Denver, CO

I live in Denver. Grew up there, moved away twice, moved back twice. I love living there. Yes, the downside is smog. At times it is a bit much. But, there is also tremendous access to outdoor activities, sporting events (four major league teams ... NHL, NFL, NBA, MLB), decent theater if you like that. The proximity to the mountains including ski areas and towns like Vail, Steamboat Springs and Aspen is outstanding. 14er hikes and national parks are close buy in the summer. It's just a great place to live and raise a family.

Quickly becoming Los Angeles and Phoenix with mountains (and smog). Skiing can only sell this place so much. Many other areas have good skiing without the hassle (Vermont...). You'd better like Denver as a city...there isnt another major metropolitan area within a days drive.

  My favorite city in America. If you can handle the sometime brutal winters, it's otherwise perfect when it comes to the weather. I was here for tech school when Lowery AFB was around and visited a few years ago as well.

My favorite area is around Glendale and downtown, very well-kept, clean, and the way all these old building get converted into apartments and nice restaurants. The city has drastically cleaned up over the years.

However, like many nice cities, the cost of living is very high and an average middle-class home will run you at least $300,000.

You might be lethargic or depressed the first few days you visit, since the oxygen is rather thin, only real downside

curious about Denver... how is it that a city which legalizes marijuana and outlaws pitbulls considered republican conservative?? those 2 things alone make it sound more like Western Europe than some bush sheeple hellhole.

why the hell did i move there is beyond me. i love my rancho grande

Denver has been described as a cartoon version of the 1950s. Depending on your worldview, it can be too good to be true. The average metro Denverite is married with 3 kids, a nice suburban home, a dog, church every week, and center-right politics. If you're looking for a fancy, urban, hipster culture, you just won't find it in Denver. It's all about faith and family and working hard.

The city of Denver is very Latino and the suburbs are very white and very conservative. The area is very new and very modern. The backdrop of the Rockies is very inspiring. The people can be bland, at times, but they are fun-loving and conservative.

Nothing special. The suburbs are disgusting. For some tourist action check out the 16th street mall. For good stuff check out the Denver Art Museum and the First Fridays Art Walk

Denver. TRAFFIC! SUV's! Cell phones! Yuppies! Starbucks! Chain stores! Zero Originality! Aggressive Police! Zero Culture!

Denver represents everything that the Bush administrtaion is all about. Some people here try to act as though they are far left, but in fact the daily habit of this over-rated cowtown reflect quite clearly it's apathy for the most horrible comtemporary issues. People here don't walk anywhere. It's obvious most couldn't care the less about the U.S killing  people, (especially children) in Iraq for dirty oil. People in this wannabe town are at the pumps drinking up gas. People walking (better know as pedestrians for all you drivers reading this) are far and few, and the driving attitudes here prove that people aren't even aware of people trying to cross a street on foot.

This stupid city also and clearly promotes gentrification at a fast and furious pace. Many over-priced yuppie style condo's and lofts are being built. The worst thing is many of such "upscale" developments are pushing out people who once lived in economic areas of the city that were not rich.
The real estate industry here in this town is a dirty and corrupt reality. Many people here became and continue to become homeless due to the rise in rents. What at one time were affordable apartments, got "upscaled" into pricey yuppie housing, forcing out poor people. The sad part is some areas of the city where people are not making a good income, could still live, but after the development of upscaled housing established it's deep cut into the society, people were on the streets.

Denver put it's narrow focus on superficial attractions and openly invited corporate America to take over. This explains all the ridiculous chain stores all over the metro area. Even the downtown is chain stores with many, many Starbucks. Most Mom and Pop businesses got pushed out due to high rents.

The mountains are nice. But so what? People live in communities and the communities should be the value of the place. 

A great aspect of Denver is that in the near month that I've been here, there hasn't been one rainy day. It's been sunny every single day, of course with the exception of four snow days which by tomorrow's end will have accumulated nearly 50 inches of snow. Surprisingly, Denver seems unable to cope with the snow and the buses were shut down for 2 days during the last storm, and the airport was shut down for 2 days as well, stranding 4600 people who wanted to get home for the holidays. Aside from that, the city itself is remarkably clean. It seems to be low-crime and low riff-raff as well. People talk about the homeless "problem", who more or less live in the cities many parks and don't bother anyone and who are quite receptive to friendly conversation. Nightlife is fairly quiet for a city it's size although there is some culture, including a sweet library and art museum, and there are four pro sports teams in the downtown area. Public transportation is just a few years old (updated light rail and buses) and is quite good. Although, if you're looking for a cab, best of luck. The people are friendly - nobody seems to bowl you over with intelligence or stupidity which is refreshing on both ends. There are some nice apartment areas to live, the best appearing to be LoDo which is a new and re-furbished area of the city. Venturing outside of Denver are various strip-mall type towns completely void of any culture or character whatsoever, which is quite depressing. You also have field upon field of flat plains. The view of the mountains is impressive and does make up for that. And since you're so high, the air is refreshing and has a bite to it in the winter, and is not quite so hot in the summer. Since it is low in oxygen it will take a couple days to get used to if you plan on exercising. All in all, I'd say moving to Denver or visiting is a safe bet, as there is enough to do but the city certainly is nowhere near as intimidating or fast paced as some of the larger cities you've visited, however there is ample opportunity for work and the price of rent or home purchase won't break the bank.

Denver is very overrated. People describe it as if it is Aspen (6 hours away) or Breckenridge (2.5 hours away). First off, Denver is on a very brown and treeless plain with smog hovering over it. The mountains are in the distance, but you are far from them. Second, it is an ugly cultureless, urban sprawled city. The only neighborhood that has a bit of culture and character is Capitol Hill where I live. Once you leave 5 miles from the downtown it is nothing but parking lots, strip malls, and apartments that look all the same. Anywhere north of Denver is disgusting looking. The north side of Denver smells like a puppy chow in a 5-mile radius since there is a dog food factory there. The rest of the areas north of the city are scrap industrial lands. Trust me; I have seen more ugly brownfields in Denver then in cities in the Rust belt! The people all come from everywhere else so there is little hometown identity here. Denver does a great job marketing itself, and showing its few good sides but leaving out anything bad. Just look at their governments website. It is very good at stretching the truth. The truth is, this is a cowtown on a brown ugly field with amazing mountains nearby. That is the best thing of living here.the mountains. If your moving here for the city itself think of somewhere else. A lot of boring suburbanite types, or people from Bumblescum Kansas seem to like it though.However, Colorado is the most beautiful state once you get out of the brown, polluted, treeless, urban sprawled front range area.

Well, I liked it better than my home of Phoenix in my recent visit. Denver has more to downtown than the joke that is downtown Phoenix and the weather seems a bit more favorable in the summer, at least. Granted, this is only four days talking, but it was a good four days.

Denver is a relatively new city and has a modern-feel to it. The airport is especially nice and has great architecture and the outskirts are very clean and offer a lot of restaurants and hotels. The only downside is that there is bad parts such as Aurora and because of it's continuing development you will find a lot of "barren wastelands" scattered about the area.

I have been living here for about 3 years. I am from the south originally. The scenery is great here and I love the mountains! I love the fact that there is so much to do outdoors and there are so many parks. However, the people are not so friendly like they are in the south. I mean, of course there are exceptions, but a lot of people here just really like to keep to themselves. The crime is low though, so there are good and bad things about denver.

What looks good on the surface as you pass through hides the fact that this is a shallow, over-reaching spot of nowhere when you try to spend real time there. The typical Denverite is a shallow, pretentious wannabe from somewhere else. In LA I can handle it. In New York I can understand. But in this pollution bowl where the skins are leather and the teeth ultra-white, I can pass. As for the mountains nearby, go ahead and sit in a two-hour traffic jam with the brown air creeping over the passes. I'll be on my way east to Julesburg.

How would "not as liberal and progressive" be a downside and "gay friendly and Democrat" be positives???

Upside: Denver is a very livable city if you have a decent job. It is green and pretty clean with lots of parks, trails, and friendly neighborhood pubs Lodo and downtown are vibrant and equl to Minneapolis in things to do. The transit system is one of the best in the US, and urban planners are creating "new towns" near the light rail stations. It takes about 45 minutes to get to the real prize- the Rocky Mountains, and a dozen ski areas including Vail are within a 2-3 hour drive. With about 25 historic neighborhoods, you can have that old city feel in the "New West". It is up and coming as a quality place to do international business. Downside: It is not as liberal and progressive as most residents would have you believe, although it is very gay friendly and Democratic. It will cost you big city prices for some very average and often bland and overpriced food. Stick to Buffalo burgers (grown in Colorado) and you won't feel ripped off. The burbs could be in Ohio, but for the amazing Rocky Mountain backdrop. The worst thing is that Denver is becoming a very large and dangerous organized drug trafficking center, and the Denver cops are totally worthless (or else involved with the drug gangs). If you DO NOT hang out on Federal Blvd. or Downtown Aurora you will only see the gangsters driving by about every half hour tinted windows and no license plates). You could be killed if you are in the wrong spot on Federal Avenue or in Aurora, and all you will see are gangsters, although the Asia Town district on Federal and Alameda has some good food. Crime went up 20% since 2000, they need a cop transfusion!

Overrated indeed!! I get i kick out of people who rave about this crappy place. What was once a nice city 15 years ago has been turned into a craphole thanks to CA and TX yuppies moving there, please stop coming here, go away!!!! Traffic is bad and people are not friendly, they are phony. That "brown cloud" that hangs over the city is always nice too, reminds me of LA. Downtown sucks with it's chain stores and all the bums and nutjobs hanging out. It seems at every exit off the highway there is a homeless person holding a sign begging for money, deppressing city overall.!

Nice city but overrated somewhat. People are nice but can be rude as well, lots to do there altho LODO is too tacky for me, too many drunk obnoxious college kids hang out there on weekends but overall a nice city.

Very nice landscape to say the least. . .very pedestrian friendly. Good transit system (the light-rail is a real plus). Certainly the Denver Airport has evolved since its days as a late-night talk-show punchline. But I was turned off by the bland homogenous-white attitude. . .I don't rank Denver as an international or intellectual city on par with Chicago, DC, or NY. . .a good, solid city worth visiting but rather overrated by the locals. . .in its defense, I wish I had time to visit Boulder (home of the U. of Colorado). . .college towns tend to be more diverse and interesting as a rule (but not always).

Denver is a good one. It's an All American City for the most part. Of all the late model Western cities Denver sets the best example of urban planning and has the brightest future (as opposed to Phoenix or Salt Lake City). This area has a very progressive environment. The metro area is expanding it's light rail and commuter rail lines throughout the entire area which will drasticly improve quality of life here and bring more people into downtown. Brilliant! The LoDo area of downtown is pretty cool with restored buildings from the late 1800's and turn of the 1900's and it definately has an eclectic atmouspher. Coors field where the Rockies play is also in this part of town. The people here are really nice and energetic. I admire that it is among the fittest if not THE fittest city in America that other cities should pay attention to. I can't say the city is very visually stimulating and feels rather ordinary but I suppose it's worth a look around as there is enough to do for a day or two but all around I would rate it great for living and just OK to visit. Denver's biggest asset is that it's in Colorado and has easy access to some of the worlds best skiing/snowboarding, Rocky mountain splendor and an agreeable climate with lots of sunshine.

Overrated, but near some very cool stuff.

To me, this place has usually been an airport stop between flights, but I have spent a few days there on two occasions. I've never seen anything that interesting to make me want to come back for an extended stay.

Denver is my hometown and I love it even though I dont live in the city now. The thing that seperates Denver from other cities is the outdoorsiness of the people and the friendliness of them too. Denver has 400 places to eat in downtown alone, not too mention we have so many good places to eat. You will never find value and quality in eating as you will in Denver. Denver has excellent close-knit neighborhoods with beautiful tree and flower lined streets. The only bad thing is if you visit Denver you will want to go stay so bad that it will stay on your mind !!

Denver is not THE greatest city in the world, but it is pretty great, and I am happy to be living here, (especially at this moment in time as Denver is really an up-and-coming cultural hub). Probably the best keept secret in the states is the incredible music scene in Denver. Not only do we get the greatest bands/acts in the world playing here (often at smaller, more intimate clubs than they would play in a larger city)- because Denver is basically a convenient pit-stop between bigger cities - but we also have an incredibly versitile and talented local music scene. Along with that is unequivically the best indy music store in the U.S., Twist & Shout. If you are here to visit, make sure not to miss this treasure! Another personal favorite is the Larimer Lounge, a small intimate club that has featured the likes of then up-and-coming acts like The Rapture, The Killers, and The Libertines. Some of the most diverse, hippest, most well educated and in-the-know people reside in the city, making for an always interesteding Friday night!

Denver is a remarkably forward looking city. The mountains in the distance are beautiful, the skyline of Denver is pretty, and bike trails criss-cross the city. Even in winter, the sun is shining. The traffic can be a little severe - Denver wasn't built for the people coming into the city - but the light rail should help relieve some of those problems. It's got a great sports scene, and the area around Coors Field is exploding with lofts and condominiums. It doesn't have the culture of a New York or Chicago - yet. But give it a little time. This is a city on the rise.

A CITY of great beauty, winning sports teams and fan, much theatre, it is another city that NEVER sleeps

One of the least interesting, least impressive, least important cities in america. Complete lack of culture, and i dont know why, but it seems kind of gray! lol i didnt mean to leave out the r, thats funny!

No other city comes close to Denver. So much interesting stuff....resurants, museums, sports, biking, hiking. Cleanest downtown in america!!! Friendliest people hands-down

DENVER! What more can you say about a city like this. This is the new City. Not a Chicago, yet, but definitely gives Atlanta, Houston, San Diego, and Seattle a run for thier money. It's a young city that relies on what it actually has and not propaganda. Denver is beautiful and rich and apologizes for nothing.

I go to Denver almost annually and I can't say a bad thing about this city. It's huge, has lots to do (sports, bars, restaurants, etc.) but the best activities (biking, hiking, skiing) are out of town, but thankfully within a reasonable driving distance. It seems to be a central city with a very West Coast feel to it.

Visited Denver in March with high expectations (heard a lot about its innovative urban planning practices) and left the city a tad disappointed. Its not a bad city by any means...the LoDo district and Downtown are nice, livable urban neighborhoods with a good combination of bars, restaurants, businesses, and hotels. Coors field is a great ballpark. Quite a bit of homeless in Downtown however, and street kids. The city's so called bustling nightlife didn't seem too bustling to me. If you're from any large coastal city be prepared for disappointment. In addition, every day I was there the smog or haze completetly hid the view of the mountains in the distance. A word of advice: if you're staying in Denver, stay right in Downtown, Cherry Creek or out in the suburbs. I had the misfortune of staying in Denver near Invesco Field (west of I-25)and the neighborhood was TERRIBLE. As for Cherry Creek its a nice neighborhood, with decent shopping and beautiful parks and homes but its the one part of Denver where people seemed to have a large stick up their butt. In the rest of the Denver, however, I found people to be very friendly. The airport is out in the middle of nowhere, but it is awesome. Its the anti-LAX. Seems to be more of a place to live rather than a tourist destination.

Denver, CO is an extremely over rated city. There's nothing to do there and is one of the most boring cities in the U.S. I would never go back!

I have friends and relatives in Denver so I get to visit alot. I keep thinking of moving there, but if I did I would never want to work, LOL!! I would want to be in the mountains everyday. There are endless things to do here, camping,hiking,skiing in winter. The view of the mountains to the west, and the city skyline are something I never get tired of. The city itself is full of things to do also, a great amusement park, museums, restaurants. More miles of parks and trails than any city in the country. The biggest thing that would amaze people who've never been here is the weather. Denver DOES NOT have severe winters!!! It may snow a few times, but the next day the sun is out again and the snow is gone!!! I hope to move there soon, unfortunately everyone has the same idea as me. Denver is very fast-growing. Problems are there, smog, traffic, hopefully it will not become another Los Angeles, with it's scenic beauty destroyed by endless freeways, suburbs and shopping malls.

The city itself is nondescript. The view of the city with the Rocky Mountains in the background is very nice. It's best to go to Colorado Springs, Boulder, the Rocky Mountain Nat'l Park and the ski resorts which are nearby like Vail and Breckenridge. Colorado is one of the nicest states in the country, but the capital of Denver has little to offer.

Denver is one of the cleanest cities I have seen in the US! The nightlife is awesome whether you like to dance, drink, see a live band or see a stand up comedian. The winters are mild with plenty of sunshine, but enough snow to get some fresh powder at many of Colorado's great Ski Resorts. There are many quality resturaunts as well as great places to shop. Try the 16th street mall or Cherry Creek Mall! The sunsets over the mountain range are amazing from a high rise loft or hotel room. Cath a game as Denver has many great sports teams from the Avs to the Broncos, with three newer stadiums. There are 2 waterparks, a Six Flags, several Musuems, plenty of art galleries, historic landmarks, Red Rocks amplitheatre, a large aquarium, and plenty of job opportunities. The people are down to earth and very friendly! I love this city and I wouldnt choose to live anywhere else in the world.

Denver is still my favorite city in all of America. No other city in the United States is more beautiful than this one. Denver has one of the most superb skylines, one of the best football teams (even though not my favorite), some of the greatest restaraunts in the world, a gorgeous, clean downtown, down-to-earth people, and just so many wonderful things ! Not too far away is some of the best skiing in the world. I honestly and truly can say that Denver is possibly the best city in the world. The day I move away from Orlando, Florida is the day I move to Denver, Colorado.

Colorado (Denver/ Boulder) is a great state - the people there were some of the friendliest I've ever met in my life!

Denver is overrated. Go into the mountains, experience Colorado for yourself. Don't let yourself stagnate in Denver.

If you're looking for a good year-round vacation spot, Denver is it. The city and surrounding areas provide an unusual combination of cultural and recreational activities. Don't miss the Molly Brown House, the Coors Brewery tour, or the Denver Museum of Science and Nature. If you want to venture off the beaten path a bit, have afternoon tea at the Brown Palace or visit the Butterfly Pavilion & Insect Center. One of the nation's best bookstores, the Tattered Cover, is located in Denver's Cherry Creek area. Be sure to allow several hours for a visit, and you might want to have lunch or dinner at the Fourth Story, the Tattered Cover's restaurant. Even though you might find yourself fully entertained by Denver's offerings, don't forget to include some time up in the mountains!

one of the best kept secrets in the us...the weather here is it's best quality...boring though if you're not into outdoor activities... INCREDIBLE WEATHER - over 300 DAYS of SUNSHINE a year...

With the proximity to the mountains and the awesome climate, there are not many better than Denver. Great restaurants, and enough Broadway shows and plays to keep you occupied. The symphony has a bit of an attitude, but they play okay.

Who would have thought that a state or resident so obcessed with health and the outdoors could live in a city with so much smog.

Denver is one of the best cities in the country. Skiing in the winter, biking and hiking in the summer, and a climate that's a lot more mild than most people think. I grew up in Kansas City, and my family drove to Denver every summer. I still remember how it felt to catch my first glimpse of the Rocky Mountains after driving over the virtually flat plains for nine hours.

Denver has perfect weather, a beautiful panorama, and tons of great bike, hiking, and ski areas.