Why I Dislike Colorado (Denver, Colorado Springs: ski resort, crime, how much)

[Count David]

Originally Posted by tracy18

I recently moved Aurora City and I am having a hard time adjusting. It seems like the city is not so welcoming to newcomers. Maybe I am just feeling homesick.

Aurora is most likely one of the most welcoming cities in the metro area (IMO).

[Hschlick84]

Aurora is the melting pot for anybody, regardless of income, race, gender and politics. That's why it's called the 'All-America City' on their city limits signs. You shouldn't have problems making friends there.

[SQL]

Originally Posted by tracy18

I recently moved Aurora City and I am having a hard time adjusting. It seems like the city is not so welcoming to newcomers. Maybe I am just feeling homesick.

I live right on the border of Denver/Aurora. I love Aurora due to it's diversity. There are people of all demographics; rich, poor, white, black, brown, yellow, white collar, blue collar. It reminds me of home, back in Metro Detroit, which is also very diverse. It's a very modest suburb without all the snootiness that is more visible in some Denver neighborhoods and suburbs.

[Hschlick84]

Originally Posted by SQL

I live right on the border of Denver/Aurora. I love Aurora due to it's diversity. There are people of all demographics; rich, poor, white, black, brown, yellow, white collar, blue collar. It reminds me of home, back in Metro Detroit, which is also very diverse. It's a very modest suburb without all the snootiness that is more visible in some Denver neighborhoods and suburbs.

That's one of the reasons why I prefer Aurora over Denver and other suburbs.

[Gorges]

Originally Posted by tracy18

I recently moved Aurora City and I am having a hard time adjusting. It seems like the city is not so welcoming to newcomers. Maybe I am just feeling homesick.

Have you tried any meet-ups? Book clubs? I think it's hard to be new in any city if you don't have a connection.

[KatWrangler]

We are moving back to Denver in a couple of weeks. Previously live on the front range for 6 years. I am pleased we can finally move back with our children.

[lovecrowds]

Originally Posted by Miss Liberty

You can definitely tell which people are liberals replying to you.... It still irritates me to no end that so many people feel that they have the right to invade a state, take it over, change it for the worst, then push everyone else out. The pretentiousness of these people's attitudes still astounds me. Oh and for the people who say Colorado has a live and let live attitude, well that's not really the case now when you're listings exceptions. Every state that gets invaded by liberals is miserable for everyone who isnt liberal, which is a lot more people than some seem to think....

I sort of like the Utah model where less people move to the state because of the reputation but yet they get all the business growth rates of Colorado and more plus the housing is much more in-line with incomes there.

I think up until recently Utah had more domestic out-migration then in-migration because of it's reputation. Keeps the housing prices lower, less competition for jobs and less crowding.

Denver does have lots of pretentious people but at least it's a decent city albeit overrated and overpriced.

The people moving to Denver at least usually have a job when they get here. There are so many clunkers in Colorado Springs with out of state license plates it is unbelievable.

When people move to Boulder or Fort Collins at least they emulate the supposed Colorado lifestyle with class. I mean the new arrivals in Denver sure do a good job of acting out the part that's for sure.

The new arrivals here in Colorado Springs sure don't match up to the dozens of Colorado lifestyle magazines that are out there.

Colorado Springs has an influx of pretentious, arrogant individuals to go along with it's increased poverty.

I guess at least with Denver at least the people moving there have access to lots of credit to buy overpriced homes. Colorado Springs has an influx of people who can't afford Denver, Boulder or Fort Collins driving out of state clunkers into town with the 6,035 foot attitudes.

Colorado Springs has all the superiority complex of Denver with none of the overrated amenities except for the lush mountain views.

[sunsprit]

Originally Posted by lovecrowds

I sort of like the Utah model where less people move to the state because of the reputation but yet they get all the business growth rates of Colorado and more plus the housing is much more in-line with incomes there.

I think up until recently Utah had more domestic out-migration then in-migration because of it's reputation. Keeps the housing prices lower, less competition for jobs and less crowding.

(snip)

Source for your "the Utah model where less people move to the state because of the reputation" assertion?

I've got friends and business connections across UT ... folks who are residential developers and also contractors to the LDS church. They'be been telling me for years that the housing pressures in the state are phenomenal with the influx of people from all over the world who want to be in the center of the LDS area.

In fact, the LDS church has recently been building many new temples in the UT areas where formerly there were only lesser facilities (wards and stakes) to serve a smaller population. That's a net population growth in those UT towns and cities, not a "less people" moving in situation ....

and the influx is not limited to LDS faithful, either. There's other denominations with sizable memberships and growth in UT, too, along with folk who aren't observant or members of any organized religion.

PS: as a Colorado SFH real estate investor, I took the time some years ago to check out housing prices in and around SLC, and then up into the mountain areas adjacent. Suffice to say that the costs for many residential areas in SLC were no bargain compared to Denver and Colorado mountain real estate and I didn't buy anything in UT.

[atler8]

Originally Posted by Miss Liberty

I have a hard time getting along with people who believe they have the right to tell me which Rights and Freedoms I should have and not have. If everyone just minded their own business we would all get along much better.

From your point of view you may be leveling that charge against only liberals but you should be aware that liberals are likely to want to level the same charges against conservatives.
It's all a matter of perspective.

[lovecrowds]

Originally Posted by Miss Liberty

I spent my entire life in the Denver area, over 30 years, up until last year, and have lived in many different surrounding suburb areas over the years. I was fortunate to grow up in Golden but have lived all over the metro area. I have never seen the state change so fast and, imo for the worst, as I have within the past 8 years or so. I don't even recognize the Denver area anymore because of how much the transplants have changed it. When we were in the middle it was fine, but sliding further and further into the blue has damaged the state in so many ways to the point where I was no longer comfortable anymore. I felt unwanted in my own hometown because I'm not some left wing, gun hater who does drugs. Colorado use to be such a friendly place but now most people are so rude to the point where these people will practically run you over just because they think theyre more important and better than you.. Its still mind boggling to me how fast a city/state can change. All of the politicians, left and right, all suck now too. They're all selling Colorado down the river for their own special interests.

I agree with you very much. I moved away at 19 but have came back several times a year usually a week at a time since 2001.

I have been in decent blue states and bad red states, I have also been in decent red states and bad blue states.

I also think Colorado used to be a friendly state. It seems like 2011 was the turning point when the influx started and I have seen a change for the worst.

Denver has certainly changed very fast. I enjoyed living there back in 2000 when I had my first little aprtment for 400/mo on Capitol Hill. I used to remember meeting lots of really humble, down to earth people. It seemed like everyone would chat with everyone, it was almost the small town friendliness and humbleness.

Now, the city is full of arrogant elites living a pretend lifestyle out of a magazine. The times are economically very good right now for so many in Denver but it is amazing the upscale, trendy, snobby mentality that is there now.

It seems like that is 2016 though where big cities+big debt= arrogance

Colorado Springs on the other hand used to be called "Silicon Mountain" for all the technology companies here in the late 1990s and early 2000s. I thought it was a very humble city then also. Despite it's affluence back then, Colorado Springs had a very saltine, average joe mentality to the city.

Fast forward to 2016 and Colorado Springs has not only economically tumbled over that time period but there is absolutely zero sense of community.

I remember on the street I lived in as a very little kid that everyone knew everyone on the block and there alot of nice, nosey old ladies who took their neighborhood watch very seriously.

That same street in Colorado Springs is now a dump filled with rentals. The old people have all left and poor families and drug dealers have taken over the street. The people in that neighborhood are very mean. The Citadel Mall is half abandoned with unemployed women pushing dirty strollers.

The 1990s Colorado Springs was "leave it to beaver" mixed with a larger interesting younger military influence. It also was called Silicon Alley then with all the tech jobs.

Fast forward to 2016 and Colorado Springs is filled with underemployed people living paycheck to paycheck and retirees/pensioners who don't need jobs.

Colorado Springs in the 1990s had alot of reasonably priced local mom and pops in it's small downtown. Fast forward to 2016 and it's a mix of vacant retail and some token overpriced retailers that have so few people shopping in them that I wonder how they stay open.

As much as I don't like the arrogant attitude of people at least it the people moving to the city have jobs and keep their overpriced houses up.

Colorado Springs on the hand has the arrogant attitude of Denver and over half the city is a dump.