When we visited Denver a couple years ago, we uncovered a funny trend. Of the local people we talked to, a handful of them had all moved from Chicago to Denver 10-20 years ago.
These were typically people who liked the outdoors and cited the sunshine and nature as the reason for the move. They also mentioned the affordability of Denver as a key reason for moving. You were able to get big city amenities while housing costs stayed reasonable.
When thinking about why people move to other places, like Manchester, New Hampshire, where I live now, it’s interesting to think about the spark notes answers. Here, they’re often about the proximity to nature, the reasonable cost of housing and a decent economy.
What would it really take to get the flywheel going in the same way it has ramped up in Denver?
Was there a certain archetype of person who would move from Chicago to Denver that started a movement where now people move from all over after seeing the early adopters?
While we have some stats about why people move, it would be fascinating to develop some customer personas and user journeys. A good design project for another day…