Which is more desirable as a place to live, Denver or Portland?

[KaaBoom]

Originally Posted by denverkid

Oh, it happens in Portland and can stretch longer than 30 days. Here is a site that reminisces about the 2003 Portland winter (which being there, I distinctly remember - it was horrible).

Rainy Records in Portland Willamette Valley Western Oregon 2003

Thanks for that link. It's interesting, but all things considered. If I had to leave sunny California, and relive the Christmas Eve blizzard of 1982 over again in Denver. Or spend a couple of rainy months in Portland, with no sunshine. I'd choose the rain in Portland. I've experienced enough snow and sub-freezing temperatures, to last me the rest of my life.

Originally Posted by denverkid

No, Portland doesn't have severe weather like Denver does. It can have month and months of unchanging weather (sometimes 97 straight days of it) - continual cloud cover, unstopping rain, and temperatures that never change more than 5 degrees.

I love Denver's occasional (and it's very occasional) extreme weather. I get really excited every 5 years or so when there's a huge blizzard in the forecast. I can't remember the last time I had as much fun as the 2006 blizzards. Time off work - throngs of people navigating the streets by foot. What a fun, social break from the norm. The major Oct. 1997 blizzard stranded me in Pueblo for 3 days. Half the hotel lost power, and complete strangers were asked to share rooms. What a blast. I spent the better part of 2 days jumping off a shopping mall roof into 12 foot snow banks, and made several friends I still have to this day.

Thats fine, if you enjoy that type of weather, then Denver is the place for you. But anyone thinking about moving to Colorado, should be prepared for the type of extreme weather that you describe above. And not buy into the nonsense about year-round sunshine and snow always melting quickly. Because it doesn't always.

[Jimrob1]

I have learned that its the people that make a place. The climate, the scenery, the politics, affordability, the job outlook. All of that is extremely important, but in the end all of that falls apart, if the people in ones locale don't fit the bill. I don't care how you turn it, its the population of an area that makes or breaks a place. I don't think enough people figure that into their decision, as to which is a better place to live.

I don't personally find Denver and Portland sister cities. If others do thats fine with me, but I don't. Perhaps somewhat similiar in size though Denver Metro is and feels bigger. Denver feels much more business oriented and that has provided jobs. Maybe the amount of outdoor and fitness enthusiasts, and building of Light Rail lines and bike trails is similiar. Both have a people oriented downtown, though Denver's seems less intimidating and 3rd World begging than Portland's. Other than that I think these two cities have little in common. Especially when its comes to thier regional populations, thier overall views and respective economies.

OP I think you find the more disirable place, by just sitting down and figuring which place gives you more choices based on who you are. Your likes and dislikes and not just the weather. Most importantly choose the one that gives you the better future.

[denverkid]

Originally Posted by KaaBoom

Thanks for that link. It's interesting, but all things considered. If I had to leave sunny California, and relive the Christmas Eve blizzard of 1982 over again in Denver. Or spend a couple of rainy months in Portland, with no sunshine. I'd choose the rain in Portland. I've experienced enough snow and sub-freezing temperatures, to last me the rest of my life.

To each his (or her) own. The rain didn't bother me in Portland - it was the constant darkness. I've always found Denver winters to be very mild. The coldest month is January with an average high temp of 43 - the same as Portland. On average, Seattle is colder (daily high temperature) than Denver every month of the year. Yes, Denver's nights are colder (winter lows in the low 20's, upper teens), but at night I'm usually sleeping. To me 43 and wet feels much colder than 43 and sunny with the remnants of a snow storm still on the ground.

Originally Posted by KaaBoom

Thats fine, if you enjoy that type of weather, then Denver is the place for you. But anyone thinking about moving to Colorado, should be prepared for the type of extreme weather that you describe above. And not buy into the nonsense about year-round sunshine and snow always melting quickly. Because it doesn't always.

Denver's not quite Las Vegas or Phoenix when it comes to constant sunshine, but we get more annual sunshine than San Diego or any city in the Sunshine State (FL).

And you're right. If you move to Denver be prepared for an extreme snow storm 2 or 3 times a decade. I think they're fun, you think they're miserable. They rarely happen. I'd say 19 out of 20 snow storms in Denver dump between 1-6 inches of snow - all of which is melted within 48 hours.

Here are the exceptions (top 10 longest snow coverage spans):
63 days -- Nov. 26, 1983 -- Jan. 27, 1984
61 days -- Dec. 21, 2006 -- Feb. 19, 2007
60 days -- Dec. 1, 1913 -- Jan. 29, 1914
48 days -- Dec. 24, 1982 -- Feb. 9, 1983
43 days -- Dec. 19, 1973 -- Jan. 30, 1974
39 days -- Nov. 21, 1992 -- Dec. 29, 1992
38 days -- Dec. 24, 1987 -- Jan. 30, 1988
35 days -- Jan. 2, 1949 -- Feb. 5, 1949
33 days -- Dec. 17, 1918 -- Jan. 18, 1919
27 days -- Jan. 28, 1989 -- Feb. 23, 1989

So far this winter Denver has had 40 inches of snow (on average, Denver gets 57.5 inches per year), and as far as I can recall no snow cover has lasted longer than 2 or 3 days.

[denverian]

Originally Posted by denverkid

To each his (or her) own. The rain didn't bother me in Portland - it was the constant darkness. I've always found Denver winters to be very mild. The coldest month is January with an average high temp of 43 - the same as Portland. On average, Seattle is colder (daily high temperature) than Denver every month of the year. Yes, Denver's nights are colder (winter lows in the low 20's, upper teens), but at night I'm usually sleeping. To me 43 and wet feels much colder than 43 and sunny with the remnants of a snow storm still on the ground.




Denver's not quite Las Vegas or Phoenix when it comes to constant sunshine, but we get more annual sunshine than San Diego or any city in the Sunshine State (FL).

And you're right. If you move to Denver be prepared for an extreme snow storm 2 or 3 times a decade. I think they're fun, you think they're miserable. They rarely happen. I'd say 19 out of 20 snow storms in Denver dump between 1-6 inches of snow - all of which is melted within 48 hours.

Here are the exceptions (top 10 longest snow coverage spans):
63 days -- Nov. 26, 1983 -- Jan. 27, 1984
61 days -- Dec. 21, 2006 -- Feb. 19, 2007
60 days -- Dec. 1, 1913 -- Jan. 29, 1914
48 days -- Dec. 24, 1982 -- Feb. 9, 1983
43 days -- Dec. 19, 1973 -- Jan. 30, 1974
39 days -- Nov. 21, 1992 -- Dec. 29, 1992
38 days -- Dec. 24, 1987 -- Jan. 30, 1988
35 days -- Jan. 2, 1949 -- Feb. 5, 1949
33 days -- Dec. 17, 1918 -- Jan. 18, 1919
27 days -- Jan. 28, 1989 -- Feb. 23, 1989

So far this winter Denver has had 40 inches of snow (on average, Denver gets 57.5 inches per year), and as far as I can recall no snow cover has lasted longer than 2 or 3 days.

Snow cover hasn't lasted long between storms, except on the north side of buildings! Our "glacier", as I refer to it, has been there on the north side of our house since about Nov. 15th! We don't get this every winter, but this winter has been unusually cold. It won't melt until mid March, most likely.