Winters in Des Moines (Denver, Colo: how much, live, to move)

[marska]

I have lived in Albany and Des Moines. I'd pick Des Moines any day. A_N_Y D_A_Y , well, unless I have a JONES for a trip to NYC. Or mountains. Or Canada. Or a Long Islander.

1. Winters are not only COLDER but they are much LONGER in Albany than Des Moines. Winter is from 1-Nov thru 31-April in Albany. Des Moines....1-Dec thru 1-March.

2. Winters are much DARKER and the hours of sunlight much SHORTER in Albany than in Des Moines due to Abany being further north and on the edge of the eastern time zone. DO NOT move here if you suffer from SAD.

(sunset is, like, 3:30 pm in Albany Dec & Jan. In Des Moines you have until 4:30. Trust me, sunset at 3:30 pm for 2 months gets to you. That hour makes a difference !!!! )

BUT! Summer is so friggn awesome in Albany/upstate New York. No humidity. Beautiful evenings. No bugs. ALMOST makes up for the hellish and long winters.

PLUS!- no toll roads in Des Moines
in Albany you will curse the daily toll road CHA CHING (plus THEY can monitor your daily movements via the all-holy EZPass, unless you place it in a zero-monitor pouch each day, really, no lie)

PLUS!- New York state is so broke they depend upon traffic and parking tickets for cash flow- you will see 20x's the cops on the roads in Albany as compared to Des Moines- and minus 20x's the cops responding to crime reports (it is much safer to ticket folks going 7 miles an hour over than to respond to calls about a robbery or an assault)

BUT! you can be in NYC within 2 hours via train; it's a bit more of a hassel to go to "the City" from Des Moines. Likewise mountains. Or Canada.

BUT! there are few Long Islanders' in Des Moines.

BUT! there is no equivalent to Brooklyn or the Metropolitan Opera in Des Moines.

BUT! there is no equivalent to the Great Plains (see west of Omaha) in New York.

AND! there are WAY too many trees in New York.

[marska]

oh. I am living in Maryland now. Are we trading places?

[Stavemaster]

Originally Posted by WyoEagle

Okay people, read the post. I never said anything about wind. Of course Wyoming has plenty of wind and it gets bitter cold. However, I think it is much worse when the cold is humid so I do think Iowa is worse. A person from the South will probably have a bit of adjusting. As far as leafless trees, having evergreens around doesn't seem as bleak.

You're right, I read more into your post than was there. But I'm still not sure what you're talking about with the humidity. As capitalcityguy said, if anything it gets really dry in the winter.

Also, I stand by my statement that anyone who can survive Albany should have no real problems with Des Moines.

[NDak15]

I still notice a difference in the air in Iowa and Wyoming in the winter. And to answer the question about evergreens, I actually do live in southwest Wyoming. While there are not many evergreens around, there are more than you would think if you know where to look. Northwest Wyoming is gorgeous in the winter.

[skylar0201]

Originally Posted by WyoEagle

I still notice a difference in the air in Iowa and Wyoming in the winter. And to answer the question about evergreens, I actually do live in southwest Wyoming. While there are not many evergreens around, there are more than you would think if you know where to look. Northwest Wyoming is gorgeous in the winter.

Not many? You mean none at all. Tell me where you see any ( other than someone planting one on their property? )

Yes, NW WY is totally different--evergreens everywhere especially near the Tetons and the closer you get to MT.

When it comes to winter time though, I don't think there are too many folks though who would trade an Iowa winter ( especially near Des Moines ) compared to almost anywhere in WY. WY winters give the meaning "brutal" a whole new meaning, and I think the towns there would be more populated and have better job opportunities if they weren't so brutal.

[NDak15]

Areas around the Flaming Gorge and in the Red Desert have evergreens. Most are junipers but they are there. On the interstate there are none.

[scimitar12]

Originally Posted by Tek_Freek

Mrs. Tek is retiring the beginning of next year. I already have.

First order of business: Get out of Iowa. That is as much for the winter weather as it is for the political climate we seem to be coming into. Better get out before you need any senior health care or reasonable decisions by the powers that be.

And move where? Honestly, every state in the U.S. is facing serious issues with not just finances but also changing political climates to deal with problems.

[scimitar12]

Originally Posted by capitalcityguy

OK...call me ignorant, but humidity in the winter in Iowa? This is the first I've every heard of this. The air is dry in the winter in Iowa. Can someone explain??

Himidity, or lack of, doesn't make a any difference at all in the winter IMHO. If its 0 it's cold - period.

[Omahahonors]

Originally Posted by capitalcityguy

OK...call me ignorant, but humidity in the winter in Iowa? This is the first I've every heard of this. The air is dry in the winter in Iowa. Can someone explain??

Actually, humidity is only a factor with heat. The air in the winter holds so little moisture that meteorologists do not include dew points when measuring how cold it feels. People in the mountain states claim this to be true, but I can tell you that it is a non-factor(after living in a dry climate for a year myself).

[Richard Martin]

Originally Posted by marska

1. Winters are not only COLDER but they are much LONGER in Albany than Des Moines. Winter is from 1-Nov thru 31-April in Albany. Des Moines....1-Dec thru 1-March.

2. Winters are much DARKER and the hours of sunlight much SHORTER in Albany than in Des Moines due to Abany being further north and on the edge of the eastern time zone. DO NOT move here if you suffer from SAD.

(sunset is, like, 3:30 pm in Albany Dec & Jan. In Des Moines you have until 4:30. Trust me, sunset at 3:30 pm for 2 months gets to you. That hour makes a difference !!!! )

East-west position makes no significant difference in the length of day. The north-south position is where the significant differences occur in the length of day. On the longest day of the year there is a 8 minute difference in the length of day between Albany and De Moines.

The earliest sunset in Albany occurs between Dec 2 and Dec 15. The time of sunset on those days is 4:22 PM.

The earliest sunset in Des Moines occurs between Dec 5 and Dec 12. The time of sunset on those days is 4:44 PM.

The seemingly significantly longer days in Des Moines is offset by a much earlier sunrise in Albany.

The Internet is a powerful tool for teaching.

USA Locations for Sunrise Sunset Calendar