What do you dislike about Denver? (Aurora, Dillon: stores, rich, cars)

[livecontent]

Originally Posted by new2colo

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How can Denver have this plentiful water to keep these sprinklers running if it so deathly dry? Dry places have irrigation channels. Denver is not desert-like at all.

Actually the Denver area has many irrigation channels. We have many man made ditches and irrigation canals that divert the water from the foothills--they are all over the metro area. The High Line Canal is one of many. They are very much needed on the front range and many have been around since the beginning of the settlement of the area. In addition we have major diversions of water from the catch basins in the mountains to bring in needed water. One of these is the Moffat Tunnel which brings water from the Fraser Valley, on the other side of the Continental Divide.

The Denver area of the Front Range is considered to be in a Semi-Arid Climate with insufficient rainfall to support the population and farming. A desert is not always defined as a total lack of vegetation. That is why reservoirs and water diversions are needed on this side of the Rockies.

Livecontent

[vegaspilgrim]

new2colo, I partially agree with you. I agree that Denver's climate is WAYyyyy overrated. I've lived in Phoenix & Reno and have spent a ton of time in Las Vegas & Albuquerque and exploring the high deserts of Utah. Those cities are all REAL desert climates with 8in or less of precipitation a year, some warmer, some colder. Denver is technically called a semi-arid climate. It varies tremendously from year to year; there's really no such thing as "average" Denver weather. Last summer, for example, there were thunderstorms and rain almost every single day, extremely gloomy for almost all of May, June, and July, and cooler than usual. This year thunderstorms have been very rare so far. I think it's hailed one time this season out where I live. There are some days here during the summer-- some years more than others-- when it is in fact extremely dry, and totally 100% sunny with no clouds. A few weekends ago it was like that. Then about a week and a half ago it was extremely hot & humid-- and it was very uncomfortable, but that doesn't happen very often. Then last weekend it was raining with temps in the '50s. Some winters here are way snowier and/or colder than others. This last winter I was living in Reno and visited back home a few times and it was sunnier & drier in Denver than it was in Reno. In fact, the only thing that can be expected of Denver is that the weather will be crazy like that!

Culturally, Denver is not a true western town-- it's kind of a midwestern/western hybrid. People here try to artificially make the physical landscape look as much like "back east" as possible, with Kentucky bluegrass lawns and types of trees and bushes that do not belong in this climate. If more people here embraced xeriscaping, native prairie grass and had a real local sense of imagination, Denver would look a lot more high-desert-like than it currently does. The high plains here, once you're above the creeks and floodplains, are a landscape with an abundance of yucca, prairie grass that is brown 3/4 of the year, and even small prickly pears. Go for a walk in Cherry Creek State Park and you'll see what I mean. The only trees that grow naturally are cottonwood trees lining the creeks and those "Russian olives" which are technically an invasive species.

[Celestea]

Denvers ever so much squarer than Chi-town..but thats ok. easygoing people (drink too much, really haven't a sense of how to par--tay"). nice anyway

[KaaBoom]

Originally Posted by new2colo

I don't know what Amazon-like standards you have for humidity, but the above statement proves that we have very different ideas on the topic.

I know what humidity is. I lived in North Carolina for more than 10 years which, according to your list, is dry as well. You said that Denver's climate is more reminiscent of a desert climate than a mountain climate, which is untrue. I guess coming from New Hampshire, two days worth of sunshine a week would seem desert-like. However, to someone who has lived in actual desert, Denver is nowhere close. When dewpoint temperatures are routinely in the 50-60 degree range that does not scream "desert" to me. It's certainly not Louisiana or Florida style humidity, but it's uncomfortable nonetheless.

That was my point. It's not like LA or FL.

Originally Posted by new2colo

I said in my prior post, Denver is very green outside of irrigated areas. Grass is growing everywhere and there are trees even where there are no sprinklers. That is not desert-like.

You haven't been in Colorado long enough. I've seen somewhat green wild grass outside of Denver in June. For example in the foothills. But I never remember it staying green past July.

Originally Posted by new2colo

can Denver have this plentiful water to keep these sprinklers running if it so deathly dry? Dry places have irrigation channels. Denver is not desert-like at all.

Most all of Denver's water comes from mountain snow melt, and is stored at Chatfield Reservoir for year round use.

[livecontent]

Chatfield Reservoir was not built initially to store water http://www.parks.state.co.us/Parks/C...ldHistory.aspx It was built to control flooding along the South Platte. Denver Water does store water there but is not managed or owned by them. Chatfield is not the only or major storage reservoir of water that serves the area. Chatfield has about 11,000 current usable content , acre feet of storage out of a capacity of 27,000. The total Denver Water system of current usable acre feet of storage is about 405,000 out of a capacity of 447,000.

In addition to control flooding, the main use of Chatfield State Park is recreation. Consequently, a water level is maintained to serve that purpose.

Data is from the Denver Water website Welcome to Denver Water and specifically this link
http://www.denverwater.org/docs/assets/D00BA3CD-BCDF-1B42-D8E58465F517BA21/res_levels1.pdf (broken link)

Livecontent

[Scott5280]

A few shots in Conifer and Aspen Meadows a few hours ago..much of this area stays green through out the entire summer..I took these pictures to test my camera phone but shows people what the area looks like..not exactly total desert.

[gonesnowskiing]

I am a native Atlantan, who relocated here in November 2009. I love it. I can't think of much to complain about except: 1) No white cheese dip at Mexican restaurants (lol); 2) Traffic on I-70 during ski season; 3) People driving slow in fast lanes. All pretty trivial things except maybe the I-70 traffic during ski season.

Yeah, it's dry here, but if you have not experienced humidity like in Atlanta, you should be thankful - it is miserable. Many people who move from the northeast think they've escaped being trapped inside all winter only to find out they'll be trapped inside all summer.

Along with humidity brings pollen. A high pollen count is anything about 120. The pollen count in Atlanta this season went well beyond 5,000 (Atlanta Allergy (http://www.atlantaallergy.com/April_2010.aspx - broken link)). Many people never experience allergies until they move to Atlanta.

Yet, despite the above, many people absolutely love living in Atlanta. Bottom line is: it's all relative.

[Oz88]

I'll most likely move to Denver in the next 7 months (from Sydney, Australia).

Compared to Sydney, Denver is drab, boring, has a lack of cultural diversity, and does not have sufficient public transport!! I'd much prefer a coastal city - something like San Francisco, which I have found to be incredibly similar to Sydney.

Why move then if I think I'm downgrading?

Simple. I'm doing it for love.

[OneMoreMove]

Originally Posted by Oz88

I'll most likely move to Denver in the next 7 months (from Sydney, Australia).

Compared to Sydney, Denver is drab, boring, has a lack of cultural diversity, and does not have sufficient public transport!! I'd much prefer a coastal city - something like San Francisco, which I have found to be incredibly similar to Sydney.

Why move then if I think I'm downgrading?

Simple. I'm doing it for love.

That's why I live in Denver. Ironically my wife is from San Francisco. I like Sydney a lot. Denver doesn't come close to those cities in most categories, but it's ideal for people who are primarily focused on 2 things: skiing and bicycling.

It's a pleasant place, though, despite it's shortcomings. So, it may not be <insert city here> but we still have a nice life here.

[xeric]

Originally Posted by Scott5280

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Attachment 64367A few shots in Conifer and Aspen Meadows a few hours ago..much of this area stays green through out the entire summer..I took these pictures to test my camera phone but shows people what the area looks like..not exactly total desert.

Conifer is in the mountains. At that elevation, it's green from June through September and then the grasses and non-conifers freeze, turn brown, or lose their leaves for 8 to 9 months. Those pictures don't reflect the native vegetation in Denver.