Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
I'm in the Sonoran and it can be fairly green, more or less, depending on the season.
Personally, when I'm out in the desert I see the interplay between green and brown, I see red, white, yellow, green rock. Fiery red and orange sunsets with intense dry air clarity almost every day. Most importantly, for me, i can see the land. The contours and shape of the mountains instead of green fuzzball shapes. The views too. Trees hide the view. It's claustrophobic.
I was surprised at how "brown" Colorado is, and Sante Fe, NM could surely use a good, steady dose of rain, as the entire city just looks brown and dusty..
I've lived in NM for about a year and I like the dry landscape but we have had a servere drought so it is dryer than normal. Some of the centuries-old juniper trees are dying off. I have enough green around me that I don't miss the dense woods of Missouri. When I go back to Missouri the forest looks like a an inpenetrable jungle.
I'm a Southern California native currently living in the Arizona desert since 2011. I've also lived in Las Vegas, NV and Palm Springs, CA, so I have quite a bit of experience with desert living. As a few people have pointed out, I think it's all what you're used to. I would love to spend at least a few years living somewhere more green just so I could have that experience, but the desert does have it's own appeal.
The AZ sunsets are spectacular. I love the cacti everywhere, and I enjoy the wide open spaces that surround the metro area. The "brown lawns" described in a previous post are not usually brown grass, but rocks. Many people here actually love this, because it's low maintenance and means no yard work. On the other hand, there are still neighborhoods with green lawns or alternatively with beautful desert xeriscaping for those who can't stomach a yard full of rocks. When we want to see a little more color, we head up to Sedona or Flagstaff. The red rock formations in Sedona are breathtaking and something everyone should see at least once. Flagstaff is in a forest and at a very high elevation so it has greenery, cooler temps, and lots of snow in the winter.
One of the best things about this part of the country is that we have such easy access to different weather when we need a break from whatever weather we're experiencing locally. If you're in the Midwest or Northeast, you have to travel quite a bit if you feel like escaping those winter temps or humidity or whatever. Really the only time of year here that can get tedious is summer, and relief is only a 2 hour drive away. Locals often take day or weekend trips to beat the heat. For example, this weekend is going to be a hot 108 here, but in Flagstaff it will be 84. 84 with cool mountain air and hardly any humidity is about as perfect as summer weather gets, at least to me.
As a final note, I will say that both the Phoenix and Las Vegas metros have TONS of transplants from the Midwest and east coast, and I have heard many of the swear that they will never return to their home state and that they love the heat and the desert scenery. I really think it all comes down to personal preferences and how much you enjoy trying out something completely different than what you're used to.
I grew up in Kentucky and now live in southern Nevada. Sometimes I miss the green, however I also remember the long (at least IMO) winters that came along with the green scenery. I lived in Portland, Or for a few years and while there was plenty of green grass and trees there was also an over abundance of grey skies and dreary weather. For me the brown landscape of Nevada is a symbol that I don't have to stress about getting to see the sunshine. IMO I say we are blessed to get to live in a country where we can essentially choose what kind of a climate we prefer. Many countries around the world don't get that blessing like we do with our diverse geography. I choose brown b/c for me brown = sunshine.
The Pacific NW is the green part. The rest of the NW away from the ocean is drier.
But when people refer to the PNW, they're throwing in the entire states of Oregon and Washington. I'm just pointing out to people who may not know that only portions of Oregon and Washington are green and lush like they may picture in their minds. It wasn't meant as a slight. I think the Western portions of Washington and Oregon are beautiful and rival the East Coast in greenery.
Montana is the same way. Only about 1/3 of Montana is mountainous. People who haven't been here before have a picture in their head that it's all rugged mountains and cowboys. Not true.
But when people refer to the PNW, they're throwing in the entire states of Oregon and Washington. I'm just pointing out to people who may not know that only portions of Oregon and Washington are green and lush like they may picture in their minds. It wasn't meant as a slight. I think the Western portions of Washington and Oregon are beautiful and rival the East Coast in greenery.
Montana is the same way. Only about 1/3 of Montana is mountainous. People who haven't been here before have a picture in their head that it's all rugged mountains and cowboys. Not true.
Understood, I take the time point out the difference for some because often Idaho and Montana will be referred to as the PNW instead of the NW.
Separate point but related, I've often wished there was a Pacific Southwest designation so there was no need to argue about whether San Diego and Los Angeles are in the Southwest or not.
I've been exploring the possibility of moving out west, but have one major concern: It's mostly dry and brown.
Does anyone who lives out west (including California) ever feel like they would like to see more greenery in their life?
Last year when I took a trip out to San Diego, I thought it was a beautiful place, but still thought it was somewhat dry and drab green looking. I'm possibly spoiled from living in the eastern U.S. where it's very green in the summer, but if someone moves from the east to the west, do they get used to the lack of greenery compared to the same levels of greenery found in the east during summertime? I mean, for me, I live in the East and although we go through 7 months of dead looking vegetation, I think it's worth suffering through in order to see all the lush, beautiful greenery in the summer just for 5 months.
I've heard of mixed feelings on this matter, from people in the Albuquerque area. One guy told me that he's disenchanted with the area because of how brown and dry it is. But then, my cousin who lives there (originally from back east) LOVES the scenery more than back east, even though it's not as green. He said that he prefers the diverse landscape, which has a mixture of brown and green.
Discuss away!
In the Sonoran Desert there are lots of desert plants as the Sonoran Desert is one of the wettest deserts in North America and it's the only place in the world where the saguaro cactus lives.
I live in an east coast state (MS) and love the greenery. My garden looks beautiful in October.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
