Moved from Southern California to Colorado 9 years ago (Denver, Boulder: crime, townhouse)

[Stevedore]

First off, fantastic breakdown of your experience coming to CO. from CA.

I've been here almost two years after living 40+years in Torrance, So. Bay area of CA. I agree and can relate to almost everything you posted in just my two short years here. I disagree with you on the weather though, I think it's better in Co. No June gloom and weeks of overcast weather here, and 75 really isn't the norm in O.C. anymore, it's getting hotter. I certainly don't miss those high 80's and 90's Santa Ana driven Thanksgiving weeks, YUCK! I haven't experienced 4 overcast grey days in a row since I moved here. The sun is out all of the time here. It's pretty cool that every season has an abundance of Sunshine, pretty tough to beat if you ask me.

[Thoreau424]

Originally Posted by MountainEarth

Move anywhere but here. We’re closed.

Spoken like a true Colorado native. I encounter this attitude all of the time. The cold, chilling scorn for outsiders and "invaders".

[StarrySkiesAbove]

Originally Posted by Thoreau424

Spoken like a true Colorado native. I encounter this attitude all of the time. The cold, chilling scorn for outsiders and "invaders".

You will find when you spend time on many of the forums for other popular relocation states which have seen large population spikes (Montana, Idaho, Oregon for example), the same sentiment gets expressed by locally born or long term residents. It’s not just a Colorado attitude; when increasing population puts pressure on natural resources, infrastructure, cost of living and brings changes (good or bad) to locales, people usually react the same way.

Also, MountainEarth’s full quote is tongue in cheek except for the part about Mosquitoes the size of pigeons, I have seen those camping on the Grand Mesa; they almost drained all my blood.

[EastwardBound]

Originally Posted by Thoreau424

Spoken like a true Colorado native. I encounter this attitude all of the time. The cold, chilling scorn for outsiders and "invaders".

The best bumper sticker I've seen: "NOT NATIVE, ALSO NOT A DOUCHE"

[MountainEarth]

Originally Posted by Thoreau424

Spoken like a true Colorado native.

Thanks! I'll take being called "native" as a compliment. I have worked hard to prove my keep. Alas I am no such thing. My comment, as StarrySkiesAbove mentioned was in fact tongue-in-cheek. But I will not deny it was also tinged with a little melancholy if not bitterness for I am keenly aware that Colorado is growing much faster than it can reasonably handle, and the attendant damage inflicted on Colorado's fragile ecosystems, it's communities and culture is rapidly accumulating and accelerating. Personally I think people should know that. The grass is not as "greener" as people might imagine Colorado being. We have some very real problems. If I can do my little part to maybe help people see that, I am happy to oblige. Come if you will. But don't expect this place to solve your problems. And if you do come, please do so with respect. Far too many come, not to listen and learn but to exploit and gain.

[emm74]

Originally Posted by robrelo

The cost of living is very different, too. Colorado is less crowded, less expensive, and feels like mid 80’s in California. But things are getting more and more expensive as the cat is out of the bag regarding Colorado. Our house has almost doubled in value since we moved here, and we see tons of California and Texas plates. Still, much cheaper than California, and much more expensive than Ohio.

While you have an interesting perspective, let's not get carried away.

From December 1985

Appraised prices of existing single-family houses in seven Southern California counties increased from a combined average of $140,354 in April to $142,735 in October, according to the latest survey conducted by the Real Estate Research Council of Southern California.

Housing Values Increase : Home Prices Rise Slower Than Inflation - latimes

$142,000 in 1985 dollars equals $325,338.36 in 2018

https://www.carinsurancedata.org/cal...on/142000/1985


Here in Denver in 2018

Home price gains in metro Denver are rising at a double-digit pace this year after taking a breather in 2017, pushing the average price of a single-family home sold in February above $500,000 for the first time, according to the Denver Metro Association of Realtors.

https://www.denverpost.com/2018/03/0...ge-home-price/

And look, here's Southern Caifornia in 2018

The Southern California median home price in December finally surpassed bubble-era highs, a milestone that took more than a decade to achieve and is once again raising concerns that housing is too costly.

The six-county region's median price surged 8.2% from a year earlier to $507,500, real estate data firm CoreLogic said Wednesday. That tops the bubble-era high of $505,000 in 2007, which was matched in September and November.

Southern California median home price breaks record set last decade during housing bubble

Someone I know just bought a home in LA, and honestly, I was shocked at how NOT expensive it was, really not all that different from a comparable property in Denver.

[ryanek9freak]

Stop telling everyone! Colorado is terrible! Don't move here or you'll die! hahahaha

[Vision67]

Originally Posted by ryanek9freak

Stop telling everyone! Colorado is terrible! Don't move here or you'll die! hahahaha

We have unending blizzards, wind, hail and forest fires. Also, the bears, moose, coyotes, mosquito storms and rattlesnakes will attack you.

Please stay in California.

[Phil P]

Nice post OP!

As far as politics, I agree that CO is pretty good because no one group can dominate the show. For every Antifa rally, you have Proud Boys showing up too. I dislike both groups, but I'm glad they cancel out. It also seems like a fairly well managed state, even if they are stingy at times for public infrastructure.

As far as low humidity, that's actually a con for me instead of a pro. The dry air really drys me out, I'm always thirsty, my throats dry, my eyes get real dry, I'm itchy... I run a humidifier all the time in my apartment. I prefer 50-80% humidity. People are different though. While I'm comfortable in a sweater in the office, the guy next to me (who's from Houston of all places) is sweating like mad in a tee shirt. In general people in CO like the low humidity because they moved here explicitly wanting that. The people who like humidity more often stay back east.

There is a lot of wildlife, due to the fact that there's a lot of habitat right next to where people live. CO cities are not surrounded by agriculture on all sides. We don't necessarily have wildlife that other places don't have, it's just that in CO, we have lots of undisturbed land and people live where the animals live also.

One of the things you have to learn living in CO is how to avoid the crowds. There's tons to do, but there's also tons of congestion at peak times. There's so much to do in the foothills. The "real mountains" offer nice views, but you can do most all of the activities in the foothills, which are closer and less crowded. Also, I 70 is really nice during April - May and Sept. - Oct, but I'd pretty much avoid a weekend trip during Dec-Mar or Jun-Aug.

Finally, I think every state is an improvement over CA I just really don't understand how people live there...

[townshend]

Originally Posted by Vision67

We have unending blizzards, wind, hail and forest fires. Also, the bears, moose, coyotes, mosquito storms and rattlesnakes will attack you.

Please stay in California.

No kidding. Add to that list "rolling coal" -- what a nightmare -- we will all have to wear gas masks and nasal canulas to breath, as we sip our water rations . . .