovative work.
The reasons for this climate are many, including Denver’s high output of world-class researchers and field leaders, along with friendly business policies and a gorgeous natural environment that practically invites movers and shakers to set up shop here.
One Denver journal calls our state one of the best in which to start or grow a business. With numerous institutions like MSU Denver training innovators and leaders along with a business- and living-friendly environment, Colorado makes sense.
- Concentration of Skilled Talent
Along the same lines, Colorado as a whole – and Denver specifically – boasts a concentration of skilled talent working in science, industry and the knowledge economy. It takes an existing ecosystem and network of high-paying businesses to support a city as a work destination, which by all accounts Colorado has this in place already.
Concentrations of skilled talent this dense are rare outside U.S. coastal cities, but Denver stands tall as a regional leader.
- Variety of Job Opportunities
Drop a pin in just about any two spots in Colorado, and you’re likely to experience varied climates and geographies. It’s no surprise that our state offers job opportunities nearly as varied as the state’s natural beauty.
Tourism and hospitality take center stage thanks in large part to the Rocky Mountains, which offer some of the best hiking and skiing in the continental U.S.; but Colorado is far from a one-trick pony. Mining, heavy industry, farming and ranching, financial services, and just about any other industry or service you can imagine thrive in the Centennial State.
Whatever you do (or whatever you want to do in your future career), chances are those jobs exist in Colorado.
- Unique Culture & Community
Colorado and the Mountain West region have a culture you won’t find elsewhere, one that we know you’ll love. The arts have a permanent home in Colorado, with galleries and performance venues throughout the greater Denver metro as well as in other cities.
Whether you find the coastal cities too hectic or the Midwest less than thrilling, Denver offers a unique mix that blends the best of both worlds and adds a flavor all its own.
- Awesome Outdoor Atmosphere
We’ll just come out and say it: Colorado is beautiful, no matter the season. Whatever outdoor activities you love — or have ever dreamed of trying — you can find them somewhere in the state of Colorado.
…with the exceptions of surfing or deep-sea diving, you can enjoy just about everything else.
A temperate mountain climate means you can enjoy many of those outdoor activities just about all year. Temperatures stay reasonably mild year-round in Denver and throughout much of the state.
- Strong Economy
The state economy in Colorado is healthy and vibrant. Unemployment is low, even lower than the national average. The variety of high-paying jobs available in the state certainly enhance the economy; so do travel and tourism, which contribute a staggering $24 billion yearly, with millions visiting each month.
- Strong Focus on Work-Life Balance
No one moves to Colorado with grand plans to stay locked in an office, chained to a laptop. That’s just not how Colorado rolls.
With outdoor opportunities at every turn, Colorado offers ample opportunity for the “life” side of work-life balance with plenty of dining, nightlife and culture. With such a wide range of well-paying jobs, we’ve got the “work” side covered, too.
Many of the world’s greatest natural destinations offer plenty of life, but few can also offer as many high-salary jobs. Colorado does both, and does them both well.
- Affordable Cost of Living
The overall cost of living in Colorado is slightly above the national average, but work opportunities, higher median earnings and a higher minimum wage help make Colorado a comparatively affordable place to live — especially when viewed alongside the larger coastal cities.
The 2020 median household income in Colorado was an impressive $75,000, which is considerably higher than the national average.
Truth be told, housing drives a major portion of cost of living; but housing costs are up everywhere. They’re higher in Denver than much of the rest of the state, so you may have a cost of living close to or even under the national average depending on where you end up after college. By some measurements, Pueblo is below the national average, while multiple cities including Colorado Springs are only just above it.
- Breweries as Far as the Eye Can See.
Do you love craft beer? What about kombucha or cider?
If the options at your local grocer or bar leave something to be desired, a change of scenery may be in order.
In Colorado, you’ll find breweries as far as the eye can see. Every possible permutation of brewed beverage can be found here in one of our hundreds of breweries and craft bars.
- Plethora of Festivals.
Colorado is a festival destination, and the list of prominent festivals is so long we’re sure to leave one off here. From Telluride Film Festival to the Shakespeare festival at Red Rocks, the Greeley Stampede, National Western Stock Show and the Great American Beer Festival, you’ll find plenty of ways to get your festival on throughout Colorado.
- Offers a Year-Round Active Lifestyle
The climate throughout much of Colorado is generally mild, so you can hit up your favorite outdoor activities just about whenever you want. As the seasons do change, so do the activities. Some of our greatest skiing and snowboarding destinations offer unique and compelling snow-free experiences in the summer, too.
- Outdoor Events.
We don’t mean to brag, but such a mild climate, you’ll find meaningful outdoor events just about every weekend. Whatever you’re into, chances are it’s happening in Colorado, and it’s happening outdoors.
- Professional Sports Teams
Sports fans have plenty to cheer for here. Colorado is home to five professional teams: the Nuggets (basketball), the Broncos (football), the Avalanche (hockey), the Rockies (baseball) and the Rapids (soccer). All five of these teams call Denver home.
Other cities in Colorado host minor-league teams, drag racing, the Pikes Peak international hill climb, and the Junior College World Series.
Is Moving to Colorado Worth it?
We hope by now our answer to this question is obvious. Colorado has so much to offer, for work, life, and even education. Colorado is absolutely worth the move.
If you’re looking to take the next step in your educational journey, Metropolitan State University of Denver is your ideal destination. MSU Denver offers more than 90 majors and minors as well as 10 graduate programs. Whatever you want to do or be, we have a program that can prepare you.
Reach out to our admissions staff to learn more!
Check out MSU Denver RED to learn more about the state’s $10 million program to become the premier meeting and events destination.