Houston VS Denver (where would you rather live?) (San Antonio, Austin: skateboarding, homes)

[stoneclaw]

It seems Denver is quite the place. Anybody who's lived in both Denver and Houston that can give a comparison of these two towns. The good and the bad. I knoww Denver seems to have started redeveloping its downtown area before Houston and the Light Rail is better. Houston's catching up. Houston is probably ahead on restaurants and malls, and diversity.

But overall, which city is ahead overall?

[EasilyAmused]

Isn't Denver in a huge housing slump?

The economy in Houston outranks Denver by light years.

[Mr. Football]

Probably Denver.

[jeffari-al-texani]

I don't like Houston all that much, but I'd live there before Denver (because it actually gets cold in Denver...I'll take the heat and humidity ANY day)...

[Topaz]

I lived in Colorado for a year (in Colorado Springs but I spent as much time as possible in Denver) and I'd pick Houston because blizzards aren't fun for me and I'd rather be able to drive to the beach than mountains.

Houston is also more sophisticated. In some ways Denver seems like the Wild West.

Houston has more job opportunities, too, I believe.

[tmlynn]

Visited Denver and didn't like it-moving to Houston in a few weeks from metro Detroit. Either you love or hate either place.

[houstoner]

Lived in both, chose Houston. Denver was all right, but I found it kind of boring and not nearly as cosmopolitan as Houston. It's also very geographically isolated and landlocked, and people are much more reserved there. But if I were more outdoorsy, I'd probably choose Denver.

[lonestarwvu]

I grew up in the suburbs of Denver (Lakewood) and currently live in the suburbs of Houston (Clear Lake). When people ask me what was my favorite place to live in (nine states) I typically say Colorado, but I am very much an outdoors person.

In Colorado I spent my weekends in the winter skiing, during the summer I fished and rode bikes. Colorado is loaded with hiking and biking trails. Some of the places we took vacations when I lived there were: Jackson Hole Wyoming, Santa Fe New Mexico, and Mount Rushmore in South Dakota. I consider all to be within easy driving distance. We took numerous other trips around the Rocky Mountains. It is extremely arid and I am not sure if I could take the lack of vegetation having lived in so many other lush locations. They hype Denver gets for snow is overblown. It can snow from September through May, but I also have memories of skateboarding on Christmas.

Houston is very flat, and as I am sure you have heard, very hot during the summer. It is very lush with a spring that starts sometime in February, and has a very short and mild winter. It is extremely flat. We are very close to the Galveston Bay and the Gulf, so it’s a great place for water based activities. If you want to kayak through wetlands or bird watch it may be second to none. The fishing is excellent. I have not explored Texas much, but people around here fall all over themselves for Hill Country – Austin, San Antonio and places in between. I find it to be a lot of driving to go to very populated areas. New Orleans is within easy driving distance. Because it is so warm and wet Houston is a wonderful place to garden. You can grow a wide variety of tropical and semi-tropical plants. Housing is very affordable when compared to Colorado.

As far as the cities go I consider them to be very much modern American western towns. They sit on grids. People go into them to work during the day and typically bail out of them in droves during the evening to go to their homes. Denver is ahead of Houston in terms of creating a community downtown.

[kittyhawk]

Houston has a harsher climate. Generally, Denver is not as frigid during the winter as Houston is hot during the summer.

For those who like the mountains (hiking, biking, skiing), Denver can't be beat. Of course, we are close to the coast here which is great too. As far as city life is concerned, both have everything you need. Houston is more diverse, which can be good or bad in different ways.

That said, I could not afford the lifestyle I have in Houston in Denver--wife is a SAHM, live in a great house, etc. That fact alone is a big part of why I live here.

[Bily Lovec]

Kittyhawk nailed it...