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Well, you, actually. See below. It's also greener than Phoenix, Albuquerque, most of Utah, Arizona, New Mexico and Nevada, and a large part of California.
I have to disagree with this. If you take away the irrigation, Denver's natural vegetation is only green during May and June (with some overlap into April and July). If you include irrigated landscapes you've still got winter brown from November through March. In contrast, the natural vegetation and the irrigated landscapes of a subtropical desert area such as Phoenix have no winter dormancy.
Oh, for Pete's sake! Seattle is one of the cloudiest cities in the country. That is well-known. Some Seattlites like to split hairs by talking about how much rain Miami or Alabama get, but really, Seattle is a drippy, cloudy place about nine months a year.
That's for sure. I moved from Fort Lauderdale to Seattle. Although Ft. Lauderdale gets 50+ inches of rain per year to Seattle's 36", that rain tends to come in intense downpours during the summer (followed and preceeded by strong sunshine) whereas Seattle has drizzle spread over a much greater number of cloudy days.
Fort Collins is probably one of the most beautiful places to live in the country, and it's still maintaining it's small city dynamic.
Well it is a very nice place to live, but I'm not sure how you can say it's more scenic then Denver. I judge scenery in Colorado by how dramatic the backdrop is and Denver's is much better then Fort Collins'.
I will be moving to Denver from Portland in a couple of weeks. The Pacific Northwest is truly unbeatable for about 4 months a year, if you come here during our summer you will think you landed in paradise and will never want to leave. I know I am going to miss the green and the water, but trust me, by month 4 of constant gloom you dont care about water or green anymore and just want some sunshine. Of course, by month 4 you are only at the midway point between the gloom and the sun, making it all the more difficult.
But oh my those summer months, if it could only last 2 to 3 more months, the Pac NW would be the nicest area not just in the country, but in the entire world.
Well, this passive-aggressive trait manifests more than in the abstract in Seattle. Here's an example, how many times have you gone into a gas station or convenience store, been the only customer, and had the clerk wander off into the back, after seeing you walking toward the counter and knowing that you're about to buy something? How many times have you had someone tell you they'll "get right on it" (regarding any matter) and then never getting back to you; when you call them a few days later to follow up, they "pretend" they don't remember what you'd talked to them about. That kind of thing? The movers when I moved across town, being paid by the hour, literally drove 15 mph following me to my new house. Do people drive under the speed limit in the lefthand lane intentionally slowing down traffic because, well, they're in no hurry, why should anyone else be? One of my questions on another thread was do you experience a lot of this type of behavior in Denver, too? I don't mean every so often, but to the point where you've just come to expect people to act that way?
I've never been to Seattle, but I've been living in Denver for 3 months now and have already come to expect this type of behavior all the time. For my first job interview, we had to reschedule because the people just mysteriously weren't there when I showed up. Now in my actual job, the interaction between my superiors and I is so loose that and unclear that I don't even feel like I actually have a job. They tell me they have stuff for me to do, then don't talk about it again for days until I ask them about it. It's really the complete opposite of the upper midwest, where I grew up, where work and being organized and efficient is #1.
I live in Denver but have family in Seattle and have been there several times myself. I would say the cities are pretty equally matched. Both have the same population and are rich in culture. Denver is a mix between New York City and the wild west of the late 19th century. Denver is rich in cuisine, nightlife and of course the outdoors with the rockies right in your backyard. Seattle is just as rich in culture and nightlife if not more so than Denver. The traffic in both cities sucks, but Denver is working on a project to bring expanded light rail and commuter rail lines throughout the metro area. This project is already under constuction and will be compleated in 5 years. Denver's weather provides a little bit of everthing. Denver averages 60 inches of snow a year and 15.5 inches of total precipetation a year. Denver averages a high of 47 in Janurary and the nearly constant sun makes the winters barable and sometimes even warm. most snow ocurrs in march and April. so winter really isnt that bad. there is no humidity in the summer. denver gets most of its rain from ocational summer t-storms. Denver averages a high of 90 in the summer and it rarely reaches 100. Seattle's weather is more consistant. highs in winter are in the 40s with drizzle much of the time. Seattle only receives 30 inches of rain a year which is less than New York or Chicago. but it is ussually cloudy. summer highs are generally in the 70s with a generous amout of sun. If you are active or have a dog choose Denver.
I live in the south Denver metro (Castle Rock actually). Only visited Seattle, but several times and sorta know more than the typical visitor.
Denver is a pretty great place all things considered. But if cost of living were equal (housing specifically) Seattle is FAR superior to Denver. The culture, scenery, outdoors (mountains and water), jobs, diversity, etc is great there. Great in Denver too, but IMO Seattle gets the nod.
The weather probably leans toward Denver because of the sunshine (I love it). But it still gets pretty cold and you end up indoors anyway. I did live in the inland northwest for several years so I have experienced the grey. Its does get dreary and wears on you after a while, but its not as bad as its made out to be. It of course depends on your preferences, but I kinda like that Seattle is very close to the snowy mountains but rarely gets snow and is warmer. Denver doesn't get tons in town (this year being a severe exception), but it does get colder.
Ideally, if I had a choice, I'd live in Seattle and plan on taking a couple tropical vacations each year to break up the gloominess.
Seattle is way further from "mountains" than Denver is. You must be talking about the 300-1000' "hills" in a 15 mile radius of Seattle. The Olympic and Cascade mountains are both 50 plus miles from Seattle. The nearest 10,000 foot peak to denver is 20 miles. I'm comfused what you mean, look at a map if you dont believe me
Denver is a mix between New York City and the wild west of the late 19th century.
Don't EVER use Denver and New York in the same sentence to relate them! Say Dallas, say Chicago, say Las Vegas. Don't say NYC.
Denver can't be NYC because there are far too few Caribbean peoples here. And that is one of the many determining factors of what separates the west from the east. People in NYC do not wear hiking boots unless they are Timberlands which are fashionable construction boots. There are not tons of Subaru's in NYC and people in NYC do not ride BIKES to nightclubs like they do here. Streets are numbered not named. It's actually possible to meet people going out in NYC. People in Denver just look at you and stare. Denver is geographically isolated while New York is within 100 miles of a ****load of other cities.
Simply stated, Denver is nothing like NYC. New York stays open all night and Denver closes it doors at 2 a.m. How can you even remotely compare them?
Okay first of all Denver does not get the snow most people think it does for some reason. Yes it snows in Denver, but its never that much, and it's usually melted within 5 days at the most. Every 3-5 years Denver gets a bad snowstorm yes, but that's it. Also I see everyone saying that the rain in Seattle isn't that bad. Using this metallity how can you say the snow in Denver is that bad either. It's not like it snows non stop for 9 months and accumulates to 60 inches every day. If you can get over the 9 months of rain in Seattle, how can you not get over the average of 30" of snow over the course of 4 months in Denver. I always wonder why people think that the snow in Denver is soooooooo bad. Also it can snow in Seattle too. It's rare but it happens. I see posts about how the rain in Seattle is not bad, but the so called Antartic conditions of Denver are terrible. Overall if you can't deal with 30" of snow on average a year in Denver, which by the way is nothing, then move to Seattle. The rain in Seattle is depressing to me, and it lasts 9 months. I agree it's not that bad overall. Also People say that the rain in Seattle doesn't keep them inside, which is true yes. But neither does the snow in Denver, it's not Alaska, or even Indiana people. If you live in Aspen then yes expect extreme winters, but thats not Denver. As far as Dog friendly, nightlife, and apparently seafood you'll have to make your own opinion, but as far as weather goes dont let anyones biased opinion of either city fool you, decide for yourself. But I will say that Denver is much sunnier and does not get the snow most people think, and most people who say that havn't even been here. I've been to Seattle when it is sunny but the rain is much more common than sun. It all depends if you want rain 3/4 of the time, or 30'' of snow a year (which again is nothing) with a possibly big snowstorm every 3-5 years. I think both these attributes cancel each other out, and it's all about what you want. One more thing the spring and winter temperatures are very similar in both cities, the exception being that Denver will have 15-25 or so days that are 10-15 degrees cooler than Seattle in the Winter on average. But this is out of 90 days, and also ther will be sun most of the time. The summers are usually warmer in Denver though. I'm not saying that either city is better, I'm just trying to say that most climate stats about Denver are very mis-interpreted. Also both cities are beautiful, Seattle has water and alot more trees, and has hills but not uniformally so. The hills rising out of the water reach 300 feet over 1.5 miles or so, but once on land in Seattle, the hills only change in elevation about 100-200 feet over the course of several miles regardless of steepness. There are some areas such as the airport, or Boeing that sit between 300 foot hills, but most of the city is not uniformally hilly, think and you'll see what I mean. Yes Seattle is hilly!!!!!! but its not like there are 400 foot hills that climb and descend every 800 feet. Denver has trees as well, just not on the scale of Seattle. Areas west and south of Denver have many trees, and despite what people may percieve Denver has many hilly areas but they are not as uniform or steep as in most places in Seattle, but are still very noticable.
ALSO.....Denver is much closer to MOUNTAINS, not hills MOUNTAINS! the closest 10,000 foot peak to Denver is 20 miles away, and the closest peak to Seattle that approaches the same height above the ground (5500 feet or so above sea level) is 35 miles away. The Cascades and Olympic Mountains are 55 miles away in each direction. Also mountains 8,000 feet above Denver are just 32 miles away. you'd have to drive 60 miles to get to the high peaks of the Cascades that reach 8,000 feet above sea level. If you don't believe me look at a map okay. Both cities have excellent mountain views, but Denver has many more closer mountains that are 3,000 feet plus above the city elevation. If you like trees and water move to Seattle, but if you like "closer" mountains and sunshine move to denver. I love both cities, but I do notice that Seattle seems to have a very arrogant attitude about themselves when comparing themselves to other places, that's the only reason I've said the things in this post. But please make the decision based on your own opinions, you can't go wrong either way.
Seattle is way further from "mountains" than Denver is. You must be talking about the 300-1000' "hills" in a 15 mile radius of Seattle. The Olympic and Cascade mountains are both 50 plus miles from Seattle. The nearest 10,000 foot peak to denver is 20 miles. I'm comfused what you mean, look at a map if you dont believe me
Yes, but a 10,000 foot peak near Denver isn't the same as a 10,000 foot peak near Seattle, as Denver starts off over 6,000 feet in altitude, turning that 'impressive' 10,000 foot mountain into an, at best, 4,000 foot molehill.
Topographic prominence, which is the only statistic that matters in terms of the apparent height of mountains when viewed from the ground, renders the Fourteeners Colorado's only mountains that can really compare to Washington's Cascades or Olympics. I'm not by any means trying to bash the Rockies -- I think they are, in many ways, the most beautiful mountain range on the continent -- but that 10,000 foot mountain 20 miles from Denver is deceiving to say the least. You might as well wave wildly at any random Appalachian and tell me that's an impressive peak.
The closest Fourteener to the center of Denver is Mount Evans (which still has a localized prominence under 3,000 feet), 37 miles away. Seattle is 31 miles from 5,000 foot Cascades foothills (whose prominence are all nearly equal to their actual height), just under 60 miles from the top of Mt. Rainier, which is FAR more dramatic a spectacle on the horizon than any Rocky Mountain, and 38 miles from Mount Constance in the Olympics, which is just under 8,000 feet and whose prominence is also nearly equal to its altitude.
Denver is a plains city adjacent to a mountain belt with extensive foothills (foothills that actually mask the true mountains from sight from many locations). Seattle is a valley (or what essentially equates to a valley) city smushed in between two spectacularly craggy ranges punctuated by some of the tallest (by prominence) mountains on the continent (the volcanoes themselves).
I like Denver a lot (I might live there one day -- it's certainly on my list of things to do [particularly if I start missing snow too badly, which is a significant possibility]), and I think that it wins over Seattle in a lot of important categories (architecture, livability, weather, charm [and probably traffic, if my infrequent driving experiences there are anything to go by... plus the city seems to actually have a legitimate mass transit plan, which at least trumps Seattle's newly-evolving threats to shut down the north Sounder because it isn't utilized enough, as it remains poorly synced with connecting ferries]). But Seattle may just have Denver beat when it comes to mountains, despite the reputation Denver has built for itself.
As an aside, though, if you want my vote on the most mountainous city (in terms of views) in North America, it is neither Seattle nor Denver, but Vancouver, BC:
The city center is only 10 miles from 5,000 foot mountains that rise straight out of the water, and 35 miles from 9,000 footers that rise above those. Pity it's not in the U.S.
Last edited by ShastatoBaker; 11-18-2012 at 02:38 AM..
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