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For all the people choosing Colorado over Virginia, I have a few things to say to you and a few questions to ask you all?
Have you actually been to Virginia besides just passing through it on the highways? Have you visited other parts of VA besides just Northern VA, and the D.C. Metropolitan Area?
Don't get me wrong, Colorado is very beautiful with great mountains, but Virginia just as SOOO much to offer, and I just can't see how so many people are choosing Colorado over Virginia if they actually are aware of all that VA has.
First of all, I believe that the most attractive thing about Colorado is the beautiful mountains and nature. Western Virginia has a lot of that as well. The mountains might not be as tall but in many areas they are just as beautiful especially the Appalachian Trail through the Appalachian Mountains. Roanoke is such a beautiful small city surrounded by the mountains with some truly great scenery. It is a walkable city with pretty architecture as well. Also down I-81 S from Roanoke there are a few very beautiful suburban areas: Blacksburg, Max Meadows/Fort Chiswell/Wytheville Area, and Glade Spring. These areas are really hidden gems that even many VA residents don't know about. I also recommend the small town of Harrisonburg as well off I-81. It is also a small town surrounded by beautiful scenery and nature.
Then in central VA just on the line of what is considered northern VA, Fredericksburg is a very nice small town. I actually live in Spotsylvania which is just outside Fredericksburg, and not to mention that Spotsylvania Town Center has a HUGE shopping center with a mall and a number of outlets as well. As you go down I-95, there are two cute little suburban areas kind of in the middle of nowhere called Thornburg and Ruther Glen. Soon after that, you hit the Richmond metropolitan area. Richmond is an interesting city, although I don't know it that well but others on here say it is great. I've been a few times and it looks really nice. There is also a really nice suburb of Richmond called Ashland that has a very pretty downtown, right around Route 54. Just a little south of Richmond, there is a small city called Petersburg that I feel is very overlooked. Schools aren't the best there, but Petersburg has a very beautiful historic district that is really fun to look at and walk around.
Now, arguably the BEST part of the whole state of Virginia is the Hampton Roads Area. This is a huge chuck of the Eastern peninsula including: Williamsburg, Newport News, Norfolk, Chesapeake, and Virginia Beach. Not to mention that there are THREE extremely beautiful bridges that are a few of my favorites in the whole country: Chesapeake Bay Bridge Tunnel, Monitor–Merrimac Memorial Bridge–Tunnel, and the Hampton Roads Bridge Tunnel. The whole Hampton Roads Beltway with I-64 and I-664 around Chesapeake Bay is extremely beautiful overlooking the ocean. Williamsburg has Busch Gardens & Water Country USA. Busch Gardens is a very special theme park that is European themed with great rides. It is not like just any old theme park, and Food is AMAZING. The only theme park where I've had better food is Epcot in Disney World and that is pretty obvious why. Water Country USA is arguably the BEST water park in the country, and I have been to MANY. Even more so than the Disney water parks in my opinion. Disney water parks have very special theme, but Water Country has some of everything including thrills, and especially the Hubba Hubba Highway (you won't find a river like that in many other water parks). Virginia Beach and the suburban areas are also very beautiful. Great beaches around that area.
Also another hidden gem is the Eastern Shore of Virginia which is a peninsula that come off Maryland, on the other side of the Chesapeake Bay Bridge Tunnel crossing over north from Norfolk. The Eastern Shore has a number of rural-suburban towns with a STUNNING coastline. I could never imagine myself living there, but it is a very nice place to rent houses for beach vacations for 1-2 weeks and really enjoy the beaches on the Eastern Shore. Chincoteague is a small peninsula off the Eastern Shore that is a gem. AMAZING for week long beach holidays. Many people, including a lot of VA residents are unaware of what the Eastern Shore has to offer.
I hope this doesn't seem to pushy, and please don't think that I am trying to push one state over the other. I am still doing this fairly in terms of counting everything up, but just want to get people to wake up about Virginia and not think about it as just like a suburban state of D.C. because there is sooo much more to the state than that. Not to mention that there are quite a number of other cool and beautiful places in VA that I didn't even mention.
I live in Virginia now (Alexandria), and have traveled throughout the state. It's a good state. I just think I'd enjoy living in Colorado more.
I live in Virginia now (Alexandria), and have traveled throughout the state. It's a good state. I just think I'd enjoy living in Colorado more.
I get it, I just don't understand what in Colorado appeals to people so much. Of course a few would take Colorado, but now it is looking like a huge majority would choose Colorado over Virginia. I am afraid this is all over for Virginia now. Sad time for my state of resident
I get it, I just don't understand what in Colorado appeals to people so much. Of course a few would take Colorado, but now it is looking like a huge majority would choose Colorado over Virginia. I am afraid this is all over for Virginia now. Sad time for my state of resident
I get it and Virginia is beautiful (Shenandoah NP is very pretty and rivals CO's NP's) but Colorado just appears to have more of what I like to do
I get it, I just don't understand what in Colorado appeals to people so much. Of course a few would take Colorado, but now it is looking like a huge majority would choose Colorado over Virginia. I am afraid this is all over for Virginia now. Sad time for my state of resident
I think it’s a similar reason why you were puzzled about Utah’s lead over Florida earlier in the round. I chose Utah because that state encapsulates what’s unique about the US: amazing scenery in the West. Florida has better beaches and man-made tourist attractions than others but many many other places around the world have great beaches and great man-made tourist attractions. Very few places around the world have a collection of unique natural scenery like Zion, Arches, Canyonlands, Capitol Reef.. Florida does have the Keys and the Everglades.
Similarly, Colorado without the Rockies probably doesn’t score high in this round, but it seems like Skyline Drive just doesn’t compensate for that. Based on cities alone there is no way VA loses this matchup.
Based on cities alone there is no way VA loses this matchup.
Absolutely.
And the interesting thing about Virginia is, it has no large (2m+) metropolitan center within its borders (though its northernmost counties and cities — Arlington, Alexandria, Fairfax, Loudon, Falls Church, Prince William [I think] — are part of one: Washington, DC-MD-VA).
But the state is shot through with attractive, lively mid-sized and small cities: Hampton Roads (Norfolk-Hampton-Virginia Beach-Chesapeake). Richmond (especially). Charlottesville. Roanoke. Fredrickburg. And so on.
But while the mountains aren't as spectacular as the Rockies, they are quite scenic. This is a quality Virginia shares with both North Carolina to its south and Pennsylvania to its north. But save in the Poconos, Pennsylvania doesn't protect or exploit their beauty as well as the other two states do.
I think it’s a similar reason why you were puzzled about Utah’s lead over Florida earlier in the round. I chose Utah because that state encapsulates what’s unique about the US: amazing scenery in the West. Florida has better beaches and man-made tourist attractions than others but many many other places around the world have great beaches and great man-made tourist attractions. Very few places around the world have a collection of unique natural scenery like Zion, Arches, Canyonlands, Capitol Reef.. Florida does have the Keys and the Everglades.
And Bryce Canyon (couldn't not mention that one since it's once of my favorite places in the entire world). And then, in northern Utah, the beautiful Wasatch Range of the Rockies -- stunning mountain scenery literally 30 minutes from downtown Salt Lake City. Four distinct seasons, and because of the lack of humidity, temperatures here are tolerable year-round. Utah has a very young and healthy population and a super-strong economy and low unemployment rate (speaking, of course, of pre-Covid19 times). Salt Lake City is, in fact, among the top 10 US cities best-positioned to recover from Coronavirus. Added bonus: Zero hurricanes!
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