Five reasons I opted to go west
I took this photo from my front porch my very first night as a homeowner in Colorado.
I’m often asked what drew me to Colorado, both by the wonderful people I’ve known for years and by new folks in my life. I still love DC and spend lots of work time there. But I opted to go west and have never looked back. Here are five reasons why:
1. The sun. The sun shines more than 300 days per year in Colorado. I once laughed at people who used WEATHER, of all things, to determine their place. (“Lame!”) I don’t any more.
2. The dryness. Higher altitude means no humidity. In Colorado, you can leave a box of cereal open for a week, and it’ll never go stale. (Kind of weird, I know.) Even on bitterly cold February days, the lack of moisture means the frigid air rarely bites into your bones.
3. The scenery. You can’t open your eyes here without being smacked with the greatness of what Mother Nature has to offer. The Rocky Mountains are MAJESTIC. My proximity to them rocks my world daily. I didn’t know that was possible.
4. The playground. It’s hard not to tilt your life toward recreation when you live in Mother Nature’s playground. There is so much world-class outdoor fun to be had here, and it’s so close. It’s utterly irresistible.
5. The mindset. True to stereotype, people take it a little easier here. The state is loaded with smart, dynamic folks, but there’s less sweating of the small stuff. There’s less professional-social intensity. There’s more latitude to embrace balance. My stomach lining is grateful.
March 16th, 2010 at 10:43 am
Ok.. now I suddenly want to move to Colorado.. you had me at dry! And this picture ..wow.. so pretty. I’m sold.. David call your work.. you need a transfer!
March 18th, 2010 at 12:15 pm
Lucky duck.
March 18th, 2010 at 12:47 pm
Shane, as a fellow former east coaster I whole heartedly agree with all 5 points! My wife and I (before we were married) spent a week out here in march of 2003 to visit her sister. It was 70 in Boulder. We wen to the mountains to snowboard and it dumped for 3 days straight! Then when we went back to boulder it was 70 again! By June 2003 we were living here. And like you, we haven’t looked back!
January 13th, 2012 at 8:19 am
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