Is Madison like Denver?

I recently took a trip to Denver with a good friend of mine. In fact, he was moving out there from Milwaukee to take a different job. As many people who know me would agree, that I'm quick to jump on an opportunity for a vacation to Colorado. I love the mountains and the many outdoor activities in Colorado. Aside from my own love of the mountains, I was struck by some of the similarities of Downtown Madison and Downtown Denver. Now I understand, as of 2008 estimates, Denver has an estimated 598,707 people and Madison only has about 231,916. But if you look closely there are some similarities.

For example, my friend moved to an area that has a number of newer high rise condos and apartments, called Riverfront Park area with buildings like the Manhatten, and The Glass House. This reminds me of an area along West Washington ave in Madison with Capitol West, Metropolitan Place, or the Loraine. This downtown culture is targeted toward people who like to live in an urban environment where you can walk to a variety of activities. In fact, one comment I heard from Joe Alexander (President of Alexander Company and Developer of Capitol West), "we have a number of buyers that come from larger cities like Chicago." Though Madison is certainly not a New York or Chicago, there are some aspects of Madison that resemble a larger city.

Some other areas that struck me as similarities in Denver and Madison is the close proximity to numerous cultural activities, a large convention center, a pedestrian mall, access to public transit, and a good network of bike paths. There's the Overture Center or Kohl Center, similar to the Colorado Convention Center or Pepsi Center. State Street is full of unique shops, while the 16th street mall entices shoppers. Denver has a vast network of public transit with buses and trains, while Madison has Metro.

Then there's the obvious differences of climate and landscape. Madison will never have the mountains and the average of 300 sunny days a year, just like Denver will never have a city built around Lakes and the Midwest climate. But similarly, in Denver you can take a trip out to the wilderness in the mountains, and in Madison you can take a ride up to Devil's Lake for some natural beauty.

Lifestyle choices are very personal. People move all over the world in search of the, "best place to live". I recall talking to some people just the other day about, "wanting to retire in the best climate in America." I think they were not referring to the harsh Wisconsin winters, but instead looking to Florida or Arizona. Maybe the "best" place to live is in Denver, Madison, New York, Orlando or Phoenix. That's for you to decide. If you're familiar with Downtown Denver and like it, then you might like Downtown Madison as well. I think they have quite a bit in common.