Denver and the allure it has for millennials

This story was originally published Oct. 20.

If you've ever travelled to Denver, you may notice it feels a bit like Calgary.

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It's close to the Rockiesa high elevation city. It's dry, but gets lots of sun. There's also a strong western culture and entrepreneurial spirit. Withprogressive attitudes, itmakes fora battleground state in the upcoming American election.

But Denver is attracting young people by the thousands, and Calgary is losing them.

The Brookings Institution analyzed the numbers from 2009 to 2014 and found that Denver had a net annual migration of 12,682 people aged 25 to 34 the highest of any metropolitan area in the United States. And anecdotally that movement is still taking place.

It's not the case inCalgary. The city lost more than 4,000 residents aged 20 to 24 in the past two years. Many leaving in search of new opportunities. And there wasn't much growth in the 25 to 34 age group either 0.9 per cent to be exact.

Now whilethose numbers aren't directly comparable as Metro Denver has roughlythree times the population that Calgary does it does showa trend that young people are moving to Denver and moving away from Calgary.One reason is theMile High City charted a new path decades ago, and it's now reaping the benefit. But it's more than that.

Drawn to the beautiful natural terrain, millennialsare moving to Denver for jobs and staying for the contemporary urban experience and quality of life.

Here's what Calgary can do to follow in Denver's footsteps.

Createa place for innovation

Millennials loosely defined as those born from 1981 to 1997 can be a fickle bunch. Ever trying to bedefined, they often repel those stereotypes in the next breath.

But one thing they do want is to get ahead in their careers.Mary Moran with Calgary Economic Development says one important thingto do is create aculture of innovation, but Calgary hasa lot ofwork to do on that front. She pointed to successes likethe research lab at the University of Calgary, but says more collaborative hubs are needed.

Denver has been doing thatfor decades.

There isa large tech industry settling around the Denver region.Googlerecently set up a campusin Boulder. Then there's the campus of offices at the Denver Tech Center, which is home to hundreds of companies. Silicon Valley is even losing some start-ups to Denver because it's not as expensive to set up shop.

It's what drew 27-year-oldAnatasia Briggs to Denver. Hailing from the Midwest, she was offered a job in the tech industry doing social mediaand liked the appeal of the mountains (and the fact that smoking weed is legal).

But when she got to the city she decided tobank onthe success of marijuana legalization andstart up her own business.

"It's aganja yoga and hospitality service that we have here in townrunning out of a consumption-friendly space," said Briggs about Cannastasia, which holds weed-infused yoga in a private smoke-friendly space.

She thinks the so-called "green rush" in the city is creating a workforce of millennials that changes the definition of "potheads."

"We're extremely productive," she said.

Embracinga booming industry

There are lots of jobs in the weed industry, especially for young people who don't have a lot of experience. And it literally brings companies buckets of cash.Then there's thetax revenue, although someof that is spent on regulating the industry.

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There are both medical or recreational shops available, and customers are allowed to consume the vast array of products only on private property (if caught in public it's a ticketed offence).

Carrie Makarewicz, an assistant professor with the University of Colorado Denver'surban and regional planning department,says legalization of marijuanaput Denver on the map for some young people who would have never considered it before.

Like Angelo Pietrosanti, a lab director for TR Concentrates. Hecame to work in Denver after leaving a molecular biology job researching breast cancerin New York.

"I met these guys who had an idea to open a cannabis company here, and they needed an R&D and product development guy," he said. "I went in, interviewed with them and they offered me a job right there. Offered to move me, wanted me to quit my job and kinda just dropeverything and move. AndI did."

After getting his foot in the door of the industry, other job offers poured in, so he was able to weigh which option provided the best future. Now he works for one of the top five companies for revenue, and their company is expanding its concentratelab from 1,000 square feet to a space that's more than 25,000 square feet.

Marijuana will be legal in Canada next year, but how it will operate is still in question, or whether Calgary will reap a financial benefit. But undoubtedly there will be opportunities for people looking to switch careers.

Be the city young people want to see

Other features that attract young people isnot having to own a car if you live in one of the many walkable, transit-orientatedneighbourhoods in Denver (it gets tougher to find efficient transit outside the downtown core).

There are bike paths, and manyurban parks. Denver has been called the "fittest state in the nation."And it's an hour to the heart of the mountains where you can go hiking or biking.

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Kevin MacConnellhaslivedin Denver's Lower Downtown, or LoDo neighbourhood, right next to the Coors Field. Hemovedfrom New Jersey last year.

"I think the best part is just how new of acity itis... full of just people in their 20s and early 30s," he said. "It's been extremely easy to meet people out here. And everyone is really motivated business driven and tech savvy. Everyone that I have met so far has been looking to jump-start their careers. It's definitely been a great place to start my career."

LoDo is the hip place right now, butMakarewicz says her class at theUniversity of Colorado Denver has also been studying the next neighbourhood going through an update.

It's calledRiNo, orRiver North Art District, and it's right beside LoDo.The community is hoping to keep its funky artistic vibe.

Makarewicz says skyrocketing rents on the East Coast of the States also have young singles and families coming to Denver in search of affordability although with thousands migrating to the city each month that is quickly changing.

But some saythe price of housing, along with theallure of jobs andlegalization of marijuana, may have added to thehomeless population which is very prevalentdowntown.

Both cities are struggling on the affordable housingfront.Denver city council is trying to stem the problem, and recently approved a $150-millionaffordable housing strategy (partly funded by marijuana tax revenues).

Some of Denver's younger residents are sharing rental units, just like many are in Calgary.But there are social spaces everywhere in downtown Denver, in the case renters need to get away from their roommates.

CED'sMary Moran saysin Calgary, economic development initiatives would like to tap into that notion.

"If you look at our office space in the downtown core right now, that's not really conducive to keeping millennialshere," shesaid.

She says young people need places to hang out and a great arts and culture scene. She has big hopes for Calgary's East Village, but says many organizations will have to work together to make that happen.

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Calgary at a Crossroads is CBC Calgary's special focus on life in our city during the downturn. A look at Calgary's culture, identity and what it means to be Calgarian. Read more stories from the series atCalgary at a Crossroads.