CO is great! Damn it is crowded. (Denver, Fort Collins: how much, to live)

[slingshot]

I lived in Nederland and worked in Broomfield in the middle 70's. I left in 75. I went for a visit in 2012 and could not believe the difference. Too much growth. Too many people. Too much traffic. Just plain too much. My daughter lives in Denver and loves it. Not for me.

[Apple Tree]

Originally Posted by Sean Kellogg

Phoenix has scorpions. I don't do scorpions.

With continued climate change, Denver will have scorpions someday. They are already at the southern western borders of Colorado.

[otowi]

Remember also that this is tourist season - weekends in tourist season is a whole other level of busy compared to weekdays and other times of year.

[Mike from back east]

Originally Posted by Apple Tree

With continued climate change, Denver will have scorpions someday. They are already at the southern western borders of Colorado.

Saw one in the basement of a friend's home here in COLO SPGS....about 3 years ago....

[denverian]

Originally Posted by foggnm

I moved here a few months ago (from only a few hundred miles away) and knew Denver was pretty busy, but I guess I've been surprised at how busy things are outside of Denver. Whether I've been in Denver, Lakewood, Ft Collins, Salida, 25, 285, 93, Golden, Hwy 8, it just seems there's always traffic... even pretty late in the evening. And the traffic moves ok, but I guess I wasn't prepared for the sheer number of people here. I should say though that this is the first time I've worked a M-F job in many years, so I have a weekend-er schedule now, which makes things worse.

I also wasn't prepared for how car-dependent I'd be here. Previously, I'd only use a car for recreation, that that seems more of a challenge here due to the spread out nature of things.

So all this makes me wonder what it will be like on 20 years and if I really want to stick around in a place that is this busy NOW. I can't imagine what it will be like at the time I'll be retiring. I'm considering moving back to where I was living previously, which has great access to southern/western Colorado (which isn't quite as plagued by such the busy culture). Does anyone else feel like this?

I love the nice people and nice things to to, but hmmm there are a lot of us (;

I like "busy". There's only something like 4 million people along the Front Range. Having moved here from the LA area, it's not crowded to me. If you're used to small town/rural living, then I suppose it might seem crowded in Denver.

[denverian]

Originally Posted by KaaBoom

I got out of Denver almost 20 years ago, because it got too crowded me then. I don't even want to think about what it would be like to live in Denver today. Growth in Colorado has been rampant out of control for the last 40+ years, and the Governments have been unwilling to do anything to stop it. I wouldn't expect anything to change in the next 40 years. Welcome to New Los Angeles.

What would you have the government do? Not allow people to move here?

Los Angeles metro area has something like 18 million people. Denver has about 3. Not even close.

[Colorado Rambler]

I felt that the Front Range had become too crowed back in the late 70's, and I moved out to the Western Slope. I returned in the late 90's to be closer to my elderly mother. After she passed, I pulled up stakes and went back to the Western Slope as fast and as far I could go. Someone mentioned that the population on the Front Range is around 4 million? That sounds horrific to me.

As for the future of cities like Denver, I wouldn't bet the farm on it. The population growth and climate change will cause the major metro areas of the West to run out of water - probably sooner than we like to think. Plus population growth on the Front Range is going to bring down the quality of life there with every passing year of growth and more growth. And yes, Colorado has scorpions. I'm beginning to see more and more of them as the climate becomes warmer. They'll be hanging out in Denver soon. Might as well move to Phoenix.

[bluescreen73]

According to this there are 3 species of scorpions found in Colorado. Growing up in Craig we saw them all the time. They're mostly small (under 2" in length), and their sting is painful, but harmless.

http://www.wci.colostate.edu/Assets/...loradoOct8.pdf

[TechMike]

Yup, it's crowded. That's what happens when you have a state that is awesome. If you want to get away from the crowds, you have to get away from the front range.

[BornintheSprings]

Originally Posted by Colorado Rambler

I felt that the Front Range had become too crowed back in the late 70's, and I moved out to the Western Slope. I returned in the late 90's to be closer to my elderly mother. After she passed, I pulled up stakes and went back to the Western Slope as fast and as far I could go. Someone mentioned that the population on the Front Range is around 4 million? That sounds horrific to me.

As for the future of cities like Denver, I wouldn't bet the farm on it. The population growth and climate change will cause the major metro areas of the West to run out of water - probably sooner than we like to think. Plus population growth on the Front Range is going to bring down the quality of life there with every passing year of growth and more growth. And yes, Colorado has scorpions. I'm beginning to see more and more of them as the climate becomes warmer. They'll be hanging out in Denver soon. Might as well move to Phoenix.

I think people are exaggerating the water problem. Desalinization in the future will solve pretty much any water problem rest assured humanity will find a way.