How cold is Colorado, really?

[JoyNChrist]

Okay, I can just hear y'all laughing at the silly little southern girl, but I'm going to ask this anyway...

DH has been offered a 2 year position with his father's company starting up a new division in Colorado (no, I don't know what town yet). It is an awesome opportunity - with the salary he would be making, we could pay off our house, both vehicles, and all our other debt (not to mention saving A LOT) by the time we came back home. And since Keith runs his own business with his brother, it's not like he would lose his position here - his brother would just take care of things until we got back.

We're both really excited about it, but we need to make a decision pretty quickly (like, within the next two weeks). So here's the deal...

I'm worried about the weather.

I have lived my whole life in southern Louisiana. I've never even seen snow. My coldest winters are about 30-40 degrees.

How cold does it get in Colorado? Is driving in snow really that bad? How do you even dress for real winters?

I know, this sounds crazy. But I'm really concerned about it. :-)

[kbudsberg]

Where you live in CO will make a huge difference. I grew up in CO Springs and also lived in Denver and Ft. Collins. East of the mountains is considered the front range. Everyone thinks it's really cold but overall it's not. Of all the places I've lived (9 states) excluding FL and NV the winters were the best. It's not uncommon at all to have 50 degrees and bright in sunny in the winter. Of course you can also get hit w/a huge blizzard. This winter was a tough one there, much colder and a lot more snow. Generally though it snows a day and then is bright and sunny the next day. Snow rarely stays more than a day or so (this year being an expection). I never wore a hat or scarf there and only kept gloves in the car to clear snow/ice. Sure it snows and there is winter but it's nothing like other places I've lived like Chicago, Indiana, NJ, or WI where my dh is from. CO boasts over 300 sunny days a year. The summers are wonderful. It's a very dry climate.

Now, living in the mountains would be a different story.

Driving in the snow just takes some learning. Since it really doesn't stick around you don't have to do it all the time.

Good luck. Overall CO was my favorite place to live, so, so, pretty!

Kim

[megs4413]

if you can pay off all your debt including your house in 2yrs, you should probably just invest in a really great coat....seems like a no-brainer to me!

[JoyNChrist]

Haha Megs - you sound just like my DH!

And, honestly, if they really do go through with the salary package they're talking about, we'll take it even if we had to move to Siberia. :-) I'm just chicken about the snow!

[fortato]

Hmmm...

How hot is it in Louisiana? Are hurricaines difficult to drive in??? If you can handle that, you can handle snow.


If it's snowing out, stay inside. Call someone to plow your drive way, and crank up your heat.

and, it's only two years...

NO BRAINER.. Move.

[jenmcadams]

Colorado is really wonderful weather wise (at least in the Front Range). The dry weather in the summer is great and the winters are generally (not this year necessarily) mild. I know a PP said the same thing, but snow doesn't normally stick around more than a few days and 50s (and even some 60s) are not uncommon throughout the winter. There are cold days, but they typically are just scattered throughout the winter. I'm a cyclist and this year was the first year I can remember where there was snow on the ground for an extended period of time and I wasn't able to ride outside for a month or two -- normally you might be stuck in spin class or riding indoors for a week or two here or there, but this winter was a little tougher.

As far as driving, I grew up in CA and never drove in the snow (with the exception of a two year stint for grad school in Chicago where I didn't drive much) and snow is not bad at all (especially if you invest in some sort of AWD or 4WD car). On the how do you dress front, b/c the weather really isn't that bad, you just need an average winter coat, some snow boots (for the slush) and hat and mittens. It's rarely cold enough to layer up (like I need to do when we go to Chicago or MN to visit DH's family).

I think it sounds like an awesome opportunity and I think you'd love living in Colorado. Especially if you end up living in the Denver/Boulder metro area where there are tons of great things to do with the kids and the mountains are easy to access. Feel free to PM or repost with more questions...there are a lot of BBB moms in the Colorado area

[crayonblue]

I grew up in Texas. The winter before we got married, I lived with DH's family in upstate NY. COLD!!!!!!! But, I LOVED it and when I flew home to Texas in May, I thought I would die from the heat when I stepped off the plane. Your body gets used to the cold (or heat).

Go for it!!

[crayonblue]

I grew up in Texas. The winter before we got married, I lived with DH's family in upstate NY. COLD!!!!!!! But, I LOVED it and when I flew home to Texas in May, I thought I would die from the heat when I stepped off the plane. Your body gets used to the cold (or heat).

Go for it!!

[kijip]

The thing about Colorado is that it can be cold and hot all in the same day. Truly, it is like the weather has a split personality disorder of something. Also, if you are in the mountains, prepare for some seriously cool thunder and lightening storms.

Remember the scene in that Christmas story movie where the little kid falls and can't get up in the snow because his snow suit is too puffy? That, my friend, was me as a tot. I was born in Texas, then we moved to Colorado, where my dad grew up, and then finally to Seattle. Most of my relatives live in the Denver area or in rural, mountainous, Colorado.

Still, move. Buy silk long underwear and a big old parka and it will all work out! And in addition to snow, you get some awesome seasons and lovely summer days. Buy some hiking boots and hit some trails while you are there...you have never seen much prettier than some of the wilderness areas in Colorado.

Aw shucks, now I wish we'd planned our vacation for the Rio Grande or something. I'll just have to go visit my granny sometime.

[kijip]

The thing about Colorado is that it can be cold and hot all in the same day. Truly, it is like the weather has a split personality disorder of something. Also, if you are in the mountains, prepare for some seriously cool thunder and lightening storms.

Remember the scene in that Christmas story movie where the little kid falls and can't get up in the snow because his snow suit is too puffy? That, my friend, was me as a tot. I was born in Texas, then we moved to Colorado, where my dad grew up, and then finally to Seattle. Most of my relatives live in the Denver area or in rural, mountainous, Colorado.

Still, move. Buy silk long underwear and a big old parka and it will all work out! And in addition to snow, you get some awesome seasons and lovely summer days. Buy some hiking boots and hit some trails while you are there...you have never seen much prettier than some of the wilderness areas in Colorado.

Aw shucks, now I wish we'd planned our vacation for the Rio Grande or something. I'll just have to go visit my granny sometime.

[tylersmama]

Just do it! Colorado is awesome!

We moved here, thinking it would be a short term move, and we would probably move back home to Ohio after 2 or 3 years. That was 6 years ago! We absolutely love it here, and can't imagine living anywhere else.

The weather really is great. Yes, it can get cold in the winter, but it's rarely that cold for long. And even when it's cold, the sun is usually out, which makes it feel much warmer. Winter is really pretty mild for the most part. We do get snow, but it's pretty typical to get 6 or more inches and it to be totally melted off within a day or two.

If you love the outdoors, there is SO much to do here. Hiking, biking, skiing, snowshoeing. I belong to a hiking group for moms and babies, and we hike (or snowshoe in the winter!) at least a couple times a week.

I think it sounds like an amazing opportunity for your family. To be able to pay off all your debt, and have some savings on top of it, is incredible. And to be able to do it in Colorado, even better! If you think of any specific questions, please ask! I'll be happy to help answer anything I can! :)

[tylersmama]

Just do it! Colorado is awesome!

We moved here, thinking it would be a short term move, and we would probably move back home to Ohio after 2 or 3 years. That was 6 years ago! We absolutely love it here, and can't imagine living anywhere else.

The weather really is great. Yes, it can get cold in the winter, but it's rarely that cold for long. And even when it's cold, the sun is usually out, which makes it feel much warmer. Winter is really pretty mild for the most part. We do get snow, but it's pretty typical to get 6 or more inches and it to be totally melted off within a day or two.

If you love the outdoors, there is SO much to do here. Hiking, biking, skiing, snowshoeing. I belong to a hiking group for moms and babies, and we hike (or snowshoe in the winter!) at least a couple times a week.

I think it sounds like an amazing opportunity for your family. To be able to pay off all your debt, and have some savings on top of it, is incredible. And to be able to do it in Colorado, even better! If you think of any specific questions, please ask! I'll be happy to help answer anything I can! :)

[justlearning]

I agree with the other posters' comments. Colorado winters aren't really as bad as you might think they are. I grew up in Phoenix and I have adapted just fine to figuring out how to dress for our weather and how to drive in the snow (I definitely wanted to get an AWD minivan and my Sienna has been great!). I live in the Colorado Springs area and don't even own a really warm coat--my coat is medium weight. I also rarely wear my gloves or hat, so it's not that often when I have to get all bundled up in the winter.

I think it sounds like you have a great opportunity, so I say go for it! Another nice thing is you won't have to worry about humidity or mosquitoes in the summer.

[mamicka]

DO IT, DO IT, DO IT!

We lived in CO (South of Denver) for 7 years & just recently moved back to the midwest to be closer to family. CO is absolutely fabulous! The winters are definitely mild. Yes, you can have a lot of snow at times, but it doesn't last & driving in it isn't really an issue on a regular basis. In the 7 years we lived there, we had blizzard conditions during only 2 winter seasons - so in the 2 years you would be there you might never see it. On the whole, winters (for us) were comprised of a couple cold days with snow followed by a couple 50-degree days where lots of people wear shorts. That being said, it can also get very hot in the summer - I remember a few weeks long of 90+ degree weather. But very dry. That may be the bigger difference for you coming from LA, the humidity... or lack thereof.

If you end-up in a Denver suburb, PM me if you have any specific questions. I'd be more than happy to help. :)

Allison
Surprise #3 due 7/07

[wolverine2]

I think any cold is so much more bearable if there is sun, which is plentiful in Colorado. Seriously, the sun factor would outweigh any other discomfort for me. Sun+snow is the best kind of winter!