1. The City

Moving from a big city like Chicago, Denver felt a little small to me at first. What I realized is that it’s actually a big city, but very spread out amongst smaller, different neighborhoods. There is Cherry Creek, which is home to one of the best malls I've ever been to. Then there is 16th Street Mall, which reminds me of Third Street Promenade in Los Angeles. 16th Street Mall is home to fun shopping and different restaurants, plus there are busses accessible if you don't feel like walking. On top of all of that, we’ve got big sporting arenas home to the Avalanche, the Nuggets, the Broncos and the Rockies. The best part? You can get anywhere on the RTD light rail system. It can take you through the entire city, and for University of Denver students it’s included in tuition, so it’s free. Even better.

2. The Mountains

There are very few things I love more than a fresh powder day on the mountain. What’s even better it that it’s totally achievable because you’re about an hour and a half away from the best skiing in the country (without that morning traffic). Fresh powder the night before? Wake up at 6 AM, and be on the slopes by 9 AM at the latest. You can ski all day, have an après ski and get home at the perfect time to take a nap before going out for the night.

3. The Food

Denver has some seriously cool and different restaurants. Instead of making food just an activity, local Denver restaurant owners make it an entire experience. One man turned an old run down sex club into a music venue that offers adventurous food. If you’re interested in that experience, check out Ophelia’s Electric Soapbox. If that’s not your style, there are also tons of other great places to choose from. Ramen places, dessert bars, sushi hot spots, burger joints, etc. You can get it all here and it is never a dull moment.

4. The Men

They don’t call it Menver for nothing. Sure, you can find exciting guys no matter where you go, but Denver is notorious for that outdoor, rugged, adventurous, but hard working and handsome type of guy. The type that your parents will love and the type that you won’t find anywhere else. For men, Colorado girls are the best. They’re the kind of girls that can pull off the Smartwool and Birkenstock look but also rock the booties and black dress thing. We’re pretty great and can probably ski better than you, too.

5. Red Rocks

It’s an amphitheater built into the middle of a rock. It has housed: James Taylor, U2, Zac Brown Band, Grateful Dead, Weezer, Coldplay, The Eagles, Dave Mathews Band, Stevie Nicks, you get it. If you get a chance to head out to Denver, this is somewhere you must go. During the winter, there is a “one night only” concert of complete dub-step music that will make you lose your mind. It’s one of a kind. They also offer a Red Rocks fitness challenge during the summer that gets you in shape while at a cool location too. It’s the best of both worlds!

6. The Outdoors

People love being outside. I’m used to living in a place where it’s either too cold or too humid to be outside. Colorado is as dry as it gets, which makes the summers beautiful. It’s also sunny which makes the winters totally bearable. Whether you’re hiking or skiing, you will be happy because the air is clean here and the climate is perfection.

7. Health

Everyone here is either on their way to yoga, or coming back from it. If you live here, I can guarantee your health will improve. Whether it be the altitude and the fact that it forces you to get in better shape, or the fact that everyone wears their workout clothes around incase they have to suddenly drop into a Pilates pose. Denver is also home to very nutritious juice bars, gluten free hot spots, and vegan places. Getting in shape is extremely easy here. The altitude will take a bit to adjust to, but other than that you’ll be a health nut in no time.

8. Weed is legal here, so if that’s your thing, you’re in luck.

Sure, you have to be 21 to purchase it, but if you’re of age and feeling like you want to hit up one of those Red Rocks concerts or just lay out at Washington Park, you can totally do that… and you won’t get in trouble. If it’s not your thing, then you certainly don’t have to participate, but it is accessible here. When people ask what the legalized weed is like here, I like to tell them to compare it to how the Europeans feel about their wine. It is a part of the culture and lifestyle to study wine and match different types to different meals or events. It’s the same thing with weed. People study it and master it like an art. It’s fascinating.

9. Being “green” is totally a thing here.

Everyone cares about the environment, but here in Denver, we go beyond that. If you aren’t carrying around a Nalgene, you’ll probably get some weird looks. We also have Denver B-cycle, which allows you to rent bikes at one location and drop them at another. Additionally, businesses in Denver are very conscious about how they can be greener and there are a lot of start-up companies that are focused on making the planet as healthy as the people of Colorado.

10. The Sun

The sun is so important. It’s sunny 300 days of the year and it makes you a happier person… a better person. If you like the grey and rain, Portland or Seattle are probably more your speed. But, if you want to know why us Coloradans are in such good moods all the time, it is because we don’t have to deal with seasonal depression. We have the sun and that makes all the difference.

When you add all of these things up on the list, it makes it hard to not want to move here. My parents always said that when you go west, you don’t come back. I finally understand it now.