Whats the vibe in Pueblo? (Denver, Colorado Springs: real estate, rent, crime)

[msheiny]

What is Pueblo like? How far is it from Denver airport? What is the general feel of pueblo? Any info?
Thanks

[jazzlover]

I don't live in Pueblo, but, like many other places in Colorado, I have a lot of friends who live or have lived there. Hopefully, a Pueblan will answer this post, too. Pueblo is about 100 miles from Denver. I would suspect a lot of Pueblans would choose to fly out of the Colorado Springs airport as opposed to DIA. The Springs is about 45 miles from Pueblo, more or less.

Pueblo itself is a working class kind of town, unlike much of the rest of the yuppified Front Range--not a bad thing, in my opinion. It came into prominence as the home of the CF&I steel mill. The mill is still there (operated now by Oregon Steel Mills, which is owned by the Russians--go figure), but it is a shadow of its former self. That has been hard on the Pueblo economy for years--on the bright side, Pueblo no longer has any air quality problems associated with the steel mill. Partly due to the influx of immigrants that came to work at the steel mill, Pueblo is probably the most ethnically diverse city in Colorado. Pueblo has also had a large Hispanic population from the beginning.

A lot of people (including a lot of Coloradans, unfortunately) tend to look down their nose at Pueblo, in part because of its blue-collar heritage, and in part because Pueblo is farther away from the mountains, is hotter in the summer, and is drier than many other Front Range cities. That's too bad because Pueblo, to me at least, has quite a bit to offer. Despite the fact that Pueblo is farther from the mountains than some other Front Range cities are, there is some fantastic mountain country pretty close by, much of it less crowded than other mountain areas. Pueblo definitely has a smaller town feel than most of the rest of the Front Range. Pueblo is also the gateway to the southern part of Colorado--arguably the most scenic part of the state, and the part of the state with a strong Hispanic flavor.

Really, the only down side to Pueblo (other than the heat in summer, which I am not fond of) is that the core part of town (in particular) has some significant gang and crime problems, but that is by no means unique to Pueblo in Colorado. Yes, the income levels in Pueblo are considerably lower than elsewhere on the Front Range, but so are real estate prices. Were I to relocate back to my native state of Colorado, Pueblo is a place that I would definitely consider over just about any other sizable city in the state. By the way, downtown Pueblo has a very nice historical district, anchored by the Pueblo Union Depot. The town is really trying to showcase its rich history, not pave it over.

Oh, one other thing: The proper Spanish pronunciation is "Pweb-lo." Many Pueblans pronounce it that way, but many also pronounce it with a local twist, "Pee-eblo." A matter of choice, I guess.

[McGowdog]

Originally Posted by msheiny

What is Pueblo like? How far is it from Denver airport? What is the general feel of pueblo? Any info?
Thanks

JL describes Pueblo pretty well. Pueblo is close enough to Colorado Springs and Denver to make it an attractive place to live without having to live too close to populations of 500,000 - 2,500,000. It sits at the gateway to the Front Range as well as the gateway to southern Colorado. From Pueblo County, you can see Pikes Peak, Greenhorn (Wet Mountains), the Spanish Peaks, La Veta Pass and the Sangre de Cristos (if you're lucky). Pueblo sits along the Arkansas River and Pueblo West sits along Pueblo Reservoir (boating, fishing, swimming, camping, etc.) If you head west through Cañon City and head up to Monarch Pass (skiing) and/or onto the Gunnison River (Blue Mesa-boating, camping, awesome fishing, etc,), through Salida and onto Browns Canyon (Class 3 and 4 river rafting, fly fishing, rock climbing, etc.), the Royal Gorge (bungie jumping??), Cripple Creek (gambling), 11-mile reservoir (fishing, camping), or an exciting drive up Phantom Canyon. You can head south through Colorado City (26 miles) and Rye (another 8) along 165 and be in the San Isabel National Forest before you know it. There you can go camping, rent a cabin, go hiking, fishing, and don't forget to check out Bishop's Castle. From there you can continue onto Westcliffe, the Sangre De Cristos, or on to the Sand Dunes. If you head east along the river you can go check out Bent's Fort just past La Junta or continue on to John Martin Reservoir (between Las Animas and Lamar, just south of Hasty)if you enjoy boating, fishing, hunting, camping, etc. If you live in Denver, you can catch a Broncos game, go to Elitches (Six Flags) or go to Water World. In Colorado Springs you can go to Garden of the Gods, drive up Pikes Peak, Cave of the Winds, etc. In Pueblo, you have to look a little harder to find culture and entertainment. There again, the Springs and Denver aren't too far away.

Airports? It takes about 2 and a half hours to get to DIA on average, but I fly out of Colorado Springs whenever possible. It takes less than an hour to get there. I guess if you're willing to spend a little extra and save on parking and gas, you can fly from Pueblo to Denver and wherever. I haven't done this yet, but I should.

Info? I'd check out The Pueblo Chieftain Online - Pueblo, Colorado U.S.A and PuebloWestview.com to get started.

[MattDen]

Pueblo was a city which expended based on steel mills until the late 70s and early 80s at one time it was as prosperous as Colorado Springs but since the early 80s has seen a decrease in steel jobs overall which has caused its economy to slump. Its economy has never really gotten back on track, they have made numerous efforts and they have had a few good-sized employers move in but overall its economically very depressed with a very high poverty rate. Although as of lately Pueblo has been economically gaining traction again although it still is far poorer then any other metropolitan county along the front range. Despite all this Pueblo County is growing mainly because of Pueblo West, the city of Pueblo proper is mainly stable.

Culturally, Pueblo has a very high Spanish-American population. The city proper is very heavily hispanic (around 40%+). Pueblo also had a high influx of Italians and Eastern Europeans working for the steel mills so its Italian-American and Eastern European-American population is rather high for Colorado. A large number of the Spanish-American and Hispanic population in Pueblo has been in Colorado and the South-West for centuries. Fairly interesting place culturally.

Home values are very low for the front range of Colorado, every other county along the front range is far, far more expensive then Pueblo county even El Paso County just one county north which is Colorado Springs has far higher housing values. Its far cheaper then Colorado Springs which is 30 minutes north. North Pueblo is the more expensive part of Pueblo as is Pueblo West which is fairly modern, the city of Pueblo proper has a very high percentage of old housing stock compared to other Colorado cities. However, even North Pueblo would seem inexpensive compared to alot of the front range.

As far as people migrating into Colorado. While Colorado Springs 30 minutes north has a very, very high percentage of people from other states, Pueblo has a very, very high percentage of native-born Coloradoans especially the city proper. Because of this Pueblo is more insular in my opinion and people are more close-knit but cliquish then the rest of the state in general. Pueblo has its own unique culture, but socially it sort of feels more like a midwestern insularity to it just not as open-minded as Denver or even Colorado Springs.
Its got a very, very traditional mentality about it.


Pueblo has two colleges that I have heard of Colorado Springs University-Pueblo and Pueblo Community College. The four-year university is on the northside of Pueblo (5 miles north of downtown) near where the main mall in town is. The college has around 5,000+ students I think, it has mainly been a communications and business oriented college.

Downtown Pueblo has a riverwalk which was built in the late 1990s I havent been there lately but despite being a nice riverwalk it could use more activity.

Overall, Downtown Pueblo is moderate I would give it a C. Its a got a very, very good library (not quite downtown) for a city of its size and a convention center/hotel but the main street going through the downtown has very little foot traffic and the business/retail scene could be better. Overall, many cities have better downtowns and many cities have far worse downtowns.

Overall, Pueblo is a decent place I give it a C (but the economy has a reputation of being weak). For people in their 20s I wouldnt really recommend it but thats just my opinion. But I think for people who are seniors or empty-nesters it would be a great place (good weather, fairly good cultural scene, decent recreation, very low housing values, fairly quiet)

[McGowdog]

Originally Posted by MattDen

Pueblo has two colleges that I have heard of Colorado Springs University-Pueblo and Pueblo Community College.

Used to be USC, now CSU- as in Colorado State University, Pueblo.

Originally Posted by MattDen

Downtown Pueblo has a riverwalk which was built in the late 1990s I havent been there lately but despite being a nice riverwalk it could use more activity.

They're expanding it. I hear it's supposed to go across Sante Fe near Patti's.

Originally Posted by MattDen

Its a got a very, very good library (not quite downtown) for a city of its size and a convention center/hotel but the main street going through the downtown has very little foot traffic and the business/retail scene could be better.

It moved-between Union and Main, but right across the river on Abriendo. If you were referring to the new location, you haven't been away that long.

[Nadine]

Originally Posted by jazzlover

I don't live in Pueblo, but, like many other places in Colorado, I have a lot of friends who live or have lived there. Hopefully, a Pueblan will answer this post, too. Pueblo is about 100 miles from Denver. I would suspect a lot of Pueblans would choose to fly out of the Colorado Springs airport as opposed to DIA. The Springs is about 45 miles from Pueblo, more or less.

Pueblo itself is a working class kind of town, unlike much of the rest of the yuppified Front Range--not a bad thing, in my opinion. It came into prominence as the home of the CF&I steel mill. The mill is still there (operated now by Oregon Steel Mills, which is owned by the Russians--go figure), but it is a shadow of its former self. That has been hard on the Pueblo economy for years--on the bright side, Pueblo no longer has any air quality problems associated with the steel mill. Partly due to the influx of immigrants that came to work at the steel mill, Pueblo is probably the most ethnically diverse city in Colorado. Pueblo has also had a large Hispanic population from the beginning.

A lot of people (including a lot of Coloradans, unfortunately) tend to look down their nose at Pueblo, in part because of its blue-collar heritage, and in part because Pueblo is farther away from the mountains, is hotter in the summer, and is drier than many other Front Range cities. That's too bad because Pueblo, to me at least, has quite a bit to offer. Despite the fact that Pueblo is farther from the mountains than some other Front Range cities are, there is some fantastic mountain country pretty close by, much of it less crowded than other mountain areas. Pueblo definitely has a smaller town feel than most of the rest of the Front Range. Pueblo is also the gateway to the southern part of Colorado--arguably the most scenic part of the state, and the part of the state with a strong Hispanic flavor.

Really, the only down side to Pueblo (other than the heat in summer, which I am not fond of) is that the core part of town (in particular) has some significant gang and crime problems, but that is by no means unique to Pueblo in Colorado. Yes, the income levels in Pueblo are considerably lower than elsewhere on the Front Range, but so are real estate prices. Were I to relocate back to my native state of Colorado, Pueblo is a place that I would definitely consider over just about any other sizable city in the state. By the way, downtown Pueblo has a very nice historical district, anchored by the Pueblo Union Depot. The town is really trying to showcase its rich history, not pave it over.

Oh, one other thing: The proper Spanish pronunciation is "Pweb-lo." Many Pueblans pronounce it that way, but many also pronounce it with a local twist, "Pee-eblo." A matter of choice, I guess.

I believe this is a very good description of Pueblo. Pueblo is working hard to clean up the reputation that so many people insist on putting on Pueblo. I was a smelly town back when but no more. Many bias individuals call it Pu Town. Die hards that just don't know better. Great history in and around the city.There are some gorgeous old homes from by gone days. I perfer to shop there than the Spring because it is so much easier to get around and they have all I am interested in. but then, I do not shop for entertainment like so many city women do. Oh by the way, Pueblo has an Commercial Airport too. I have ties to Pueblo. I was born there as was others of my extended family, my Gfather, my father, uncle all worked at the CFI at one time. My Dad was frozen to his job in the open hearth for the duration of WWII and paid with his health. I am not a city lover but I will stick up for Pueblo. No I am not Hispanic but as other immigrants, my Gfather came to work at the steelmill from Prussia

[C2H (ComingtoHouston)]

i lived in Pueblo for 3 years when i attended CSU Pueblo. I actually had a good time because i met a handful of friends on campus which made me enjoy it. Other than that, i don't think i could live there outside of campus.

I even think Colorado Springs is too small for me but Pueblo makes Colorado Springs feel like a small Denver. Pueblo is bigger than you would think though. Pueblo West is almost as big as Pueblo with a somewhat low population but very sprawly. I like the beautification they did on US HWY 50 leading up to CSU Pueblo. Pueblo could also use either a 2nd mall or an add- on to the existing mall.

If you're ever in town, check out downtown. Most of the downtown activity is situated around Bars and Pubs. It's actually OK if you're looking for an outing and you're stuck in Pueblo. Like someone said earlier, Pueblo has been good on preserving its historic downtown image. I've never actually seen the river walk but i hear good things. Also check out the Pueblo Resevoir which resembles a small inland beach. I used to love to drive out there to clear my head.

In a way i miss the town. Haven't been there in over 3 years since i graduated. Most people in their 20s probably wouldn't find it the most exciting place unless they have their circle of friends from CSU campus. If you're a college student, house parties and KEGGER paries are big here. Pueblo is alright but like Colorado Springs, its more laid back and would probably be suitable if you're looking to retire or raise a family.