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Hi -- I am looking at relocating from So Cal (I know I know) and considering a few potential places. Colorado Springs and Boise are both interesting because I am looking for mountains/natural beauty, a decent sized city, affordable housing and four seasons weather. It looks like COS is a lot colder with more snow, and Boise has hotter summers. I was looking forward to getting away from the long hot summers in Temecula and think I would enjoy some snow and cool weather, but many people tell me I won't be able to handle the snow and cold in Colorado. For residents, is the weather a negative for you in COS -- or Boise? I understand dryness and wind is also uncomfortable for many people, but Temecula is pretty dry.
Anyone who has moved to COS from So Cal or a similar climate have an opinion on adapting to the weather change? I have lived in L.A./San Diego area my whole life. Any opinions on COS vs. Boise in terms of overall quality of life? I am a divorced woman in her 50's and would be working from home. I like hiking, rivers, waterfalls, etc. The beach is overrated IMO (and So Cal home prices are ridiculous)!
Other areas I'm considering are Bend Oregon (but taxes are a big negative there) and Asheville NC. Asheville seems to have ideal weather and other amenities but seems a little small and isolated if you need access to a bigger city. Bend is also small. I know, you can't have everything, but just want to try to make the best possible choice.
As far as weather, it's not that cold and it doesn't really snow that much. When it does snow, it's just enough to enjoy, and then it melts away! No Chicago-like or NE snow storms here. Honestly, I've found that most days in the winter all you need is a long-sleeved shirt and maybe a light jacket. But bring a heavy jacket for once the sun goes down! Layering is the key here.
As for the summer and dryness... I moved here from Vegas and before that lived in the West Texas desert and Tucson before that. So I was also used to the dryness and it doesn't bother me. It will sometimes seem really hot here, but due to the altitude it's mostly just the intensity of the sun that gets to you. It is intense!
Overall I love living here, and the weather is a big part of that. You say you like hiking, rivers, and waterfalls - we have all of that and more nearby!
Cos and Boise metro areas are similar in overall population, but it begins to diverge significantly after that.
The Treasure Valley, where Boise is located, is at the confluence of six significant rivers into the Snake River system. Cos could only dream of this much water. Many of the outlying towns near Boise are still somewhat agricultural in nature. There are many and some significant sized farms and ranches in the area as a result of all the rivers. This also means that when they hit 100* in the summer, it comes with some pretty major humidity and can feel very hot. They can get a run of weeks of highs from 95-105 in the summer. Cos rarely hits highs as high and consistently as Boise. That can also translate into more snow and extended cold in Boise.
Boise is home to Boise State University, so it has a large and significant student base. There are major portions of the downtown area that have a definite college town feel to them. By comparison Cos has Colorado College, a small liberal arts college and UCCS, and extension college of The University of Colorado. We have virtually no college feel about the town, although there are a couple places downtown near CC that have some collegiate feel to them. Both have pretty decent running and biking trails throughout the cities although Cos has some pretty distinct place sin Garden of the Gods and Red Rocks park (not the same Red Rocks as Denver, BTW).
I-84 through Boise is large, wide, and continously being updated as growth expands out towards Meridian and Nampa. Cos added a third lane in each direction of I-25 around 15 year ago and it is again maxed out with no plans for expansion in the immediate future. The state did earmark $3m for a study to determine if lanes between Denver and Cos need improvements while any day of the week can turn an hour long drive to Denver into a 2 hour ordeal.
Boise is close to mountains and recreation. They have skiing and hunting and fishing as well just like Colorado. They also have a fairly large number of ultra conservative doomsday preppers and anti-government organizations up in those hills. Rumors are they have Bigfoots, Bigfeets, whatever you want to call those monsters wandering their mountains as well. Fishing Treasure Valley rivers can yield many species not found in Colorado, some quite large. Overall population density within the sate means hunting ther eis typically more successful than what is found in Colorado.
Boise is somewhat remote. It will be the biggest activity hub within many hours drive. Its 5+ to Salt Lake City and 7+ to Portland. Cos is only an hour from Denver, but is somewhat remote otherwise; 8 hrs to Albequerque, 9 hrs to Kansas City and points east.
Cos does get more varied weather overall. Hail, tornados, and blizzards can be encountered here regularly. Boise does not have as much excitement weather wise. Both have 4 distinct seasons. Boise is 2730' above sea level. Cos is 6000'. that contributes significantly to our considerably varied weather patterns here vs Idaho. Idaho's highest point is a bit over 12k, Colorado is half way through the 14k in highest point. That means we have very dry air here and the intensity of the sun, like Mike Ryan points out, is very high here. Sunburns are common.
I'm sure there is more I've forgotten, but lets start with these.
Cos does get more varied weather overall. Hail, tornados, and blizzards can be encountered here regularly. Boise does not have as much excitement weather wise. Both have 4 distinct seasons. Boise is 2730' above sea level. Cos is 6000'. that contributes significantly to our considerably varied weather patterns here vs Idaho. Idaho's highest point is a bit over 12k, Colorado is half way through the 14k in highest point. That means we have very dry air here and the intensity of the sun, like Mike Ryan points out, is very high here. Sunburns are common.
Thank you both for the info.. I expected blizzards and storms in COS, but surprised by the tornados! Sunburn is a problem for me....Is the sun intense for just a couple of summer months or for a longer period?
TCHP did an excellent summary! I agree, the altitude and the sun intensity will likely be two things that are important to factor in.
IMO the worst part about winter in the Springs is how long it is rather than how intense. It's about 7 months of no foliage. That being said, 3 ft snow storms and -15F temps are not out of the picture. But for me, those 3 ft storms are exciting and fun, and working from home, you don't have to travel about as much in the snow.
Rivers are pretty much non-existent in the Springs area, only a few creeks.
A few other places to check out, seeing as you mentioned Asheville, would be Fayetteville AK region or Chattanooga TN. Both are well known for outdoor activity being in the mountains, have more water and greenery, and less snow/winter. They are similar sized as Boise or CO Springs and have somewhat similar price ranges.
Tornadoes are possible, but I haven't seen one yet. It's kind of like the earthquake risk, just less probability that it will actually effect you personally as they are more localized.
The suns intense year round. In the winter, the snow reflects it back at you, making it harsh then too. For me, I have 1 hr before starting to get burnt.
I've been in the Pikes Peak region for 32 years and have never encountered a tornado ... not saying they don't happen, but to me they are rare. I saw a dust devil once ... that's it.
Blizzards are fun, especially if you work from home (I do). The months without greenery may seem long, but the fact of the matter is that most winters here are mild and don't require bundling up to go outside - in fact many outdoor activities easily continue throughout the winter months - hiking, biking, walking, etc.
As someone mentions, layering is the way to go.
True, water is a precious commodity, but IMHO other things make up for the lack of water. Probably you should plan a visit to help you make your decision.
Agreed that tornadoes, like earthquakes, are a rare occurance here, but they do occur and if we're offering full disclosure, they do happen on occasion. A couple years ago several structures were destroyed by tornadoes in Denver. A few years prior to that losses occurred in the Falcon are east of Cos. 10 years ago tornadoes in the Eleven Mile area throw several motor homes over. 35 years ago a tornado bounced its way up Colorado Avenue destroying several businesses in the process before finally dispersing over Manitou. They are rare, but they do occur. They are not city destroying entities like those experienced in Kansas or Oklahoma, but where they do touch down, havoc follows.
We also have hail. A recent storm is being billed as the second most costly in Colorado due to baseball sized hailstones. As such, auto and homeowners insurance rates in Colorado are creeping up and may be heading towards some of the highest in the nation. Also worth mention, driving habits in Cos tend to be all over the map. The variety of people from all over the country and their driving skills combined with visitors, tourist, natural and man made distractions, and weather can combine to make driving very frustrating. By contrast, I've found Boise driving to be mostly mundane if not a bit slow at times.
Other Boise/Cos observations; we probably have very similar political and social leanings. Both tend to be fairly Republican in thought and action, although Cos does have a fiscal tightwadedness that shocks me sometimes. Colorado overall is a more purple state and is becoming increasingly a swing state in elections. Idaho is solidly red and has been for sometime.
Job situation in both are also similar with 2.5-3.5% annual job growth. Unemployment is also similar in the mid 4s. Government employment in Cos is significantly higher than Boise due to all the military bases. We also have a larger technology base, although Boise may be adding jobs in this segment faster than Cos.
Sun, yes we have it and yes, its intense, year round. We are over a mile closer to the sun than a beach in California, so we have a mile less atmosphere to filter it. UV protection should be on your mind year round.
Winters here are quite varied. To someone from San Diego, they may be cold. To a mid-westerner, they are nothing. We get sporadic snow from October to May. Sometimes we'll get cold fronts that have freezing temps for a week. Other times you can wash your car, by hand, wearing shorts, in February. Right now we have snow on the top of Pikes Peak, but that's another 8000' up in elevation so we won't see any in Cos for another 2-3 months.
There is a lot to like here as well. more good than bad. The bad stuff we just figure out how to change or figure out how to tolerate it.
My wife and I moved to COS last week after considering such places as Asheville and Bend as well. I'll give you some insight into why we picked COS and why we didn't pick other places (we were very close to picking Asheville).
First, from my experiences in Colorado and from talking with locals, the weather is a huge selling point in favor of COS. It's very sunny, which is a big part of making a climate enjoyable. Sunny winters are much more enjoyable than month after month of gray, which much of the midwest and northeast have. Even in winter, most weeks have at least one day in the 50s. If it's in the 50s and sunny in COS, with the dry air, that's a nice day! As others mentioned, that doesn't mean that winters are short or that there can't be some serious cold and serious snow. But winters are not massively long blocks of unending cold and gray skies.
Second, COS is right by the mountains. A lot of "mountain towns" can see mountains, but COS has access that is difficult to match. From my house, I can easily (less than 3 or 4 miles) ride my bike to either downtown, garden of the gods or red rock canyon open space. That is crazy! I can't think of any other place that is a real city (meaning not a tiny town) that offers that kind of versatility.
Third, COS is much more varied socio-politically than its reputation would indicate. We're liberal vegetarian atheists, but oddly, we don't feel particularly out of place. Maybe it's because we live on the west side, but I feel like there is a broad range of people present in COS. Some really are super conservative religious folks, but a lot aren't. It's a mix, which is nice....and normal.
We have so far spent a grand total of one week living in COS, but it's already surpassed our expectations. We're glad we chose it!
I'll give some insight into a few other places we considered:
Asheville: We were very close to moving to Asheville, but we would have been taking a pretty big pay cut. Asheville seems to offer lower pay across the board, and its cost of living isn't actually that low. However, we had a few other concerns as well. First, we never really felt like the mountains around Asheville were "real" mountains. Yes, they're very pretty, but not exactly what we wanted. Second, Asheville is pretty spread out, and a lot of the nature credentials Asheville has are pretty far from Asheville, such as in Brevard. That's a great place, but it's pretty far. The infrastructure needs some help, so there's some surprisingly bad traffic running south out of Asheville. There also aren't many neighborhoods in the city that I would call "nice." West Asheville is hip now, but it still mostly felt run-down to me. I do think Asheville has a pretty good four-season climate, but we were a bit concerned about the frequency of rain and how cold it might be. All in all, though, I think Asheville has a good climate. It's a very pretty place, and it has probably my single favorite downtown ever. The entire town has this cool vibe to it. We honestly could have probably loved Asheville, but the distance from family mixed with poor access was the final deal breaker for us.
Bend: We never got too far down that road because it is expensive and hard to get to. Also, the mountains are further away. It does seem pretty cool, though.
Flagstaff: Beautiful, good weather and close access to places like Sedona. Crazy expensive, however, and the public school system is terrible.
Boulder: Beautiful, I love the vibe (mostly) and close access to Denver....but the cost is prohibitive for the vast majority of people now.
Chattanooga: Why live in Chattanooga is you can live in Asheville? Seriously, Asheville does everything Chattanooga does and doe it better.
Santa Fe: Santa Fe seems really cool, and I think it also has a great climate with excellent outdoor access. It's expensive, however, and access isn't stellar. Some love the whole look and feel of the town, and I'm still not sure if I'm on board with it. It's a neat place, though.
Cos does get more varied weather overall. Hail, tornados, and blizzards can be encountered here regularly. Boise does not have as much excitement weather wise. Both have 4 distinct seasons. Boise is 2730' above sea level. Cos is 6000'. that contributes significantly to our considerably varied weather patterns here vs Idaho. Idaho's highest point is a bit over 12k, Colorado is half way through the 14k in highest point. That means we have very dry air here and the intensity of the sun, like Mike Ryan points out, is very high here. Sunburns are common.
Thank you both for the info.. I expected blizzards and storms in COS, but surprised by the tornados! Sunburn is a problem for me....Is the sun intense for just a couple of summer months or for a longer period?
You can get a sunburn at anytime of year. I wear sunscreen year round, and even when I go hiking in cold February I bring sun protection for the family. It's not that the sun is visibly intense, it's that UV rays can still cause damage to your skin whether you see much of the sun or not. Mainly I want to avoid skin cancer.
Expect to wear sunscreen or hats year round if you are truly sensitive to the sun. In 6th grade I had field day, and refused to wear sunscreen like all the other children....this was in April in Denver so lower altitude, and ended up with a 2nd degree burn on my forehead. I spent the last month of school with bubbles and blisters coating my face...people told me I looked like a pizza. So, it's not just the summer.
Wittgenstein, you were considering many of the same locations I am. (Probably many people are - LOL) By access, I assume you mean an affordable nearby airport...that is important.
I visited Chattanooga and was initially strongly considering it. I think it's beautiful, and might have chosen Chatt except for what I kept reading about the miserable, hot summers. It is always hot in inland California, and I'm so tired of it. Also, the economy and crime in Chattanooga were a concern. Asheville, I also have strongly considered. Downsides are the distance from an international airport, traffic, and tourist influx, plus home prices are much higher than Chattanooga.
I have just been reading about the bad air in Boise from the "inversions," which I guess are common. COS does not experience this?
I think now the UV rays are my biggest worry about COS. I am a fair skinned blond with freckles, and have had skin cancer. But, since it's rarely hot in COS, I'm wondering if it wouldn't be a big problem -- I'd usually be covered with long sleeves and jeans. Just need to worry about keeping sunscreen/moisturizer on the face, neck, etc., right? How bothersome is the dryness? "Dry eye" dry cracked skin, etc.? Is wind a big negative?
Thank you!!
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I know) and considering a few potential places. Colorado Springs and Boise are both interesting because I am looking for mountains/natural beauty, a decent sized city, affordable housing and four seasons weather. It looks like COS is a lot colder with more snow, and Boise has hotter summers. I was looking forward to getting away from the long hot summers in Temecula and think I would enjoy some snow and cool weather, but many people tell me I won't be able to handle the snow and cold in Colorado. For residents, is the weather a negative for you in COS -- or Boise? I understand dryness and wind is also uncomfortable for many people, but Temecula is pretty dry. 
..Is the sun intense for just a couple of summer months or for a longer period?
