I have lived here for a total of 19 years, came here in the military. The altitude issue is very subjective, some folks feel it some dont. Myself I have never been affected by high altitude up to 14K, I know a lot of folks in my old unit in spec ops that didnt get affected but I knew a lot that did. I know guys that have lived here their entire life and they get affected by driving into the mountains...it just depends on the person. Im sure there is some small effect for everyone but not convinced it is affects everyones performance in a major way.