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I disagree. Denver isn't overrated. It earns its reputation. Denvers mix of the outdoors with the urban vibe helps a lot with that.
Urban vibe in what....a dozen or so neighborhoods, maybe?
75% of Denver metro is about as bland and unremarkable as it gets. Just because there are mountains in view when you drive out of your subdivision, does not necessarily make it special. Perhaps it does compared to every city east of here, but since this is a more true gateway to the west, maybe this is why its perception as a mountain paradise is overblown.
Miami Beach, specifically South Beach. For lack of better word it was flamboyantly
"ghetto". Specifically how the majority of the people dressed and acted. There was really nothing upscale about it (not counting a few boujee hotels which I'm sure are incredibly expensive). I found it to be pretty disappointing considering the gorgeous natural surroundings.
Wow, I totally disagree with this. The downtown strikes me as old and dead. Not physically unattractive at its core, but more or less like Buffalo's, except even emptier, less vibrant, and more depressing. There was recently an article on the front page the Buffalo News (I believe it was from last Sunday's edition) about a wheelchair-bound Rochester-based developer who's been buying up a lot of property in Buffalo of late using questionable financing methods...and even he said something to the effect of, 'I wish the city of Rochester was booming like Buffalo is right now'. And trust me, for all the 'renaissance' rhetoric, Buffalo is not booming...but compared to the city of Rochester, it likely is. Rochester has one of the highest sprawl scores in the country for a metro of X number of people and above (forget what X equaled...no less than 500k); it is not a city for urbanists IMO.
Rochester over the last 30 years was somewhat of a minor miracle. In the late 80s Xerox and Kodak has combined 25% of the job market cornered. They both collapsed, and Rochester kept growing slowly. It would have been like if Metro Pittsburgh had never lost population during the steel mill closings.
By 'kept growing slowly', you mean the metro. The city itself has been losing population since 1950, and if the 2016 population estimate is to be believed, it is still losing population, albeit barely. Anecdotally, I have a friend who's a Rochester lifer in his early-mid thirties who desires strong[memorial]ly to contribute to that continued population decline.
Urban vibe in what....a dozen or so neighborhoods, maybe?
75% of Denver metro is about as bland and unremarkable as it gets. Just because there are mountains in view when you drive out of your subdivision, does not necessarily make it special. Perhaps it does compared to every city east of here, but since this is a more true gateway to the west, maybe this is why its perception as a mountain paradise is overblown.
I've looked at housing on websites like Zillow for the Denver metro. The suburbs do seem to be very bland, just like Phoenix is. Somehow more bland in my opinion, especially considering the additional cost. Denver still has an edge of a better urban core, even if its just slightly larger, than almost every city in the Inland West. Comparing Denver to SLC, Phoenix, Boise, ABQ, Vegas... Denver might have the best ones out of all these options. Of course that changes when looking at the Coast.
We have mountains down here too but they aren't snowcapped, except for Four Peaks. IMO snowcapped mountains right from your window? One of the best views ever. There's a big appeal to that.
After research SLC seems to be a much better large city for mountains. But SLC does have that problem of being in Utah. I know SLC has a reputation for being liberal and accepting but I would like to assume stepping out of SLC into Provo or something is a whole other world. For the outdoorsy ones who like to travel to hike big mountains and stuff, you can't hide in the SLC blue bubble. Utah is one of the most conservative states in the Union.
On a state level Colorado is better than Utah by far, which might be why despite the things you're saying, is still the preferable city over Salt Lake. It's a combination of the mountains and what Denver offers as a city: a relaxed Western vibe with social libertarian politics and a Democrat-favorable climate, which is pretty unique to the rest of the inland West minus say, New Mexico.
Memphis - Avoid the tourist traps, and there are a lot of hidden gems. I find and endless amount of mom and pop restaurants, art communities, and a decent beer scene. I liked the friendly and non pretentious vibe of the residents. The 20-somethings I met were not religious or ignorantly conservative like I was lead to believe. The suburbs however had some eye opening "scary" moments...one that sticks in my head was seeing a giant PVC cross on top of an American flag pole.
Atlanta - I have been liking this place more and more with every visit. I was lead to believe that the city was just another sprawling sun belt city like Dallas, Phoenix, Charlotte, etc. There is an extremely vibrant urban core with that young and high energy vibe. Everyone I met was happy, friendly, well educated, and optimistic. There is just so much potential. I truly think that this will be the countries greatest city in the next 15-20 years...I also hope they get Amazon HQ2.
Las Vegas - I had a chance to visit for the first time in awhile since moving to Denver, and I was shocked by how dominant the surrounding mountains were. I really started to appreciate the wide open landscape, and endless access to mountain recreation in all directions. It was also nice to be able to hike on trails and climb in areas where I was the only one out. It is incredibly rare to have a true moment of solitude in Colorado. If it wasn't for the heat, I would say this would be an amazing outdoor enthusiast city.
Urban vibe in what....a dozen or so neighborhoods, maybe?
75% of Denver metro is about as bland and unremarkable as it gets. Just because there are mountains in view when you drive out of your subdivision, does not necessarily make it special. Perhaps it does compared to every city east of here, but since this is a more true gateway to the west, maybe this is why its perception as a mountain paradise is overblown.
I guess it depends how you look at it. Denver and it's inner city neighborhoods feel urban. Downtown is gaining density and our downtown population is growing. Each neighborhood has unique character to it. Some neighborhoods feel like an east coast city, while some feel like a west coast city. We have an interesting mix of housing styles. The suburbs I can agree with you on, our suburbs are nothing special at all besides the mountain views.
Wow, I totally disagree with this. The downtown strikes me as old and dead. Not physically unattractive at its core, but more or less like Buffalo's, except even emptier, less vibrant, and more depressing. There was recently an article on the front page the Buffalo News (I believe it was from last Sunday's edition) about a wheelchair-bound Rochester-based developer who's been buying up a lot of property in Buffalo of late using questionable financing methods...and even he said something to the effect of, 'I wish the city of Rochester was booming like Buffalo is right now'. And trust me, for all the 'renaissance' rhetoric, Buffalo is not booming...but compared to the city of Rochester, it likely is. Rochester has one of the highest sprawl scores in the country for a metro of X number of people and above (forget what X equaled...no less than 500k); it is not a city for urbanists IMO.
I also would say that much of its SE Quadrant is quite urban and walkable, with multiple streets with some activity(Park Ave, Monroe Ave, South Ave and South Clinton Ave).
To be fair, most cities that haven't annexed in decades are likely still losing people, albeit slowly, give or take.
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