Do you regret your move to CO? (homes, camping)

[justsomeguy]

Originally Posted by south-to-west

I like diversity because I like interacting with people of different backgrounds and learning something new. I feel that if a place is more diverse, the less likely people will completely isolate themselves and develop unfounded prejudices and stereotypes.

I'm black and I would hate to live in an all-black neighborhood. Where's the fun in that? It's fun to change it up a little in life. It's fun to live a little. A part of me feels that people are more likely to go through mid-life crises when they put themselves in a box. My life is too damn short to be in a homogeneous environment.

More diverse places have less prejudice and stereotypes? Are you sure about that? My guess is that more diverse places actually have *MORE* racial issues than homogenous places. Last time I checked, LA was pretty diverse, do you think people in LA experience less prejudice because of that? The only place diversity really works is in the workplace, because everyone still conforms to the workplace ethos and rules, so the so-called "diversity" isn't even really an issue because there still isn't any really diversity except on paper. Out in the real world, however, throwing a bunch of different people together all crammed into one tiny space where they will all generally just keep to their own kind and their "roots" anyway sounds like a recipe for disaster. Come to think of it, it's like the Real World, the TV show. Diversity is way over-rated, unless you're a minority, as it really only means you'll be in the presence of other minorities, so you won't feel "odd man out" if you're around a bunch of white people.

[justsomeguy]

Originally Posted by .gif

yes, this is how i feel. i am of mixed race and it's a little disconcerting when you are surrounded by nothing but white people all the time. but diversity is low on my list of reasons to move.

the other things matter more to me, particularly the lack of greenery here. i want to look up and see trees, not sky. that's just me. i grew up in the southeast where the entire landscape is covered in trees. i also miss the ocean, rivers, lakes, humidity, bugs, warm weather, etc.

i'm stuck here for a while, but i look forward to the day when i can move. i just have to convince the wife.

I too, miss the forests and trees and greenery of the South. Not the sweltering heat or humidity though. Or conservative backwards thinking. (Actually, I am a conservative, just very educated and not religious).

So is it safe to say the Denver area is really just a bunch of brown flat plains, like in Kansas, with the exception of there being gigantic mountains in the distance? The mountains look so far in the distance, I don't even know if you can even get the full effect of their beauty living in Denver.

[Charles]

Originally Posted by justsomeguy

So is it safe to say the Denver area is really just a bunch of brown flat plains, like in Kansas, with the exception of there being gigantic mountains in the distance? The mountains look so far in the distance, I don't even know if you can even get the full effect of their beauty living in Denver.

Much of the Denver metro is on flat areas. Much of the outskirts to the south, west and north are foothills and foothills transitioning to mountains. Just about where ever you are in the Denver metro you will have views of the mountains. In fact, I can see Pikes Peak from Denver airport, 70 miles away.

[hersbear]

I've lived in Colorado nearly all my life. It is changing (lots of immigrants coming and not all documented) and getting more and more crowded, but it is still a good place to live. Mountains, clean air, lots of outdoor recreation. Parts are much too conservative but Denver and Boulder are liberal. Real estate is too expensive, though. $250,000 here won't buy much but will buy a mini-mansion in other parts of the country. [mod cut]

[Momzilla]

Originally Posted by elemental

Culture is a fancy word for "we're better than you

LMAO Priceless!

[elemental]

After moving here from the Northeast in December, I found the wide open spaces comforting, but the cold was killer. No humidity, just bitter cold compared to NY. Then the spring came and everything was green and beautiful. The wildflowers were blooming in the canyons; grasses that later become hay sprouted up everywhere and I smiled. Then the supernova we call the sun broke into full stride and browned out the whole place. It is damn strong at elevation- that's for sure, but the evenings are beautiful. Then we took a trip back to Long Island and several thing jumped out at me:
1- Long Island is lush like the tropics compared to Norther CO.
2- They have trees that make you feel confined. The parkways almost seemed like a corridor because you can see little beyond them. This was nice because it was so green and had previously gone unnoticed.
3- There is a definite trade-off between green/lush and the ability to see forever as you can here. Personally, I like the views of huge meadows and plains along with the everpresent mountains to the west.

Then we drove through central Wyoming. You think this place is brown and arid- you haven't seen nutin' yet! Being within an hour of Rocky Mountain National Park, Nederland and Pikes Peak makes Denver an ideal place to live. Give it a shot. What's the worst that can happen? You waste a few grand moving your stuff around the country. It's a learning experience. Enjoy!

Here's a picture of Boulder on Memorial Day 2007. Note the Green.

Here's another from May showing a green valley.


This is the definiton of semi-arid:

[south-to-west]

Originally Posted by justsomeguy

More diverse places have less prejudice and stereotypes? Are you sure about that? My guess is that more diverse places actually have *MORE* racial issues than homogenous places. Last time I checked, LA was pretty diverse, do you think people in LA experience less prejudice because of that? The only place diversity really works is in the workplace, because everyone still conforms to the workplace ethos and rules, so the so-called "diversity" isn't even really an issue because there still isn't any really diversity except on paper. Out in the real world, however, throwing a bunch of different people together all crammed into one tiny space where they will all generally just keep to their own kind and their "roots" anyway sounds like a recipe for disaster. Come to think of it, it's like the Real World, the TV show. Diversity is way over-rated, unless you're a minority, as it really only means you'll be in the presence of other minorities, so you won't feel "odd man out" if you're around a bunch of white people.

I agree with that in part. But if you look at a city like Toronto or New York, you may see racial tensions from time to time, but they aren't prevalent or the norm--which brings up the topic of segregated neighborhoods, which I hate.

I don't like diverse areas because I want to be around other minorities so I won't feel like the odd-man out. There are a lot of great black neighborhoods here in Atlanta, but I choose not to live in them because I don't want to be in a homogeneous place.

Diversity is not the end-all/be-all, but to me it's important. It may not be important for everybody and that's fine. But for my personal tastes, it matters.

[gpraceman]

Originally Posted by corduroyboy

Just how long does it stay green in Colorado? I'm from the Northeast and loved the lush greenery. I've been living in California for the past 5 years and can say I've seen enough of the brown. My job will more than likely be transferring me to our Denver office come January. So I'd like to know about the green. I do miss it. And does Colorado have a lot of it? I visited Denver in February this year and saw what was natural to me, brown in the winter.

If you are looking for lush greenery, then CO will disappoint. As I and others have said, CO is a semi-arid state or "high desert". It can get quite green when we get good rains. It can also get quite brown when we get dry spells and during the winter months. With the mountains and some areas of the plains you have the pines keeping things green, but the metro area is naturally prairie land (grasses, scrub oak, yucca, small cactus, wild flowers, etc.). You will see more trees in the housing areas than you will see in the undeveloped areas.

I do think that CO looks much nicer than SoCal, even in our dry spells, as we have the nice mountains as a backdrop. It is not, however, anything like back east or in the northwest. As long as you don't have unrealistic expectations, I don't think you will be disappointed.

[elemental]

You are a wise man south-to-west! I agree with you totally and your statements about NY are correct so long as the interaction between races takes place in a diverse town. If, as a white man, you visit a 7-11 for example in an all black town, the vibe will be different than if you had visited one in a diverse town where it is the norm. One of my best friends is a very large black man and I have seen first hand the reaction when he walks into a store in a predominantly white area. Forget about the bar/club scene.... They are scared to death of him based solely on size(rightly so however) and the dirty looks and under-the-breath comments start immediately.

In summary, diversity teaches us all how to get along and there are definite cultural differences between the races-whether white, black, american indian, chinese, etc. Together, we create a society that is accepting of people based on who they are not their color. What we learn is that regardless of race, we all strive for the same things- better education, good lives for our children, safer schools, etc. While we may eat different foods, the underlying fact is that we are all people. If we were all blind, only our accents would give us away and what would the bias be based on then??

Question is, how do we get everyone to judge based on the actions of an individual today rather than what happened between races in the past. Dr. King was on the right road and if his teachings were standard in grade school, there would be far greater acceptance across all races.

back to our regularly scheduled programming...

Originally Posted by south-to-west

I agree with that in part. But if you look at a city like Toronto or New York, you may see racial tensions from time to time, but they aren't prevalent or the norm--which brings up the topic of segregated neighborhoods, which I hate.

I don't like diverse areas because I want to be around other minorities so I won't feel like the odd-man out. There are a lot of great black neighborhoods here in Atlanta, but I choose not to live in them because I don't want to be in a homogeneous place.

Diversity is not the end-all/be-all, but to me it's important. It may not be important for everybody and that's fine. But for my personal tastes, it matters.

[justsomeguy]

Originally Posted by elemental

Question is, how do we get everyone to judge based on the actions of an individual today rather than what happened between races in the past. Dr. King was on the right road and if his teachings were standard in grade school, there would be far greater acceptance across all races.

back to our regularly scheduled programming...

Well, how about we start with getting Jesse Jackson and the "Reverend" Al Sharpton to shut the hell up and stop raising hell anytime anything involving a black person happens?

Next we deport all the hispanics that refuse to speak English and that go around marching in protests waving the Mexican flag.

Finally we ship all the neo-nazis and Klansmen to Germany.

Oh, and then we elect Bill Cosby as President.