Ski Lodges, BBQ, and Cali - Location of the AFC West

Halfway through the location analysis portion of the team ratings, we look at the other West Coast conference. A diverse division of cities, including beaches, ski resorts, the bay, and midwest BBQ.

AFC West

Denver Broncos
City: Denver, CO
Population: 1.9 million (metro)
Distance: 1,332 miles

Colorado is one of the few states that people go to seeking colder weather in the fall/winter. I'm envisioning a winter vacation that involves a couple of days of skiing in the mountains and then a Broncos game on Sunday and that'd be tough to beat. Granted, I'd quickly end up in debt so deep Dave Ramsey couldn't help, but hey, it'd be fun. I think I have the same conversation with friends about once a year "We should do a ski-trip this winter. How much would it cost? Oh...well, maybe next year". Still, Denver's an awesome city with a cool downtown and I imagine sitting in my Bill Cosby sweater in a ski lodge is the ideal way to experience a cold winter.

13/15

Kansas City Chiefs
City: Kansas City, MO
Population: 1.3 (metro)
Distance: 748 miles

First of all, do you know how confusing it is that Kansas City is in Missouri? Secondly, Kansas City is the "City of Fountains"? Hey, you've gotta be known for something, right? Kansas City falls just outside of what could justified as driving distance, so that hurts. Outside of that, the only thing I really know about KC is it's supposed to have great BBQ and steaks, and that's always a good thing. Other than that and fountains, there's nothing overly distinguishable about KC.

6/15

Oakland Raiders
City: Oakland, CA
Population: 420k (city-only (metro-area includes San Francisco))
Distance: 2,325 miles

Who knows whether the Raiders will be in Oakland or L.A. 5 years from now, but they're in Oakland now. No offense to Oakland inhabitants, but when most people head to California for a vacation, Oakland isn't their first stop. It's not going to make any "Safest Cities to Live" lists anytime soon and the only thing I can think of that people do in Oakland is visit San Francisco. While it's tough to argue against any California city in the winter, Oakland just isn't at the top of the cities to see list.

3/15

San Diego Chargers:
City: San Diego, CA
Population: 3.0 million (metro)
Distance: 1,996 miles
If you're talking San Diego in the wintertime, how can you argue against the weather? Sunny and 70 degrees in December? Head to the beach in November? Come on, you can't beat that. Yes, it's about 2,000 miles away, but it's a surprisingly inexpensive city to get to. And if you're going to fly 2,000 miles in the winter, don't you want to end up on a beach? Yes, there's a little Dodgers/Padres tension, but nowhere near that of the Giants (at least not on the Dodgers' end). Besides, SoCal is SoCal, right?

14/15