Is Colorado Right for Me?

[jazzlover]

Originally Posted by AwayfromOC

sunshine7793,

Is the weather a little more mild/warmer towards the Colorado Springs area? I've had people tell me that area is not hit as hard as the Denver area.

They're fibbing, sort of. Winter is usually a little milder in Colorado Srpings, because the Palmer Divide will deflect some cold fronts from the north to areas farther east. On the other hand, like most of the Front Range, Colorado Springs can get quite a bit of wind in the winter. The Springs doesn't get as much snow on average as Denver (around 40" per winter), but its location and elevation are favorable for it to get a very big "dump" of snow at one time, usually at least once every winter (or spring).

Colorado Springs averages almost a thousand feet higher elevation than metro Denver, so it tends to be a little cooler in the summer than Denver. However, it is the most thunderstorm-prone location in Colorado (nearly 60 thunderstorm days per year, on average), and gets severe hail on a fairly regular basis.

If you like mild, benign-type California weather, Colorado--and the Front Range in particular--is not for you. I love the climate here, but I'm a native, and I long ago accepted the fact that there is nothing "precious or cute" about Colorado weather.

By the way, as many on C-D already know, I have studied Colorado and Rocky Mountain region climate and weather as a hobby for over 40 years now, and I have personally observed a lot of Colorado severe weather events over the years firsthand.

[cs2go]

We also are looking in CO and are native to Ca. Only concern is I have been reading the Gazette and it looks like from its reports for JOBS they are going abroad. Once again it looks like the Unions have forced companies to re-locate and cause hardship on the people and economy. Being from Southern and Valley of Calif., I have lived through the aftermass and hope Co does not see this happen. The current Govenor does not seem interested either in keeping jobs in his state which is why Ca went down the drain. It's a nice thought to move to Co and from these posts you have but...

[CosmicWizard]

You have been grossly misled by the manipulative drivel of corporate america. Unions do not FORCE companies to relocate. GREED is the motive that drives companies to relocate. As long as there remains no separation of corporation and state, corporations will do whatever they damn well please to do...regardless of the consequences to the local economy. As long as the USA continues to be a country of the corporation, by the corporation, and for the corporation, we will continue to be second class citizens in our own country. The corporations will continue to foul the air, pollute the rivers, and steal the natural resouces out from under us. They have no regards for our health and well being. Thinking benignly of the corporations is the thought process of a fool.

[EscapeCalifornia]

Originally Posted by NewAgeRedneck

Thinking benignly of the corporations is the thought process of a fool.

As is thinking that unions are looking out for anyone other than themselves and have nothing to do with making manufacturing in the states less and less attractive.

[brightdoglover]

I've never met a management group that had my interests at heart. If there's gonna be a sonuvabitch in charge of my work life, I'd rather it be a union than hospital administration.
At my job, if people say the word "union" out loud, they honestly lower their voices. During a very ugly failed union effort, people actually suspected microphones in the walls. I guess anything is possible when management spends some $6 million on union-buster consultants to avoid a union of some 300 people.

[brightdoglover]

Sorry, I got carried away. My post belongs in a political discussion.
Regarding winter weather, I think everyone falls on a spectrum about it. I find winter in New England perfectly acceptable, even pleasant, most of the time. I don't wear a jacket until it's below 50. I have a friend who found Portland, Oregon, too cold in the winter (and too grey) and who moved to Raleigh, NC, "for more heat and humidity." ('shudder')
I imagine if someone finds southern CA's climate ideal, Colorado would be a shock.
(For the record, not everyone thinks CA's climate is "ideal." I think it's too warm).

[Bideshi]

Whether you favor unions or not, the undeniable truth is that the economy is slowing and good jobs are getting harder to find. I maintain that if you already have a reasonable job where you are, hold on to it and ride it out.

[brightdoglover]

"I maintain that if you already have a reasonable job where you are, hold on to it and ride it out."

Amen to that. Although third shift is getting rather ruinous to health and life, I am very job-secure in that I have the only slot of its type in my hospital, no one else has ever wanted it, and I'm very useful. I also have an old-fashioned defined benefit pension, and the account is real- if I quit tomorrow, the money is there to roll over (or withdraw, as so many co-workers do, losing half to tax and penalties).
I decided some time ago that I will stay here (outside Boston) and only consider leaving when I live a life that doesn't financially depend on employment. Just have had enough bouncing around chasing daydreams, and at 55, feel I can hunker down in the saddle and try to watch the economy go by. Can't shake the love of Mountain West, though, it'll be vacations for some time to come.
Just noticed I am posting on company time at 4a. There are upsides and downsides (I work in a psychiatric hospital, on all the services as needed. Tonight it's detox).

[Coloradanatheart]

I lived in Colorado Springs for 30 years and just last year moved to Charlotte, NC (yuk).

Climate: In Colorado it is considered to be humid at 30%, most of the time it barely hits double digits. A bit too dry for me but most people enjoy that. It is sunny all the time. Most storms, rain or snow, come and go very quickly. There are few days that it stays cloudy or over-cast all day.
In the summer (June-August) if it rains it's almost always in the late afternoon and evening, the rest of the day it's sunny. It is usually only "hot", in the 90s, in July.
In the winter (September-May), on the front range, after the snow stops the sun comes out and temperature usually goes up quickly to melt the snow that same day, Colorado does not have "dirty" snow. It is not unusual for the temperatures in the winter to be in the 60's. In my experience there are usually 2-3 bad snow storms a year, one in October and 1 or 2 in April. You do need to shovel your driveway in the mornings I'd guess fewer than 10 days a year.

People: I'd say most people, at least in the Colorado Springs area, keep to themselves. As someone else said there are, of course, all types everywhere. Colorado as a whole is diverse, you just have to look for the area that meshes with you best. You can go to some small towns and find typical "red-neck" or "white-trash types" or other areas that are "hippy" or "granola" like.
I love going into the the mountains because nothing about you or your car or clothes matters, everyone waves to everybody. If you go camping the people camping next to you are your best friends that weekend.

If there was more humidity I'd move back to Colorado in a heartbeat.
Some advice I have for you is to find a job before moving, work is hard to find everywhere right now but it has always been hard to find good jobs in Colorado.