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Austin and Denver share some similarities in terms of vibe and economy. Both have a strong base of young, well-educated professionals, both have good downtowns and are tech heavy. Denver has more amenities, much better public transportation, and a significantly more important airport than Austin. With all that in mind, there isn't a snowball's chance in hell that I'd ever trade a Denver winter for an Austin summer.
Denver's winters are variable. It can be 20 degrees one day and 50 the next. The snow doesn't last all winter, and there are plenty of days when the temps are in the 50s and 60s. Even an occasional 70-degree day in January or February is not out of the question.
Austin's summers, OTOH, are awful. The heat and humidity are unrelenting for 3.5-4 months. Highs in the 90s with overnight lows in the 70s are the norm from early June through the middle of September. Triple digit temps are common in July and August. Between June 15th and September 15th you'll probably be able to count the number of days when it isn't 90+ degrees on both hands. Your AC runs 24/7 for almost a third of the year. At least when it gets hot in Denver you can drive 45 minutes into the mountains and it'll be 15-20 degrees cooler. No such luck in Austin. The Hill Country might be 5 degrees cooler - if you're lucky.
Last edited by bluescreen73; 06-03-2018 at 08:57 AM..
Both are smaller than Denver and both have warmer winter climates. Sacramento has the mildest winter climate of all 3. Sacramento gets the most Sun, more Sun than Denver. Portland gets the most Rain. Denver gets the most Snow.
Sacramento's Sierra's and Lake Tahoe, similar to Denver's Mts have world class snow ski resorts all within 1-2 hour drive.
Sacramento's city core is very very walkable bike friendly, tree-lined, and filled with small business/family-run coffee, beer, restaurants and cafes.
Both Sacramento and Portland have one major league sports team (NBA). Minor league teams for baseball and soccer.
Both Sacramento and Portland beat Denver in water recreation, and having a nearby ocean, under 2hr drive.
Sacramento - The Sacramento and American Rivers, Folsom Lake.
Portland - The Columbia and the Willamette
Both Sacramento and Portland have Light rail systems.
Tech and young professionals on the rise: California Gov't is big and hiring only well-educated, tech savvy young professionals. Intel's Research and Development has been in the Sac Metro almost 30 years.
A Sacramento summer beats an Austin summer. Sac has the cold Pacific that cools it regularly and dramatically during the summer evenings, nights, and mornings, so you don't have to run your air conditioning 24/7. 90F in Sac feels more like 85F versus 90F in Austin feels like 100F because of the Austins humidity. It's a dry heat in SAC, but not bone dry like Phoenix/Vegas.
Like Denver, Cannabis is legal in Sacramento. Cannabis-growing related businesses is booming in Sacramento.
It you are coming from a big foodie city like SF or Seattle, Sacramento will wet your palate and explode in your mouth with Good Taste, for half the price.
THE OVERLOOKED CALIFORNIA CITY THAT'S ABOUT TO BLOW UP AS A FOOD DESTINATION
Albuquerque is a couple feet higher than Denver and is warmer. Snow in the mountains but not much in town...none last year. It has a Spanish vibe and a mañana feel to it. It grew up as more agricultural than mining and is high desert rather than high plains. It has some high tech economic presence but much of that is associated with Sandia Labs or military. The climate and setting is perfect and the best match but there's less than a million people in the metro area and only two million in the whole state.
Both are smaller than Denver and both have warmer winter climates. Sacramento has the mildest winter climate of all 3. Sacramento gets the most Sun, more Sun than Denver. Portland gets the most Rain. Denver gets the most Snow.
Sacramento's Sierra's and Lake Tahoe, similar to Denver's Mts have world class snow ski resorts all within 1-2 hour drive.
Sacramento's city core is very very walkable bike friendly, tree-lined, and filled with small business/family-run coffee, beer, restaurants and cafes.
Both Sacramento and Portland have one major league sports team (NBA). Minor league teams for baseball and soccer.
Both Sacramento and Portland beat Denver in water recreation, and having a nearby ocean, under 2hr drive.
Sacramento - The Sacramento and American Rivers, Folsom Lake.
Portland - The Columbia and the Willamette
Both Sacramento and Portland have Light rail systems.
Two cities I’ve never been to. I have a long weekend trip to Portland planned for July. Looking forward to exploring it.
Charlotte is also close to mountains and is a rapid developing city where most of the built up enviornment dates from the 1970s and onward. The Appalachian mountains obviously are not as tall which makes them warmer......plus both cities have a very generic modern all-American feel to them without a unique local culture. Charlotte may be in the South but its so modern and such a large percent of people there are transplants and immigrants that Southern culture is very weak and it feels like a very pleasant, clean, but generic city. (but then I'm from Louisiana where we have a very unique culture as well as true Southern culture)
Austin and Denver share some similarities in terms of vibe and economy. Both have a strong base of young, well-educated professionals, both have good downtowns and are tech heavy. Denver has more amenities, much better public transportation, and a significantly more important airport than Austin. With all that in mind, there isn't a snowball's chance in hell that I'd ever trade a Denver winter for an Austin summer.
Denver's winters are variable. It can be 20 degrees one day and 50 the next. The snow doesn't last all winter, and there are plenty of days when the temps are in the 50s and 60s. Even an occasional 70-degree day in January or February is not out of the question.
Austin's summers, OTOH, are awful. The heat and humidity are unrelenting for 3.5-4 months. Highs in the 90s with overnight lows in the 70s are the norm from early June through the middle of September. Triple digit temps are common in July and August. Between June 15th and September 15th you'll probably be able to count the number of days when it isn't 90+ degrees on both hands. Your AC runs 24/7 for almost a third of the year. At least when it gets hot in Denver you can drive 45 minutes into the mountains and it'll be 15-20 degrees cooler. No such luck in Austin. The Hill Country might be 5 degrees cooler - if you're lucky.
At least with Austin you very rarely have to deal with actual winter. It's true Denver winters aren't generally that bad, but snow in May is always a possibility. I can see how some people would prefer Austin's weather to Denver's.
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