Denver Winds And Seizure Disorders (Fort Collins, Boulder: ski resort, foreclosures, insurance)

[CCCVDUR]

I've posted this on the Boulder and Denver forums. Boulder would be my first choice in relocating to nearly recession proof Colorado and New Mexico. However, the question remains about the Health Effects of the Chinook winds over Boulder and to a lesser extent Denver.

All I've heard from people who are affected by the wind in your area is bad experiences. I have limited relocation funds after living un- and under- employed in economically depressed Flagstaff, Arizona. I just need to get to a place in a "Blue Union State" where I can get a full time job that pays $15+/hour immediately.

Today Flagstaff experienced *RARE* 50-70mph winds and I had a simple partial seizure while doing some errands. This is unacceptable. Looking at the Boulder foothills weather lab link, I am not impressed, w/ peak gusts reaching over 30mph on many days and even all night!
NCAR Foothills Lab Weather (english, 5-minute)

Sorry to be personal, but this is a disabling - yet ALSO preventable - and ALSO treatable - condition for me.

Does anyone on this forum have Epilepsy, Heart Disease, Panic Disorder, Migraines, Chronic Pain, or any other condition aggravated by high winds?

I would prefer Boulder but may go back to Albuquerque since it has less wind (as long as you stay away from the Sandia Mountain canyons), and is definitely the most friendly city in AZ and NM for welcoming entrepreneurs. I'm very concerned about the Front Range weather.

Thanks for any advice ...

[vegaspilgrim]

Originally Posted by Tom Lane

I've posted this on the Boulder and Denver forums. Boulder would be my first choice in relocating to nearly recession proof Colorado and New Mexico. However, the question remains about the Health Effects of the Chinook winds over Boulder and to a lesser extent Denver.

"Recession proof"? Where did you hear that? I think you have the wrong idea.

I just need to get to a place in a "Blue Union State" where I can get a full time job that pays $15+/hour immediately.

You're looking in the wrong place then. People have been struggling in Colorado just like they have everywhere else. I'm not sure if there's anywhere in this country where you can be assured of getting a liveable wage job immediately. But looking at the official unemployment rates (which are several months behind when they are posted by the BLS)-- Unemployment Rates for Metropolitan Areas-- might give you idea where your odds would be better. Denver's unemployment rate is higher than Flagstaff's though Boulder's is lower. Unfortunately most of the top ranking cities are also very windy places. But study that list.

Today Flagstaff experienced *RARE* 50-70mph winds and I had a simple partial seizure while doing some errands. This is unacceptable. Looking at the Boulder foothills weather lab link, I am not impressed, w/ peak gusts reaching over 30mph on many days and even all night!

In terms of climate then, I'd suggest either Phoenix (where the air is dead still 95% of the time with the exception of summer monsoon dust storms) or LA (very stagnant air or gentle breeze, just don't live in the valleys or backing up to foothills so you avoid the Santa Ana winds).

[sunsprit]

"recession proof"? NOT Colorado. Having lived in the area since the mid-1960's, I can think of at least several major recessions that severely impacted the state, mostly to do with the energy/extractive industries. Among the result was a lot of home foreclosures ... which is how I can to buy very inexpensively in a major ski resort town as well as in Grand Junction. Oil, then oil shale, brought riches and ruin to substantial portions of Colorado ... the financial devastation wasn't just limited to the specific industry.

Winds? The front range of Colorado experiences strong winds. I can recall having a T-34 (trainer aircraft) at the Boulder airport that wasn't tied down very well after a morning orientation flight lifting off in an afternoon wind gust (70+ mph) and actually flying somewhere to Kansas before it crashed. The prevailing winds for much of the year coming over the continental divide mountain range can create strong ground winds anywhere along the front range from time to time, with some areas experiencing more frequent strong wind gusts and sustained high winds. This is a major area of the world where soaring (gliders) do very well, with distance and time aloft being among the best in the world due to the strong drafts throughout the area ... glider pilots take off from places along the Front Range and routinely make distance flights to Nevada, for example. Last year, we had a Fort Collins area based glider land in our wheat fields here in SE Wyoming ... a flight of over 50 miles, and it was a "calm" day. Strong winds and hail damage seasonally destroy a lot of roofs in the area almost every year ... some years, the storms can come through a do so much damage that the insurance companies have to bring in outside adjusters to handle the claims load. This is not an area of low wind energy density; if you are medically affected by strong winds ... either gusts or sustained high winds ... then this is definitely not a place for you.

"Blue Union State"? You didn't mention your trade, but Colorado is not a big "union" state. There's far more contractors and employers that are non-union ... especially as you leave the Denver metro area. It's to the level where it's a "big deal" that in Fort Collins, for example, the A-B brewery is a union shop. For the most part, the only time a lot of Colorado trades pay Davis-Bacon wages is on Federal or State projects where that wage schedule is specified.

While $15/hr pay rate may be prevailing at a lot of trade jobs in Denver, the question would be do you have a skill or trade which is currently in demand and can you get hired? It's not a lot of money as far as expenses and the cost of living in Denver, either ....

Based on your post for your medical concerns and requirements, IMO ... Colorado may not be a good choice for you to relocate.

[Katiana]

I agree with both of the above about jobs and unions. I cannot imagine where you got the idea Colorado was a "blue union state". Colorado did go blue for president this election, for the first time in many years. CO tends to be more "purple" with Dems and Repubs both getting elected governor, senators, and reps in congress. While the Dems control the state house at the moment, it's not usually that way. Unions are not strong here. Several grocery store worker strikes have ended due to lack of public support. Having lived in Pennsylvania, trust me, I know a union state.

Colorado has long had a rep for having a "boom and bust" economy. When my spouse and I relocated here in 1980, energy was the big thing, which underwent a recession shortly after we arrived. There have been several national recessions since then, and Colorado has followed the US trends. The IT industry, which is huge in Denver-Boulder, is notorious for boom/bust.

It's windy here. I'm a health professional, and I've never heard of the wind impacting seizure disorders, but if it's a trigger for you, you'd be better off somewhere else.

[DOUBLE H]

Katiana is right. You don't need to aggravate yourself with something like like that. Yesterday's wind was real nasty here in Grand Junction, this was just one strong cold front. We had 40-50 mph winds for maybe 3 hours yesterday afternoon, knocking out power in sections around the valley.

In my earlier years I worked commercial power plant construction including many years at Rocky Flats, south of Boulder. In February through April it would not be uncommon for the wind to be blowing 30 to 50 mph-all day.
I know, I worked outside on a forklift unloading freight half the day.

[Happy in Wyoming]

Originally Posted by Tom Lane

I've posted this on the Boulder and Denver forums. Boulder would be my first choice in relocating to nearly recession proof Colorado and New Mexico. However, the question remains about the Health Effects of the Chinook winds over Boulder and to a lesser extent Denver.

All I've heard from people who are affected by the wind in your area is bad experiences. I have limited relocation funds after living un- and under- employed in economically depressed Flagstaff, Arizona. I just need to get to a place in a "Blue Union State" where I can get a full time job that pays $15+/hour immediately.

Today Flagstaff experienced *RARE* 50-70mph winds and I had a simple partial seizure while doing some errands. This is unacceptable. Looking at the Boulder foothills weather lab link, I am not impressed, w/ peak gusts reaching over 30mph on many days and even all night!
NCAR Foothills Lab Weather (english, 5-minute)

Sorry to be personal, but this is a disabling - yet ALSO preventable - and ALSO treatable - condition for me.

Does anyone on this forum have Epilepsy, Heart Disease, Panic Disorder, Migraines, Chronic Pain, or any other condition aggravated by high winds?

I would prefer Boulder but may go back to Albuquerque since it has less wind (as long as you stay away from the Sandia Mountain canyons), and is definitely the most friendly city in AZ and NM for welcoming entrepreneurs. I'm very concerned about the Front Range weather.

Thanks for any advice ...

This post aroused my curiosity as I had never heard of wind caused seizures. I did an internet search, not Google, but a professional search, and could find nothing. I did find some information dealing with the notion that seizures can be caused by looking at a wind turbine, but that seems unproven. There was also a site attributing deaths in a dairy herd to the presence of nearby wind turbines, but no proof was offered. If you would post some information or links to articles in Lancet, New England Journal of Medecine, etc., I, and I am sure others, would appreciate it very much.

[DOUBLE H]

Sunspirit is right as well regarding trade unions. While it has been 17 years since I have been involved in union construction, a lot of road contractors are non union anymore. During it's peak (guessing around 1980 or so), Teamsters Union Local 13 peaked somewhere around 3000 members, maybe more. By the time I got out in 1992 they were down to half that amount.

And by the time 2000 rolled around, the local had to merge with another local, 452, commonly known as the UPS local. There isn't much in regards to union construction, as far as the drivers are concerned. I can't really speak for the other crafts, and it has been 17 years since I was in construction, but I don't imagine things have improved a lot.

[CCCVDUR]

Thanks for the replies.

@Vegas Pilgrim: Thanks for the MSA BLS link. I think the March results come out this week. The Flagstaff unemployment rate is in the double digits since they likely do not count 1) non-Arizona residents (quite a few of us here) 2) spouses of out of state students at NAU who would like a job 3) students who are non-residents of Arizona and would like a job 4) and it is very difficult to get Unemployment payments in AZ, therefore, the unemployed are not counted

@Wyoming: There are few references on environmental factors and neurological disorders. Seizure disorders are aggravated by cell phones, computer raditiation, food allergies, MSG, chemical fumes, and elevation above sea level, but there is little medical literature on these factors.

Fortunately Summer is the least windiest in Boulder-Denver so now is the best time to move there and at the very least give it a try...

[steveindenver]

Yes it is windy.

I doubt very much there are many (any right now?) 15+ an hour union jobs around Boulder.

You have researched the delta in cost of living I assume.

[wanttomoveeast]

Originally Posted by Tom Lane

Does anyone on this forum have Epilepsy, Heart Disease, Panic Disorder, Migraines, Chronic Pain, or any other condition aggravated by high winds?

My DH has epilepsy. Here's the weird thing, weather affects the disease on all kinds of levels. Some can't take the high humidity in places, some can't take the dryness. I've noticed it seems to be extremes that set people off. But since no one really knows (they've hardly cracked the brain's mystery as you know), it's one of those things you'll have to try.

I'll say though that there aren't extremes here, not like Michigan or Miami, so that's a good thing. If you are fine in Albq., I'd bet you are fine here. It's not like moving from this area to a place like Miami.

We do have winds from time to time, but it's not an all the time thing, or even all the month thing, or all the week thing.