Denver the New L.A.? (to live, stores, moving to)

[RML213]

So I was talking to a few friends that used to/currently live out in Denver and they were saying how so many people are calling Denver "the new L.A."? Is this true?

I plan on relocating out there in the fall and when I was out there a few weeks ago to visit, I got NO inclination of that at all. Your take?

[cowboyxjon]

I sure hope not!

I don't want to sound like I'm anti-California, but I moved away from LA for a reason and would prefer that LA remains LA and Denver remains Denver.

[vegaspilgrim]

People who are fed up with the Denver metro area's growth and sprawl and traffic problems over the years pejoratively call it that. Somehow Los Angeles has become the whipping boy for all of a city's growth problems, whether real or imagined-- mostly the latter. Anyone who calls Denver "the next L.A." has likely never been to L.A. and knows nothing about what that city is really like on a non-superficial level. I've lived in L.A. before, and the two cities are not even remotely comparable. Population, population demographics, density, the economy, geography, architecture, culture(s) are completely, radically different. Rather, I would compare Denver to places like Portland, OR (though with completely different climate & geography) and perhaps a few midwestern/middle America cities such as Minneapolis (though with many key differences, of course).

[Mike from back east]

I've visited L.A. and other parts of California many times over the years and I see don't see how anyone can say that Denver is the new L.A. anymore than we can say that Atlanta is the new L.A. or Miami is the new L.A. or .... is the new L. A. or .... is the new L. A. or ....

I've traveled to many states and what's obvious is that all cities have grown and expanded in all states. People began leaving farms 150+ years ago as mechanization eliminated the need for manual laborers in the fields. People have been leaving the farm ever since for life in cities, which have grown massively. Each city grew in its own way and for its own reasons. Each city has its own story and yet there are major similarities between all cities, such as dense urban cores, hub/spoke highway and transit commuting patterns, etc.

L.A. is unique for hosting much of the entertainment industry, for its climate and for being one of the first areas to adopt interstate highway design criteria to its non-federal highway system of freeways, i.e., grade separated roads with overpasses, underpasses, and cloverleafs instead of intersections. L.A. is a fine area to live, albeit one that has some issues, as most cities do, and as you'd expect, the issues in each city are unique to that city.

Nowhere is the new L.A. Everywhere is the new L.A. Nowhere is the new anywhere. Anywhere is the new nowhere.

Best advice: Find what you like, wherever it may be. Go there. Be there. Live content. Wherever you go, there you are.

[EscapeCalifornia]

Originally Posted by vegaspilgrim

People who are fed up with the Denver metro area's growth and sprawl and traffic problems over the years pejoratively call it that. Somehow Los Angeles has become the whipping boy for all of a city's growth problems, whether real or imagined-- mostly the latter. Anyone who calls Denver "the next L.A." has likely never been to L.A. and knows nothing about what that city is really like on a non-superficial level. I've lived in L.A. before, and the two cities are not even remotely comparable. Population, population demographics, density, the economy, geography, architecture, culture(s) are completely, radically different. Rather, I would compare Denver to places like Portland, OR (though with completely different climate & geography) and perhaps a few midwestern/middle America cities such as Minneapolis (though with many key differences, of course).

I agree. People who say Denver is another LA haven't been there. Its like saying LA winters are like Denver winters because you need a jacket in both places. The difference is in the scale. LA is a huge dump with small pockets of wealth surrounded by endless miles of suburbs (some nice, some nasty) in every direction. Denver's metro area is only about 45 minutes from edge to edge on a Saturday afternoon. Try doing that in LA.

[thealansanders]

Interesting that you mentioned LA and Atlanta. Both cities experienced tremendous growth and expansion at around the same time, the mid to late 60's. Today both cities share many of the same traits, a decaying downtown that has seen at least one attempt at revitalization due to hosting the Olympics but otherwise are more generally metro areas that have grown so large that getting from one side to the other, or often from affordable housing to centers of business means great amounts of time spent in the car.

Denver shunned the Olympics when we had the chance over concerns of cost, had much slower expansion in the same period from the 60's but has seen in recent years many of the same patterns of expansion for affordability, the creation of centers of business outside of the city core itself and longer and longer commute times for many people.

I think the new "LA" comment has some merit if you look at who is moving into the state, residents of California lead the way. It seems only natural that they would attempt to recreate where they came from, and if you look at many of the communities being developed now they follow many of the same patterns of those well outside of LA that sprang up in the 70's and 80's. Places like the Simi Valley and Encino.

Look who's moving to Colorado : Local News : The Rocky Mountain News

[EscapeCalifornia]

Originally Posted by thealansanders

I think the new "LA" comment has some merit if you look at who is moving into the state, residents of California lead the way. It seems only natural that they would attempt to recreate where they came from, and if you look at many of the communities being developed now they follow many of the same patterns of those well outside of LA that sprang up in the 70's and 80's. Places like the Simi Valley and Encino.

It depends on their motivation for moving. If I wanted to recreate California in Colorado, I'd stay in California. Its a hell of a lot easier than moving.

[thealansanders]

Fair enough, but the Smart and Final could have opened new stores in many other towns closer to their base, but they choose Denver and I would guess the high percentage of former California customers now in the areas where they are opening stores played a role in that.

[Katarina Witt]

Originally Posted by thealansanders

Fair enough, but the Smart and Final could have opened new stores in many other towns closer to their base, but they choose Denver and I would guess the high percentage of former California customers now in the areas where they are opening stores played a role in that.

Yet people biatch over and over that we have no Trader Joes, In and Out Burgers, etc.

[80skeys]

Originally Posted by RML213

So I was talking to a few friends that used to/currently live out in Denver and they were saying how so many people are calling Denver "the new L.A."? Is this true?

No. There's no way Denver can be compared to L.A. in anything.