Sun (Denver, Highlands Ranch: transplants, real estate, crime rate)

[movin' on up]

I've read that Denver gets 300 days of sunshine a year but the weather forecast doesn't seem to jive w/ that (when i periodically check weather.com). So what's the deal? I can deal with some cold (prefer warm) but NEED sunshine (at least most of the time)!! Thanks.

[2bindenver]

we do get lots of sunshine. even today - very breezy, mostly sunny...snow coming

[Micktooth]

We get a lot of sun. I wouldn't rely too much on weather.com, it's a weather channel product. Another note, sometimes you will see weather described as partly-mostly sunny or partly cloudy there are fine lines to the difference of the two. Regardless, there is plenty of sunshine here.

[tfox]

I think that "300 days" stuff means "300 days of sun" -- doesn't mean it's sunny all 24 hours of the day or that it couldn't snow or rain on a sunny day. In Colorado the weather changes so fast that we get some sun nearly every day of the year. I've seen days in Spring where it snowed overnight and then by noon it was already up to 70 with brilliant sun. And there's some days in the winter where the high never cracks 30 but there's not a cloud in the sky -- that counts as a "sunny" day too.

[TinajaCo]

Some of the coldest days are in the midst of winter when there is not a cloud in the sky-- in winter the clouds sometimes act as a blanket for Denver, keeping temperatures high. Then when the clouds clear out the temperatures drop. We do get 300+ days of sunshine a year, they're not all pure sunshine but a lot of them are majority sunshine

[vegaspilgrim]

I've always been suspicious of that "300 days a year" statistic too. I bet the actual number is probably around 250, and people round up to the nearest hundred for tourism/ real estate promotion. And even then what is considered "a day of sunshine"? It is usually it is partly cloudy in the Front Range, and there are usually a handful of totally overcast days each month. Not to mention afternoon clouds and thunderstorms almost every single day in the spring/ early summer.

I've been living the last 2 years in Phoenix. Now THIS is a place that truly is predictably sunny 300 (more like 350+) days out of the year. There will be stretches of literally months at a time where it is nothing but pure sunshine, not a cloud in the sky, all day long, from morning until night, day after day. The weathermen here are never wrong. That's the problem, it gets so boring, so oppressive to be bombarded with full blown sun day in and day out. That's one of the things I miss about Colorado-- having it sunny more often than not, but with beautiful clouds rolling across the sky-- and weather that sometimes puts you on the edge of your seat.

[Dan6200alt]

The '300 days' thats mentioned alot is probably skewed as others have said-some of those days are partly cloudy, etc. But it is definately sunny most of the time. Those partly cloudy days are pretty great days!!

Keep in mind, however, that in winter its still gets cold. So unless you are out skiing/boarding you may decide to stay indoors thereby voiding the sunshine. I will go for a run when its cold, but the wind when its cold just plain sucks! Me, my wife and kids dont even consider a bike ride from November thru March, short of some weather anomoly.

[Dan6200alt]

Originally Posted by vegaspilgrim

- and weather that sometimes puts you on the edge of your seat.

AZ does have some beautiful sunsets. Colorado and the whole southwest do, but AZ really has some absolutely amazing, mesmerizing sunsets.

Its not worth the 200 degree car interior while you run into the convenience store, bank, etc come summertime. (assuming your car is still there when you get back)

[movin' on up]

ok so Denver's got enough sun but AZ has much more. Overall it sounds like i'd prefer AZ weather but can't deal w/ their urban sprawl and lack of designated park spaces in and near the city (compared to Denver). How's Albq weather compare? It seems like Denver has much more to offer as a city, just curious what your thoughts are.

I'm getting ready to book my trip to Denver to scope things out. hopefully all goes well and i can escape the midwest (where we don't see the sun much from October thru April).

thanks -

[tfox]

Originally Posted by movin' on up

ok so Denver's got enough sun but AZ has much more. Overall it sounds like i'd prefer AZ weather but can't deal w/ their urban sprawl and lack of designated park spaces in and near the city (compared to Denver). How's Albq weather compare? It seems like Denver has much more to offer as a city, just curious what your thoughts are.

I'm getting ready to book my trip to Denver to scope things out. hopefully all goes well and i can escape the midwest (where we don't see the sun much from October thru April).

thanks -

You don't like Phoenix's sprawl but you're thinking about moving to Denver?? I think the only difference is that when we sprawl, the locals tend to lament it but do nothing about it, and in Arizona, the locals think it's a good thing! (Remember the outrage when Highlands Ranch was being constructed? But no one did anything about it then, or now) But both Phoenix and Denver are poster-children for sprawl, though I'll admit maybe Phoenix is a little worse. If you really want to go somewhere that has more successfully tamed the sprawl-monster, maybe look at Portland, Oregon.

As for weather in Albuquerque, it's drier and warmer than Denver, but not dramatically so. I think many people assume that Abq weather-wise is another Phoenix, but nothing could be further from the truth. It's a 4-season climate with snow in the winter, hot summers (although usually more of the 90s rather than 100s variety), and pleasant enough springs and falls. It does remind you of a warmer version of Denver's weather, but it is consistently warmer year-round and lacks the heavy spring precipitation that Denver usually gets. In fact, climate-wise, you can't get much better than Abq IMO. The mountains of Northern NM are also very nice -- in many ways northern NM reminds me a lot of southern Colorado.

The real problem with Albuquerque is that jobs are scarce, salaries are very low, but the cost of living isn't really, though it's cheaper than Denver -- but things have been driven up by retirees and transplants. There's a LOT of New Mexicans in Denver who fled their home state due to lack of decent paying jobs (we're the closest major city to Northern NM). Northern NM towns and Abq both tend to share a surprisingly high crime rate for their size, thought that probably wouldn't stop me personally from living there. So, that's the sad story about Abq.