Do you regret your move to CO? (Denver, Grand Junction: transplants, how much)

[jazzlover]

What LA did to the Owens Valley bordered on criminal--destroying thousands upon thousands of irrigated ranchlands so LA could have lawns and swimming pools. That same model was used to dry up the wetlands in South Park over the last 40 years or so, so that Denver and Colorado Springs could do the same thing. I nearly cry every time I drive through South Park because I remember what it looked like before Denver, Colorado Springs, and Aurora destroyed it.

The sign near Buena Vista is about Colorado Springs' proposal to build Elephant Rock Dam on the Arkansas River. It would flood one of Colorado's most beautiful and popular river canyon areas--once again so a bunch more idiots can irrigate their non-native grass in Colorado Springs. Sorry to be rabid about this, but Colorado has got enough of that crap. Its river canyons, wetlands, and riparian areas--once destroyed--can not be replaced. Enough is enough.

[hsbelovedhandmdn]

Never, Never. The people in this state are the BEST. Friendly, kind and especially in the smaller towns. To me Colorado is a little hint of what heaven must be like

[Charles]

Originally Posted by rkb0305

...there isn't enough water to support people, maybe people shouldn't live there!

Do you have data?

[Market Mama]

Been here over 30 years. When wildfires raged for several summers, a few so close to my house that white ash fell like snow and the air was choked with smoke -- then I regretted moving here. When our summers turn so miserably hot and dry that despite a good mulch and daily watering my poor small garden shrivels to the ground and only nasty knapweed thrives -- then I regret moving to Colorado. When we get screaming snowstorms with feet of snow, and drifts close the roads for days -- then I wonder what the hooey I am doing here. When I visit an ocean beach -- then the regrets can stir. When I see a thousand new condos and 2 thousand new cars on the little, used-to-be-a-country road I drive to work -- the regrets heap hit. And mostly when pollution fouls the air, smudges the horizon with a greasy gray, kicks up my asthma so bad I get chest pains and sends both the kid down the block and a man I work with to the hospital -- then I almost hate it here.

But during a perfect fall day listening to the elk bugle and filling my eyes and soul with the gold of aspens in the autumn -- then there are no regrets. When I ride my horse across miles of Boulder Open Space or haul them up into the mountains; when I raft the Arkasas river, or visit the Georgetown and Estes Park Christmas fairs -- how can one regret perfection?

First, as someone said earlier, it's a place of extremes, and that has it's own awsome charms, painful drama, extra costs and occasional dangers. Second, the most serious thing wrong with Colorado is that it is being over-developed, over-run and over-polluted by people who don't care that they are ruining the very place they have romanticized and then plunked down their big new houses and SUV's in so thoughtlessly.

Lastly, no place is perfect and humans are pretty much ruining the whole planet, so where ya gonna go instead?

[vfrpilot]

But during a perfect fall day listening to the elk bugle and filling my eyes and soul with the gold of aspens in the autumn

nice...makes me wanna go ahhhhhhhhh

[BigCheeze]

The wife and I have been here a little over 3 yrs now, and don't regret it at all. Best move we ever made.

There are things I don't like, and things I like but over all I can't think of any place else I would rather be.

[RockyMtnDreamer]

No regrets...but now that I no longer live in Colorado, I do yearn to go back. I have lived in several states on the East Coast and in the West, and while there is no perfect place, Colorado is special. I miss the scent of the pines that was so prevelant when I lived in Woodmoor. I miss walking around my neighborhood with a glass of wine in the late afternoon/early evening and exchanging pleasantries with my neighbors. I miss sleeping with my second floor windows open in the summer. I miss cold Halloween nights! I miss the snow at the Holidays and the desire to actually eat a big roast meal because the weather is cold! I miss Little League and Big League games that can be enjoyed because the weather is most often temperate and can be watched from an outdoor stadium!! I miss gambling at Cripple Creek....

Okay, I just have to sell my house and get back to COLORADO!

[Charles]

Originally Posted by McGowdog

Why would you regret a move anywhere.

I think you'd get $100,000 worth of answers from those folks who a year ago, purchased homes in Southern California.

[CAMom]

i live in so cal right now, I bought 8 years ago and sold 4 months ago. You're defenitely right about the 100,000 drop.

[OutOfSoCal]

our house dropped about 20K in the last 4-6 months BUT its still way way overpriced for what you get. We bought 12 years ago SO we are making enough to almost buy our new house cash, no payment, wife can stay home and spend more time with the kids.