Denver Ranks #1 Best Place To Live!

Over the last few years, Denver has experienced a population boom, and it doesn’t seem to be slowing down anytime soon. As a result, the cost of living has dramatically increased since 2009, with housing costs seeing one of the biggest hikes. The average home price in Denver is now significantly higher than the national average. Denver offers a better value than similarly sized cities when you compare housing costs to median household income.

What’s the best way to get around Denver, CO?

Despite being a very eco-friendly community, many people in Denver have cars. The highways are becoming more crowded during rush hour as commuters make their way between downtown Denver and its outlying commercial areas like the Denver Tech Center to the south and Broomfield to the north.

Some Denver neighborhoods are walkable; however, most of the city is too spread out for much more than strolling. Many people prefer to use bikes instead, and there are more than 85 miles of paved trails throughout the city for cyclists. The Denver-based bike sharing company, B-Cycle, provides access to 700 bikes at 87 stations across the city.

The RTD light rail – an above-ground tramway – is another popular mode of transportation, especially for commuters. Continued development of the light rail is expected to provide service to Boulder and the Denver International Airport, the fifth busiest airport in the country. RTD also provides commuter bus service throughout the area, while Amtrak and Greyhound offer ground transportation to nearby cities.

Who lives in Denver, CO?

Many Denverites are out-of-state transplants. Between 2010 and 2014, the city experienced one of the largest influxes of domestic migrants in the country. Regardless of where they were born, the majority of Denver’s residents are loyal liberals (despite being located in a more conservative state) and have led the city to many progressive milestones, including the legalization of same-sex marriage and recreational marijuana use.

Denver’s population is fairly young, with millennials making up more than 20 percent of the population. The Mile High City is also known as a good city for singles: The male-to-female ratio is about 50/50, and a quarter of the population over the age of 15 has never been married.

Roughly half the Denver population identifies as religious, with the majority of them practicing Catholicism. Other religions represented in the community include other forms of Christianity, Judaism and several Eastern religions.

What is there to do in Denver, CO?

Denver offers more than 5,000 acres of parks, trails, golf courses and playgrounds. In fact, many of Denver’s most prominent neighborhoods are built around and named after such beloved green spaces like Washington Park, City Park, Cheesman Park and Sloan’s Lake. The city’s proximity to the Rocky Mountains also creates numerous opportunities for residents to ski and snowboard in the winter.

Denver is also home to a flourishing arts scene, and music is a big part of life here. Numerous famous acts originated here at high altitude, including The Fray and Big Head Todd and the Monsters.

There are also nearly 100 breweries in metro Denver, and the sudsy city is host to the annual Great American Beer Festival that showcases more than 3,500 beers from brewers around the country.

Despite its reputation as a safe city, Denver has seen an uptick in crime – some of which is gang-related. However, compared to other U.S. cities of its size, Denver’s crime rates are relatively low. The parts of the city that are the most afflicted are found to the west and north of downtown.