Can I Acclimate?

[CAMom]

My husband and I just visited because we plan to relocate to the Parker, Co area in the next year. The first day the weather was 34 but felt warmer because the sun was so strong. The next day it was in the 60's, again felt warmer. I saw a mom jogging in shorts up a hill with her little ones. This was motiviating to me because I'm an active jogger with my son and can't live without that. I have a friend that lives in Grand Lake, 2 hours up the mountain from Denver. She talks of the snow they get there and i'd compare that to Mammoth Mountain (resort 4 hours out of LA). March and April are the strongest months for snow. However, it melts off 75% within day or two. Think of it like the rain in LA. We stay inside most the time when it rains so what's the difference with Snow. If you have to go any where, you bundle up, get in the car (which is attached to the house), walk into the store, shop, then head home. You're in the "cold" for no more than 10 minutes. Plus, the big factor I tell myself, Florida Native and California raised, you can bundle up, you can not walk around the CA heat naked. Period.

it's what you make of it. Good Luck!

[corndog]

Seriously bro, just shoot me an email and i will answer, confirm or deny any rumors you have about here. I have moved here from Orange County in May where my wife and I (in our early 30's) lived. We grew up in Huntington Beach and gave it all up for more of a peace of mind type of thinking. Cost of living here is tremendously lower.

Weather, different from California sure, but not not so much that I think you can't handle it. Recreational activities maybe the strongest thing that may help sell this place to you!

If you own a home, then it will be a serious risk to consider as that if you sell and move here. you may never be able to comfortably return, but if you are renting like we were, then go for it! Seriously try it out and if it doesn't work then move elsewhere! Take a risk. We left our careers, hers in healthcare and mine in law Enforcement! I surfed and miss the ocean, but those mountains here are different from the ones you see!

[.gif]

Originally Posted by Misplacd1

Yeah, I'll miss surfing but not necessarily the beaches here. I spent 4 years in the panhandle of Florida so I've been spoiled. The beaches in the panhandle are absolutely awesome! Sand that looks like sugar and nice warm water. For the price of the homes in San Diego, you really could buy one in on the gulf and in Colorado.

i am originally from fort walton beach and moved to denver several years ago. i still have not quite gotten used to the cold. for me, the winter is generally miserable, especially when you have to drive on the snow in the middle of a snowstorm. but you can really appreciate the beauty of a snowfall when you don't actually have to drive in it. even though it snows a few times during the year, it is probably sunny more often than not. it's just those few days where it is overcast, in the single digit temps, and just plain miserable that ruin the winter for me. fall and summer are generally nice, though.

i do miss the beaches of the florida panhandle. there is nothing like that in colorado (you won't even find big lakes here). there are other things to do though. and the people here are considerably less trashy than in the "redneck riviera."

[MovingonUp]

Christian11- thank you for bringing to mind something I have been wondering. I am from Orange County California and we are finally making the move to Colorado. I am American of Mexican descent and one of my worries is the viewpoint Colorodians may have of "Mexicans", as I'm called, even though I am 3rd generation American. My daughter is half white and half me so I have just been wondering if there is a lot of prejudice towards people of color since I know in California it's become a norm due to all of the stresses of cost of living. I love Colorado and can't wait to live there but I hope I don't have to worry too much about diversity, any comments? But I do disagree that California has become Mexico. Mexico is wayyy more fun,

[Crackerjack]

MovingonUp, I don't know the attitude about all of Colorado toward Mexicans, but I can say that in southwest Colorado, it is very kind toward them. The southern part has quite a few Mexican-Americans, especially Alamosa and around there. Southwest Colorado has been part of the Spanish and Mexican culture for centuries, so nobody thinks anything bad about them. They are celebrated there for their contribution to the area, such as having large Fiesta days and Cinco De Mayo Celebrations in Durango and other southwest towns. Durango has had a great relationship with Mexican-Americans. I think though the cultures of California and Colorado's Mexicans are different. The young Mexican-American kids in southwestern Colorado are great kids. They work hard and have goals. They aren't in gangs and stuff like out in CA. The Mexican-American kids in southwestern Colorado also intermingle with the other races really well and they all get along. I think that makes a difference.

[Mike from back east]

My realtor is 3rd or 4th generation American of Mexican descent, and her husband is of Lebanese descent, also multi-generational....she speaks English and Spanish....is quite an amazing woman and friendly beyond belief and both of them are dear friends, much more so than the average WASP types.

The main rodeo in Denver, each January, also features a Mexican Rodeo and you see that sort of thing all over.

You won't have a problem here.

s/Mike

[grndtikal]

why not check out Farmington, New Mexico. You are only 75 miles from the sky slopes or you can play golf. All on the same day!
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[kswen]

We moved from Ft. Lauderdale to Colorado last year and we are moving back. While it is true that Colorado has a lot of sunny days like florida, the climate is completely different. Colorado has almost no humidity...your skin gets extremely dry...we also discovered that both my daughter and I have asthma here. I grew up in chicago..no allergies or asthma, then lived in florida and ran 3 miles a day. We went to the best allergy and asthma specialist in Denver and he said my daughter and I have vasomotor rhinitus, hypersensitivity to a dry climate. meaning our upper respitory system cannot handle this climate effctively..then we were prescribed 4 medicines each! We were both completely healthy before living here. The Dr. referred us to National Jewish Medical Center in Denver, the best allergy and asthma center in the USA. They told me that 1 in 14 people in Colorado has asthma, tied with los angeles! Denver has tons of red air days...you can see the pollution over the city.Also, the altitude took several months to adjust to and I know lots of people who have been here for years and still are not adjusted! Also, our mover says that he moves several people a month who have developed health problems since moving here. I wish we had know this before we moved here! Anyhow, we are moving at the end of the month back to Central Florida, just a few blocks from the ocean. We cant wait. Good luck in your decision.

[TinajaCo]

Hi Movingonup,

I just have to agree with what everybody else said regarding diversity. There is a large Hispanic population in Denver, and while Denver may not be as diverse as, say, the LA area, people are very accepting and there is really no racial tension to speak of here, and I think you'll find that is true statewide.