thanx john_l for your pitch for my town, denver,co. denver is, indeed, a haven for audiophiles. not only do we have close by the audio firms mentioned but several others, too: avalon acoustics, boulder amplifiers, inc., ayre, green mountain audio, among others. we also have some top-notch retailers who, together, carry a huge array of products. within 60 miles, we have numerous universities and colleges, public and private. the front range corridor is also a nationally prominent high tech center, with loads of high-paying jobs for those with the right mix of skills/experience. the number of live music venues has exploded in the past few years, from large to intimate; 'course we have as a city park the favorite venue among many performers: red rocks. it's hard to imagine a spot more geared toward outdoor pursuits. you can kayak, ice climb, ski, snow shoe, hike, fish, etc., etc. what's more you can drive or ride the roads used in tire commercials, which also serve as test grounds for nearly all the us and international auto manufacturers. we don't have the history of the east, of course. colo is the "centennial state" because it was admitted into the union in 1876. what we do have by way of historical buildings, we've preserved. those buildings surround our 2 newest and about-to-be completed 3rd major league venue. this town is a 4- league sports mecca; every avalanche game ever played here has been a sellout and every broncos game, too, since the early 70's. unfortunately, as john_l, notes, denver is no longer affordable in terms of housing (mean home price surpassed $265k this year). there are some affordable areas left if you're willing to commute or be an urban pioneer. on the whole, there are few places i'd rather call home. (i'd really like to live in london, but that's another story)
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Two recent threads have inspired me. One was on persuading the wife for an audio shopping "romantic weekend" and the other on all of your hobbies outside of audio. Given that many of you seem interested in contemplative and creative things, fishing bicycling etc as well as quite a few car nuts, here is the ultimate question: Where can I chuck in the big city rat race and move that would offer: natural beauty, pre war architecture (at least some) and privacy where one could fish, cycle, enjoy nature etc and not worry about neighbors when playing MFSL Dark Side of the Moon at concert levels through subwoofers, drive 30-60 minutes maximum to check out some girls, visit a good audio dealer, book shop, music store and eat some decent Italian food, without spending a zillion bucks on real estate or living in an overpopulated or pre fab "McMansion" atmosphere. Extra Credit: roads ideally would be somewhat rural, bucolic, winding and not ruined by traffic or constant speed traps.(One for the car geeks, of which I am one.)Let's keep this gem to our forum, but WE can all move there and start an audio club and the best dealers will follow. Thanks for the tip and I will hope to see you in the village market and have you over for a drink and a demo!