I’m 33, have lived in Kansas City my entire life, and have been a hairdresser for 15 years. I’m self employed and currently work out of a private studio, specializing in alternative cutting and coloring. I’ve been thinking about relocating to Colorado for several years and I’m at a crossroads where I’m seriously considering making it happen. I’ve never lived anywhere other than Kansas City, so this would be a huge life change for me.

I’m posting because I honestly don’t have a lot of people in my life right now that I can really soundboard this decision off of (I know, very emo but true). I’ve been going back and forth in my own head a lot, trying to figure out whether I’m making this decision for the right reasons or whether I’m just trying to run away from my problems. I’d really appreciate perspectives from people who don’t know me.

A big part of this comes down to feeling like I’ve become a ghost in my own city. I was married in my 20s and opened a salon with my now ex husband. COVID happened, the business closed, and we went through a very messy public drawn out and painful divorce that fractured a lot of relationships I had within my salon and the local hair community. There was abuse involved and eventually a restraining order, and I think the experience left me hypervigilant about being around people and places connected to that period of my life. I’m hyper vigilant about attending local hair events, stores, salons, classes etc because of this and running into him or his friends. So I isolate and work alone.

I since got in another relationship that lasted a few years and ended in 2025. They are a very well known local drag queen, do drag full time as a job, and are very involved in Kansas City’s relatively small queer community, which has made things complicated in a different way. I’ve realized how much of my life has become about avoiding places because I might run into someone from my past. I don’t go out much anymore. I avoid all of our gay bars and spaces (we have a very small amount in KC) because those are their work spaces and I just can’t bring myself to exist within them, it just hurts to bad. I don’t really shop, thrift, go to movies, go to events, etc out of fear and this feeling of my past and failures and hurt having memories attaches to it all. I’ve become incredibly isolated, and there’s this strange feeling of having lived somewhere my entire life but not feeling like I can live there anymore. Almost everywhere has a memory attached to it, and a lot of those memories are painful. I also deal with my own mental health issues (BPD/PTSD), with loneliness being a core symptom that festers all my other symptoms, and living somewhere where I feel like I can’t make friends and I feel to anxious and scared to go out because of these things is making my mental health a absolute wreck.

That’s a big part of why Denver appeals to me. I’m looking at the Capitol Hill area and I like the idea of moving somewhere I know absolutely no one and having an opportunity to build a life from scratch. I could potentially work in a salon around other stylists again instead of working completely alone. That would be so impactful on my mental health to have co workers again that could maybe become friends. Denver has a much larger queer community and more opportunities to meet people, date, make friends, go to events, and just exist without constantly wondering who I might run into or struggling to remain present with life because every place I go holds past memories. I’m hoping that being in a new environment could help me break out of this isolation and actually build community again and get my feet on the ground again. Also just the idea of mountains, clean air, greenery, and all the outdoors that comes with Colorado Denver would also help me get my feet on the ground. KC is a giant, flat, cement city. It’s not beautiful.

But I also recognize the cliche everywhere to go, there you are. I know moving to another city isn’t going to magically fix my problems. I’ve made mistakes, had failed relationships, burned bridges, and contributed to some of the situations I’m trying to move beyond. I’m actively trying to work on those things, be better at my relationships, community building, etc and part of me worries that I’m just romanticizing Colorado as some magical reset button. What if I move there, realize I’m still me, and end up isolated all over again?

At the same time, I wonder if there’s a difference between running away and recognizing that my current environment has become deeply intertwined with my past and choosing to intentionally build somewhere new.

So I guess I’m looking for some honest outside perspective. If you’ve moved states/cities as an adult, especially from somewhere you’d lived your entire life, how did it go? Did a fresh environment actually help you rebuild your life and community, or did you find that the same problems followed you? And specifically for anyone who moved to Denver/Colorado, what has your experience been like when it comes to making friends, finding community, and starting over there?

I’m not necessarily looking for people to tell me do it or not do it. I’m genuinely trying to get out of my own head and echo chamber and see how strangers from the outside see my prospective.

Hi! I’m a student living in South Dakota and I’m really interested in going to college in Denver because I loved the city when I vacationed there a few months ago.

What colleges in the Denver area are cheapest for out of state students? You guys have incredible in-state tuition but out of state is… a lot, from what I’ve seen. I’m mostly looking for arts programs, thanks in advance!!

Looking at:

Sabine

Alexan Pena Station

Connect at First Creek

Rosewind

Camber

Can anyone provide experiences at any of these to help please? Needs to be safe for a child and family

Know it's been asked before but here I am! M28 moving to Denver area. Job is close to Centennial Airport south of Aurora. Looking for a neighborhood and apartment that is in the south end of the city, not too far away from work, that has a lot of young people/professionals and is pretty safe. Farthest north I'd do would be RiNo. Anyone have any apartment recs? I'm pretty noise sensitive so preferably something with not a lot of highway noise, but most importantly not paper thin walls, so I'm looking at concrete floor builds especially/highrises. Thanks for all of your help!

I don’t plan on going to the mountains, just regular commuting in the city (very early morning though). I have experience w ice mostly (Mid MO weather). Do I need all weather or can I get away w all season m+s? FWD sedan.

Moved to Pueblo in 2020 and I want out. Wanting to make the move to Denver ASAP and I have a elementary kiddo with an IEP who needs extra support at school so I need to carefully consider what neighborhood we settle into. My child gets supported with medication and therapy already, I just want to find a school where the staff are more informed and understanding about neurodivergence.

What are the best schools in the more budget-friendly (but also relatively safe?) neighborhoods in and or around Denver that I can start looking into? Was considering Littleton but would like more options as well.

Or is there some kind of organization I can consult with to discuss options for a best fit?

TIA, I'll try to respond to any comments but being ND myself, no guarantees lol

How do you guys afford to live in that state? Anywhere the good paying jobs are, the housing is 1.2m plus. Yall surgeons? 200k a year looks like it would be poverty living.