Is Pueblo really really that bad??? (Denver, Colorado Springs: best neighborhoods, violent crime, loan)

[kiddd74]

I've been on here for about a solid month now, reading just about every posted comment. I have come to believe that some people will stretch the truth. I mean like come on....... If I had a vivid imagination,"which i don't" , it would lead me to believe that based off some of the comments on here about Pueblo, you would think that there's a gangster driving down every street 24/7 shooting up little old ladies, and drive-by shooting on every house within the city limits..(except pueblo-west) of course because I would also be led to believe that, it is like Mayberry, next to pueblo..lol . I mean with this much crime, how does anyone go to Wal-mart, or work, without becoming a story on the 5 o'clock news.... I think I just had a vision , of some sort... I remember back when I was moving from Carthage, Ny, 2,349 pop to Lawton, Ok 97,895 pop. I was told it was the "Gang Capital" of the world..lol .. Well I've been here for like 2 yrs and, I havent ran into a gangster, or car-jacking yet... Dont get me wrong, I compared our city stats against ole pueblo... very close for the "Danger" effect, but maybe I've just been lucky. Maybe I dont hang out in trouble spots.. "i thank my spidy senses for that" lol. well i dont know.... I must end this comment by giving a shout out to 2 guys on here who I believe gave me real important info pertaining to Pueblo, both different ambassadors in there on way. Josseppie, and McGowdog.... Josse, is on it with the stats, and the historical aspect of P-town. and McGowdog I thank him for "keeping it real" with the truth about the neighborhoods..., and the town atmosphere. Well I'm counting my time down till the moment of truth. I will be living in Pueblo in May... wish me luck....

[Mike from back east]

Originally Posted by kiddd74

I've been ... reading just about every posted comment. I have come to believe that ... there's a gangster driving down every street 24/7 shooting up little old ladies, and drive-by shooting on every house within the city limits.....

Oh, you must mean Josseppie....

s/Mike
The Art of Strategic Editing

[kiddd74]

Lol...Nah, honestly Josse been really helpful, giving me alot of insight into Pueblo. I can tell he has much love for his town, which nowadays, is hard to find.

[GreenScoutII]

No, Pueblo isn't bad at all......

In fact, out of any place I've ever lived, I enjoyed my time in the Pueblo area the most.

I think Pueblo is the perfect size city in that it has everything a person could possibly want or need, but lacks the traffic and congestion that come with bigger cities.

As far as crime is concerned, sure, there are parts of town to avoid, but that is true of any city.

There is a strong sense of community pride in the area, the people there are friendly, and the atmosphere in pretty laid back.

Work took us away, but I can't wait to return to my adopted home!

[Josseppie]

The one thing I say about crime is I would never live in a city I do not feel safe in. I can honestly say I have NEVER felt unsafe in Pueblo. If I had I would move in a NY minute, no matter how much I loved this town.

[Let's Go Here]

10 or 15 years ago, Pueblo was a really good place to live. Over the last decade, and more specifically, over the last 5 years or so, the quality of the city has really gone downhill.

As I've said in other threads, crime is a huge problem here. I agree with Josseppie that I don't necessarily feel unsafe in the city, but I'm always worried about being a victim of property crime. In the last year, there have been at least 5 vehicles broken into on my block (2 of which belong to my family), and we've had a few burglaries within a block or two of my house as well. The police force in this town is apathetic, and more worried about writing speeding tickets than catching criminals. The gang problem is also getting pretty bad around here.

The physical appearance of the city isn't very appealing either. We do have some nice areas (University park, Pueblo West, El Camino), but the majority of the city is pretty run down. In most neighborhoods, for every one house that is well-maintained and has a nice yard, there are 4 or 5 houses that are an eyesore.

The biggest problem that Pueblo has is a lack of good jobs. I'll be graduating from CSU-P in May and would like to stay here (it would be more affordable), but I haven't found ANYTHING in terms of a good-paying job. This is a problem that a lot of my peers are faced with too. I know several people who have or will be graduating from CSU-P that have had to move to Colorado Springs, Denver, or elsewhere to find employment. With all of the other downsizing, longtime residents are having to move elsewhere to find work too. It's a horrible situation right now, because lots of young, talented, and educated individuals taking their skills elsewhere.

As a young person, there isn't much to do in Pueblo either. We're at least 2 hours away from a decent ski area, and the nightlife leaves a lot to be desired. I've tried to go to some area bars, but most of them have some sort of drama and are eventually taken over by gang members. My college experience was nothing short of disappointing compared to what I could have experienced had I gone to a school like CU, CSU-Fort Collins, or even Fort Lewis.

5 years ago, I would've been content to stay in Pueblo. Now, I'm counting down the days until I get out.

[McGowdog]

Originally Posted by kiddd74

...it would lead me to believe that based off some of the comments on here about Pueblo, you would think that there's a gangster driving down every street 24/7 shooting up little old ladies, and drive-by shooting on every house within the city limits

Yeah, it's nothing like that. Gangs usually keep their violence within themselves and funny things happen at night... like after midnight. If you're not bar-hoppin' and causing trouble, you're not likely to find it. Granted, neither Pueblo nor Pueblo West is Mayberry... though I think we adopted their police force at times.

There's enough crime in this town that if fighting crime is how you make your living... well wonderful news! Business is booming! But it's mostly stupid petty stuff. Once in a while, we/our community suffers a senseless violent crime. I personally don't like how the whole process works. We have a very aggressive and successful defense attorney system here from what I've seen with my own eyes and I have strong opinions about how things have worked out. When someone harms somebody, they need to make retribution and be removed from causing further harm. Our current system of manifesting that sucks in my opinion.

Here's a for instance; read this article about our last murder from our local paper. It just stinks all the way around. Based on this story... you couldn't swing a dead cat without hitting a nasty and dangerous criminal. But... it's a bad section of town and a place the Chamber of Commerce probably won't be promoting anytime soon.

[kiddd74]

TO Durango Bound.....

Well, I totally understand what you are saying.... Honestly thats my biggest fear to... property crime. I'm not really worried about physical harm to me or my family, due to the fact that we stay to ourselfs, but I dont want to have to sleep with one eye open, to protect my vehicles, or house. Well I got a couple of questions, so maybe I can learn from others mishaps. "by no means I'm I assuming it was your families fault. NO ONE deserved to get there personal property taken, which they spent there hard earned money for" but I must ask. Was the vehicle locked? did it have a alarm, or does that matter in this city? What neighborhood did it happen in? was it during the hours of darkness? Was the vehicle parked in clear view, or on the back side of the house. See I'm asking these questions on here to develop better ways to counter act thiefs, by implementing thief deterant tools, as much as possible. My saying is , if a thief wants something from me, he is going to have to work for it.I won't make it easy at all.
Well any information you can give me would be appreciated....
Thanks.

[Let's Go Here]

Originally Posted by kiddd74

TO Durango Bound.....

Well, I totally understand what you are saying.... Honestly thats my biggest fear to... property crime. I'm not really worried about physical harm to me or my family, due to the fact that we stay to ourselfs, but I dont want to have to sleep with one eye open, to protect my vehicles, or house. Well I got a couple of questions, so maybe I can learn from others mishaps. "by no means I'm I assuming it was your families fault. NO ONE deserved to get there personal property taken, which they spent there hard earned money for" but I must ask. Was the vehicle locked? did it have a alarm, or does that matter in this city? What neighborhood did it happen in? was it during the hours of darkness? Was the vehicle parked in clear view, or on the back side of the house. See I'm asking these questions on here to develop better ways to counter act thiefs, by implementing thief deterant tools, as much as possible. My saying is , if a thief wants something from me, he is going to have to work for it.I won't make it easy at all.
Well any information you can give me would be appreciated....
Thanks.

We live on the east side and all 4 of us have vehicles. Our driveway is only big enough for 2 vehicles, so 2 of us have to park on the street at night. Both vehicles that were broken into were parked on the street, and both happened at night.

The first break-in was just a random act of vandalism, as they broke one of the windows didn't take anything from inside the vehicle. The second break-in was intentional, as they broke the window and stole the radio from my sister's car. The radio didn't have a detachable face, but the new one that my sister got does have a detachable face, and she removes it every night (without the faceplate, the radio is worthless).

If your car stereo is the same one that was installed in the car when it was manufactured, you shouldn't have to worry about it as those radios aren't easily interchangeable. But, if you have one that was installed by a car audio dealer and doesn't have a detachable face, it would be good to invest in one that does have a detachable face.

[kiddd74]

Thanks for the information Durango Bound.... it helps.... You wouldnt believe it but, just today I guess between 9am & 3pm, someone broke into my neighbors house!!!! took the front door straight off the hinges.......! I live in one of the best neighborhoods in this town, and it still happened.... Feel sorry for my next door neighbor, but I'm glad it was'nt me... I guess many people still think I have my rottweiler, but he pasted away last month... Maybe the thief didnt get the memo..... Well this is really a good prelude to me coming to Pueblo....nah J/K... I guess the moral to this story is "it doesnt matter how good your neighborhood is, if a thief is going to try you, he will... well I guess its off to the store to get that nice Glock I wanted......, but then again a Glock only works if I'm at home to use it..