What makes Colorado a great state? (Denver, Colorado Springs: 2013, low crime, live)

[chessgeek]

Originally Posted by brk330

I have to agree. Sometimes CO seems like a big white bread and mayo sandwich to me, both in people and landscape.
But no bugs, no humidity, no allergies, 300+ days of sunshine, 300+ inches of snow, no ice storms, no freezing rain, the pioneer "can-do" attitude, low cost of living, reasonable taxes....
Of course I am just comparing to where I grew up, there are things I miss. But there are alot of fundamental day-to-day qualities of CO that outweigh the aesthetics or food that I long for.

I have heard that the Denver-Boulder area cost of living is getting at least to the moderate level and rising. Other than that, you are right. Of course compared to California, it is low.

[chessgeek]

Originally Posted by King_of_the_Desert

Exactly! The reason I could never live in another state is because I know I would find myself constantly comparing it to Colorado. So I will stay here and be happy by the amazing quality of life. Likewise, I wish people wouldn't move here and expect everything to be perfect. If you're disappointed by one Mexican place than try a few others. If you hate every place you try than you probably don't really like Mexican food, or you're too picky!

I liked the Mexican food I had in Colorado when I visited two years ago. They had a Mexican taco bar at Teddy's in the Holiday Inn with half the money helping a local charity (in north Denver where I stayed my first few nights before visiting a friend) and it was good. The name of the second place escapes me, but it was in either Broomfield or Westminster and it was also very good. Some people might be picky and comparing places to the best they have ever had.

I like the balance between rural areas, small towns, mid sized towns,and large cities. You can have the country/small town life or the more urban life in the Denver area. Colorado has that. A state like Wyoming does not have the mid sized or larger towns. The Rocky Mountains provide the exclamation point and I was fortunate to have also visited Rocky Mountain National Park. I also loved the Red Rocks Park and went into the ampitheatre and ate at the restaurant there. It was late April/early May and expected it to be greener than it was for that time of year, but there were far more positives than negatives.

[denverian]

To me, it's the mountains, lack of humidity and bugs, and a decent urban vibe in Denver.

Oh... and it's square

[ELCO5280]

Originally Posted by denverian

To me, it's the mountains, lack of humidity and bugs, and a decent urban vibe in Denver.

Oh... and it's square

All valid likes! I prefer straight boarders to river boarders as well.

[denverian]

Originally Posted by ELCO5280

All valid likes! I prefer straight boarders to river boarders as well.

Although, if you zoom in on googlemaps and take a close look at the border, it actually zigs and zags along the way. I guess there are no true straight borders.

[ELCO5280]

Originally Posted by denverian

Although, if you zoom in on googlemaps and take a close look at the border, it actually zigs and zags along the way. I guess there are no true straight borders.

Did you ever see the documentary on How the States Got Their Shapes? Really interesting how the East Coast and West Coast differ and the political move that gave Missouri it's "boot".

[denverian]

Originally Posted by ELCO5280

Did you ever see the documentary on How the States Got Their Shapes? Really interesting how the East Coast and West Coast differ and the political move that gave Missouri it's "boot".

Yes... it's actually a series. I love that show. I've seen a couple of them and the one that explained how CO got it's shape. Interesting that the KS territory used to go all the way out into the mountains.

[julian17033]

I moved to Sterling from IL near St. Louis, Mo with my mother back in 1977 when I was 12 years old.
For those of you not familiar with where Sterling is located, it's 125 miles northeast of Denver off of I-76.

Being a child I was in immediate culture shock of not having lush forests, humidity and the intense green of the landscape one finds in the mid west and east.
I was very depressed, my grades slipped, I found myself very isolated and alone in a small farming community out on the treeless brown prairies of northeastern Colorado.

Despite having my grades rebound and graduating from Northeastern Junior College in Sterling I still held no connection nor "" feel "" for the area or state.
I then moved to Denver , obtained a masters degree at Regis University and lived in many suburbs over the course of 20 + years including such far flung locales as Brighton and the cities inner core of Capital Hill off of 12th and Logan.

I miss Griff's Burger's off of South Broadway and I-25 besides a few more eateries and businesses like Wax Trax Records located at 13th and Pearl.
Despite the years I spent in the Denver area and in Colorado overall I never truly connected with the state or the dry, barren,brown empty landscape I grew accustomed to.

I'm now in eastern Pennsylvania amongst the almost jungle like density of the hardwood forests and the technicolor greenery of the rolling landscape.
My skin thanks me daily for the humidity and the proximity to NYC, Philadelphia and DC cannot be beat.

In ways I miss Denver for what it is and sometimes for what it isn't.

Colorado overall is a nice state that should have always been a state that I would have seen in a cross country road trip or a fly in business trip as opposed to quarter century of life spent there.

I'm now extremely happy to say Colorado is a nice place to visit but I wouldn't want to live there.

[CosmicWizard]

@Julian....I grew up in Berks County PA in a small town on route 100, about 20 miles from Allentown. I'm glad to be away from the humidity, the jungle like forests, and far away from the I-95 megalopolis. Western Colorado is a better fit for my personal preferences.

[chessgeek]

Originally Posted by CosmicWizard

@Julian....I grew up in Berks County PA in a small town on route 100, about 20 miles from Allentown. I'm glad to be away from the humidity, the jungle like forests, and far away from the I-95 megalopolis. Western Colorado is a better fit for my personal preferences.

Most of that makes sense, but I seldom hear people say they do not like forests.