What is the absolutely best/worst place in CO? (Denver: home, rent)

[McGowdog]

Originally Posted by Jaxx99

This is the issue... I could give you my "best" place in Colorado (Telluride) but I could never make a living there. The best place for me to make my living would definately be Denver, but I really don't want to live in Denver.

As for the worst places in Colorado... I'm not going to chime in on that one. Only bad things come out of ripping someone else's hometown.

Thank you for your discretion. Come to think of it, it was someone's ripping my hometown on this very thread that brought me to CD in the first place. See what trouble that's caused?

[clbold]

I didn't get through all these posts...just to bc024 when he/she said Ft Collins ranks as worst...what?! Ft Collins is awesome and in my opinion one of the best places to live not only in CO but the US. Money Magazine agreed and rated FTC the #1 small city in the US to live.

I would also say the Denver metro area, places like Littleton, Greenwood Village, Cherry Creek, are great places also and more convenient to Denver.

One city I wouldn't live in is Greeley, but that's just me.

CO is great and I would recommend most places in the state.

[michiganbornandproud]

Just wanting to add my 2 cents......live in CS and have for more than 20 years(not by choice mind u...hence the name)....and I am tryin to get the h-e-double hockey sticks outta here!!Anything south of Garden of the Gods Road in the last 5 years has become an overpriced tourist attraction...IMHO...and even then,what is there?
I will try to be as gentle as I can about this...I do not want to offend anyone,but this is what I see and hear about first hand....
some ppl claim downtown is NICE...sure,some places are kept up for historical value,but what about Acacia Park....the homeless campground filled with the smell of urine,port-a-toilets(depending if ur downwind or not),and pot smoke...right across the street from some of the most overpriced nightclubs that are filled with drugs and criminals(don't believe me?...hang out in the bathroom for even 5 minutes,you'll see)...on the eastside in particular where I am...from about Constitution south down Powers to Widefield even,some of the worse sex offenders and drug crimes happen in this area....tho not widely reported on the news because what fun would that be?...LOL...most blue collar joes can't afford to live west of Powers as even a little run down dump with practically boarded windows is $800+ a month...everybody wants to talk about the beautiful mountains,the heavenly sunsets....those are the ones who can actually see the mountains,or live on the side of it in palaces that cost more money than some of us will see in a lifetime.I have heard ppl talking about the affordable cost of living...sure,places like CA,FL...more expensive yes,and when they move here,they're in hog heaven....but the regular joes like me and my husband and certain members of our extended families...paycheck to paycheck is the only way of life we've got...tourism seems to be all this state has got anymore,along with good colleges in some cities..including UCCS and CC..but tourism seems to be what attracts the masses,then they like it as they can afford the high cost of living,the skiing in the winter,and some to retire in the shadows of the mountains or even have property there...what about those of us who can't afford to ski,snowboard,or even drive to those places with the price of gas anymore?
Didn't wanna ramble...but this is my impression of CS...even construction on new subdivisions are being focused on the elite or the wealthy and slowly what is now known as the eastside will soon be downtown at this rate...JMHO

[bco24]

Originally Posted by clbold

I didn't get through all these posts...just to bc024 when he/she said Ft Collins ranks as worst...what?! Ft Collins is awesome and in my opinion one of the best places to live not only in CO but the US. Money Magazine agreed and rated FTC the #1 small city in the US to live.

I would also say the Denver metro area, places like Littleton, Greenwood Village, Cherry Creek, are great places also and more convenient to Denver.

One city I wouldn't live in is Greeley, but that's just me.

CO is great and I would recommend most places in the state.

Sorry I don't feel the same way you do about Fort Collins. It's far from one of the best places to live in Colorado, I mean ya its nice everything, but people make it seem like it's a utopia. They have gang issues, there's a lot of crime there, just recently I read an article that was on the Coloradoan(Fort Collins's newspaper) that crime had increased in Fort Collins more than any other towns in colorado that were the same size. Plus traffic in that town is HORRIBLE, they have one main street and thats it, that town is alomst over populated. I mean ya it looks nice, and there's thing to do and good shopping, but in my opinon it's not as great as people make is seem.

[mister1111]

Hope this doesn't lure a bunch of you to move here and ruin it, but the best place in Colorado is LA VETA. All you guys that write off southern CO are losing out. What other city of less than a thousand anywhere has a performing arts center, regular visits by top musicians, and several art galleries. The artistic community covers a wide range of unique skills. The town has its own herd of deer and a flock of buzzards that summer there. There's almost always a shady parking spot downtown in the summer. And when you're no longer entertained by the superannuated hippies that hang around, just look around at the mountains and the walls. Yep, I vote for La Veta.

[sberdrow]

Originally Posted by mister1111

Hope this doesn't lure a bunch of you to move here and ruin it, but the best place in Colorado is LA VETA. All you guys that write off southern CO are losing out. What other city of less than a thousand anywhere has a performing arts center, regular visits by top musicians, and several art galleries. The artistic community covers a wide range of unique skills. The town has its own herd of deer and a flock of buzzards that summer there. There's almost always a shady parking spot downtown in the summer. And when you're no longer entertained by the superannuated hippies that hang around, just look around at the mountains and the walls. Yep, I vote for La Veta.

Sound nice, whats the weather like?

[thepizzaguy]

Not a resident, just a frequent visitor. The worse place I have even visited is Aspen. I've never had any luck with the traffic, and from what I was of it, there wasn't much for me. It looks crowed and compact. It has nothing to do with the money, yuppie, snooty part.

The best place is a you pick 'em deal for me. Any place but Aspen. I've had good times everywhere but there. I guess if I have to pick, I pick Grand Junction. Maybe because I've spent more time there and I like the National Monument/Park.

[Market Mama]

Hey! What's with all the Boulder bashing? It's not *that* bad a place; a bit unique certainly, but mostly in a good way. I know because I've lived and worked here for 30 years. Once you get away from the campus, it's got real neighborhoods, with good schools, parks, decent shopping, a relatively low crime rate, a wonderful Downtown Mall, and it's clean. It has invested in an excellent Open Space program, so is surrounded by lots of nearby places to hike, bike, run, ride horses, cross-country ski, and enjoy the outdoors.

It's also just a day-trip away from awesome skiing, whitewater rafting, Rocky Mountain National Park, and all the cultural amenities of Denver.

There's a lot of growling in this thread about the diabolical liberals, and there are some very outspoken ones here but the only place you'll actually run across them is ranting in the local paper or on campus <shrug>. However, there's also a very nice mix of civic-minded moderates and conservatives as well. Yes, there are still a few hippies and yuppies still hanging around, but it's an open-minded, normal and welcoming town as long as you can afford to live here.

Yes, it is expensive and the traffic has gotten horrendous, but the same is true for every city along the Front Range with jobs.

Give Boulder a break and don't beat all those tired, old and exaggerated stereotypes to death. The Republic of Boulder's not half bad <ironic smile>

[livecontent]

I learn from life never to live in a town that is dominant by a university, a large military post. and a one industry town.

A University town has too many young people who think they know it all; they drive to fast, drink to much and too many drugs. So put Greeley, Boulder, Fort Collins in that List. Boulder is especially bad because of all the obnoxious liberal easterners; Fort Collins and Greeley at least have most students from Colorado and the Midwest which I find more agreeable and has some real Colorado traits.

A military town has many problems with some of the type of people who enter the military; I said some of the people, not all In addition the transient nature of the job that does not establish a stable community. These towns attracts unsavory businesses such as prostitution, bars, pawn shops. The worse town would be Colorado Springs because all the army and air force--there are just too much military.

One industry towns for the skiing industry as Vail and Aspen. These towns have no diversity, not real enough and too false to raise a family. These cities attract too many tourist and transients.

The best area to live would be any western suburbs of Denver because of the service availability of the metro area and predominance of long term Colorado residents with local ties and midwest roots. Arvada, Wheat Ridge are especially the best. This area tends to be ignored by the more transient residences that come into the Denver Metro Area.

Another cities that I especially like are Grand Junction, Montrose, Delta, Fort Morgan, Sterling which are real examples of the Colorado west but lack many advantages of the metro area.

[Market Mama]

Boulder is not a one-industry town. Ball Aerospace is here. IBM and a host of high tech firms of all sizes. There's a huge congregation of natural foods manufacturers, e.g. Celestrial Seasonings, Boulder Chips, Izzy beverages, White Wave, Horizon Organics, etc. A couple of large publishers. A thriving downtown area. And yes, the University, which gives gainful employment to a lot of well-educated but still (surprisingly) pleasantly friendly people, hardly any of which are foaming-at-the-mouth liberals.

All you have to do is look at the long, long miles of cars streaming into Boulder during morning rush hour and out of Boulder at the end of the work day to figure out there's a lot of businesses here.

On second thought, it's obvious you are right -- Boulder would be "especially bad" for you! It's got a few obnoxious, liberal easterners (although most of them are actually conservatives) AND, even worse, a few obnoxious, liberal people from California. You've already convinced yourself you'd hate it, so hate it you will, regardless of reality.

More moderate types (irregardless of political leanings) are always welcome. Why, we ever have some adorable rednecks, a few gays, more than a few cowboys (both real ones and wannabe ones) and an amazing number of apparently invisible but otherwise normal folks from all over the country (and even a few foreigners, Gasp!). All of whom raise their families here, go to church, and flock to the stores, parks, and even the county fair where they mingle peacefully with the few remaining "long term Colorado residents with local ties and midwest roots" -- of which I am one.