From Colorado to Arizona
Colorado’s rocky mountain landscape, the snowy peaks of the Rocky Mountains and the desert of De Beque Canyon show the best natural scenery in the United States.
Denver is the largest city and the state capital. It has a population of approximately 730.000 and is known for its recent economic boom. Followed by the tourist attraction Colorado Springs, while Aurora ranked third. Their populations are 464.000 and 370.000 respectively.
Economics and Education
Denver and Colorado rely on old-fashioned blue-collar industries such as construction, mining, agriculture, trade, and tourism. However, the combination of these proven industries, coupled with the strength of the Colorado people, is the foundation of Denver’s recent economic boom. Its gross domestic product (GDP) has grown steadily. The largest employers are Denver Health, Kaiser Permanente and Wells Fargo Bank.
In addition to top middle schools and high schools, the city is also home to the University of Denver. It is a well-known private research university. DU is located near the university and is widely known as R2: Doctoral University-High Research Activities.
Culture and Entertainment
Denver has numerous museums, theaters and operas. Apollo Hall, Denver Art Museum, Denver Natural Science Museum, and Denver Art District in Santa Fe are just a few of them.
Sporty Denver is one of the ten largest cities in the United States and has teams participating in all five major sports. Mile High Stadium is one of the main sports venues in the entire country.
Denver has more than 200 parks, but the largest park is the city park covering 314 acres. It contains the Denver Zoo and the Denver Museum of Nature and Science. In addition Beer is almost a religion in Colorado.
The state is home to some major breweries, such as the New Belgium Beer Company and Great Divide Beer Company, as well as some small boutique breweries. In addition, since Colorado passed the 64th amendment in 2013, marijuana has been sold legally.
Why moving to Arizona?
A sunny state with unique nature, Arizona used to be often overlooked and is mostly considered a place to spent your leisure time while hiking, playing golf, and visiting the Grand Canyon. But Arizona and its capital – Phoenix, have a lot more to offer!
Economy and Education
Arizona’s economy is on the rise. The GDP for 2020 amounted to 320.66 billion U.S. dollars which is quite impressive. Most of the employed are in health care, transportation, and the government. This does not mean that the economy is not diverse. In recent years, Phoenix earned the reputation of “An Entrepreneur’s Dream City.” Phoenix is vibrant with startups and is home to the Center for Entrepreneurial Innovation – a business incubator that contributes to the economic vitality of the city through small business job creation. Co-working spaces are scattered all around the Phoenix valley, and the spirit of growth is alive and well here.
The largest employers are Banner Health, Walmart, and Kroger.
Phoenix Union High School District contains 16 schools with more than 3.000 students. There are also several more unified districts serving grades K-12, and a growing number of charter schools.
Higher education is represented by the Arizona State University – one of the largest public universities in the whole country. ASU is a member of the Universities Research Association and classified among “R1: Doctoral Universities – Very High Research Activity.” ASU has nearly 150,000 students!
Culture
Phoenix is an artsy city with multiple performing venues and culture institutions like Phoenix Symphony Orchestra, the Arizona Opera and Ballet Arizona.
The museum scene is a rich one, including and Phoenix Art Museum, Arizona Capitol Museum, Scottsdale Museum of Contemporary Art, Arizona Military Museum, and a lot of fine-art galleries that were recently opened.
Parks and recreation
Thanks to the amazing Arizona weather, parks in Phoenix are plentiful and amazing! It is home to South Mountain Park, the largest municipal park in North America.
But urban parks need to step aside when it comes to natural parks. Arizona fields some of the finest natural landmarks not only in the United States but in the whole world. The Grand Canyon, Sedona, Monument Valley, Hoover Dam, and Canyon De Chelly National Monument are just a portion of natural wonders that you can see in this sunny state!
Denver and Phoenix – head to head
When taking into account housing, median housing costs, and food, then Phoenix is cheaper. Way cheaper. Utilities in the capital of Arizona are a little bit more expensive, and so is transportation. The cost of healthcare is pretty much on par, being just a tiny bit more expensive in Denver.