We all know them. The people who live in a city, state or neighborhood who need to tell you all about how great their place is - and why it is better than where you live.

The truth is, every one of us compares places to other places. Isn't it human nature? And most of us, deep down, think that our town is the best in the world. We call this exuberant loss of perspective "drinking the Kool-Aid."

There's nothing else we are so enthusiastically opinionated about, except maybe our kids.

Denver overflows with Kool-Aid drinkers. Some (like me) do it for a living, while others dabble in it with friends and neighbors as a hobby. Since most of us came from somewhere else, we chose metro Denver as our hometown - and we want the world to know why.

Part confession and part adviser, I'm reporting my findings on our town, after serving as a marketing advocate for cities, states and large developments in places like Denver, New England, San Francisco, Tucson and Omaha.

Growing is painful, but shrinking is worse. Denver expects a 2 percent economic growth rate for 2007. The economy will still be slow here, but we'll experience double the rate of the United States, of places like Kansas City, Omaha, New England and the Midwest.

That growth gives us options to improve things like roads, public spaces, cultural amenities, educational institutions and more. While we're deciding what to make better, shrinking cities are having to choose between funding the library or the snowplows.

A mirror and a strong light are our friends. Can anyone name another region in the United States that has spent $4.2 billion on an airport, hundreds of millions on cultural institutions, $1.6 billion on highways and committed $4.7 billion to light rail, all within the last 15 years?

And that doesn't include private sector development in Union Station, Belmar, Stapleton and others. Unlike other cities, Denver's not afraid look in the mirror, and then fix its flaws and enhance its best features. Overall, we like what we see.

Denver isn't a cheap date. Compared to cities like Dallas, Austin, Phoenix, Kansas City or others (with the exception of New York, Los Angeles or San Francisco), Denver costs 10 to 30 percent more to live in. Blame it on the sunshine, the mountains or the high number of college graduates. You pay a premium to live here.

Right now, there is tremendous alignment between development, business, government and Chamber of Commerce leadership. That creates the ideal environment for setting the region's long-term vision. It also will not last forever, so let's make the most of it.

We work, learn and play in an exceptional city. But other places are touting their uniqueness, too. My advice to fellow Kool-Aid drinkers: visit them all, drink them in and continue to tinker with the recipe that makes metro Denver even better.

Ben Wright is president of ccintellect, a Denver-based marketing agency that builds landmark brands for real estate, economic development and tourism clients.