Photos: Twelve things Denver and Seattle have in common other than legal pot

If you asked the average person to name something Denver and Seattle have in common, other than their football teams facing off in this year's Super Bowl, he'd likely answer, "Legal pot." But for whatever reason, neither VISIT DENVER nor Visit Seattle are currently using this fact to pitch their respective cities. Instead, the two tourism agencies got together to come up with a dozen other things Denver and Seattle have in common -- and the similarities are uncanny at times. Count down the top twelve below, featuring photo-illustrated text from VISIT DENVER and Visit Seattle. Number 12: Denver is home to first Chipotle and first Quiznos, both of which started here. Seattle is home to the first Starbucks, Nordstrom, Boeing and Amazon.com, which started here. Number 11: The cartoon South Park takes place near Denver and frequently features Denver landmarks. The comic strip Doonesbury takes place in Seattle and frequently features Seattle landmarks. Continue to keep counting down twelve things Denver and Seattle have in common other than legal pot. Number 10: Has an REI Flagship store and is known as an outdoor center for hiking, biking, fishing, kayaking, climbing and camping. Has an REI Flagship store and is known as an outdoor center for hiking, biking, fishing, kayaking, climbing and camping. Number 9: Has spawned many national musicians and groups including Judy Collins, the Lumineers, The Fray, One Republic, and the Flobots. Has spawned many national music groups, including Jimi Hendrix, Nirvana, Pearl Jam and Macklemore. Continue to keep counting down twelve things Denver and Seattle have in common other than legal pot. Number 8: Has a national reputation for beer, including Coors, Great Divide, Breckenridge, Wynkoop. Has a national reputation for beer, including Red Hook, Pike and Pyramid. Number 7: Has a skyline view of mountains, including three 14,000-foot peaks (Pikes, Evans and Longs). Has a skyline view of mountains, including one 14,000-foot peak (Rainier). Continue to keep counting down twelve things Denver and Seattle have in common other than legal pot. Number 6: From the late 19th to mid-20th Century, Denver was known as "The Queen City of the Plains." From the late 19th to mid-20th Century, Seattle was known as "The Queen City." Number 5: 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. Has a history of boom & bust economies and is currently booming with aerospace, computer software, biotech, e-commerce and international trade. Continue to keep counting down twelve things Denver and Seattle have in common other than legal pot. Number 4: Was rescued from a deep depression by the discovery of gold nearby in Cripple Creek in 1890. Was rescued from a deep depression by the discovery of gold nearby along the Klondike River in Canada in 1897. Number 3: When bypassed by the transcontinental railroad, Denver built its own connecting railroad in 1869. When bypassed by the transcontinental railroad, Seattle forced its own connecting railroad in 1883. Continue to keep counting down twelve things Denver and Seattle have in common other than legal pot. Number 2: 2012 population: 634,264, 23rd largest in U.S. largest in 2012 population: 634,535, 22nd in U.S. Number 1: Founded in 1858 as gold mining camp. Founded in 1851 as logging and fishing center.

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