Denver Versus Seattle: Comparing Super Bowl Cities' Stats

Their geographic locations could not be more different.  Denver is located 5,280 feet above sea level on high rolling plains at the base of the Colorado Rocky Mountains.  Seattle is located in one of the most spectacular natural harbors of the world. But despite these physical differences, Denver and Seattle actually share much in common.

Denver                                                                        Seattle

•Founded in 1858 as gold mining camp            • Founded in 1851 as logging and fishing

                                                                                    center

•2012 population:   634,264, 23^rd largest in                 •2012 population:  634,535, 22^nd largest in

U.S.                                                                                    U.S.

•When bypassed by the transcontinental railroad,            •When bypassed by the transcontinental

Denver built its own connecting railroad                        railroad, Seattle forced its own connecting

in 1869                                                                        railroad in 1883

•Was rescued from a deep depression by                        •Was rescued from a deep depression by

the discovery of gold nearby in Cripple                        the discovery of gold nearby along the

Creek in 1890                                                                        Klondike River in Canada in 1897

•Has a history of boom & bust economies                         •Has a history of boom & bust economies

and is currently booming with eight new                         and is currently booming with aerospace,

downtown skyscrapers, 1,500 hotel rooms                         computer software, biotech, e-commerce,

and a rail line from downtown to Denver                        and international trade

International Airport all under construction

                                                  

 

•From the late 19^th to mid 20^th Century,                         •From the late 19^th to mid 20^th Century

Denver was known as “The Queen City                        Seattle was known as “The Queen City”

of the Plains”

•Has a skyline view of mountains, including                        •Has a skyline view of mountains, including

three 14,000-foot peaks (Pikes, Evans and                        one 14,000-foot peak (Rainier)

Longs)

•Has a national reputation for beer, including                        •Has a national reputation for beer, including

Coors, Great Divide, Breckenridge, Wynkoop            Red Hook, Pike and Pyramid

Has spawned many national musicians and                         Has spawned many national music groups

groups including Judy Collins, the Lumineers,              including Jimi Hendrix, Nirvana, Pearl Jam

The Fray, One Republic, and the Flobots            and Macklemore

•Has an REI Flagship store and is known as                        •Has an REI Flagship store and is known as

an outdoor center for hiking, biking, fishing                        an outdoor center for hiking, biking, fishing,

kayaking, climbing and camping                                    kayaking, climbing and camping

•The cartoon South Park takes place near                        •The comic strip Doonesbury takes place

Denver and frequently features Denver                        in Seattle and frequently features Seattle

landmarks                                                                        landmarks

•Denver is home to first Chipotle and the             •Seattle is home to the first Starbucks,

first Quiznos, both of which started here            Nordstrom, Boeing and Amazon.com, which started here

                                                                                   

•Favorite city movie titles:                                                •Favorite city movie titles:

Things To Do In Denver When You’re Dead                        Sleepless in Seattle

•Actors from Denver:                                                            •Actors from Seattle

Amy Adams, Don Cheadle, Keri Russell,                        Anna Farris, Raine Wilson, Tom Skerritt,

AnnaSophia Robb, Matt Stone, Trey Parker                        Bruce Lee 

                                   

•Seattle and Denver Both Placed in the Top 10 cities

in the Travel + Leisure 2013 Survey of Cities for:

Athletic/active

Intelligent

Tech-savvy

Pet-friendly

Wine bars

Micro-brew beer

Environmentally friendly

Public Parks

Seattle to Host First Ever West Coast LGBT Tourism Summit

Following the success of the Greater Seattle Business Association’s Travel Gay Seattle initiative, Seattle will host LGBT Chambers of Commerce, convention and visitor bureaus, travel planners and chamber businesses at the first West Coast LGBT Tourism Summit, January 6-8.

Glenn Johnson, President of Horizon Airlines, will deliver the keynote speech and experts from leading market research, public relations and social media firms such as Nyhus Communications, Community Marketing, Inc. and Pink Banana Media will host sessions on developing a successful inbound tourism initiative.

The 2011 West Coast LGBT Tourism Summit will focus on providing tools for attendees to attract LGBT tourism to their city. By following GSBA’s lead of forming partnerships with private and public organizations, local travel organizations can bolster the LGBT tourism industry in their area. Sessions at the summit include a city by city status report delivered by each participating chamber or region, information on how to develop a local LGBT visitors guide, utilize technology, and how to market and brand a city or region. Event sponsor include Alaska Airlines, Boeing, USBank and the Seattle Renaissance Hotel.

GSBA’s travel portal, Travel Gay Seattle, allows travelers to book their plane or train tickets and hotel stay, as well as find restaurants, shopping, and unique neighborhoods. By developing similar initiatives on the west coast, tourism professionals hope to create a regional community for LGBT travelers.

“LGBT Tourism is an essential component of the West Coast economy. Some of the top gay and lesbian popular destinations in the world are located in western North America drawing hundreds of thousands of LGBT travelers from around the world every year,” said David Paisley Community Marketing Inc. “In addition LGBT events such as Pride are often the biggest public events in their communities, and attract participants far and wide.”

To launch Travel Gay Seattle, GSBA partnered with Seattle-based Alaska Airlines, a company with a reputation for flexibility and outstanding service, as well as an established reputation for LGBT-friendly travel. Additional support came from the City of Seattle’s Office of Economic Development and Sound Transit, a regional network of commuter rail, light rail, express buses, and local transit resources. Corporate sponsors include Sheraton Seattle Hotel, Amtrak and American Airlines.

“LGBTQ Tourism is estimated to be an $84 billion industry and Seattle is poised to attract a significant portion of that revenue, said Jerome Bader, GSBA Director of Marketing & External Relations. “Seattle has the 2nd largest percentage of openly LGBTQ citizens in the United States, scenic beauty that cannot be matched, restaurants, a wine industry that is unparalleled and metropolitan communities that are open and welcoming to all. Currently Seattle is ranked number 9 in the top 20 LGBTQ tourism destinations, I want to be in the top 5!”