What do you love and hate about living in Colorado? (Denver: relocating, gated)

[ditto]

Originally Posted by .gif

love:
biking/hiking trails
fun things to do in denver
mountain views
close proximity to shops/stores

hate:
dry air
cold winters
no trees
no water
cracked windshields
suv's
boring suburbs
bland food

I agree with everything. For the negatives, I'd also add altitude, awful roads & yuppies to the list.

[atgt13]

[quote=corel;2380718]There is great diverisity, which I enjoy, and the weather is fair, though I would prefer living in an area with all four seasons, I want winters with snow, (I'm in Orange County). ]

I haven't moved there yet, but I heard a rumor that the locals say there are only 3 seasons in Colorado, June, July, and winter

[Katiana]

[quote=atgt13;2416136]

Originally Posted by corel

There is great diverisity, which I enjoy, and the weather is fair, though I would prefer living in an area with all four seasons, I want winters with snow, (I'm in Orange County). ]

I haven't moved there yet, but I heard a rumor that the locals say there are only 3 seasons in Colorado, June, July, and winter

Someone is pulling your leg! My daughter likes to say there are two seasons: almost winter and almost summer. I would say the seasons go something like this: Winter/Spring: Jan, Feb, March, April. Spring (sometimes with a taste of winter still): May, early June. Summer: Late June to mid-August. Be prepared for some really HOT weather (upper 90s-100). Late summer/fall: mid-August to mid-October, sometimes with a touch of winter any time from mid-Sept on. Almost always snow on/for Halloween. Fall/winter: mid-Oct on.

[woodlandspirit]

Love:

*The mountains
*The outdoor adventure
*The sparse population outside of the city.
*The water -- it's so clean and so much fun to plan in during the summer!
*That we have 4 seasons (contrary to populat belief it is not simply "July and winter" at all.)
*Any kind of weekend getaway you may want -- from camping out of your own car to staying in a resort fit for a celebrity is here and less than a day's drive away.
*The neighboring states like New Mexico are also fun.
*Some aspects of the people and culture
*Rich (culturally) mountain towns all over the place. From the posh environment of Aspen to the new age hotspot of Crestone. Just don't ask me about Boulder.
*Great place to see the stars. Even a few miles outside of farthest suburbs (like Parker for instance) they really come out.
* Roads that go on forever in the middle of nowhere. The seclusion makes for such a peaceful drive.
* Too many traffic cops (and probably not enough cops to tend to the real crimes)
*The dry air
*it's hard to get bored

Hate:

*The suburbs
*Overpriced housing market which is collapsing for that very reason.
*Elevation (good for you if you've gotten used to it.. my asthma won't LET me get used to it especially in the winter when it's downright painful to my lungs!)
*Bitter cold winters (don't get me wrong, I like winter and even snow. But I don't like feeling like my bones are going to freeze and crack or that I can get hypothermia just checking the mail)
*Some aspects of the people and culture
*Not alot of trees in Denver
*The drivers (put down the bottle of beer and get out of the left lane dammit! It says "Keep right except to pass" for a reason!)
*Not enough roads to get around the mountains but I won't complain too much... too few is better than too many which would ruin them.
* Not impressed with the school system, including colleges.
* High cost of goods like groceries
*High cost of vehicle registration (My new car cost me $500 to register it!!!)
*The dry air
*State income tax

You'll notice some things make both lists. Because it isn't always simple to mark something just good or just bad. The dry air can be rather comfortable especially compared to humid places (and I mean REALLY humid like Texas or Florida). But the static electricity drives me crazy and so does dry skin and dry eyes. I'm going to buy stock in Lubriderm and Visine.

[nelumbo]

Good:
easy to find apartments that take pets
cheap housing (I'm coming from the Boston/DC areas here)
lots of good thrift stores
nice community garden system in my area
hot in summer

Bad:
not much good asian food
high grocery prices/ limited selection
very dry (= sinus misery)
too sunny (I like a bit of rain, or at least clouds)
isolation from other metropolitan areas
public transportation not so great (again, comparing to Boston/DC)
lack of trees
difficult climate for vegetable gardening
lack of certain retail (TJs, ikea, asian markets, fabric stores)
kamikaze bicyclists
few people clear snow/ice off their sidewalks



I'm not into outdoor/mountain stuff, hence the lack of reference on my list.

[Katiana]

I agree with all your good. I have some comments on your bads.

Originally Posted by nelumbo

Bad:
not much good asian food
Don't know about this.

high grocery prices/ limited selection
Re: selection, you need to look around. The prices are no higher than in Illinois, where we came from. I thought they were high there compared to PA.

very dry (= sinus misery)
You will like it in the summer. Run a humidifier. If you own your home, put one on the furnace.

too sunny (I like a bit of rain, or at least clouds)
I used to think that, too, but I got used to it. Now, I find Pittsburgh extremely dreary and even Illinois excessively cloudy.

isolation from other metropolitan areas
Well, yeah, but so what? There is enough to do here.

public transportation not so great (again, comparing to Boston/DC)

lack of trees
Yes. Look for an older neighborhood. If you have a yard, plant some fast-growing silver maples. Yes, I know some consider them "trash trees", but they do grow fast and provide shade and leaves quickly.

difficult climate for vegetable gardening
Yes, don't plan on getting a crop every year. You can supplement with farmer's markets, which have grown phenomenally in recent years.

lack of certain retail (TJs, ikea, asian markets, fabric stores)
Not familiar with TJs or IKEA, though I like what I've seen at IKEA. But you don't miss what you never had. Def need more/better fabric stores. Perhaps not a lot of home sewers here. I've found a few stores that are acceptable. Denver Fabrics is great but awfully far for general shopping (have to have a plan, LOL). If you live in the south area, it's great!

kamikaze bicyclists
Do you live in Boulder?

few people clear snow/ice off their sidewalks
They're pretty good here in Louisville.



I'm not into outdoor/mountain stuff, hence the lack of reference on my list.

[nelumbo]

* high grocery prices/ limited selection
Re: selection, you need to look around. The prices are no higher than in Illinois, where we came from. I thought they were high there compared to PA.

I haven't been able to find things that I want at Safeway, King Soopers, Wild Oats, Whole Paycheck, or super target. Any suggestions where else to look? I need to investigate Sunflower market, but haven't been over to that area since they opened.


* very dry (= sinus misery)
You will like it in the summer. Run a humidifier. If you own your home, put one on the furnace.

I rent, and run multiple humidifiers constantly in my house, plus one at work. Summer actually isn't that great, as there are frequent enough occurrences of really really low humidity with temps near 100 to make things bad. I had a wretched sinus infection for the whole month of July last summer that stemmed from two or three really dry days the first week of the month.

* isolation from other metropolitan areas
Well, yeah, but so what? There is enough to do here.

This is probably a matter of personal preference - I just feel stranded. I felt like Boston was rather isolated when I lived there too, haha.

* difficult climate for vegetable gardening
Yes, don't plan on getting a crop every year. You can supplement with farmer's markets, which have grown phenomenally in recent years.

I mostly grow things that I can't buy here, weird asian brassicas and stuff. For some weird reason, I don't like many standard 'american' veggies, but do like most asian ones. Using a row cover all summer raises the humidity enough to grow some asian stuff, as many are very heat tolerant. The very late freezes (june 15 this year) and early frosts are what make it tough.


Def need more/better fabric stores.

Very few places in the country have good fabric stores any more - the best are areas that can get fabrics from garment construction centers like LA and NYC. Internet shopping is my friend

* kamikaze bicyclists
Do you live in Boulder?

How did you guess? I think the city does a better job clearing the bike paths than the roads.

[Katiana]

* kamikaze bicyclists
Do you live in Boulder?

How did you guess? I think the city does a better job clearing the bike paths than the roads.

That wasn't hard to guess. I really hate driving in Boulder b/c of the bicyclists. They come out of nowhere, ride the wrong way, don't wear helmets, etc.

Louisville clears its paths before the roads, too.

I have no further suggestions for groceries. My DD thinks Sunflower's produce is not that good. I seem to be able to find everything I need at KS, SW, et al.

Sinus infections are caused by bacteria, not dry air. Sorry for your misery, though.

[hello-world]

Originally Posted by nelumbo

* high grocery prices/ limited selection
Re: selection, you need to look around. The prices are no higher than in Illinois, where we came from. I thought they were high there compared to PA.

I haven't been able to find things that I want at Safeway, King Soopers, Wild Oats, Whole Paycheck, or super target. Any suggestions where else to look? I need to investigate Sunflower market, but haven't been over to that area since they opened.


* very dry (= sinus misery)
You will like it in the summer. Run a humidifier. If you own your home, put one on the furnace.

I rent, and run multiple humidifiers constantly in my house, plus one at work. Summer actually isn't that great, as there are frequent enough occurrences of really really low humidity with temps near 100 to make things bad. I had a wretched sinus infection for the whole month of July last summer that stemmed from two or three really dry days the first week of the month.

* isolation from other metropolitan areas
Well, yeah, but so what? There is enough to do here.

This is probably a matter of personal preference - I just feel stranded. I felt like Boston was rather isolated when I lived there too, haha.

* difficult climate for vegetable gardening
Yes, don't plan on getting a crop every year. You can supplement with farmer's markets, which have grown phenomenally in recent years.

I mostly grow things that I can't buy here, weird asian brassicas and stuff. For some weird reason, I don't like many standard 'american' veggies, but do like most asian ones. Using a row cover all summer raises the humidity enough to grow some asian stuff, as many are very heat tolerant. The very late freezes (june 15 this year) and early frosts are what make it tough.


Def need more/better fabric stores.

Very few places in the country have good fabric stores any more - the best are areas that can get fabrics from garment construction centers like LA and NYC. Internet shopping is my friend

* kamikaze bicyclists
Do you live in Boulder?

How did you guess? I think the city does a better job clearing the bike paths than the roads.

i agree that grocery stores might leave you a little wanting sometimes, at least relative to what they are in some other regions (california, northeast). part has to do with business culture (a bit laid back, here) relatively, i think. some of the more "laid back" or "hands off" politically (in some ways) might have a bit to do with why sidewalks may not be as well shovelled (or why the sidewalks are often otherwise impossible for someone in a wheelchair, for example), streets may not be as well cleared, especially aggressive suburban sprawl, etc.. but back to the groceries, part has to do with proximity to production and ports, maybe. a bit more variety of most things in the northeast and california, for example. part of why it can be more expensive, too. yes, the "breadbaskets of america" are practically next door (it's pretty much the "midwest" plains until you reach almost the front range, arguably even into the higher desert of denver area), but that's corn, wheat, soy, cattle, milk. some fruit and greens. much has to be shipped (from the seaports, for example). probably other reasons to look into for some of this, too. that all said, it's not totally devoid or bad. there are some good stores if you seak those out, or stop at a few stores on your rounds (gas, i know), e.g..

the isolation relative to other metros, the oceans, etc. is a comment i've heard before. in the middle of the continent, you can feel landlocked in some ways; and the culture can feel a little landlocked in some ways, or more uniform/segregated, to some people that might be more used to a coast or europe or other places with more flux of various people and things. (latino population is sizeable, and asian population is here, for example, but you might not see much of it...other than some of the mexican food which is actually rather good, often, and there ARE a few rather good ethnic restaurants around town if you ferret them out).

of course, the sun shines a lot, the mountains are right near by, it can beautiful when you get out of the metro (or from some of the inner city parks; some might even think the suburbs are beautiful, and i think at least a couple have some nice views), plenty of athletic and spectator sports opportunities, etc..

[Lindsey_Mcfarren]

Year ago, I spent alot of time there.

I HATED how dry it was.

I HATED the lower oxygen at high altitudes.

I loved how it never really was hot when you were in the mountains.

I loved being near the ski resorts that others have to fly and drive to get to.

I loved the wildlife and the natural beauty.