Why move to Colorado (or the west)? (Denver, Grand Junction: jobs, housing)

[get me outta gj]

[SIZE=3]As a Colorado native whose family has lived here for generations, I wonder why so many people continue to move here, the entire mountain states region and southwest. Many years ago I heard newcomers extol the “quality of life” issue, no traffic or crime problems compared to where the were coming from, housing prices were low here, etc. but in 1990 the population of the state was 3.3 million, today its projected to be 4.8 million. Yeah, 1.5 million have moved here making small, quaint, affordable towns places that were once a good place to live, not so much anymore. Grand Junction for example has lost so much of its farmland to sprawl and new subdivisions as is a common malady all over the west over that time period and that adds to longer drives and more traffic. Another common thing I heard from newcomers is the recreational opportunities, hiking, biking, fishing, hunting, camping, etc. well, I’ve seen natural beauty all over the US, for example; Oklahoma, the Smokey Mountains, and for my money, you can’t beat North Carolina, they have mountains AND beaches! Moab, Utah is not far from where I live and that’s been popularized as a haven for mountain biking and that town has exploded population wise. Are people that gullible that they see TV commercials or print media talking about places and they begin to think if they want to be outdoors there is only one place to do it? The fact that so many Americans believe Iraq had something to do with 9/11 tells me, yes (no Iraqis were involved). Do many of you harbor the romantic fantasy of Colorado and western states as an idyllic utopia (yes that’s redundant but you get the point)? It’s not like that anymore out here, if ever it once was. People build homes where there are bears and mountain lions and then complain about them, or when a wildfire burns the home they built in the middle of nowhere. Things are different out here, and if you are looking for a gem of a place to live, a not too big kind of town with an old fashioned feel, I suggest the American heartland, upstate New York, or mid-south. You won’t have to worry about your town being discovered, overpopulated, and changed because everyone is chasing the dream out west where contrary to popular belief, is not the only region for outdoor recreation and does not offer the quality of life it did 20 years ago. [/SIZE]
[SIZE=3] [/SIZE]

[Katiana]

I'm not sure I get your point. Don't move to Colorado, go to upstate NY or NC or Oklahoma instead? This is a free country, we are free to move about the country as we wish.

[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]

[get me outta gj]

Oh, and by the way, yes, I am looking to move out of Colorado, sooner rather than later.

[frogandtoad]

I can only speak for me and my situation. My husband's job required us to live out West anywhere we want within an hour of a major airport. So we have CA--too expensive. The PNW--too rainy. Dallas--I will never live in TX!. Phoenix--we thought about it. Denver. Well, out of those choices, Denver was the only one with any appeal.

FYI, everyone in CA, NC, and 100 other places says the same thing about their state. All complain about it being overrun by non-natives.

We are a mobile nation, changing jobs, changing careers, etc. And CO is beautiful--crowded or not, with great weather, great schools.

Keep in mind too that your family was new to CO at some point too...I think most people know it's not a sleepy little place at this point, but there are a million reasons to move there. Or somewhere else, where someone else will not like it....

[frogandtoad]

Originally Posted by get me outta gj

Oh, and by the way, yes, I am looking to move out of Colorado, sooner rather than later.

So you will probably run into people who have a problem with you moving in and crowding their state then. It won't be me saying that--I think it's fine to go wherever you want, find your place.

[EscapeCalifornia]

Originally Posted by get me outta gj

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.

I can see that chip on your shoulder from here.

[Katiana]

Too bad I have to spread the rep around.

I have not experienced any dimunition in my quality of life in 28 years here, FWIW.

[get me outta gj]

It seems I must simplify my post, in the past 20 years the population of Colorado has increased by 1.5 million, about a 45% increase, resulting in more traffic, crime, high housing costs, sprawl, etc. with that type of growth there are undesirable consequences. My point is if people are looking to move here, they might not be aware what they're in for, all I'm saying is be pragmatic, if you want a good place to live where you won't have to deal with the problems youpresumably want to move away from, those parts of the country with natural beauty, opportunities for recreation, and a lower rate of population growth might provide a better quality of life. How that put a chip on my shoulder, I have no idea. [mod cut] I'm not saying don't move here, I'm saying think about what you're really looking for and where best to find it, regarding this beautiful state, your perception may not be reality. From my perspective it's not as great a place to live as it was 20 years ago, that's why I'm leaving. Just trying to give people a heads up, that's all, but it appears there are some really bad places to live out there and places I don't think are a good place to be are a great place to others.

[frogandtoad]

Originally Posted by get me outta gj

It seems I must simplify my post, in the past 20 years the population of Colorado has increased by 1.5 million, about a 45% increase, resulting in more traffic, crime, high housing costs, sprawl, etc. with that type of growth there are undesirable consequences. My point is if people are looking to move here, they might not be aware what they're in for, all I'm saying is be pragmatic, if you want a good place to live where you won't have to deal with the problems youpresumably want to move away from, those parts of the country with natural beauty, opportunities for recreation, and a lower rate of population growth might provide a better quality of life. How that put a chip on my shoulder, I have no idea. It seems many who read and post here are not much into logic and reasoning. I'm not saying don't move here, I'm saying think about what you're really looking for and where best to find it, regarding this beautiful state, your perception may not be reality. From my perspective it's not as great a place to live as it was 20 years ago, that's why I'm leaving. Just trying to give people a heads up, that's all, but it appears there are some really bad places to live out there and places I don't think are a good place to be are a great place to others.

I haven't read many posts by those who were expecting no crime, no traffic, no crowding being shocked that there is crime, traffic, and crowding. I think people have a good idea what it's like here. I did. The others I know who moved here did.