Permanently Deleted
Denver has mediocre public transit (dirty lightrail, buses), is hostile to its homeless population at the level of California, and the air quality is bad because the Rockies trap air. The cowfucker areas around it are Qanon territory. It’s pretty white outside of Aurora, and both Denver and Aurora police are corrupt and unhinged departments. To me it feels on par with like San Antonio or Austin. It’s a Little Big City and what makes it amazing is the mountain range behind it. The wildfires are also terrifying and can turn the air quality index like 150+ for multiple weeks. One hit an unforested suburb of Denver last December so nothing is safe but they take the place of Midwestern tornadoes or West Coast earthquakes.
If you lived in Denver/Fort Collins/Loveland/Longmont, you’d be about an hour from Rocky Mountain National Park (https://www.nps.gov/romo/planyourvisit/hikes.htm). That place is a cathedral for naturalists, genuinely one of the most beautiful places I’ve ever been. Especially if you’re into hiking RMNP is the greatest thing you could ever live next to and I’ve grown immensely as a person by virtue of it.
That’s what I moved here for after visiting the park. Haven’t regretted that decision for a moment. The wildflowers are so abundant and ever-changing that I do some hikes multiple times per week and don’t get bored of them. Plenty of wildlife even if our predator populations are tame compared to Wyoming/Montana, so you might get to see a bear but you don’t have to hike armed. Every ecosystem above 10k’ becomes a super fragile alpine wonderland where you see life surviving real extremes to the point that trees grow horizontally. Below that you have fascinating grasslands and canyons with some of the most interesting geology/paleontology in the country. Colorado’s a place where you can really form an understanding of nature as process and relationships, in settings which visually humble you even without psilocybin, all while physically challenging yourself to whatever degree you want within day trip distance. Any hobby you want to pursue outdoors is at its absolute best here.
Recently been spending time iding wild flowers when camping and hiking. It’s amazing
