I love it how whenever a question is posted about Phoenix, the only thing people write about in their answers is the hot weather. I ll give you more details... No question I would go to Denver. Both places are pretty comparable in terms of cost of living, but Denver stands out as more of a youthful city whereas Phoenix is older (retirees). Denver s population is more diverse and the nightlife is far better. Phoenix is completely characterless and has no cultural diversity at all (Phoenix s idea of diversity is its gazillions of Mexican restaurants and shops that sell Native American jewelry). Denver has lots of parks and bike paths and is a very outdoorsy place in general. Phoenix does not - from May to September it s just too hot and the sun is too intense for cycling. Also, another reason is the economy. Even though both places are hurting just like the rest of the country, Denver is in far better shape than Phoenix. For one thing, it has a high concentration of federal jobs (in fact it s 2nd only to Washington in number of federal positions) and during a recession Uncle Sam tends to have more job openings than the private sector. Phoenix has been hammered by the housing and construction slump as well as its own problems with illegal immigration. Also, if you like the seasons, Denver would be the better pick. Go to Denver.Phoenix is not as outdoorsy of a city as Denver. The people in Phoenix are outdoors about 7 or 8 months, tops. From May to October, no one is outside. They re either inside their homes, or they re driving 90 mph to get indoors to where there is air-conditioning. Phoenix is a city of people who are always in transit and in a hurry to get indoors and out of the brutal sun. Never is this more the case than during the summer. Denver does get cold during the winter but it s usually dry and fair weather so there s always plenty of winter sports (skiing etc.,) Denver is also a more international city. The DIA has plenty of international flights outside of North America whereas Sky Harbor does not. Phoenix is just a big American metropolis with nice weather and nice scenery, but no diversity and no character. Denver is safer. I would never move back to PHX which is #1 in the country in hit-and-run accidents, #1 in identity theft, #1 in accidental child drownings and #1 in kidnappings. It s also #1 in meth use and #1 in teenage punks who will follow you through the parking lot of a strip mall panhandling for money.
Denver has more of its own culture and Identity, where Phoenix is a huge hodgepodge of people who come here from other places. Having said that, I spent 22 winters in the Denver area and do not want to live there in the winter again. Can t stand the summers here in Phoenix - really there is no prettier place to be than Denver in the summer for relatively mild weather and tons of outdoor activities. Winter here in Phoenix is really lovely - moderate temperatures and never any ice on the roads. If I had to pick one over the other, it would be Denver. But if I could live in my perfect little world, I d be a snowbird (one who actually knows how to drive, that is) and enjoy the best of both.
I d say Phoenix. It s cold and desolate in Denver, and Denver isn t that nice looking of a city. Plus, in Arizona it s always sunny, and the winters are milder.
Phoenix all the way ! it s a very large city, it has a lot of beautiful areas and homes, also a lot more to do than Denver, and it s always sunny.
Well I live in Scottsdale, and I love it, most of the year the weathers GREAT! The only bad thing is the hot weather in the summer, but that makes it good for swimming and stuff.
Phoenix, Arizona, the best weather in the world. Denver Colorado is health conscious place for hiking, etc. I would pick Phoenix Arizona.