Thinking of relocating. Minneapolis, Denver, or Phoenix. Which one?

Question

I'm a college student. I'm 20 years old, and I'm thinking of relocating after I finish off my education.
I currently live in New York City (Brooklyn). I most of my life.
It's a nice place to live, I suppose, but I'm personally finding it very boring. Yes you're probably thinking how the hell could I get bored in NY, and I'd tell you because I'm not into night life AT ALL. I'm the outdoorsy type... not much of a clubber/bar-hopper.
Besides a few jogging trails and water-walks, theres not much to do for outdoor enthusiasts like me in NYC.
So I'm interested in moving to either Minneapolis, Denver, or Phoenix. All 3 cities have wonderful amounts of things to do outdoors. Minneapolis has countless lakes, Denver has the Rockies; 15 mins from Downtown, and Phoenix has the mountains actually in the city limits. I'd probably pick Phoenix, but I don't like the fact that the city is so auto-dependant.
I know all 3 cities have varying climates. I don't mind brutal cold or blazing heat.

Answer 1

I'm in my 20s and live in Denver. I'm also extremely outdoorsy and love it here. You should make your decision based on which sports you like best. If you like rock climbing, skiing, mountain biking, road biking and/or kayaking you will be happy in Denver. I've met a ton of people here in Denver originally from Minneapolis, which leads me to believe MN is not great for outdoor sports (unless you like water skiing).

Although Denver is by no means as urban and sophisticated as NY, there are many neighborhoods in Denver where you can walk from your house/apt to unique stores/restaurants. In Phoenix, on the contrary, you will be required to drive your car from corporate strip-mall to corporate strip-mall. Additionally, I've visited Phoenix for work and find most people there unsophisticated and superficial. They're Mostly people originally from California who had to move to AZ because they couldn't afford the high cost of living in CA. Denver has a nice mix of people from all over who chose to move there because of the outdoors and greater quality of life.

Judging by your question, I think Denver would be the best fit because of the high number of outdoorsy sports and less car dependancy than Phoenix. Additionally, if you really want to live an outdoorsy lifestyle, consider mountain towns such as Aspen, Telluride, Vail, etc.

Answer 2

I'd go with Denver. Minneapolis does have countless lakes, but it's flat - if you're into the outdoors, it doesn't have the mountain scenery of Denver or Phoenix. Also, Minneapolis is extremely humid during the summer and brutally cold during the winter, making outdoor activities difficult during those seasons. Minneapolis is a pleasant enough city, but if you're going to be in the midwest, you might as well be in Chicago for the culture, and you already said you're not into that aspect of New York City.

Phoenix does indeed have the mountains right in the city, but as you said, it's an incredibly auto-driven city, with almost no reliable public transportation. That's changing - they are putting in light rail. But it's years away. Also, Phoenix is ridiculously hot during the summer - arid, dry, but hot. And little in the way of water.

Denver does have the winters, but the mountains aren't far away, and it's sunny 300 days a year. Denver has a walkable downtown - unlike Phoenix - and still has an interesting culture. It's kind of car driven, like Phoenix, but does have light rail, particularly in and around downtown. Also, it's a vibrant, young city, with a good sports environment.

So, overall, I'd go with Denver first, Phoenix second, Minneapolis third.

Answer 3

Minneapolis To Denver

Answer 4

I've been to Minneapolis in August. It was just like any other midwest city: hot, humid, lots of bugs. The humidity and heat make you want to find an air conditioned building. I would never live in MN.

Denver: I lived in a suburb just north of Denver. I loved it. 15 minutes from Boulder, rock climbing. View of the mountains. Short drive to the mountains for biking, dirt biking, climbing, walking, skiing...it was great. Summers could get hot, but not humid. Winters had snow, but no sleat or ice. The sun is great there. The altitude messes with people's heads there. "rocky mountain HIGH colorado". Everybody should live there for at least a year.

Phoenix: I've never been there, but I've been through Arizona in Sept. HOT. DRY. ARID. Not much going on. However, that was Arizona, not Phoenix. I hear it's great. Great skiing in the mountains.

Not sure about public transit. I don't think Denver had a great transit system. Buses downtown, I guess.

Answer 5

I would definitely pick Denver. I moved here about 3 1/2 years ago after college and I couldn't be happier. There is so much to do, many cool neighborhoods with character, great weather, good jobs and nice people. I have found http://www.hubbuzz.com/ to be a great site for finding out more on a city. They have neigborhood descriptions, hotspots, maps and awesome photos - they even have apartments for rent.

I went to Phoenix for work a few months ago and actually got to drive around quite a bit. You won't find any character in the city of Phoenix. While I'm sure there are plenty of things to do outdoors I wouldn't suggest living in a city with no soul. That is just my opinion though.

Good luck!

Answer 6

I'd go with Denver, if you love the out then there is so much to do here all year round from; hiking, biking, canoing, rafting, skiing, snowboarding etc.

The scenery and the mountains are quite simply breathtaking.

The climate is also a plus, it as all four seasons and is generally mild all year round with it averaging around the mid 50's and hitting highs of the late 80's to early 90's. The winters can become quite cold with plenty of snowfall but they are very bearable. The humidity here is also a major plus, as there is next to none.

My second choice would be Minneapolis although the winters there can be quite brutal but still a beautiful place filled with lakes.

I'm not too much into Phoenix, I have been a couple of times but there was something about it that didn't really capture me, saying that I would still visit again.

Answer 7

Having lived in the Denver area and Minneapolis area, they both have their good points. (FYI it is way longer than 15 minutes to the rockies from downtown) In the past decade Colorado has gotten so many more people living there that it was really crowded on the highways. The light rail system is really good and expanding. Now we are near Minneapolis, I love it here. Yes it does get cold it the winter, but with the global warming the past few winters were bareable! There are so many things to do here and our light rail system is expanding. Traffic gets bad (esp since the bridge collapse) but moves better than in Denver.
Both Denver and minneapoluis have great biking trails and so many out door things to do.
Phoenix sounds good in theory but I bet the heat would just be unbearable after a while.
Good luck and I hope you find the perfect place to live : )

Answer 8

I will be totally honest with you seeing as though I just moved from the Denver metro area. You get sometimes 4 seasons in one day, but that is nothing compared to the very nice people that you run into. The mountains offer some of the most stunning scenes that I have seen so far in life. Highlands Ranch isn't going to be the next ghetto. People say that, but it's not true. The best place with the best schools would be the Aurora area, with Cherry Creek School District to boast. I graduated from Smoky Hill High School, and I'm willing to tell you, that CCSD is a great system to get involved with. They push for success and you do get it. The Parker area is nice but I haven't heard anything good about their schools, but the great thing about CCSD is that they will allow you to go to their schools even if you're out of their "district" as long as your child can get to their school on time, all the time. Really anywhere in the Denver area is cool, but stay away from Five Points, Montbello, and anywhere around the Aurora Mall..just don't do it.

Answer 9

I currently live in Phoenix and would NOT recommend it. The hubby & I are actually moving to Denver in a couple of months due to a job promotion. Phoenix is full of the rudest people on this side of the Mississippi. Also, if you move to Phoenix, people expect you to speak Spanish 24/7. So, technically, you'd be moving to Mexico.

DO NOT DO IT!

I'd say go with Denver.

Answer 10

If you think New York is boring, you haven't seen Phoenix. Basically it's one gigantic suburb.

If you want the desert Tucson has much better desert.

Minneapolis weather will inhibit outdoor activity.

Denver is the outdoor recreation capital of the US.

But a whole lot of people want to live here for that reason. I wouldn't move to Denver without a job. Many people do that and have to move back.