Denver is for sure. I grew up in California and that has got to be the best place to live in the U.S. With that said, I went to college in Colorado, so I have lived there for the past 5 years, and it is a great place to live. Boulder is my favorite because it sits right at the base of the flatirons, and you have great views of the rockies from just 3,000ft AGL in an airplane. Tons of stuff to do, and the girls are almost as plentiful and nice as in California. Like John Denver once said, "It's not just the high altitude that takes your breath away." Boulder is about a 45 minute commute to Denver.

Broomfield, Westminister, Denver, Littleton, and Centennial are all nice places to live, and shorter commutes. (Remember DIA is east of Denver by a solid 15 miles). Finally, the winters are MUCH nicer than in Chicago. I was in Chicago once in February, and I was hating life. It was FREEZING!!! Denver really does not get that cold. The high temp even in Dec/Jan is 45 degrees. Snows about two, sometimes three times a month for only four months. Will snow one day, then you will wear shorts the next day! If you want some more info on DEN, let me know. But that is my recommendation.