Right now, Denver is the number one place to live in the nation, according to U.S. News and World Report.
“We're proud of the ranking, we're proud of the fact they talk about Denver being a desirable place for people to live,” said Denver Mayor, Michael Hancock, “I think for the most part people are pretty excited about what’s happening with Denver. Even the growth.”
But it comes at a high price. The average apartment rent within 10 miles of downtown is more than $1,500. Public transportation and affordable housing are both challenges the city faces.
“And so those are areas we're really going to be focused on,” said Mayor Hancock.
“The pricing was sort of a surprise. We thought we'd get more for the same amount or less and that wasn't the case,” said recent Denver transplant Josh Penzell.
To afford a home in the metro area, you’d need to make more than $68,000 and that's expected to increase to more than $80,000, according to HSH.com.
Still, the high prices are not keeping people away. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, more than 100,000 people moved to Colorado last year.
“Change is inevitable, I understand that. But I think for the natives here, it is kind of sad,” said Denver native John Trujillo, “There's still a lot of us here that we're not going to let those values go. We'll hang on to them.”
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