Why move to Colorado (or the west)? (Denver, Grand Junction: transfer, school)

[get me outta gj]

Originally Posted by 2bindenver

nothing is immune to change.

so, some things change for the better: I-25, light rail, Colorado Rockies, beer on Sundays

and some things don't: traffic, gas prices, beer on Sundays

so what is the point?

Twenty years from now I expect things to be different.

Change is good and bad and inevitable.

You should probably read the original post. I was asking if people's perceptions of "small, quaint, affordable towns" in Colorado are what the reality is. I know in the early 1990's people moved here for an improved quality of life and with the increase in population, traffic, crime, sprawl, and other undesirable consequences of growth, the quality of life is not the same when a small city grows into a bigger one. How you all are extrapolating so many others things is beyond me. Perhaps people aren't moving here for those reasons anymore and this post is unnecessary. where is the "delete" button?

[EscapeCalifornia]

Originally Posted by get me outta gj

Have any of the states you all have thrown at me seen an increase of 45% in population over the past 20 years?

And yet in the 2000 census, Colorado still ranked #37 out of 50 for population density and was just over half the national average at 41 people per square mile. Even using your number of 4.8M people today, that's still only 46 people per square mile.


List of U.S. states by population density - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

[Katarina Witt]

N. Carolina grew by 36%, if my math is right, and started out bigger to begin with. It actually added about 2 million people in that time frame (1980-2000).

[livecontent]

Originally Posted by Katiana

I think the parts about the chip on your shoulder have been deleted. It is still insulting to say that people are not much into logic or reasoning. One of the areas you suggest, North Carolina, is also booming, has many of the same problems. Upstate NY suffers from a different set of problems, e.g. too many people leaving (in some areas), lack of jobs, schools needing to be closed, etc. Colorado still has a low population density compared to many eastern states, probably also California. No one is moving here for the Colorado of 20 yrs ago (which wasn't all that different, IMO), they are moving here for the Colorado of today.

True, good observation but prevented from given a rep. I think the Denver Metro area is much better today than it was 30 years ago when I came here from New York by way of Texas.

There is better food---of course that is how I judge everything., real bread, real restaurants, better ethnic food, better and more suppliers.

The public transportation is very much improved than the good but limited bus system of the past.

The city of Denver is much nicer with better developing neighborhoods and a rejuvenation of the great areas in Denver that were ignored such as Highlands, Berkeley, Pearl Street, etc.

Downtown Denver is much more exciting and vibrant than when I came here. I parked, during my first trip to Denver, next to the dilapidated closed D&F Tower surrounded by abandoned building.

We have improvements in shopping, cultural venus, an opera house , expanded convention center, expanded Denver Center for Performing Arts, better zoo, better art museum, new football stadium, pepsi center, baseball stadium.

We have a huge modern airport. We have improvements in the great suburbs that are part of the metro area with more open space and expanded trail systems.

All this has attracted many creative people.

No, people are not coming here because of yesterday, they are coming here because of today and the potential of the future. People move were they want to live; or need to live; or have to live; that is way of all migrations.

The O.P. views upstate New York as the great mecca just as she decries the views that others perceive about Colorado. I came from that area and it has some severe problems that has caused people to leave and keeps people away. I can say this: that 30 years ago, upstate New York had problems but today it is much worse. Ah, but the land is the same; the water is the same; the trees are the same---so it is not the scenery, is it???

My life is much better today, because I am here in Colorado which, has got much better in 30 years and not because of the land, the water, or the trees--it is the same--so it is not the scenery, is it????

So, people do not migrate so much for the scenery, they migrate for the opportunities that they perceive as better. When is the last time, you had a bowl of trees for a meal???? or a mountain for a snack??? If that is the case, New York has more and better trees and the Smokies are better mountains.

That does not say the other areas will not become better and this area remains a good place--changes will happen. My grandparents came from a small scenic mountain village in Sicily, a beautiful warm Mediterranean Island; and went to another Island called Manhattan, which was cold and snowy and they lived in a crowded tenement. People will move to those areas that meet their needs and scenery is not the main attraction, that is the way of all migrations.

Livecontent

[zman0457]

That's why I thinking of coming back after 35 years. I loved the outdoor lifestyle that CO provided, but having grown up in Metro NYC, it lacked most of the things mentioned above.

The combination of Western traditions, beautiful land, and a forward thinking city can be very appealing.

[McGowdog]

Originally Posted by get me outta gj

[mod cut] My point is that so many people have moved to Colorado and the west/southwest that its not as good a place to live as it was before the population increased so much. I didn't say don't move to Colorado, I said if what you're looking for is a place that won't be overrun and "found out", you might want to look elsewhere and listed some beautiful places. [mod cut]

I wonder what the mod cut was about. Obviously it was in response to Kat's comment to your post, starting with "I'm not sure I get your point". I'm absolutely sure I don't get your point either. I understand your user name. You want out of Grand Junction. So are you going to stay in Grand Junction for a while and complain about it some more, or boogie? And if you boogie, how are you going to make sense of your username? It'll kind of be like a bad tatoo, won't it?

Originally Posted by get me outta gj

I think. I see why some people have posts numbering in the thousands, they like to argue and know everything about every topic.

Well you've been around a whole week. Some of us have been around 1 year, 7 months and counting. Are you disagreeing with posters' differing opinions? I know forums where there are all of about 5 people on the whole site and they will all argue you and give you attitude no matter what your stance. City-Data is so awesome, that we're all a bunch of CD addicts. We enjoy it here. That's why so many posts, but thanks for your comments.

Originally Posted by get me outta gj

You should probably read the original post. I was asking if people's perceptions of "small, quaint, affordable towns" in Colorado are what the reality is.

Well if you'd have said that, you might not have had two mod cuts in your response to Kat and other posters asking you what your point is.

[Katarina Witt]

Thanks, McGowdog. Too bad you missed the unedited version.

I was thinking about this as I drove around Boulder Co. looking for some sweet corn. (Stand was closed.) Anyway, when we moved to Louisville in 1982, it had 5000 people. Now it has nearly 20,0000. Then, you could drive down McCaslin Blvd, which had farms on both sides, and see "Free Kittens" signs and the like. Now it's a six lane road with stores, restaurants, movie theaters and apartments lining it. Harper Lake was a little pond, and in the winter, we would drive our old Ford Fiesta in as far as it would go in the mud, get out the snow shovels, and shovel off the ice, then ice skate. Now it has been much expanded, is a source of city water for Louisville, never freezes, and even if it did, you couldn't skate on it. The library was in a corner of City Hall. Now, we have a brand new library with a parking garage underneath. The rec programs were in the school buildings. Now we have a lovely rec center, where my daughters became expert gymnasts, competing through high school. Back in '82, one had to go to Boulder or Westminster to buy a pair of jeans. Now we can get them in Louisville, as there are enough people to support a Kohl's. Was Louisville nice in 1982? Yes. Is it nice today? Yes. Is it the same? Well, no. That's life. The only certainty is change.

[delta07]

Just another reason why I left GJ! I was tired of people who complained about everything, but never took any action to change it. I know I will meet people like that everywhere, but it seems like GJ has there fair share. Unfortunately, with the boom in oil & gas, GJ will continue to experience unmanaged growth. I can understand why the OP wants to leave, but I too am confused by this entire post. Thanks for the laugh though!

[CareFreeAZ]

Originally Posted by get me outta gj

There is very little scenery (so many trees) (I used to live in AZ and prefer vistas in daily life).

complaining about too many trees? really? wow.[/quote]


If you've ever visually experienced the true Sonoran Desert - you would understand.

[Katarina Witt]

My husband is from Nebraska, and he complains about trees obscuring his view of the horizon. DD had a problem with trees when she went to college in Minn; felt hemmed in b/c she couldn't see the horizon all the time. Many westerners have expressed that concern. Me, I'm from PA, I like trees.