Possible opportunity in Pueblo ... perspectives, please (Boulder: camping, dangerous, safety)

[McGowdog]

Malt, I looked for links to the info I provided last night and found nothing. I remember it as it was happening though and the Pueblo Chieftain and the 5 11 and 13 news channels had it all covered. I even remember the guys name... Lawrence Hernandez. He was pulling down about 340 K per year and his own wife about 250 K. So you've got thievery and nepotism right there.

The next thing you heard about that situation was that testing scores were cooked.

I have no idea why you can't just google DHPS and see all this on page one. But I saw this happen right there on our local news channels and in our Chieftain newspaper.

Ok, not easy to do from my cell phone, but I'll try to link that story here.

Now on the one hand, you might say the problem got handled and the new administration is great and will turn things around. But I saw first hand at sporting events there what a bunch of jerks the student body is, what a bunch of even bigger jerks the coaches are... and how the refs at these games seem to have deep pockets.

To me it looks like they have their own fantasy island over there in a not so nice ghetto. Other than that it's like Arleta or San Bernadino California without all the glitter.

[Malt_Vicar]

Thanks for the link. It looks a lot like the drama we have at regular school board meetings in my current abode, complete with official investigations. Also, having recently coached my son's rec soccer team, I know firsthand how a bad coach and jerk parents can ruin rec sports for kids. And I'm only coaching 4- and 5-year-olds!

On another note ...

Our visit is coming up next week--looks like we'll get to experience Pueblo at its hottest. We plan on visiting the children's museum, the Riverwalk, and possibly the lake. I'm going to find the hottest Mexican food known to man.

Any suggestions on other kid-friendly activities to while away a hot summer day in Pueblo?

[ninaytj]

Why are there so many homes for sale in Pueblo West?

Originally Posted by Josseppie

Let me answer some of your questions:

Pueblo is ethnically diverse and we all get along and interact and personally I don't think race is a issue in Pueblo at all.

Pueblo is a "live and let live" city. That goes for race relations, religion and sexual orientation (I say that as a gay male who has never had a issue in Pueblo). That is one of the reasons I love living here.

District 60 schools are having issues however I still maintain that if a student puts effort in his or her education they can get a good education there. I went there and went on to get my masters degree from the University of San Diego and I am not exceptional. That being said you could look into the magnet schools (I am not sure how hard it is to get in I would recommend giving them a call) or moving to the suburbs. For example Pueblo West, Pueblo's largest suburb, has good schools and its a nice community.

The area by Parkview Medical center is a great area and was rated as one of the best historic neighborhoods in the nation and the best in Colorado.

Pueblo has a great cultural scene. In my biased opinion I think its the second best in the state and Pueblo's goal is to become the Santa Fe of Colorado. For example Pueblo has a great art center that is 40 years old, a 1,700 seat performing art theater that is undergoing a multi million dollar renovation, art space is looking into building a facility here, local theater productions that are fun to watch, and more. I am a strong believer that a city is judged on how good their culture scene is and I think Pueblo is doing more then cities much larger do to make the culture here great. Pueblo just received a state tourism funding to double the size of the convention center and build a arena for the Professional Bull Riders. It will have a huge impact on downtown and I can't wait till it starts.

Pueblo has a lot of outdoor activities including trails, lake and only a 30 minute drive to the mountains the same that it is from downtown Denver.

Pueblo has a new YMCA that I am told is very nice. Honestly I have never been there as I work out at home but I have never heard any bad things about it.

As far as shopping. Obviously Colorado Springs and Denver (cities that are much larger) have more, however, Pueblo has a mall and many local shops. Personally everything I need can be found in Pueblo and I never have to drive to Springs and Denver to shop.

I have lived in Fort Collins, I went to CSU FC, and while its a nice town I think its to much of a suburb of Denver without its own identity yet its a hour drive to downtown Denver. Pueblo has its own identity, culture (its a top 10 food and culture city in the nation) yet we are close enough to Denver so if I want to see a bronco game or a nice musical that will not come to Pueblo I can drive to Denver.

If you have any specific questions feel free to ask.

[lurtsman]

Shortest answer in the thread:

Based on your stated beliefs and desires, I am fairly confident that you will be happy with a decision to move to Pueblo. It wasn't my "cup of tea", but that is only because we want different things. I agree with your love of the front range, and will move to the Springs in the following months.

[Josseppie]

Originally Posted by ninaytj

Why are there so many homes for sale in Pueblo West?

My guess would be the economy. I think its like that everywhere.

[Malt_Vicar]

Well, we had a great visit to Pueblo. My wife thought it was a charming town, and my 5-year-old loved it. In addition to the extended interview, we toured the surrounding area, including the mountains and lake near San Isabel. We will have to wait and see how things pan out after the interview, whether we are offered the job.

A few first impressions:
Pueblo heat (100-107) was nothing like Virginia heat. I found it very bearable--I actually saw a lot of people jogging, which I wouldn't think of doing with VA's humidity, even at 85 degrees.

We had a full tour of the town, including all the different neighborhoods. We thought the Riverwalk and downtown were charming. We were very impressed by all the activities available to children, including the parks, rides, children's museum, library, YMCA, etc.

My wife and I were impressed with what was available for us--the local solar-roasted coffee, the Irish brew pub, several used book shops. The two Crossfit gyms both look good, and scaled to Pueblo's cost of living, which means I can afford them.

The area near the steel mill was interesting--about what we expected. The hole-in-the-wall bars along the tracks looked like typical mill bars--like something out of An Officer and A Gentleman. We didn't see anything in those neighborhoods to scare us away. We won't be frequenting there, but it was interesting to see the different areas.

We spent a lot of time talking with a couple of schoolteachers about the local schools, compared some notes with the schools our kids would be attending here. Pueblo's schools compare favorably to our county's.

The Wet Mountains were beautiful. We saw the Boy Scout camp on the way up, as well as the lake at San Isabel, the Bishop's Castle, and we drove around the reservoir on the way back. Looks like our open-water kayaks might see some use again (They've been hanging in our basement for six years ... 14 feet is too long for whitewater boating).

BTW, we stayed at the La Quinta, which was just great for a family with small children.

All in all, we enjoyed Pueblo very much, and that was after getting a realistic picture of it. Whether we move here depends on whether the job is offered and a few other factors.

Thanks for all the insight and suggestions. Will let you all know how it turns out.

Edit:
We drove through Colorado Springs twice on the way to and from the airport. The wildfires were awful and tragic to see. Friday was starkly different, with most of the smoke not visible from the highway, and little damage that could be seen while driving through at 70 mph.

We returned to Virginia with no power and 103 degrees with very high humidity. Ouch!

[Mike from back east]

Originally Posted by Malt_Vicar

....returned to Virginia with no power and 103 degrees with very high humidity. Ouch!

BTDT for 31 years, ain't going back. No power means anything in your fridge was a loss....

Thanks for the trip report, all of our regulars on here love it when visitors do that.

Best of luck on the job....

[brightdoglover]

Sounds great for a possible move, and yes, East Coast humidity is awful.

[CosmicWizard]

Malt_Vicar wrote: We returned to Virginia with no power and 103 degrees with very high humidity. Ouch!

For the 16 years I lived in Virginia Beach, I dreaded the coming of summer. Absolutely hated the oppressive coastal humidity and stayed mostly indoors....and that's tough for an outdoor person like myself. Summers in Grand Junction aren't that great either, but you can drive less than an hour to the Grand Mesa to escape from the heat. Nowhere to do that in Virginia Beach.

[Josseppie]

Malt,

Glad you enjoyed your visit and wish you luck on your job......

Oh and BTW tell all your friends and family about Pueblo back home!!!