Possible move to CO

[purple monkey]

Hello,
I have not lived in the midwest before.
Very sensitive to cold.
Is the cold a bone chilling cold?
I see that MMM seems to be fine with his bike.
Am I missing something?
TIA

[csprof]

Hello,
I have not lived in the midwest before.
Very sensitive to cold.
Is the cold a bone chilling cold?
I see that MMM seems to be fine with his bike.
Am I missing something?
TIA

Aggh, you and my wife.

CO is not the midwest.  It's the mountain west!  (Possibly the southwest depending on whom you ask.  Also possibly the "mountain states", if you ask the census bureau.)

It's cold.  But it's not as cold as the bone-chilling cold you get in the northeast - lower humidity.

But you haven't really defined well what it is that you find cold. :)

Also, where in CO?  The weather in Durango is quite different from that in Estes Park. :)

[La Bibliotecaria Feroz]

Sometimes it is a bone-chilling cold. However, I find that it compares favorably to the actual midwest (I lived in St. Louis once) and to the East Coast. Aside from the lower humidity, it is SO MUCH SUNNIER. In PA, we had snow on the ground for two months straight. It's not like that here. It'll get up to 45 and sunny and melt all the snow.

[purple monkey]

Thank you.
Sorry for the geographic terminology.
I was thinking of Colorado Springs.
I have lived in mid-atlantic and felt it was cold, but could tolerate.
So , CO folks, how do you dress?

[La Bibliotecaria Feroz]

Thank you.
Sorry for the geographic terminology.
I was thinking of Colorado Springs.
I have lived in mid-atlantic and felt it was cold, but could tolerate.
So , CO folks, how do you dress?

Are you thinking of coming from somewhere super-warm? I don't dress that differently than I did on the East Coast. Winter clothes, Tights, decorative boots, small sweater, for instance. And it was unusually cold today.

[gReed Smith]

Tomorrow in Colo Springs the high is expected to be 11.  But it will be sunny.

This isn't a low cost of living area though.  If I were randomly picking up and moving, it wouldn't be to the Front Range.  However, there are good jobs here.

[Roboturner]

its not at all the bone chilling variety of cold, very dry climate so 11 deg here feels warmer than 32 in a humid-cold state imo.

The climate is largely temperate so its rarely too hot or too cold. We get the full 4 seasons so winter coat with gloves/hat in the winter, light jacket in the spring/fall and you should be ok. The only thing that's different is the weather can be a little ADHD, so make sure to check the weather report and plan accordingly each day, it's not overly strange to have a wild swing from 70deg to snowing within a day in the colder 6 months

[C-note]

Great weather!  Lived in the upper midwest where the snow that melted in March, fell in November.  Around here, as soon as the sun comes out, the snow's gone - for the most part.

Shorts and T's in the summer, long sleeve in the fall, coat (maybe gloves depending on temp) in the winter, and mixture of long & short T's with shorts and jeans in the spring which I think is more of a roller-coaster than any other season.

No bugs!  Great outdoor activities!  Traffic is getting to be a bit of a pain so if you can adjust your commute, it helps with your sanity. Definitely a semi-arid climate.

[Roboturner]

No bugs!

^that's a biggun'

[ysette9]

Like most things, your experience will depend on your perspective. As a born-and-raised Californian who has lived in the Denver area twice now, I find winters in Denver to be COLD. It is true that not every day is cold, and it being a dry cold versus a humid cold also helps. All the same, white stuff falls on the ground and you have to scrape ice off windshields.

I'm not too sure what "Midwest" really means. Denver certainly seems like it is in the middle. Maybe not as middle-of-the-middle as Kansas, it there is nothing western about it in my book. Then again, in my perspective the "west" probably ends in the Sierras. ;)

Overall it is a decent place to live. It has been getting quite a bit more expensive since over the past ten years as more people move in, though considerably less so than what I am used to. It doesn't have all of the culture and diversity (and good food!) of places on the west coast, but it offers a lot all the same. You might want to take a trip out sometime soon to see for yourself since all we will give you is a bunch of opinions. One thing to note is that being very dry means things like nosebleeds, cracked knuckles, and shocking yourself with static electricity every time you touch your car door.

[Trifle]

As others have said, it depends on your frame of reference.  Also -- there are a number of factors that determine how miserable or comfortable winter weather feels.  Humidity is a big one.  35 degrees and humid feels worse than 10 degrees and dry. 

Another huge one is SUN.   I grew up in the Upper Midwest (Iowa/Minnesota) where it is butt freaking cold in the winter.  But the sun shines a good bit.  By contrast, I later lived in Upstate New York for many years, and winter there is a whole different animal.  It is damp, and slushy, and dim, with a thick cloud cover that lasts from November to April.

Here is a funny listing of the US states based on how good/miserable their winters are. Pretty much accurate in my experience: www.thrillist.com/travel/nation/states-with-the-worst-winters-worst-us-states-for-winter.  Colorado ranks really, really well. 

Long way to say -- I think winter in Colorado is lovely, and you probably will too, unless you are from somewhere very warm and/or don't engage in winter outdoor activities.         

[Trifle]

Funny, but pretty much accurate in my experience:        www.thrillist.com/travel/nation/states-with-the-worst-winters-worst-us-states-for-winter. 

Colorado ranks really, really well. 
 

[gReed Smith]

So I was wrong about the sun.  It's mostly cloudy right now. But we generally have sun even when it's cold.

For the most part, I like the weather. But there is one big trade off for low humidity.  Around 5 o'clock in the summer, the temperature drops quickly.  There are no balmy evenings.  I loved warm summer evenings at PNC Park.

[waltworks]

If you are looking for high desert climate (ie Csprings, Pueblo) try northern NM. Much lower COL and same topography/elevation/climate.

Also green chile!

-W

[MishMash]

Thank you.
Sorry for the geographic terminology.
I was thinking of Colorado Springs.
I have lived in mid-atlantic and felt it was cold, but could tolerate.
So , CO folks, how do you dress?

We lived in the Springs for a number of years.  I HATE..HATE HATE!!!! cold weather.  And it's cold there.  That said, it's a different kind of cold, more dry, so 11 there feels like 35 or so on the east coast due to the lack of humidity.  We also got less snow then Denver due to the situation of the mountains.  I loved everything the area had to offer but we only got to enjoy a lot of the outdoors from May to September.  I'm not a huge skier so we didn't take part of the winter sports too much.  You have to like the cold, and like winter to live there.  And you will have a hard time with the elevation if you have respiratory problems.  My father had a hard time each time he came to visit, even after he was there longer then the acclimation period most suggest.  I'm an asthmatic and even after 4 years of full time living, I would get winded walking up large flights of stairs.

Low cost areas in comparison to LCOL south, not really, rents this year hit new all time highs.  There are some cheaper places by the airport/military base and in Pueblo, but most of them you are putting your life on the line to live in.  I had to move a friend out of her apartment with her three kids while the husband was deployed because there were three shootings in the parking lot.  Others in other neighborhoods routinely got broken into or saw drug activity.

[BMEPhDinCO]

I may have to move permanently due to poor health.
Coming from LCOL in South.
Are there any LCOL near Colorado springs tbat you could rent.
May have to retire there due to Heath.
TIA

Health: There are still allergy issues out here, not sure what you are having, but if you mean things like pollen, it's still here, just slightly less

LCOL in South: MUCH more expensive here - my family is still in GA and they are constantly shocked at prices here - and visa versa. Houses out there are half the cost of comparable ones out here. Gas is a bit cheaper there, sometimes, groceries are comparable, utilities are comparableish, but a bit more here...
Near the Springs, you would have to go south, north is more expensive. If you are renting though, will you have a car? Public transit isn't great out here (better than ATL though!) Consider going to the more remote locations for cheaper living - outside of the "Front Range" area (that's the I-25 area).

Also, it's FREEZING COLD (literally) here most of the winter. I really hate that part of it and driving scares me as people here have no concept of snow and ice and caution attached to them. I keep my house fairly warm (and pay for it) and I still shake sometimes. But blankets, sweaters, hats, gloves... all your friends.

Consider going to TX for lower cost of living and better weather.