Discovering Denver: Why the Mile-High City Is the Perfect Place to Call Home
Anyone who’s been to Denver would agree that it is one of the most beautiful cities in the United States. Nestled perfectly on the South Platte River Valley near the Front Range of the Rocky Mountains, Denver is one of only a few cities where you can be in the middle of a bustling metropolis and be surrounded by nature at the same time.
This is why Denver is now the most populous city in the state of Colorado and the 19th most populous in the country.
Over the last seven years, more than 100,000 people have decided to move to Denver for its altitude, great weather, amazing community and panoramic views.
But what exactly makes the mile-high city so appealing?
Denver has the altitude advantage.
Denver was named after the Kansas Territory governor James W. Denver, but it is dubbed as the “mile-high city” because of its exact location, 1,609.3 meters above sea level. And you know that being higher than most people has some advantages.
For one, the sun is a lot warmer because of the thin atmosphere. You also need to boil your water a little longer and your regular cocktails will pack more punch because of the thinner air.
If you’re a golf enthusiast, golf balls go 10% farther in Denver because of the rarified air. How cool is that, golfers?
Denver enjoys a lot of sunny days.
If you love Miami Beach or San Diego for their weather, Denver actually enjoys more sunlight than these cities combined because of its idyllic location. The city enjoys more than 300 days of sunshine every year that you can play golf all year round.
Denver also has bluer skies and brighter stars, thanks to its elevation and high-desert climate. The city’s temperature can also be a little tricky, so you have to dress in layers because it can rise or fall by 40 degrees within the day.
Denver is surrounded by mountains.
It’s a common misconception that Denver is on a mountain because it’s actually not. The city is located near mountain ranges where you can see 200 peak, 32 of them soaring for up to 4,000 meters above sea level. Denver also boasts of a beautiful 140-mile panoramic view.
Denver has a thriving restaurant scene.
Denver’s restaurant scene can easily compare to those in Los Angeles or New York. The city has every type of cuisine and food that you could possibly think of and it has a lot of uncelebrated restaurants that offer the most amazing dishes.
If you’re craving tacos, Denver has a plethora of restaurants offering good Mexican food. It even has a surprising amount of restaurants specializing in seafood and of course, you can’t miss one of the many steakhouses in the city.
There’s good reason thousands have already moved to Denver. Aside from its idyllic location, Denver also has a booming economy with a strong job market in the healthcare, aerospace, finance, defense, hospitality and biotech sectors.
The city has attracted a lot of young professionals because of its many job prospects and it also has some of the best educational institutions in the country including the University of Denver and the University of Colorado.
Denver has one of the most desirable downtowns in America.
Denver is the 10th largest downtown in the country and within a mile radius, you get to see three colleges, a theme and waterpark, and an aquarium. It also boasts of the second largest performing arts center, different museums, a river for white water rafting, thousands of hotel rooms, hundreds of topnotch restaurants and three major sports stadiums.
Denver is up and coming.
The last few years has seen an increase in rental rates and median home prices, which is a sign that Denver is already becoming a major city.
The average apartment rental today is $1,519 while median home price costs around $421, 900. Sure, it’s not the most affordable, but if you think about what you’re getting—the views, the amazing city life and the growing opportunities—it’s definitely a lot cheaper than comparable cities like New York or Los Angeles.
Denver has an amazing city park system.
A lot of cities envy Denver for its unique city park system. Boasting more than 200 parks within the city itself and 20,000 acres of parks in the neighboring mountains, Denver has no shortage of outdoor activities for residents to enjoy.
The city plants more than 200,000 flowers in 26 formal gardens every year, it has its own buffalo herd and it has a system in place for all its mountain parks including the beautiful Red Rocks Park and Amphitheater and Echo Lake.
Denver values culture and the arts.
The theater and arts have always been part of Denver’s rich history and that love for music and performances still holds true today.
The Denver Performing Arts Complex ranks second to New York’s Lincoln Center where it can accommodate 10,000 people within its nine theaters. The city’s live music scene is also thriving all year-round with venues like the legendary Red Rocks Park and Amphitheatre where U2 and the Beatles once performed and the Paramount Theatre. Denver also takes sports very seriously.
In fact, it’s one of only a few American cities to have several professional sports team. It is home to the Denver Nuggets of the NBA, the 2016 Super Bowl champions Denver Broncos, the Colorado Avalanche of hockey, the Colorado Rapids of major league soccer, the Colorado Rockies of baseball and the Colorado Mammoth of lacrosse.
Denver has no shortage of fun activities.
Finally, aside from watching sports, there are other things to enjoy if you’re living in Denver. You can easily hit some golf balls in one of the many golf courses in the city.
You can also practice your skills in 60,000 square feet of space at the Denver Skatepark. Denver is also near some amazing attractions including the Denver Performing Arts Complex, the haunted Stanley Hotel and different at and history museums.