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Albuquerque is relatively low rise because of the 20,000+ feet of sand that filled the rift when the Sandias were thrust up and the bottom fell out of the Rio Grande Valley.
Agree with Anchorage for views, but there are no high rise residential buildings in Anchorage, though. Same is true for Boulder, which has also been mentioned a few times.
Although the mountains are a bit farther from Denver, it does have high rise residential buildings downtown and there are mountain views. Salt Lake has a handful of high rise residential buildings downtown with nice views too.
There are a few highrise buildings (10 stories or more) in Anchorage but yea, your options are limited. Honolulu stands, however. You have beautiful views of green verdant mountains and blue ocean. And condo living there is basically a requisite due to the expensive cost of land.
Thanks for all the replies! For clarification, I have seen beautiful vistas in movies, tv, etc from backyards and porches of some amazing properties, but generally speaking they are out in rural or smaller towns, not in any urban centers. So I was wondering what the options would be for that kind of a view in a big city. The highrise part isnt necessary, however I imagine that for such a view in a vibrant urban center in the US it would probably have to be a highrise. I'm happy to be mistaken though...
Secondly, I obviously started with some major cities like LA, Seattle, etc, but if there are small/midsized cities that have walkable and vibrant neighborhoods with great mountain views that would be just as good. I'm seeking the best balance of all so happy to hear about anything with potential.
Quote:
Originally Posted by mhays25
Unless you mean hills...LA, SD, SF, Sea, PDX...all have hills outside your window.
Cool. I dont really know the precise difference in definition between hills and mountains, so potentially big hills at the right vantage point could offer just as dramatic an image of what I'm seeking...but then again maybe not.
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Originally Posted by NDak15
Salt Lake City has the most reliable views of mountains of the cities you've mentioned. Seattle and Portland them but they're often hidden behind clouds.
SLC sounds promising! It's near the top of my list of places I'd like to visit for the first time.
Quote:
Originally Posted by saybanana
Honolulu - amazing views.
Los Angeles - the nearest tall mountains 3000-5000 ft range above Pasadena/Altadena are about 20 miles from Downtown where high rises are located. Pasadena is walkable but no highrises except for some office buildings/hotels I think. The closer you are the less dramatic they become because the taller peaks are towards the back. But up close you cant see it because of the lower peaks block the view. Downtown offers great panoramas especially on clear days but still the tallest one are about 50+ away.
Honolulu sounds like a winner. Of course, it's got amazing water views too and it's far from the mainland so I didnt think of it in the beginning.
Downtown LA should be great, but I am having trouble finding any really good images online.
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Originally Posted by Seattle4321
Let's get some pictures from the high rises? Let's see them views! =D
I know right? That's what I was hoping for haha. It's really surprisingly hard to find on my own. Easy to search for great images from various vantage points, but from inside a condo unit is a whole different story.
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Originally Posted by creeksitter
OP, I could write a little essay about the southeastern cities if you were interested but they don't hold a candle to SLC, Honolulu, and the other western cities.
Haha, thanks for sharing.
Quote:
Originally Posted by lammius
Agree with Anchorage for views, but there are no high rise residential buildings in Anchorage, though. Same is true for Boulder, which has also been mentioned a few times.
Although the mountains are a bit farther from Denver, it does have high rise residential buildings downtown and there are mountain views. Salt Lake has a handful of high rise residential buildings downtown with nice views too.
Awesome. I know my thread title says highrise, but it's not 100% necessary. Just trying to get a feel for what's out there.
Quote:
Originally Posted by scottcolby
OP didn't ask for pictures of the city with mountains in the background. If you're in the city of Denver (downtown) and on the ground, it's all concrete and you mainly can't see mountains. If you're in a highrise and lucky enough not to be blocked by another building (which many are blocked due to all of the new construction) and are facing west, you can see mountains in the distance, but not nearly as close as SLC, Boulder and the Springs.
Thank you. This info is right on the money with what I'm asking.
Quote:
Originally Posted by SunGrins
Albuquerque is relatively low rise because of the 20,000+ feet of sand that filled the rift when the Sandias were thrust up and the bottom fell out of the Rio Grande Valley.
Beautiful photo! But I'm guessing this was not taken from a residential unit in a walkable and vibrant neighborhood?
Quote:
Originally Posted by GoldenGateMyst
There are a few highrise buildings (10 stories or more) in Anchorage but yea, your options are limited. Honolulu stands, however. You have beautiful views of green verdant mountains and blue ocean. And condo living there is basically a requisite due to the expensive cost of land.
Thanks...I bet it is beautiful in every direction.
Yes I know what Denver looks like, thank you. I live downtown.
OP didn't ask for pictures of the city with mountains in the background. If you're in the city of Denver (downtown) and on the ground, it's all concrete and you mainly can't see mountains. If you're in a highrise and lucky enough not to be blocked by another building (which many are blocked due to all of the new construction) and are facing west, you can see mountains in the distance, but not nearly as close as SLC, Boulder and the Springs.
+1 For the disappointment in Denver mountain views.
Don't get me wrong, when you can see them, yes, great. But I would guess that they are pretty covered/hazy/non visible for about 30-40% of the year. I always seemed to have bad luck when friends would visit and I would drive them in from DIA. "I SWEAR there is normally an incredible view from here"! The location of downtown also doesn't really give the best views when compared to being way out in Aurora or DIA.
Also those cliche photos of downtown with the mountains in the background are taken with a $5,000+ telephoto lens, and not something you can experience with the human eye.
Idk about high rise living, but I would also throw in Reno. For that matter, Las Vegas too. Vegas has some high rise condos around the strip now. Again, idk about the high rises, but Boise.
If you're really interested in how the views look from actual high rises I would just browse real estate sites and click on individual units to see how they look. For example:
RE: Albuquerque
Beautiful photo! But I'm guessing this was not taken from a residential unit in a walkable and vibrant neighborhood?
I suspect that the photo is from the west side of the Rio Grande looking east. The mountains dominate the eastern horizon anywhere you are in town. Vibrant, walkable or not, one would have to work pretty hard not to see the mountains in ABQ. Some of the vibrant and walkable locales are closer to the Sandias than the downtown area.
Here's a photo from my front porch but I admit I'm not all that vibrant.
Then there's the tram if you want to look back...
As a fairly low-rise city, there's not much getting in the way of the view.
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