Where to go for a weekend trip in the fall?

[RowJimmy]

Originally Posted by pittnurse70

Actually, Denver is about 20% city, 80% suburbs. Some of the burbs are very old, having been small farming/mining towns in their own right before the area started growing. Louisville just celebrated its 125th birthday today! Was an old coal mining town. Pittsburgh is about 14% city, 86% burbs.

Pittsburgh is 55 sq miles, and Denver is 155 sq miles. Maybe thats where you get that. I am talking about the actual urban areas. Denver is not urban at all. Cherry creek has a very suburban feel to it. I lived in Denver for three years. Pittsburgh has a urban feel in majority of the cities area. Even the suburbs outside are compact and urban. They are not like littleton, Arvada, Westminster, Thorton, Highlands ranch, Aurora, Glendale, Commerce City, Lakewood, and it goes on and on that have the treeless, two car garage, strip mall suburbin feel. That makes up well over 90% of that cities metro area. Pittsburgh's metro is much more old. Its suburban towns like oakmont, the South Hills area, and to the east are more old and have a more old feel to them.

Also a town is not old because it use to be a mining town 125 years ago, and then it has been replaces with nothing but strip malls and housing developments since 1985. Is there any buildings or culture that dates back to those days?

[Katarina Witt]

Originally Posted by RowJimmy

Pittsburgh is 55 sq miles, and Denver is 155 sq miles. Maybe thats where you get that. I am talking about the actual urban areas. Denver is not urban at all. Cherry creek has a very suburban feel to it. I lived in Denver for three years. Pittsburgh has a urban feel in majority of the cities area. Even the suburbs outside are compact and urban. They are not like littleton, Arvada, Westminster, Thorton, Highlands ranch, Aurora, Glendale, Commerce City, Lakewood, and it goes on and on that have the treeless, two car garage, strip mall suburbin feel. That makes up well over 90% of that cities metro area. Pittsburgh's metro is much more old. Its suburban towns like oakmont, the South Hills area, and to the east are more old and have a more old feel to them.

Also a town is not old because it use to be a mining town 125 years ago, and then it has been replaces with nothing but strip malls and housing developments since 1985. Is there any buildings or culture that dates back to those days?

Yes, there are some buildings from the early days. Most of the downtown buildings are quite old, and have been through many owners and many types of businesses. The old hospital was around for the 1918 flu epidemic and is now an arts center, where plays and art shows are held. There was an art show there this weekend for the Fall Festival. The Middle School, formerly a middle/senior high, was a WPA school built in the 1930s.

My numbers come from population. Pittsburgh has about 1 city resident for every 7 suburbans residents; Denver's ratio is about 1:5. Denver's suburbs are WAY more compact than Pittsburgh's. A 1/4 acre lot is rare here; most are considerably smaller. And we have sidewalks in the suburbs, which makes them walkable. And what do you mean by treeless? Sure, the new areas have little trees b/c this is mostly semi-arid prairie, but any place more than a few years old has larger trees in the yards. Pittsburgh's suburbs tend to go for large yards and no sidewalks, so everyone drives everywhere outside of the city.

Littleton, Arvada, and Wheat Ridge are old farming towns. Lutheran Medical Center in Wheat Ridge has been around since 1905, started as a TB sanitarium. Golden is another old suburb, of the mining variety. Sounds like you did not learn much Colorado history when you lived here.

[louislinus]

Thanks for all the suggestions. I think we have settled on Wellsboro, a little further than we'd like to go, but it looks beautiful. Now if only I can find a nice place to stay. Every place I've liked the looks of is booked!

Funny we are having a Denver debate on a PA but, as a downtown Denver resident for 8 years who also worked for a real estate developer who is building one of the largest master-planned communities in the state - I agree with Pittnurse and Rowjimmy.

The suburbs are b-o-r-i-n-g and, even though I worked to build and sell a lot of these kinds of houses, they are just not my style. However, they are definitely more compact than the suburbs of the Ohio (and I would say PA as well). In Colorado it would be very rare to see a house on an acre lot. Around here, (northeast Ohio) seems like everyone has a huge expanse of lawn. So yes, the Denver suburbs are boring and new and, well, pretty beige. But lots are small and I have to say I loved living in Denver and miss it everyday.

[jsn2007]

While you are on you way to Wellsboro, stop in Benezette and see the Pennsylvania Elk! They are amazing and huge creatures. There is a lot to do in this area of the state, especially when it comes to nature tourism. Check out the Pennsylvania Wilds website for more trip planning info. Wellsboro is boud to be in there as well.