After living in San Francisco for over 15 years--what many would call one of the most beautiful cities in the world--I never thought I would want to live in Denver. I've passed through a couple of times, but this time it really captured me.
Why? Here's why:
* The people are really nice in a a very down to earth, authentic way. Nobody's trying too hard to be hip and cool. There's no self-righteous, passive-aggressive attitude. No phony spiritualism (that's in Boulder).
* There is more diversity than you may think. And they seem to walk the walk, not just talk the talk.
* Everywhere you look, you are reminded of the glorious beauty of nature since the entire city is surrounded by the Rockies.
* Snowboarding in fluffy, powdery snow, not sticky, wet muck. Need I say more?
*Fairly clean air.
* A decent arts community, and they don't brag about how great their art community is, it just...is.
* There is a burgeoning green community, it's even greener than SF, yet they don't brag about how green they are, they just...are.
* Beautiful, old architecture juxtaposed with beautiful new architecture.
* People are active, athletic and outdoorsy.
* Thunderstorms.
* A reasonably low crime rate.
* City streets that are smooth with few potholes and bumpy patches, despite extremes in temperature.
* People ride bikes a lot. And the city supports it fully.
* A small-business friendly climate.
* Reasonable tax rates.
* Hiking and trail running. Yo. I'm there!
* Lilacs. Have you ever smelled lilacs when they're in bloom? Heaven. Pure heaven.
* Adorable tudor-style brick houses on tree-lined streets.
* Affordable real estate. We're talking a three bedroom house for less than $399,000. With a yard. In a pretty nice area.
* Attractive, athletic men in my age group who are not afraid to make eye contact and are not too timid, lazy or complacent to make an effort.
* With the dry air, there is less mold than SF.
* There are not one, but two rivers that flow through Denver, and they intersect here.
* Approximately 300 days of sunshine per year, compared with either fog, cold or rain almost daily in SF. read more