winters in evergreen colorado (Denver, Louisville: renting, home, luxury)

[onthamove]

i am moving there this fall and hear it can be quite snowy. just wondered if anyone has any knowledge here, i know denver averages 60'' in a winter but with evergreen being 7000-8000 feet in elevation 30 miles west i imagine they get more.

[Pathwalker]

I don't live in the area (yet), but it's my understanding that Evergreen gets about 84" of snow a year. It's beautiful there, I know that.

[Katarina Witt]

Try looking up weather data on www.accuweather.com or Welcome to The Weather Underground : Weather Underground

[Dreaming of Hawaii]

Evergreen gets a lot more snow than Denver. I lived there for five years and there was only one time that I couldn't make it home because the highways were closed. But if you are commuting to Denver, be prepared to deal with snow and ice even as late as May.

[High Altitude]

Normal snow fall is around 80-90" a year but there can be big differences from year to year.

I don't find the snow to be a problem at all, but it does depend on the person. It's very subjective, no right answer etc... Renting is probably a good choice to get a feel for the area. I rented for 6 months and it was the best thing.

We had a few big storms this season and the biggest one brought 3' of snow at my house. I woke up, snow throwed the driveway (which took twice as long as usual) and when I drove out to the county road it was all ready plowed. The county is great about plowing the roads in Evergreen.

With 4wd I have always been able to get around. During the biggest snow storms this season I drove around before, during and after.

You will be spending much more time removing snow from your drive way compared to living down the hill. You either do it yourself or hire it out. My driveway is at least 200' long and it goes pretty quick with either my ATV or my snow thrower.

My wife works in down town Denver and in the last 3.5 years she has always been able to drive to work.

[41Willys]

I lived in Louisville till 1998. My buddy I worked with for United Airlines lived in EverGreen. He never owned a 4 wheel drive! Going up rt 70 can be treturous, 50 car pile ups are not unheard of. But he always made it in his little 2WD pick up truck. And he was 52 years old then.

[High Altitude]

Originally Posted by 41Willys

I lived in Louisville till 1998. My buddy I worked with for United Airlines lived in EverGreen. He never owned a 4 wheel drive! Going up rt 70 can be treturous, 50 car pile ups are not unheard of. But he always made it in his little 2WD pick up truck. And he was 52 years old then.

My neighbor doesn't even use snow tires on his fwd car. I am sure he misses a few days a year but he definitely knows how to drive in snow.

I take the other approach. There may only be a few days a year where I absolutely NEED 4wd but I find it very convenient to have and if I want to drive out to the county road in 2' of snow I can do it with out having to plow etc... It really is more of a luxury most of the time.