Downsides to Colorado's weather (Denver, Longmont: for sale, apartment, rent)

[Metairie]

Originally Posted by Phil P

Maybe if your out sitting in the weather or going for a walk the dry air is nicer, but working in it, I would prefer the humid days in the 90s over the dry. Dry air can beat you up, wet air just makes you sweat more which when your already sweating isn't that bad.

But it's probably a personal preference thing that depends on how peoples bodies function.

And 70 F is much more beautiful with 60% humidity than 8%.

I take 70 degrees with 8% way before 60%. Anything over 50% is sweaty.

[gmm_24]

Originally Posted by davebarnes

Wrong.

No bugs.
No mildew.
Warm sunny days in January and February.
No February slush month.

I would never move back to New England.

Where does this no bug thing come from?

When I lived in the 'burbs we had wasps, mosquitoes, flies, a ton of miller moths, ear wigs, lady bugs, black ants, black widows, wolf spiders, cute jumping spiders, creepy ass spiders that I only saw in Thornton.
I know in the cities they can have bed bugs and roaches as well.
Now that I live in the country I can also add... red ants, yet more wasps, yet more flies, etc etc

True there are far less fleas, ticks, gnats then out East but here we also lack the cool colored butterflies, lightning bugs and such.

Put your clothes in the dryer, turn it on, come back hours later to find that United Power worked on the lines all day and your clothes did not dry, you will have mildew smelling clothes.



Phil I feel like I am in a microwave when I am outside in 90 degree weather but I will take it over the long winters we have.

[Phil P]

Originally Posted by Sunderpig2

I'd agree somewhat with points 3 and 5, and heavily agree with 4. The winters do seem long, or rather, it is the faded "winter look" that lingers. It doesn't really fully green up until about May, and starts to taper off in Sept/Oct. So the winter look tends to dominate over the summer, short fall, and very short spring.

Although the UV intensity should be good for plants (I've never had any issue with it beyond that), the dryness makes for lots of watering. The dryness is personally the biggest issue. Although it makes for great comfort, it is hard on a respiratory system used to decades of high humidity (as in my case). Still trying various "engineering" tactics to counteract it.

In the end though, newcomers and long-time residents will probably see the weather from much different angles.

I was comparing CO Springs to Ft. Wayne IN climate wise. The two line up pretty similarly actually. Only Ft Wayne has about a good month more of growing season and cooler highs and warmer lows throughout the winter, with the snow bunching up in Dec, Jan, and Feb while in CO Springs its pretty erratic from Oct-May. So our winters are pretty comparable to "up north", just longer and more spread out and more erratic and drier.

As far as sunshine on the plants, I think its too intense actually. I know in previous years we had issues with plant leaves burning off of plants due to the sunshine and the really low humidity.

Originally Posted by Indigo Cardinal

.....sexy grass.....?

Tell me that bluestem or wheatgrass isn't sexier than buffalo/bluegramma grass. That's the thing about Coloradans I have noticed, they see beauty on a very macro level, a mountain and valleys... but tend to ignore the micro, or up close beauty.

Originally Posted by gmm_24

Where does this no bug thing come from?

When I lived in the 'burbs we had wasps, mosquitoes, flies, a ton of miller moths, ear wigs, lady bugs, black ants, black widows, wolf spiders, cute jumping spiders, creepy ass spiders that I only saw in Thornton.
I know in the cities they can have bed bugs and roaches as well.
Now that I live in the country I can also add... red ants, yet more wasps, yet more flies, etc etc

True there are far less fleas, ticks, gnats then out East but here we also lack the cool colored butterflies, lightning bugs and such.

Put your clothes in the dryer, turn it on, come back hours later to find that United Power worked on the lines all day and your clothes did not dry, you will have mildew smelling clothes.



Phil I feel like I am in a microwave when I am outside in 90 degree weather but I will take it over the long winters we have.

Agreed. I was scared of snakes in other parts of the country, but even at places like garden of the gods there are rattlers around. I've smushed more than one black widow, but spiders don't scare me that much. There was this wall I walked past in Denver was full of wasps as well, it didn't bother me really though.

[sum12nv]

The weather is a huge plus coming from our eyes living here in NE Kansas. We just spent 4 days in Colorado Springs checking out the area and it was so nice not experiencing humidity. While it was still warm and I could even say hot in the sun, as soon as you would step in the shade it easily felt 10-15 degrees cooler which was nice. The evenings cooled off and it was actually nice needing to put on a light jacket. Normally around here it just gets more humid and sticky during the evenings. Not that we would prefer a longer winter I dont feel like the winter will be as harsh as what we currently experience. We get plenty of days of snow and some ice storms plus the negative degree wind chills. From what I keep reading and the research I've done it seem while winter may last longer the sun helps make it feel a lot warmer and the lack of humidity doesnt chill you as bad. One thing I will comment on is about the whole no bugs thing I keep reading. While we didnt experience many in CS we were in Taylor Park last month and the mosquitos were horrible. We about got eaten alive in a few areas. Now I know they have had more rain than usual so I wasnt sure if that had something to do with it.

[Apple Tree]

I kind of like when I stick a tree in the ground and it just grows. You don't get that here. Just sayin'

[StealthRabbit]

Originally Posted by Apple Tree

I kind of like when I stick a tree in the ground and it just grows. You don't get that here. Just sayin'

ugh, U R correct! I spent YEARS carrying water to my CO trees and they got measurably bigger after about 10 yrs. In the PNW, I have a tough time getting them cut for Xmas trees BEFORE they out-grow my 17' ceiling. I have transplanted hundreds of trees 'rescued' from the drainage ditches in the PNW, many are now over 100ft tall.

Stick it in the ground and it GROWS (around here).

[denverian]

Originally Posted by Apple Tree

I kind of like when I stick a tree in the ground and it just grows. You don't get that here. Just sayin'

Seems to be very "hit or miss" with trees in my neighborhood. My house (and neighborhood) was new 10 years ago. I have a couple Locust trees that are as tall as my 2 story house, but in the park across the street, they planted the same Locust trees at the same time as mine and none are as big as mine, and some of them keep dying (and the idiots in charge plant the same tree back so it too can die).

Then I have a Pine tree that I brought home in the front seat of my car 10 years ago and it's around 20' tall now. I think the soil is the problem, overall.

[Phil P]

Originally Posted by denverian

Seems to be very "hit or miss" with trees in my neighborhood. My house (and neighborhood) was new 10 years ago. I have a couple Locust trees that are as tall as my 2 story house, but in the park across the street, they planted the same Locust trees at the same time as mine and none are as big as mine, and some of them keep dying (and the idiots in charge plant the same tree back so it too can die).

Then I have a Pine tree that I brought home in the front seat of my car 10 years ago and it's around 20' tall now. I think the soil is the problem, overall.

They have trees grow in the Canadian shield with like 1 ft of soil. Soils a piece, but it's not all. We had a bunch of pines die in the springs due to like one day where the temp swung from below freezing to about 70. Low humidity and high sunlight will burn leaves. A LOT if plants get killed over warm winters. And the amount of plants that can be planted are few. I know in the springs most mature lindens are like half dead, a lot of maples have issues, ash trees had it hard this year with frosts... Cottonwoods in MN look a lot healthier and bigger than cottonwoods here. It's just a hard place for things to grow.

[Apple Tree]

Originally Posted by Phil P

They have trees grow in the Canadian shield with like 1 ft of soil. Soils a piece, but it's not all. We had a bunch of pines die in the springs due to like one day where the temp swung from below freezing to about 70. Low humidity and high sunlight will burn leaves. A LOT if plants get killed over warm winters. And the amount of plants that can be planted are few. I know in the springs most mature lindens are like half dead, a lot of maples have issues, ash trees had it hard this year with frosts... Cottonwoods in MN look a lot healthier and bigger than cottonwoods here. It's just a hard place for things to grow.

I think the main point is that the Denver climate was never meant to be green. If your image of Denver is green mountain pines like you see in a Subaru commercial, you will be disappointed. If your image is that it is brown, and you shouldn't try to be a gardener weekend arborist in that climate, then you have the right expectations. Denver has a lot going for it, but being able to have beautiful gardens or a wooden lot is not one of them. Landscape with stone.

[vnodak]

Ha
I have lived in North Dakota, Minnesota,Montana, Washington, New Mexico,Oregon----Colorado has the best weather---not perfect but it all is a matter of perspective and what you do not mind. No place is perfect but I will take what Colorado has to offer. Other places I have traveled to, I would not want to live there so I consider myself lucky to be in Colorado for sure.