Random thoughts from a former, short-term, Denver resident and longer term Rocky Mountain resident….

Mile high city — altitude is exactly 1 mile (5,280 ft. ~ 1700 meters) at numerous places around town. Assuming a soccer coach is in shape, you probably won’t notice the altitude in terms of getting out of breath, endurance, etc. in Denver, but you will notice it when you get up in the mountains. Denver is basically flat, but the very impressive Front Range of the Colorado Rockies is visable from most anywhere in town. There are many very attractive residential areas, parks, etc. but downtown is, IMHO, kind of Blah. Much of the Denver area is "Generica" — generic America. The mini-malls and some of the cookie cutter residential areas could be anywhere in the US, except for the fact that you can sometimes see mountains.

Denver’s a big city (maybe metro area is a better description as Denver proper is ringed by suburb after suburb which are all technically separate cities) by US standards, but its mountain west location makes it much more outdoors in orientation. It’s "western" so perhaps more openly "friendly" than is typical for a big city. It is normal for a total stranger to nod and say hello as you pass on the sidewalk.

Summer will be comfortably cool by US standards, although you can expect a few days of searingly hot weather — usually bearable because of the lack of humidity. My college roomate from Durham, UK found summers in the Rockies warm — however I think she found the the fact that any indoor space is cooled to 72 degrees F (~ 21 degrees C) or cooler in summer and heated to that same standard or warmer in winter was the hardest thing to get used to. You may find a long sleeves more comfortable for indoor activities like going to a movie.

It will be relatively dry, which means lots of sunshine — combined with high altitude makes sun screen important when you’re outdoors. Summer storms roll in many afternoons which means it will rain lightly for about 10 minutes at roughly 3:00 — usually has no impact at all on what you’re doing. It won’t rain hard enough to stop soccer practice and the sun will be out again in a few minutes.

Most everything in terms of places to go and what most everybody wants to do revolves around the mountains. Summer activity is to drive to the mountains to hike, mountain bike, hunt, fish, camp, enjoy the scenery — which makes Denver difficult to enjoy without a car. Public transit (bus) is adequate to get around town, probably not what you’re used to, but adequate with careful planning. Getting out of town without your own wheels will be a problem.

Plan on a trip to Rocky Mountain National Park. After that, I like to go north from Denver — the Cache la Poudre area near Ft. Collins and the Snowy Range, across the border in Wyoming — MUCH, much less congested than Vail, Aspen, Rocky Mountain National, Estes Park and all the usual places people think of when they hear "Colorado." Mosquitos can be a nuisance in the mountains, so take insect repellent when you go hiking or camping.

thanks for the help oldlady.

Hi Alex
I live in Denver. Oldlady gave you good advice, especially about going north from Denver. Would you be working for a university or soccer club? My husband is a longtime player and coach here and knows lots of ins and outs about the Denver soccer scene. Would they provide you with a place to live?

About the altitude and climate: I moved to Denver when I was 14, and there was a period of adjustment. The first year here I had several nosebleeds, and my already dry skin took even more of a beating from the arid climate. Chapstick, sunscreen and maybe skin lotion would be helpful. We’ve been having a drought (for the last two summers, we haven’t had many of those heat-relieving thunderstorms oldlady mentions) but we seem to be breaking out of it now, thank goodness. Those summer storms are short and sweet.

There is a nice music/club scene here, restaurants/bars of all sorts, and lots of parks, galleries and museums.

Went to college in the Springs; lived in Boulder for 9 years; one of my sons is in Denver. It’s cheaper than Seattle or DC (othyer places he lived before this). Look for a room-mate in the paper and then you can live nearer the centre where things are happening. I suspect your coaching South of Denver – where the money is. There’s a trade-off between commuting time and enjoying the life in the centre.

I never had a nose bleed or any short-term problems with the altitude. Yes, the summers are hot (high temps in July are 30+), but dry. It cools off generally in the late afternoon when the storm clouds move in from the Gulf (although it rarely brings rain). The weather is delightful, particularly if you come from the UK, beyond belief nice! Sunny – 9.5/10 days or more.

My son was very much into the music (alt indie) scene in Seattle and is very happy with Denver on that score. Americans, at home, are friendly and helpful to foreigners, but their attention span is short.

The Denver Metro Area is really spread out, so location is important in relation to your job. Bus transportation is not bad for the US, but not what you are at all used to. The suburbs are pretty boring. All the action is in the centre, so you will have some tough choices to make about location. There is no housing shortage in the area – at least not in terms of what you may be used to, but rental prices vary a lot between (and to some extent within) locations.

Colorado is a lovely state. Football (our kind) is growing fast and the teams in the south are quite good. Oddly enough, there is also a lot of emphasis on girls’ football, which helps to explain why the US team is so good.

I am sure you will have a great time.