Is Arizona the new Texas?

[twister244]

Originally Posted by dktshb

Because it has such a desirable climate, the Rocky Mountains, a progressive vibe and an abundance of late 19th century neighborhoods that have a lot of character.

This is interesting to me, and I think it feeds into narratives that is feeding crazy growth in cities like Phoenix, Austin, Denver, etc....

Yes, Denver has desirable climate.... on AVERAGE. We have "300 days of sunshine", but all that means is we have 300 days where the sun comes out at least a few hours. We get monsoon thunderstorms during the second half of the summer. Our weather is bipolar and can swing violently from ash falling out of the sky at 85 degrees from wildfires to snow on the ground within a week (this happened last September right after Labor Day). We get massive hail storms during May, and in general, the high altitude and low humidity may not sit well with people used to being close to water.

We have a few neighborhoods with some 19th century character, but nowhere close to many other Northern cities that boomed during the same era. Most of Denver is ugly post-war bungalows that aren't worth saving.

It's all about perception to people, which I think is what's driving some of this growth. People think these cities are heaven until living there for a few years, then suddenly realizing they are nice, but not amazing, or as nice as some other parts of the country.

Not ragging on these places, but I have seen this first hand in Denver. People flock here thinking it's going to be the best place in the world, then realize after a few years they miss the coasts, water, etc.

[pdxtex]

Originally Posted by BG918

Oklahoma needs to better fund its education system and infrastructure for that to happen. But yes they appear to be in a position to eventually capture some of the growth happening in Texas. Like El Paso

Oklahoma is business friendly and has lots and lots of cheap, flat land too. Actually Texas is so big some part of Texas is probably the new Texas!! I bode everyone a fruitful 2021.

[badrunner]

Originally Posted by twister244

Yes, Denver has desirable climate.... on AVERAGE. We have "300 days of sunshine", but all that means is we have 300 days where the sun comes out at least a few hours. We get monsoon thunderstorms during the second half of the summer.

Desirable climate compared to three quarters of the country.

[dktshb]

Originally Posted by badrunner

Desirable climate compared to three quarters of the country.

Agreed. Other than coastal California I think the Mountain West and front range of Colorado (I know Denver isn't in the mountains) has a very desirable climate. Dry and sunny most days. Generally not too cold or too hot; certainly for not too long at least. The summer "monsoon" mentioned by Twister is really nice too. Living in CA I would long for an afternoon thundershower every now and then in the summer months. If I were a surfer I probably would not move from the coast but I'm not so the Ocean (although nice) I would not miss.

[BG918]

Originally Posted by dktshb

Agreed. Other than coastal California I think the Mountain West and front range of Colorado (I know Denver isn't in the mountains) has a very desirable climate. Dry and sunny most days. Generally not too cold or too hot; certainly for not too long at least. The summer "monsoon" mentioned by Twister is really nice too. Living in CA I would long for an afternoon thundershower every now and then in the summer months. If I were a surfer I probably would not move from the coast but I'm not so the Ocean (although nice) I would not miss.

Denver can get plenty hot in the summer, typically highs are in the 90's and sometimes even 100+. The dry climate makes that feel more comfortable than the rest of the country to the east and nights/mornings are generally cool even during the summer. And there are plenty of very cold winter days in Denver starting as early as October and sometimes going into May (spring is notoriously late to arrive on the Front Range). The difference between Denver and Midwestern cities is that there are also warm and sunny days in between the cold ones, and multiple days of cloud cover is unusual. Most snow that falls doesn't stay on the ground for very long unless it's a shaded spot.

I personally like when the humidity increases in Denver during the early summer months (storm season) and again in late summer (monsoon season) because I don't particular like the extreme dryness the rest of the year especially during the cold winter months.

One thing most newcomers don't like is the bad air quality in the Denver area. This is a result of the city being in a valley with a massive mountain range on one side that blocks ozone and other contaminents at the surface. Cold air inversions also impact this in the winter but it's the worst in the summer months. The last few summers with heavy smoke both from fires in Colorado and also fires in California, Idaho, Washington, etc have made some days where it's damaging to your health to be outside.

[dktshb]

Originally Posted by BG918

Denver can get plenty hot in the summer, typically highs are in the 90's and sometimes even 100+. The dry climate makes that feel more comfortable than the rest of the country to the east and nights/mornings are generally cool even during the summer. And there are plenty of very cold winter days in Denver starting as early as October and sometimes going into May (spring is notoriously late to arrive on the Front Range). The difference between Denver and Midwestern cities is that there are also warm and sunny days in between the cold ones, and multiple days of cloud cover is unusual. Most snow that falls doesn't stay on the ground for very long unless it's a shaded spot.

I personally like when the humidity increases in Denver during the early summer months (storm season) and again in late summer (monsoon season) because I don't particular like the extreme dryness the rest of the year especially during the cold winter months.

One thing most newcomers don't like is the bad air quality in the Denver area. This is a result of the city being in a valley with a massive mountain range on one side that blocks ozone and other contaminents at the surface. Cold air inversions also impact this in the winter but it's the worst in the summer months. The last few summers with heavy smoke both from fires in Colorado and also fires in California, Idaho, Washington, etc have made some days where it's damaging to your health to be outside.

I am not planning on moving but if I had to move Denver would be near the top of my list. One of the negative aspects would be the cost of living being too high and the fact that homelessness has become an issue there as well like most desirable western cities. Inversions and forest fires are something most western cities deal with due to their topography, and regarding fires, their warming and drying climate, but the air is much better now than it was a couple decades ago.

[Obadno]

Originally Posted by Buckeye Native 001

For some reason I thought Freeport McMoRan and Phelps Dodge merged?

Phelps doge hq has been quicken/rocket mortgage for several years