With the DNC coming to town I thought it would be useful to dispel some of the impressions I’ve heard about Denver from clients, friends and family around the country. I only came up with 7… 10 would be a bit too forced.

1. Denver is in the Mountains

Thank you National Weather Service and local weathermen for this misconception. We are about 30 miles from the actual mountains where the weather / climate is totally different from the Front Range, in large part due to the huge elevation difference.
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2. It snows in Denver all the time

Wrong. I really believe Coors and Monday Night Football are to blame on this one. On average Denver gets about 60 inches of snow per year. For comparison, Cleveland, Ohio gets about 56 inches. However, because of our dry climate and high-elevation snow doesn’t stick around for more then a few days… tops. I’ve even shoveled snow in shorts because the sun is so intense.

Frequently the mountains are blasted with 2-3 feet of fresh powder and the weather service wrongly associates this snowfall to Denver; when in fact Denver has received an inch or two of snow.
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3. It’s cold in Denver

Nope. It’s usually about 7 degrees warmer in Denver then in New York, Boston, Chicago or St. Louis during the winter months. Also the low humidity makes the air temperature even more comfortable.
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4. Denver is a “cow-town”

OK, sure we have a few cowboys in the area and the annual Western Stock Show but that is about as far as it goes. The corridor which consists of Denver and Boulder is a fairly well established metro area which feels like any other metro region, minus the trees. It is stories like this one from NPR which make me crazy because this really isn’t the “real” Colorado.

5. The South has more sun.

Sorry, that is wrong also. Colorado gets about 300 days of sun per year, Denver specifically gets around 115 day of pure sun. While that is much better then a rainy day the biggest drawback is you’ll need sunglasses and sunscreen out here. Source

6. Denver lacks cultural attractions

Not so much. The DCPA is the second largest performing arts complex in the World next to New York City’s Lincoln Center and the Denver Art Museum is a work of architectural art in itself.
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7. The Highways are overcrowded

We aren’t even in the top 10 most congested cities. Having lived in Philly most of my life i can say I-95 and the PA Turnpike are far worse then I-25 into Denver. It just like any other metro area and we have decent public transportation now that the T-Rex project has been completed.
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