Relocating from CA to CO (Denver, Boulder: house, neighborhood, middle school)

[jazzlover]

Rural Colorado law enforcement jobs usually pay poorly--especially compared to living costs. There has been a real problem with deputies and city police officers in most of rural Colorado "defecting" to the state Dept. of Correction jobs because they pay better and have better benefits. Pay scales are better for law enforcement folks in the metro areas, but those tend to have more traffic, sprawl, and crime problems--less than LA, but they are working on getting the crime rates up there. I would absolutely avoid the city of Denver and Aurora for a law enforcement job. Both of them have criminal activity every bit as dangerous as the bad parts of LA. I don't think Colorado Springs would be any barrel of fun for a law enforcement person, either.

Truth is, if you don't like what California suburbia is now, then suburban Colorado probably isn't for you, either. That's exactly the direction Colorado is headed--sprawl, gridlock, unaffordability, and crime. It's a shame, but Colorado has watched California deteriorate for 30 years and now is making all of the same mistakes. Dumb.

[BigCheeze]

Originally Posted by jazzlover

Truth is, if you don't like what California suburbia is now, then suburban Colorado probably isn't for you, either. That's exactly the direction Colorado is headed--sprawl, gridlock, unaffordability, and crime. It's a shame, but Colorado has watched California deteriorate for 30 years and now is making all of the same mistakes. Dumb.

I can say that this is what South Denver feels like to me. All the X-Californian's who want California, just don't want to live there any more are trying to recreate it.

I'm happy being a Coloradoan, and "protecting" my home state.

[Charles]

Originally Posted by BigCheeze

I'm happy being a Coloradoan, and "protecting" my home state.

I'm glad you are protecting it. How are you doing this?

[vfrpilot]

Did anyone notice that the OP posted in Dec '06 and hasn't posted since? Weird that this thread surfaced after all that time.

[BigCheeze]

Originally Posted by vfrpilot

Did anyone notice that the OP posted in Dec '06 and hasn't posted since? Weird that this thread surfaced after all that time.

HAHAHAHAHA! No I most certainly did not notice this!

Originally Posted by Charles

I'm glad you are protecting it. How are you doing this?

Watching both state and local elections, and paying attention to the laws. Writing my representatives when I feel it's appropriate. Heck, I am even considering looking into running for a local office just for this reason.

I grew up in California and I watched a great state go to h*ll, and now that I am a full fledged adult (well... some will argue against that point) I am trying to keep my new state from becoming my old state.

[hello-world]

Originally Posted by yogamama

I live in LA - and have for over 13 years now... I am on this forum looking into Colorado to ESCAPE this crazy city!!! Ofcourse the weather is amazing --- everybody knows this. However, the quality of life here stinks. People are literally ontop of one another in this sprawl of a city. It is so conjested that we all collectively have lost sight of humanity. We are extremely impatient with one another, feel annoyed by eachother, and there is a general disdain which permeates the polluted air here. People do not make long term friendships here. I have discussed this fact with many people here. Everyone here makes plans with one another and either blows eachother off last minute (no phone calls necessary) or does call to put you off indefinitely. Overall, it is a lonely city where everyone is out for themselves. We put on a good show, and it may take awhile to come to terms with all of this. It's the lifestyle out here. You just adapt to your environment... anyhow, not to be a downer. Just giving you some REAL facts about LA. Good luck to you!

sorry about your experience with LA. sounds rough. i would just interject (if i may) that i have seen posts on denver and boulder boards about how people don't so easily make actual friendships here, either. it can be transient, and there's something in the culture of the place (sort of a mountain/mid western way, with plenty of southern california flavor). there are so many people coming here from the midwest and southern california that it looks to me to be on it's way to LA-dom without an ocean. just fyi - shangri la may not be to be found in the booming western US cities. it's not terrible, for sure, but these are common threads you might begin to pick up on. just a thought and opinion.

as for the original poster (whom has probably moved on considering the post date), crime stats are online. google "crime statistics denver" for example, and you'll find maps of various crime rates for neighborhoods throughout. that info's probably even decent on city-data. don't know about police officer salaries - probably quite readily google-able since they're civil/public servants, right? and of course there's plenty to do in CO - part of why it's growing so quickly (not unlike why CA grew so quickly).

good luck.

[hello-world]

Originally Posted by BigCheeze

I can say that this is what South Denver feels like to me. All the X-Californian's who want California, just don't want to live there any more are trying to recreate it.

I'm happy being a Coloradoan, and "protecting" my home state.

you think that south denver is like a recreation of california? there might be a few similarities, but it seems like sprawling midwesternism that just happens to be getting ridiculously overdeveloped like southern CA did in the 50 or 60s on. but i don't spend inordinate amounts of time in south denver...

[steveco.]

You could take south denver and paste it into any so cal town and they would fit right in. Just raise the price at gas stations by about a dollar and you got a spitting image, right down to the anti social, agressive soccer moms in their 80,000 dollar suvs. Sorry but I can't stand the california attitude thats why I moved and why I avoid Highlands ranch like its got the plauge.

[OutOfSoCal]

Originally Posted by steveco.

You could take south denver and paste it into any so cal town and they would fit right in. Just raise the price at gas stations by about a dollar and you got a spitting image, right down to the anti social, aggressive soccer moms in their 80,000 dollar suvs. Sorry but I can't stand the california attitude thats why I moved and why I avoid Highlands ranch like its got the plague.

ABSOLUTELY, except the gas part. I found the gas prices to be about the same. Soccermoms are ruining the world

[b.adams]

I don't find highlands ranch to be like So. CA other than for the fact the its a master planned community and on a scale that Colorado had never seen before. Its extremely well planned, however. There have been a lot of transplants to move there, but it has a lot going for it, if you can stand how close these build the houses and the density associated with living there. In a place like HR, you don't buy a yard for playing in -- but for entertaining in. And your kids can play in a nearby park, so they don't need an acre for the house. You have top rated schools, great demographics and lots of convienience.

For example, when my kids went to Summit View Elementary in HR -- they just asked parents for a donation for the school. They itemized what they wanted to buy and how it would benefit the kids. So most parents donated between 50 and 100 to the school (wrote a check) and it all went towards the school. In most other places, we have to sell hundreds of dollars of crap (from catalogs) for the school and then the school only gets 10-15% ... old school. Must better to not hassle with the selling of junk to friends and co-workers. The year-round schools are the part most transplants can't handle at first. But honestly, its academically superior to traditional and your get so many more oppotunities to go places than just in the summer. I thinks its better, esp. if there is a stay at home Mom around to watch the kids.

You know, I moved to CO in 1976 and I've seen the general "friendliness" go downhill year after year, all over the front range. When I drive back to Iowa each summer, I realize that the reallize nice folks still live in places like NE and IA.

The typical CO resident is very friendly, but a lot of the newcomers aren't. You use to look out your window to see folks and wave to them or say hi ... now you look and you might get a gun pointed in your face in some parts of Denver.

If you have kids, its hard to beat a place like Highlands Ranch, IMHO. If you don't have kids, then don't live there. Find me another place in town with over a hunderd miles of trails and 4 world class rec centers for only $32 a month for an entire household ...

I'd venture to say jealousy exists in the metro area, regarding HR, but would move there if they could afford to.

It starts to sound like how middle-easterners talk about the US. Oh, 'death to the US' ... but when asked where they would most like to live ... 'oh, in the USA, or course'.

By the way, gas in Castle Rock is always cheaper. In the S side of town, its the cheapest.