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Mountains- Utah or Colorado
Scenery- this is a pretty close one. Id give it to Utah. Like no other landscape on earth.
National Parks- the grand canyon is amazing, but Utah has a handful of awesome national parks and many state parks that contain awesome topgraphy
Urban areas- Colorado
Historical Areas- New Mexico. I love the feel of the entire state. I always think of it as 'the state that time forgot'. Very unique and beautiful.
College towns: Dont know about this one. Im far removed from college age and dont seek out these areas.
Winter recreation/skiing: colorado or Utah
Culture: Id have to go with New Mexico on this one
I've never cared for the history and culture of Colorado and Utah as much as the Southwest (Arizona and New Mexico).
New Mexico is great but much of its population and culture is in the high desert North and gravitates toward the Four Corners vibe. Arizona is flipped with the brunt of its population and culture in the low desert South with vibe more borderland/Sonoran, which what I prefer and am used to. I'd rather be hot than cold too.
Scenery-wise, I'm not a Rocky Mountain log cabin pine tree guy, though Colorado and Utah have a lot of great desert. The Chihuahuan of South NM is awesome, especially around the Organ Mts. by Las Cruces but as this month's issue of Arizona Highways states, the Sonoran is the best desert. So for me, scenery goes to Arizona.
Location: northern Vermont - previously NM, WA, & MA
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I've been growing to like Arizona more. I want to stay in the Southwest and I've really grown to like living in the desert, but Albuquerque is not somewhere that I want to put down roots. New Mexico has been decent and I've been fortunate enough to find good opportunities along with some amazing life experiences here but there's an isolation factor about it that I've had some difficulty adjusting to. Arizona was a turn off for me politically and had a bad rep in the media, but after visiting and getting to know the state more I've kind of gotten over that aspect. Arizona just has a lot more to do than New Mexico.
Out of all four of these Mountain West states I think Arizona has the most diverse range of scenery and climate zones. The number of places to go that are within a weekend's roadtripping distance from Phoenix is pretty impressive (Grand Canyon, Sedona, Flagstaff, Las Vegas, LA/SD/SoCal, Tucson, Utah National Parks) along with a busy enough airport to find non stop flights to just about anywhere in the country. I'm heading to Scottsdale and Flagstaff next weekend and I'm definitely looking forward to it. I agree with Cacto, the Sonoran desert is the most scenic and beautiful desert in the American West. I think this will be the trip to scout out a few areas that I may consider living in.
Mountains - CO > AZ > UT...CO just has so many huge ranges and peaks...Arizona has a vast diversity of mountains and many seem to extend forever. Utah looks magnificent in SLC, but outside of that i don't notice them.
Scenery - AZ/CO tie....they are so unique. Saguaro cacti, red rock, giant ponderosa pine forests in AZ. Some of the hottest places in the country to the heaviest snow all in one state. Grand Canyon, San Francisco peaks, portions of Lake Powell Not large amounts of just flat high desert nothingness.
Mega valleys and snow capped peaks and forest in CO
National Parks - UT. They have a bunch, and they are all awesome
Urban areas - CO. I don't know that the others will catch Denver anytime soon
Historical Areas - I'll say AZ, only because I only have knowledge of historical sites in AZ and not in the others. From the confederate battles in the SE portion of the state, to the mini gold rushes in the Bradshaw Mtns. Ghosts towns like Tombstone and Jerome etc
College towns - Flagstaff. Its like someone picked up a chunk of Colorado and moved it to AZ. Its awesome. Expensive, but awesome.
Winter recreation/skiing UT/CO tie. Utah has some of the best powder in the world. if not THE best. CO has more options available.
Culture CO has that whole west coat meets great plains/midwest clash going on. Plus as much diversity if not more than the other places.
Location: San Luis Obispo, California | Phoenix, Arizona
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I have been to each of these states and explored them immensely.
Mountains- Each of these states have there fair share of beautiful mountainous regions. Nothing beats the ruggedness of the Rockies, but Arizona and New Mexico are home some of the most remote, pristine mountainous areas in the West. Colorado wins, but only because of elevation, topography, and I do love colordao's little mountain towns.
Scenery- Arizona wins. The landscapes of the southwest are among the most diverse in the world, and each state has a little bit of everything. But Arizona has an extremley diverse range of landscapes, climates, and environments from subtropical desert to alpine tundra. AZ also has the Grand Canyon, Sedona, the Navajolands, and countless other areas. Saguaros are the symbol of the southwest, and the Sonoran is the lushest and most diverse desert in the world. Arizona has vast aspen forests similar to Colorado, and AZ also has 4 extremley different deserts that occupy each corner.
National Parks- Utah has a slight edge over Arizona in this one. Arches, Canyonlands, Zion, and Bryce are spectacular, and they outnumber the Grand Canyon, Petrified Forest, and Saguaro, even though I believe the Grand Canyon blows them all out of the water. However, when including National Monuments, Arizona has a slight edge.
Urban Areas- Phoenix and Denver tie. Denver is a little denser than PHX, but PHX is bigger. Both have unique urban amenities, and both have very different cultures. Landscape and weather of the Valley is hard to compete with, although Denver competes quite well. Hard to compare them in areas other than size and landscape.
Historical Areas- Arizona I believe wins this category due to it's many well maintained and still lively native american settlements, large number of ruins, and its history of Spanish explorers, the Apache wars, etc. Arizona also has a ton of mining history, ghost towns, and of course a very rich old west culture that can be seen in many old towns in the state. Route 66 has a culture of it's own, and Flagstaff was traditionally a big center for logging.
College Towns- Not sure here. Flagstaff is up there. Tempe is always among the top college towns in the nation, but both Co and UT have some great college towns.
Winter Rec/Skiing- Colorado. Utah claims to have the best snow on Earth, but Colorado's are better in my opinion
What are your favorites parts of the Four Corners Region? Here is some criteria.
Mountains
Scenery
National Parks
Urban areas
Historical Areas
College towns
Winter recreation/skiing
Culture
your favorite state out of the four, and anything else you can think of.
Mountains: Colorado...53 14ers and hundreds, if not thousands, of 12ers and 13ers combined...there is enough hiking and climbing for multiple life times. The Sangres is my favorite range. Blanca Massif and The Crestones are incredible.
Scenery: Southern Utah is incredible, but I give a very slight edge to Colorado on scenery.
National Parks: With Black Canyon of the Gunnison, Rocky Mountain National Park, and Great Sand Dunes, which is the only place I have ever been that makes me feel like I am on another planet, I give a slight edge to Colorado over Utah. Great Sand Dunes NP is one of the most unique places in the world.
Urban areas: Colorado...Fort Collins is constantly voted as one of the top places to live, Boulder is great, and Denver is a place that I love (which is why I moved here).
College towns: Colorado...Boulder and Fort Collins are great little cities.
Winter recreation/skiing: In terms of skiing, Utah based on what I have read...I don't ski or snowboard so I don't know or really care. Colorado for other winter recreation. The snow climbing and ice climbing opportunities are numerous. The San Juans and Sangres in the winter and spring are a great training ground for the Cascades, Alaska, and high Andes because of the altitude and ruggedness of these mountains.
Culture & Historical Areas: I have no clue when it comes to these categories.
I am very pro Colorado, but all of these states are great. It is the most beautiful region in the USA (followed closely by the Pacific NW).
Scenery and National Park: Northern half of Arizona and Southern half of Utah. Love, love, love the Colorado Plateau. The national parks of Utah, The whole Grand Canyon region, Sedona area, Monument Valley area, etc. is some of the spirtual, awe inspiring landscapes around.
Urban Areas Colorado, hands down. Denver in many ways feels more of a real city than Phoenix. More compact, condensed, with older buildings that are typically found there I know Boulder is a separate city, but its close enough to feel within the Denver orbit, even though it has its own identity.
College Towns I'm going to have to go with Arizona on this, with maybe New Mexico a second. Reason being, is if talking about college towns, that are not part of a major metro area of over 1 million, but rather more remote from a large city, and thus reliant on the college. Tuscon is under a million and feels like U of A dominates. Can also be said for towns in NM like Las Cruces and to some extent even Albuquerque.
Mountains/Winter recreation/skiing. This one is a close call, but between Utah and Colorado, I'll go with Utah. Only because as far as proximity to urban areas, major airports, etc. Salt Lake City wins this category. As close as mountains are to Denver, they are closer to SLC. And Park City is within commutable distance of SLC. Colorado may have way more mountains and winter recreation, but the skiing areas in Colorado are not within commutable distance of Denver.
History and unique Culture New Mexico, hands down. New Mexico has 400 years of Spanish heritage. The rich Spanish culture in New Mexico is analogous to the French heritage in Louisiana. Up until statehood, schools in New Mexico were taught in the local Spanish dialect.
Conclusion? All four are some of my favorite states and have unique things to experience.
"but the skiing areas in Colorado are not within commutable distance of Denver."
Uh, your crazy!!!!!!!!! Less than an hour from the western edge of the Metro!!!!! Denver is a MUCH larger metro area, yet thousands upon thousands of us ski and board everyday! Is it farther from Aurora? Yes! From Golden? No!
Last edited by MilehiDenver; 10-29-2014 at 08:08 PM..
"but the skiing areas in Colorado are not within commutable distance of Denver."
Uh, your crazy!!!!!!!!! Less than an hour from the western edge of the Metro!!!!! Denver is a MUCH larger metro area, yet thousands upon thousands of us ski and board everyday! Is it farther from Aurora? Yes! From Golden? No!
OK, I'm just saying that compared to SLC. Park City is less than 45 minutes from downtown SLC.
True, but by no means is anywhere in Metro Denver "not commutable".
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