Should I move to Denver or Salt Lake City (best, cost, state)
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Hi, Im currently a 24 year old physical therapy graduate student. I'm trying to figure out what city(Denver or Salt Lake City) would be best for me to do my clinical rotations which is January through June. I like to ski, fly fish, hike, and drink beer. If anyone could give me some advise on which city to move to or has any recommendations on any other cities that would be great because I could go either way on both of them.
Check the cost of living for each city, if one is way cheaper go to that one.
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No doubt that everyone on this forum will gush about how wonderful Denver is. If you like the city, nightlife, etc., then Denver would be OK.
Personally, though, I would prefer Salt Lake City. Skiing is literally within minutes of SLC (they have city bus service to a couple of the ski areas), there are Wilderness Areas which one can literally walk into from the city limits. Yes, it is possible to drink beer in SLC, but the LDS culture is certainly present in SLC, which frowns on alcohol use. The big downer of SLC is its very serious air pollution problems in winter--one of the worst places in the US. On a positive note, SLC's public transit system is much better than Denver's.
Both Denver and SLC are regional medical centers with a number of first-rate facilities. Albuquerque, NM also has some excellent medical facilities, is somewhat smaller and has plenty of recreation fairly close by. Cost of living would likely be less in Albuquerque than either SLC or Denver.
The man who is the expert on everything and does not like cities says SLC public transit is better than Denver. That is news to me and to all the lists that I have seen that rank RTD as one of the best on most lists and where SLC does not even appear on many lists.
SLC system is very good but where does it say it is better than Denver on the many lists that are seen? I have no doubt it would appear on one list but the preponderance of ratings list Denver a much better system.
Both cities have their positives and negatives. I like SLC for the closer access to skiing, but if you are going looking at June, you really won't have a need to be close to the ski resorts, correct? For me, I would choose to live in Denver. I don't mind visiting SLC, but the cultural and political differences are too different from my own. I also enjoy microbrews and the culture that breweries bring. I'm not sure of the laws about alcohol in Utah anymore, as it's been quite a while since I've spent much time there. But, you used to have to order food and have it present anytime you were drinking or sign your name to a list at the bar. I just don't like either as an option.
I think you will find recreational activities to suite your needs in both locations.
Denver. It is the bigger and better city in almost all quantifiable areas! And the difference in driving to ski resorts is not as bad as the utah folks always try to claim!!!!! All skiers in Denver do the same thing as our neighbor states! Get up, hit the slopes all day, and drive home! We just have more skiing options! It is not as big a difference as they make it seem! I will take Denver all day everyday over our little brother city! As far as lightrail, Denver's system is larger with a higher daily ridership as well. And the downtowns are not even on the same tier! Denver is a tier or two above slc. Nothing wrong with slc, it is a very nice up and coming city. It is just not in the same league as Denver.
SLC strikes me as a nice up and coming city. It's growing fast and it is definitely underrated. However, I think you should go with Denver. Seems to fit you better. But take that with a grain of salt, because I think you would enjoy both places. The Mountain West is the best
Quote:
Originally Posted by jazzlover
On a positive note, SLC's public transit system is much better than Denver's.
I'd disagree. Although SLC does have light rail covering most of the metro, due to it being much smaller, I think Denver's has more coverage overall. One the airport line opens in 2016, it will definitely be ahead. Also, (I don't know for sure) but SLC's bus system doesn't seem to be as great. Denver ranks #13 and SLC doesn't even make the top 30 for buses.
Hi, Im currently a 24 year old physical therapy graduate student. I'm trying to figure out what city(Denver or Salt Lake City) would be best for me to do my clinical rotations which is January through June. I like to ski, fly fish, hike, and drink beer. If anyone could give me some advise on which city to move to or has any recommendations on any other cities that would be great because I could go either way on both of them.
Both cities are similar regarding options for skiing, hiking, but Denver more then wins for the beer and Salt Lake City for the fly fishing because you would be closer to Idaho which is known as offering some of the best fly fishing in the lower 48.
On a side note, if you are looking for a cosmopolitan and diverse city center then Denver wins. SLC has a nice city center but is not nearly as walkable or happening as Denver's is and SLC's downtown goes to bed every night around 6. I have several friends in their 20's and 30's who live in SLC and will come up to Boise once a month to spend a weekend so that they can experience a diverse, walkable night life and enjoy good local Northwest brews.
My personal experience with both cities is that in Denver people just enjoy their city while in SLC many people are always looking at ways to not be in the shadow and influence of the LDS Church which founded the city.
Last edited by Syringaloid; 04-16-2014 at 01:12 PM..
Reason: spelling
If you're Mormon and conservative, choose SLC. If not, choose Denver
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