I have a bunch of questions... I am moving from LA CA to Denver Colorado?

Question

1. what are the best areas to live in colorado if I am looking for a home and willing to pay $1500 - 2000 a month? NICE AREAS! I heard south denver is the best and in highland ranch and Greenwood village is that true?

2. How much snow is there really? During the winter how much would it snow and how often? When does the snow/rain weather kick in and end?

3. Which nice cities in Colo get the most snow?

4. What other interesting weather facts could you give a person moving from Cali?

5. Like everywhere else, I am sure colorado has had its weird weather patterns lately, what have they been... if any?

6. Is it really difficult to drive in the snow? Are there a lot of accidents?

Any other information you may have to give that is important for someone like me and my situation would be much appreciated. Even if they are very obvious to you, they probably wont be to me!

THANKS!

Answer 1

1.highland ranch is cool there is also golden,auroara,longmont,rents vary it depends
wether you want to live in town or out of town.
2.it varys, lately the winters have been mild
it does get very very cold +15 to 20 degrees F in the daytime to -20 to - 40 degrees below
zero F at night or colder depending on the wind chill factor (how fast the wind is blowing makes it colder than actual temp like heat index in reverse)winds can reach upwards of 80 to 120mph and can cause blizzards and white outs
for days snow can range from several inchs to several feet in one storm if the athorites tell to
you to stay off the roads and at home do so it
can snow as late as april but not often snow
can start as early as mid to end of september.
3.it varys mostly towns and cities in the mountians breckenridge,vail, aspen,leadville,
central city
4.temps can change as much as 70 degrees in hours so always have some extra warm clothes
some high energy foods and water(1 gallon at
least) a heavy blanket warm winter boots and
gloves,a hat and scarf and sun glasses to keep from being snowblinded from glare off the snow from the sun, at 30 below zero exposed flesh can freeze in less then a minute get some insulated carhart coveralls and you wont be sorry !!
5. lack of snow but still very very cold!! but dont let your guard down it can and will sneek up on you when you least expect it and thats how people die exposeure to the elements up in
the high country theres a saying if you dont like the weather wait 5 minutes it'll change!!
in summer thundersorms can spring up out of nowhere and dump massive rain in 1 hour and
cause a flashflood and has some of the worst
hail can dump feet in one hour a house with a
garage is a must if bad weather pops up slow down 20 mph and leave 4 times the distance between you and other drivers
6. not really use common sense,go slow - 20 mph below posted speed if other fools want to go faster let them, leave at least a hour early
to get to where you are going and leave a
bunch of room between you and the other drivers , don't slam on your brakes,antilock
brakes can still lock up if you drive a standerd
transmission and you start to skid let off the gas and push the clutch in and the tires will
stop slideing and regain traction then litely
depress the brakes,on a automatic transmission
carefully shift it into neutral and use the same
process as a standerd transmission to slow
down minus useing the clutch, black ice looks like patch of that looks darker then the road
surface vary slick most accidents happen durning and after the first snow as people
have to get use to driving in it again then its not so bad.
7. when you get there you will have to get use to the altitude difference from sea level to over
a mile up breathing will be a lot harder durning
strenuious activity and your stamina will half as
much as at sea level but over the first 6 months
take it easy and your body will aclimatise to the
altitude and breathing will become easier and
your stamina will return to normal after 1 year
you will be as right as rain and if you go back
to LA for a visit you will be able to out run all
your friends as your lungs will be turbocharged
with oxygen my kids are livin proof of that .
8. if you need any other information about
the area and surrondings feel free to drop me
a e-mail at ( [e-mail] ) and
i'll answer any questions you still may have as
i lived up in that area for 13 years+

Answer 2

1. There are many nice areas, and South Denver is just one. A lot depends on whether you want urban, suburban, or rural. For me personally, the problem with Highland Ranch and Greenwood Village is that they are typical suburbia. The areas closer in to Denver have more character. It's a diverse area. Get a book or talk to a real estate agent with an open mind. Consider your commute carefully, though, rush hour traffic is right up there with other congested cities.

2. It does snow a fair amount. Real snow tires and a FWD or 4WD car are a very good idea. But the nice thing is that there are a lot of sunny days in the winter and the snow leaves fast. Because of the dry climate some just evaporates without causing slush. The surprise to most people is that the big snows don't usually start until February and last through April.

3. Look at a map of Colorado. In general, the further west you go from Denver, the more snow, until you get past Vail. Ther are exceptions, though, Buena Vista is in an unusually mild area, called Colorado's "Banana Belt". If you're looking for snow, obviously the ski towns have the most. They're not in your price range, tho. For snowfall on a budget I might check out Nederland, Wondervu, or Ward, three small communities NW of Denver. I think they're nice, but some would find them a little offbeat, particularly Ward. Think VW microbus types.

4. Dry air. About as much sun as Cali, year round. Hotter in summer, colder in winter (continental US, not the coast). Certain areas can be very windy. Dry air.

5. Drought is a perennial problem. It's better to have a house without a large Kentucky Bluegrass lawn, which is a real headache during drought. If you happen to buy one, think about taking it out and xeriscaping (dry weather planting).

6. As I said real snow tires (not all-season tires) on a spare set of wheels for winter and a FWD or 4WD. If you live outside the Denver metro area, I'd have a 4WD. ABS is good. If I was buying a car, ABS would be a must have. 4WD with ABS is a must for the snow towns I spoke of. More people have trouble here by driving something inappropriate than for any other reason. They get into accidents, maybe with you.

Answer 3

hi!

1500-2000 a month will get you a nice place. highlands ranch is a nice family area (if you are young or single it would be pretty boring), my choices are

washington park neighborhood- the actual park is pretty and great if you like to run bike walk. there are mid-high priced apartments or very large houses. it is just a nice area with good people, some restaurants (try the hanle bar grill for a cheap and casual burger), bars, and coffee places. and about less than 10 minutes of downtown.

cherry creek- probably the most upscale area in the immediate denver area. very nice, good shopping (cherry creek mall is the best in co.) quite a few families but it is still an interesting place and once again extremely close to downtown. its is mostly houses but you could find a few apartments in your price range.good art scene.

lodo (lower downtown)- a fast growing area of the city. thousands of upscale lofts are being built. great for if you dont have kids. good open spaces and a river nearby with kayaking. lodo is the best place for night life clubs and bars. it is definetly the cool place to be. it is within walking distance of six flags and about 10 minutes to downtown. many young and fun professionals choose lodo.

boulder- nice area but not my personal favorite. it has everything you could need. equal amount of families and singles. college town. inflated realestate. about 45 minutes from denver but somewhat close to the mtns.


it really doesnt snow as much as people think. the last memorable snow storm was three years ago when it snowed a couple feet and most schools and some businesses were closed for several days. snow season lasts from late october- early april. the most snowy month is usually march. on average there are about 1 maybe 2 snow storms a year that are worthy of school and business closures and that means 1 or 2 days long. we will get about 5 storms that leave 3-6 inches but those are melted pretty much the next day. everything else is just flurries.

golden gets a good amount of snow. so does evergreen and breckenridge but all these places are in the foothills/ mountains. it pretty much depends on elevation.


the weather has been very dry. are reservoirs are low so there are some restrictions. it never fails that its sunny and 70 degrees on christmas! it really bugs me because i cant remember the last time there was even snow on the ground on christmas. but we get alot of warm days in between the cold fronts during the winter. colorado is sunny an average of 360 days a year. it sounds weird but its true. sometimes its even sunny while snowing. we dont get many rainy days (which leads to the drought problem) there will short afternoom showers in may and june and sometimes july but thats about it.


driving in the snow should not be a problem unless you plan on living or regularly communting to the back country. even then you just need 4x4. as long as you are cautions you will be fine. most of the people who get into accidents just are going too fast and being careless. something to watch out for is black ice-where the road just looks wet but actully there is a thin layer of ice on it- so be careful even if it doesnt look icy. but no i dont think that there are many accidents.

welcome to colorado!
you can contact to me to ask more question.

Answer 4

Be sure to visit South Park and meet Cartman, Stan, Kyle & Kenny!

Answer 5

colorado is cold-weird people-unless you have the resources to live year round in aspen