Relocating to Colorado (Denver, Colorado Springs, Pueblo: transplants, real estate, unemployment)

[MikeRot]

Hi all we are looking at relocating to Colorado from California. The taxes are killing us and we are tired of all the politics. We've had enough of I Owe You's from the state and want to get paid with real money. We are open to moving into any area of the state. We hear its all beautiful.

[jazzlover]

Colorado is making many of the same mistakes California has made--it is headed down the same path in many ways. Colorado is in a local and state budget crisis of its own. It is also making all of the same growth mistakes that California has made, as well. If you are wanting to escape "Californication," you will only get a short respite from it in Colorado, at best. And--contrary to some popular belief, you can't eat the scenery. Outside of Colorado's metro areas (which increasingly look just like California), pay scales are generally awful, real estate is overpriced for local incomes, and unemployment is rising. Outside of Colorado's metro areas, California transplants--especially those from metro areas in California--are not necessarily very well-liked or welcomed with open arms, either. As more and more Coloradans lose their jobs in this souring economy, I suspect that this dislike of transplants, who will be perceived as competing with long-time residents for scarce jobs, will likely intensify.

[2bindenver]

Can you come with a job? Are you thinking urban, suburban, rural, small town, mountain, plain?

[80skeys]

Eastern Colorado (everything east of I-25) is the Great Plains. Small towns, long distances between them, dry, barren and hot.

The I-25 corridor (also known as the Front Range) includes Denver, Longmont, Colorado Springs. The mountains in each of these areas is a 15-minute to 1-hour drive. Metropolitan areas with shopping, culture, etc.

The Western Slope is the western part of the state between the Rocky mountains and the Utah border. It';s a narrow strip - here in Grand Junction it's 30 miles wide. This area is desert: dry, brown, sometimes windy, about 5,000 foot elevation.

Everything east of the Western slope all the way to I-25 is the mountains. There's a lot of small towns scattered in these areas. As you would expect, the settings are very nice, they are tourist and ski areas. Hardly anything in the way of shopping or cultural activities. Very snowy in the winter.

[CosmicWizard]

Some people in Colorado ( and in fairness, every other state as well ) forget that they live in the USA. They forget that all residents of the USA are free to live wherever they are able to eke out a living. They believe that being someplace first, magically entitles them to have things be the way things have always been. Change is viewed as a threat. Competiton for resources and jobs is seen as a threat. They believe they are somehow different than everyone else in the USA, that they should not have to change along with everyone else, that their way of life is sacred and should be preserved at all costs.

For better or worse, this is just human nature looking out for #1, this is human nature reacting to the fear of the unknown, this is human nature reacting to the fear of losing control. Basically, this is human nature reacting to over-population on a global scale. When all of the man made borders are stripped away, we are not only citizens of the USA, but also planetary citizens. There are just too many of us to maintain the status quo. Those who do indeed hold the beliefs in paragraph one, or ones similar to those are condemning themselves to lead lives of utter frustration, resentment, and galling unhappiness.

[Katiana]

I wouldn't come here without a means of support, whether that be telecommuting, savings, or whatever. There is a recession going on, and while Colorado isn't as hard-hit as some states (e.g. California), it's bad out here, too.

As for the transplant thing, there is some of that attitude in post #2 around the metro area, but people tend to be nicer one on one. Eventually, you tune it out, for the most part.

[missingcol]

Originally Posted by MikeRot

Hi all we are looking at relocating to Colorado from California. The taxes are killing us and we are tired of all the politics. We've had enough of I Owe You's from the state and want to get paid with real money. We are open to moving into any area of the state. We hear its all beautiful.

We did it last week, CA-->CO. Yes, Colorado is beautiful!

[la junta econ devel]

[quote=80skeys;9658797]Eastern Colorado (everything east of I-25) is the Great Plains. Small towns, long distances between them, dry, barren and hot.

Not one to take exception...but barren is a bit strong for ALL of Eastern Colorado. Probably some of the best feed and vegetable crops in the State are grown in Eastern Colorado on either the Arkansas or Platte River and in other areas as well. In addition, the vast range land actually provides enough dryland grasss to graze a lot of cattle in this region of the State. If it were truly barren...it wouldn't support that.

Won't find fault with the small towns with distances, the dry and hot part, but barren just is not a fair description of most of the land in the Eastern Colorado.

The small towns are, for the most part typical rural, friendly America. Great rivalries exist among the schools....just a good place to live and work. See http://www.city-data.com/forum/color...hoto-tour.html for one example....and there are a lot more towns just like us in hot, dry Eastern Colorado (Burlington, Sterling, Fort Morgan, Lamar, Rocky Ford, Julesberg, Pueblo to name a few as well as Swink, Wiley, Fowler, Limon, Brush....the list goes on!).

[POhdNcrzy]

MikeRot, what area of California are you going to be fleeing from?? Just curious, is all...

[relocator2Colorado]

Originally Posted by missingcol

We did it last week, CA-->CO. Yes, Colorado is beautiful!

Just curious what city you chose to live in CO.

Im moving from CA to Pueblo. I am bringing my own income. Kinda worried about my CA license plates. Am originally from Washington State and that is a good thing. Wondering whether I can change my CA license plates to CO plates before I drive to Pueblo.