East coast transplants: do you miss the trees and green? (Denver: neighborhood, school)

[cowboyxjon]

I grew up on the East Coast and can say that the green is probably one of the only things I miss.

[denverian]

Originally Posted by Inmylife

Yep, Pittsburgh is a great and green city. So this is a greener than normal year in Denver? Do the city trees ever lack for water and brown up in a dry summer or are they irrigated?

No, trees don't "dry up" in Denver in the middle of summer. And I have never seen a Denver suburb with "no trees". Maybe not the towering forest of the Northeast, but there are trees everywhere here.

[Dorthy]

It took me awhile to get used to the lack of green. I still miss the trees sometimes and I've lived in the west for over a decade. I miss the lakes, rivers and ocean more then the trees though. The west has it's own beauty. It took me awhile to really appreciate it for what it is and not compare it to what I was used to.

[xeric]

Originally Posted by Tim Rankin

I'm curious if these older, established trees on Main St. are irrigated too...or if they've been around long enough to be able to survive on their own? I imagine the cottonwoods could survive, but as far as I know, the ash and locust would have been introduced. Does anyone know?

They wouldn't die right away because they are established plants with large root systems, but I doubt that they would survive more then a few years without some supplemental irrigation (within their root zones). Cottonwoods grow natively, but only along streams where their roots have access to more water then falls from the sky.

Aside from the dryness, however, this climate is hard on broad-leaved, deciduous trees. Most of the urban trees are from areas where it doesn't snow when they are fully leafed out. Not so along the CO Front Range. If you want to see devastation take a look at the old sections of any Front Range city after a September or May snowstorm. The heavy, wet snow at those times of the year is trapped by the foliage, resulting in limbs breaking off left and right. It's a depressing scene.

[Inmylife]

Originally Posted by denverian

No, trees don't "dry up" in Denver in the middle of summer. And I have never seen a Denver suburb with "no trees". Maybe not the towering forest of the Northeast, but there are trees everywhere here.

I think everyone else got the gist of the post without any confusion or hurt feelings. Relatively speaking there are NOT "trees everywhere here." I didn't come on the Denver board to bash - just seeking opinions from former East coast folks.

[denverian]

Originally Posted by Inmylife

I think everyone else got the gist of the post without any confusion or hurt feelings. Relatively speaking there are NOT "trees everywhere here." I didn't come on the Denver board to bash - just seeking opinions from former East coast folks.

I guess "trees everywhere" is a personal opinion. I see trees everywhere in the Denver metro area, but once you head east onto the plains, then there aren't many trees at all. I travelled to the Philly area a lot for my last job, and there were many more and taller trees. I assume a lot of it has to do with more rain and humidity. But then I found it to be almost claustrophobic and you couldn't see very far due to all the trees.

While the trees here are mostly different from Southern California (where we moved from), the size and amount is similar here in Denver, so it seems normal to me. I like to be able to see far off!

[Currency Pair Crocodile]

Did I get this whole thing wrong?

I actually moved here from NYC.

I admit I did not grow up in NYC, but........ I've spent enough time scouting around Colorado now, there are tons of trees, vegetation, grass, parks, woods, mountains, hills.........

Do you fellas mean trees on the road? They have to be felled to let vehicles pass

[Katarina Witt]

Originally Posted by Tim Rankin

I imagine the cottonwoods could survive, but as far as I know, the ash and locust would have been introduced. Does anyone know?

I think Ash and Honey Locust are native to the metro area, but I couldn't find any corroboration with a google search. I seem to recall reading such in a landscaping book. The Ash get their leaves late and lose them early, a good thing in a climate where it snows early and snows late.

[movementarian]

You just gotta go with it - this is the West - accept and embrace it. We have wide open spaces and big views. Sunshine almost every day. Its what makes it a little different out here.

I guess the flip side is asking people from this area who move east - Do you miss the sunny days, the lack of humidity, the little rain, and the big open views? What is it like when the sun goes behind the clouds and comes out a week later? If we had all that in Colorado - we'd have trees and green.

[CosmicWizard]

After growing up in Pennsylvania ( Penns woods! ), the western landscape initially seemed rather barren to me. What I discoverd over time is that I'm a big sky lover at heart. I love the openness, the 100 mile vistas, & the big blue sky. When I went back east, I initially felt claustraphobic in the trees to the point of mild panic attacks. I missed the expansive vistas. I felt so closed in. The humidity and the persistent grey sky made it even worse. Over time, I more or less got used to it again, but the longing for the big sky never left me during the 19 years I spent back east. I remember driving west on I-40 three summers ago moving out west again. Somewhere in Texas, the country side opened up and the sky took on a much bluer color than you ever encounter in the east...I felt like I was coming home again.