Possible move from Florida.

[Sonic_Spork]

Wondering what $350K might be able to get you? I live in the 80918 area code and there are a lot of big, pretty houses up this way. As Mike says, it is the north side, here take a look at this one (hopefully the link works and continues to work...if it's uncool to post such a specific listing, let me know or cut it please but I want to be accurate)

https://www.zillow.com/homedetails/2...?fullpage=true

...just as an example. OK so the name of the street is a little "what the heck and why would you name a street that" but we are talking a big, beautiful house in a nice area with pretty good schools, so there. (If this listing can't be left here, just search any listing site with the price parameters and check out some of the homes north of the Academy/Union intersection.)

I live near the University Park neighborhood and while at this moment I'm not seeing listings in that price range, I have seen them before. Also, it is my opinion that home values are inflated right now, and that in time they might come down to something a bit more sane...but I could be wrong, as this is a desirable city to live in and our population is growing. In the meantime, $350K could get you a generously sized, attractive and well kept home in a safe and pleasant neighborhood with good schools, and nice safe places for your kids to play and grow up. Oh, and the University Park neighborhood, like many, has trails nearby, some of which I think you could probably take a stroller on, and we see a lot of mule deer. Big, pretty and generally placid critters.

The big difference IMO between winters here and in the Midwest, is that in the Midwest, once winter really starts, you don't catch a break. The snow and ice just keeps piling up, the cold is unrelenting. Here, it's more like a winter weather event that is likely mild, but perhaps not, and as others have said, it warms up soon and you get a few days of sunshine and mellow temps in between. Our transitional seasons are almost nonexistant though, if you have a love for clearly defined spring or fall weather...not so much. But it can be funky weird weather. I once had a serious blizzard trap me at work (I actually stayed in a hotel next door) and a ten minute drive in any direction they got nothing at all. It was a freaky little micro-blizzard. I've seen hailstorms in the middle of summer, so bad they brought out snowplows to deal with the accumulated hail. I wouldn't say winter weather shuts down the city, but some places will close or delay, like schools, military bases, and office type workplaces like mine will be forgiving of those of us who are "snow chickens" and want to call in and stay home. In the summer, the worst heat is windy and dry (fire danger then, too!) it feels like standing in front of a high powered hair dryer. But there's a tremendous difference in the shade, which you don't get in more humid places. You can get out of the sun and be comfortable.

Regarding altitude: If you visit, it might bug you. It's normal to feel fatigue, or get out of breath. Drinking lots of water can help, especially since it is also arid here. It took me 2 months to really acclimate, so that I could hop up a flight of stairs without needing to sit down and catch my breath at the top.

Regarding green: When I lived in Widefield, which is south of the city and more in the plains than near the mountains, I noticed the brown a lot. In the winter months, it was almost depressingly brown. Since moving north though, we seem to have more evergreen plants up here and less grass fields. It makes a difference. Lots of rocks. Rocks, rocks, rocks. Ruggedy canyony mountainy rocks of many types and colors. Smart people landscape with 'em, because keeping grass alive can be a questionable decision for sustainability and financial reasons (though many do it anyhow.) To have a lawn, you will have to run a sprinkler system every day for several months, which is quite unlike for instance, Florida.

And, my personal opinion here, one of the best reasons to consider moving here is the PEOPLE. So much more friendly, happy, down to earth but creative and fun, and non-dramatic, compared to so many people "back east" (which is where I came from, too--DC area, then Ohio.) People here are NICE. I had a very enthusiastic and joyful half hour long conversation about apples with 3 guys who worked in the produce dept at a local grocery store, on Thanksgiving Day. It was so nice I'm seriously thinking about baking them a pie. I encounter niceness like that everywhere here.