When I tell people in Florence that I just moved from the Denver area, they almost all say the same thing: why? They can’t understand why I would leave a place like Denver, with gorgeous mountains and so much to do to live in a place like Florence. To me though, it’s obvious.
I cherished my time in Denver and Aurora. It was a huge adventure and it’s a place that brought me so much joy, so many friends, ideas, experiences. It really was a great 14 years. The Denver I left, wasn’t the same Denver I went to though. It got crowded so fast. It went from being a small town in a big city to just a big city. There’s a lot of pros to that. I had access to some of the best museums, zoos, restaurants, almost anything I could ask for. But so did everyone else. Things that were 20 min away when I moved to the area suddenly because 40 unless it was rush hour. Then it was an hour. I was making double what I made when I first moved out there but was still basically living the same way because everything had gotten so expensive. Every time I thought I had gotten ahead, something would pull me back down. It was exhausting. Not to mention at least 2 months of fires every year. I still love Denver. I’m looking forward to every visit. It’s a beautiful place with great people and tons to do.
So is Florence. It’s not the same of course. For perspective: Florence has a population of around 40,000 people while Denver has a population of about 700,000 and Aurora of almost 400,000. There’s no way a place like Florence could support some of the things I loved about Denver (particularly the big museums and zoo etc). There’s still plenty to do here. An active Chamber of Commerce makes sure that there’s always something bringing the community together. Look they even let me cut a ribbon! You can check out the article here: Ribbon Cutting
Ribbon Cutting with the Greater Florence Chamber of Commerce
Ultimately, I’m from a small town. I don’t want to go back to a place with 4000 people, but 40,000 is a nice middle ground between that and over a million. I’m excited to be part of a community and help grow an already growing place.
Next Time: Why I’m excited to be in a smaller community