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No way. Denver is not going to be the most diverse, and certainly won't be anything like Minneapolis. Seattle is much more diverse, especially with Asian population.
Compared to Portland and Salt Lake it is, which are the 3 places under consideration here.
Again from an amenities perspective Denver and Minneapolis are pretty close.
However the city itself is a great blend and very walker friendly. I enjoyed it more than Minneapolis, but it is certainly the most expensive of the three these days (and possibly has the worst traffic).
Only big issue with Denver is being able to afford a home now. Although with your choices here money/cost of living doesn't seem to be an issue so maybe another option would be to look at Oakland, CA?
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Is traffic really that bad in portland? When I was there it wasnt that bad, but granted we werent driving often during rush hour. The traffic in the metro (mpls/st.paul/suburbs) on the main highways and freeways during rush hour, snow storms, and construction time aka summer is terrible. My family said traffic has gotten so bad in Denver due to the influx of people moving there in the past 15 years.
Hmm I haven't though of Oakland but I will add that to the list. I will be in the Bay area at the end of the month so I will check it out. In a few years I would like to buy a house, but at the moment cost of living isn't a huge issue as I only have to worry about my own expenses.
Also if you have any other recommendations of cities feel free to share. I am open to other ideas!
I personally would pick Denver. I like Portland, its very pretty, but I couldn't stand living there. Its toooo out there for me. Btw I find driving in the Twin Cities to be for the most part, very very pleasant. Especially compared to the Dallas-Fort Worth area!
Is traffic really that bad in portland? When I was there it wasnt that bad, but granted we werent driving often during rush hour. The traffic in the metro (mpls/st.paul/suburbs) on the main highways and freeways during rush hour, snow storms, and construction time aka summer is terrible. My family said traffic has gotten so bad in Denver due to the influx of people moving there in the past 15 years.
Hmm I haven't though of Oakland but I will add that to the list. I will be in the Bay area at the end of the month so I will check it out. In a few years I would like to buy a house, but at the moment cost of living isn't a huge issue as I only have to worry about my own expenses.
Also if you have any other recommendations of cities feel free to share. I am open to other ideas!
It's hard to say as I went car free when I lived there, but according to my friends (both those living there & the one who visited recently) traffic has become much worse in the last few years. One even said it was getting as bad as Seattle, but I doubt that's the case.
Although as more people live in Vancouver in order to afford living close to Portland that pinch point will only become worse. Speaking of a lot of the traffic is worse leaving the city as a lot of major employers are out in the burbs.
When I tried to look for numbers I found this: "Portland is tied with Chicago and Washington DC for the eighth most congested metropolitan region in the country, according to a new study."
Most of the issue is that I-5 is pretty much your only major road option so imagine funneling then entire metro through it.
Comparatively I found Minneapolis' traffic much easier to navigate other than trying to get over to your exit.
As far as snow storms go, forget about it. Take the Max as long as it keeps running. 3" will shut down the city. Not to mention people generally can't drive that well in good conditions there (always a lot of hit and runs, people stopping without warning for birds walking across the road, etc.).
I'm pretty sure they banned salting the roads last year or the year before in Portland (but one of the videos said something about sand, so who knows?). On the upside it only snows or has an ice storm once or twice a year.
This is pretty typical when they get a little snow or ice:
The big thing with Portland is the darkness in the winter. I actually like that rainy, cool weather the city gets, but by the second year the winter darkness started to get to me. It's mostly a drizzly kind of rain to moderate (month long or longer) rain in the winter.
Denver and Portland-Vancouver have added close to the same amount of people in the last 5 to 6 years (Denver's about 90k, Portland-Vancouver around 60k).
Other options...hmm, let's see,
Vegas oddly enough has some climbing not too far away.
Reno - My old boss moved from Portland to Reno and seems to like it (mainly for being close to Tahoe, I think). Personally I don't see the attraction of that city, but the cost of living is reasonable.
I believe Flagstaff also has some decent areas for climbing.
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