Is Seattle a Better City to Live in than Denver?

Seattle and Denver: Two great, and surprisingly similar cities where people live, work, attend school, and play. Both cities are known for their epic outdoor scenery and active lifestyles while maintaining the benefits of urban living. And they seem to share many qualities—their populations are 634,264 (Denver) and 634,535 (Seattle), they both came out of economic depressions when gold was discovered, and both are in states that have legalized recreational marijuana sales (which has been a pretty hot topic lately). So, in comparison which city would be the best place to own investment property, like a rental property or second home? We looked at real estate, lifestyles, and schools.

Real Estate

Housing values are increasing faster in Seattle than in Denver. However, both cities are among the fastest-growing metropolitan areas in the nation. Both job markets are growing considerably.

Recreation

Seattle and Denver both offer fantastic recreational opportunities if you are active and love the outdoors. Does one have an advantage over the other? It depends on what you are looking for. When it comes to the overall city for outdoor lovers, Seattle outranks Denver. Seattle's waterfront location on the Puget Sound provides ample water-based recreation, such as kayaking, paddleboarding, fishing, and even scuba diving. And Seattle is known for being very bike friendly. The Burke-Gilman trail, ample bike lanes, and ability to ride year round landed it at #10 best bike city in a recent survey, beating out Denver at #14.

If you're looking to travel outside the city, nearby mountains in both Seattle and Denver offer great snow sports. Although Seattle is located near the North Cascade Mountains, and is close to Snoqualmie Summit, Denver offers more and better skiing. In a comparison of large cities with the most ski resorts within four hours, Denver squeezed out Seattle for the best skiing, snowboarding, and mountaineering, taking the #1 spot over Seattle's #2. Finally, if you're a mountain biker, epic trails are within a couple of hours of both cities.

Lifestyle

The populations of Denver and Seattle appreciate beer. Both cities produce an impressive assortment of craft beers and microbrews. Denver is also known for its location near bigger brewers, such as Coors Beer. Although there are only a few breweries in the city of Denver, there's an impressive number outside the city. Additionally, Denver hosts the Great American Beer Festival every year, and it's the largest beer festival in the nation. Seattle boasts several local breweries, including Maritime Pacific Brewing in Ballard, Pyramid, and Fremont Brewing.

Seattle Loves Dogs More Than Denver according to Estately, which ranked the top 17 dog cities. According to Estately, when looking at factors such as weather, doggie-activities, size of yards, dog-focused Meet-Up groups, and number of dog sitters, Seattle ranks #3, with Denver lagging behind at #16. Seattle boasts 14 dog parks, five more than Denver's 9. And further tipping the scales in favor of Seattle is that the city allows dogs on buses, ferries, and light rail, and there are 32 Meet Up groups for dog lovers.

Education

What about public education? Seattle beats Denver on test scores, according to Greatschools.org, which reports that Denver scores 5 out of 10 points, while Seattle scores 6 out of 10. However, Seattle beats Denver in graduation rates. Seattle public high school graduation rate was 73%, in 2012,Denver's was 58.8 percent.However, these rank close to one another so each receives a field goal.