Best Mountain West town/city? (living, cost, places, Los Angeles) - City-Data Forum

talulah22 · 02-12-2010, 04:50 PM

Having lived in (and loved) the mountain west for some time now, I'm curious to see what everyone else on these boards thinks is the best city/town in the region. I tend to think that this entire area is viewed by the rest of the country as little more than cowboys and ski vacations and while that might be partially true, there is so much more the Mountain West has to offer. By 'the region' I mean, Colorado, Utah, Montana, Wyoming, Idaho, maybe even northern New Mexico/Arizona, and the western part of South Dakota. And by 'best' I mean, decent access to services, nice downtown/amenities, easy access to outdoor activities, reasonable cost of living, beautiful natural setting etc. Of course, since this is the Mountain West and true big cities are few and far between, towns will suffice as well. Anything over 15-20 thousand people would probably fit the bill, unless you all think differently...have at it!

TheFriendlyGod · 02-12-2010, 04:54 PM

I predict a blowout for Denver. Never having been to the MW, I cannot contribute.

940 · 02-12-2010, 05:18 PM

Santa Fe

iknowftbll · 02-12-2010, 05:30 PM

Well if we are talking big cities, nothing in this region comes close to Denver. Unless you're willing to include Phoenix as a Mountain West city, (Some do, others don't) nothing else can really compete with Denver.
As for medium sized towns, this region has Grand Junction, CO; St. George, UT; Flagstaff, AZ; and Santa Fe, NM as possible front runners.
There are countless smaller towns in this region that offer a lot. The truth is that it is such a large geographic area that it is hard to pick a favorite out of all the really small towns. Jackson, WY comes to mind, I suppose.
Good topic, and I hope you generate a lot of discussion on this.

EastSideMKE · 02-12-2010, 08:44 PM

Santa Fe, NM
Ft. Collins, CO

pw72 · 02-12-2010, 08:51 PM

Cost of living: Idaho Falls, Billings, Cheyenne, Casper all are quite affordable.

Culture: Denver, Salt Lake

Weather: All are cold in winter, hot in summer (no getting around that one)

Scenery: Salt Lake, Santa Fe, Denver (if you look west)

Economy: Salt Lake, Idaho Falls, Rapid City, Cheyenne

talulah22 · 02-12-2010, 10:29 PM

Well should I change the focus of this thread to; Mountain West town/city appreciation thread? I really do love this part of the country and unfortunately have only managed to live in Utah and Idaho (which were rather lovely places to live) and I would love to see some more talk about our favorite places in the Mountain West and hear more about the areas I'm not as familiar with...

pw72 · 02-13-2010, 09:07 PM

No, changing the focus of a thread usually kills it, as evidenced with this one.

Your original premise was fine.

So, let's keep this going...what are the best mountain west cities?

iknowftbll · 02-13-2010, 09:26 PM

I like this topic as well, it's too bad that we're having trouble getting it off the ground.

I'll give it another try. I am originally from Los Angeles and moved to Colorado when my father took over a church as a minister. By the time I left Colorado to join the military I had a profound love for Colorado. In 2002 I moved to Denver to attend CU-Denver. In 2003 I moved to suburban Denver (Westminster) because I transfered to CU-Boulder. Throughout my college years my love for Colorado expanded into all surrounding areas. Some thoughts on the Mountain West (excluding Colorado):

I've passed through Utah many times, and really like it. Zion National Park is simply awesome! Salt Lake City is a great city! St. George is a nice up-and coming area. The drive along I-70 has some classic mountain-desert scenery that is a must-see for anyone who is a fan of road trips for the sake of driving and seeing.

The I-17 corridor in Arizona is one of my favorite drives. It starts in Flagstaff, which I think is a really scenic place. The views as you cross that plateau and eventually descend into Phoenix are fantastic!

Northwestern Wyoming, the Grand Teton and Yellowstone National Parks are some of my favorite places to visit. Fortunately I have family who owns a very nice condo in Jackson. The wildlife and scenery up there is simply awesome and I can't wait for my next opportunity to go up there and visit that area again.

Okay, there's a start. I hope that others will chime in. It's a refreshing change of topic from "Houston vs Los Angeles" or "Chicago vs New York" and so on...

butte50 · 04-04-2010, 10:20 AM

I would like to add if anyone knows of towns not overrun with illegals, that would be nice. I am sick of our small towns being taken over but drugs and gangs. It seems like meth is a problem everywhere and as a nation we can't seem to do anything about it. We spend millions on the Canadian border but refuse to secure the southern. It seems to me that CO has been overrun by illegals, as have AZ, NM, CA.