ENGLEWOOD, Colo. --Though separated by more than 1,300 miles of road or about a two and a half hour flight – the cities of Denver and Seattle are more similar than you might think. Visit Denver and Visit Seattle compiled this list to show how much the two cities have in common.

DENVER:

• Founded in 1858 as gold mining camp
• 2012 population:   634,264, 23rd largest in U.S.                                                                                                             
• When Bypassed by the transcontinental railroad, Denver built its own connecting railroad   in 1869                                                                            
• Was rescued from a deep depression by the discovery of gold nearby in Cripple Creek in 1890
• Has a history of boom & bust economies and is currently booming with eight new downtown skyscrapers, 1,500 hotel rooms and a rail line from downtown to Denver International Airport all under construction.

SEATTLE:

• Founded in 1851 as logging and fishing center
• 2012 population:  634,535, 22nd largest in U.S.
• When bypassed by the transcontinental railroad, Seattle forced its own connecting railroad in 1883
• Was rescued from a deep depression by the discovery of gold nearby along the Klondike River in Canada in 1897
• Has a history of boom & bust economies and is currently booming with aerospace, computer software, biotech, e-commerce, and international trade

DENVER:

• From the late 19th to mid 20th Century,Denver was known as "The Queen City of the Plains"
• Has a skyline view of mountains, including three 14,000-foot peaks (Pikes, Evans and Longs)
• Has a national reputation for beer, including Coors, Great Divide, Breckenridge, Wynkoop
• Has spawned many national musicians and groups including Judy Collins, the Lumineers, The Fray, One Republic, and the Flobots      
• Has an REI Flagship store and is known as an outdoor center for hiking, biking, fishing kayaking, climbing and campingThe cartoon South Park takes place near Denver and frequently features Denver landmarks                                                           
• Denver is home to first Chipotle and the first Quiznos, both of which started here   

SEATTLE:

• From the late 19th to mid 20th Century Seattle was known as "The Queen City"
• Has a skyline view of mountains, including one 14,000-foot peak (Rainier) 
• Has a national reputation for beer, including Red Hook, Pike and Pyramid
• Has spawned many national music groups including Jimi Hendrix, Nirvana, Pearl Jam and Macklemore
• Has an REI Flagship store and is known as an outdoor center for hiking, biking, fishing kayaking, climbing and camping                                
• The comic strip Doonesbury takes place in Seattle and frequently features Seattle landmarks
• Seattle is home to the first Starbucks, Nordstrom, Boeing and Amazon.com, which started here

*Denver's Favorite city movie titles:                                       *Things To Do In Denver When You're Dead     

Seattle's Favorite city movie titles:        
Sleepless in Seattle

*Actors from Denver:                                                *Amy Adams, Don Cheadle, Keri Russell, AnnaSophia Robb, Matt Stone, Trey Parker             

Actors from Seattle:Anna Farris, Raine Wilson, Tom Skerritt ,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

About Visit DenverCelebrating more than 100 years of promoting the Mile High City, VISIT DENVER is a nonprofit trade association that contracts with the City of Denver to market Denver as a convention and leisure destination, increasing economic development in the city, creating jobs and generating taxes. Tourism is the second largest industry in Denver, generating $3.6 billion in annual spending in 2012, while supporting 50,000 jobs. Learn more about Denver on the VISITDENVER website and at TOURISMPAYSDENVER, on Twitter @iknowdenver and the VISIT DENVER Facebook page, or by phone at 800 2 DENVER.

About Visit SeattleVisit Seattle, a private, nonprofit marketing organization, has served as Seattle/King County's official destination marketing organization (DMO) for more than 50 years. The goal of these marketing efforts is to enhance the employment opportunities and economic prosperity of the region. Learn more about Seattle at www.visitseattle.org, on twitter @VisitSeattle, the Visit Seattle Facebook page and Seattle's destination blog, No Umbrella. Travelers may request assistance by phone at (866) 732-2695 or (206) 461-5840.