How to avoid being the "ugly Californian" in Colorado? (Denver: quality of life, live)

[synchro]

"We're helping turn CO blue"

A perfect example of the damage - This area used to be Very Conservative.

[formercalifornian]

That may be true for Presidential elections, but it's not so clearcut for the governorship. Of the 41 state Governors to date, 20 were Republican, 20 were Democrats, and one was Populist.

[Terri722]

Originally Posted by denverian

Damage? Do they destroy things? Break things?

I have posted about this before...about how ridiculous it is to assume
that only newcomers could not be showing respect to the land...I am
quite sure that more than just a few native Coloradans smoke....drive
gas guzzling vehicles and aren't doing things to help the environment...
I would think that the only people that would deserve to be shunned
by the natives would be the Joe Blows flying in to develop high dollar
subdivision and things of that sort...otherwise, most *average* people
moving there will be looking for existing housing and making a contribution
to the economy there...so try not to be offended by some on here...
I have been to Colorado quite a few times and have NEVER encountered
anyone in person with an attitude about my being from Texas...

[crash1122]

Thanks for the shout-out, Denverian and Terri722! I appreciate your comments I knew there were nice people in CO....I should have known synchro was a McCain supporter. hee-hee, just kidding

[crash1122]

Terri, we are taking a "nice place to visit but wouldnt want to live there" trip this December! We figure we will go there at the coldest time (we're also going next summer to see if we can take the heat). I have friends who live in Superior, so we are staying with them. They LOVE Colorado and are the ones who are trying to talk us into moving there. We'll be looking at houses too, but just for fun since we cant move for 2 years.

Good luck with your trip!

[ryanek9freak]

Yeah I don't want Colorado to EVER become blue. I'd rather kill myself.

[Terri722]

Originally Posted by crash1122

Terri, we are taking a "nice place to visit but wouldnt want to live there" trip this December! We figure we will go there at the coldest time (we're also going next summer to see if we can take the heat). I have friends who live in Superior, so we are staying with them. They LOVE Colorado and are the ones who are trying to talk us into moving there. We'll be looking at houses too, but just for fun since we cant move for 2 years.

Good luck with your trip!

Thanks...I will let you know how it is when we get back and you give
me the heads up on what December is like... it's great that you
have friends to stay with so you can relax while you are there...we
will only be there about a week...but I will have fun looking at the
houses...

[formercalifornian]

So, the 20 Democratic Governors (~50%) don't count as blue? There are a ton of Democrats in Colorado and have been since its inception. Face it, this state is purple.

[Katarina Witt]

Originally Posted by synchro

"We're helping turn CO blue"

A perfect example of the damage - This area used to be Very Conservative.

I have lived here 28 years, probably longer than some of the "natives" who post here, and it has been 28 years of my adult life. There have been 1 Repbulican and 3 Democratic governors in that time (Lamm, Romer, Owens, and now Ritter). There have been several Democratic senators, and there is currently a Democratic senator. 4 of our 7 US Reps are Democrats. The Democrats control both houses of the Colorado legislature. The mayor of Denver has been a Democrat ever since I came here. This state has always been very independent, electing Democrats and Republicans as we see fit. This red state stuff is a bunch of hooey!

[zenkonami]

I think Colorado culture (like much of the culture of the west) doesn't really fall in line with "traditional" American politics. On one hand, Westerners want wide open space, want to be left alone by outsiders and the Federal government, want the right to protect themselves and their families, don't want people (particular from the coasts) telling them how to run their lives.

Along with that, though, the West can be (rurally speaking) a bit of a lonely place. I think that contributes to the overall friendliness of Westerners, the willingness to help and lend aid, whether by personal charity or local government action, want their environment where they live, play, hunt, nurture and steward over to be pristine. They want to practice their beliefs and religion without imposing it on others, or having others impose theirs on them.

Basically, "don't tell me how to run my life and I won't tell you how to run yours...then we can be friends, allies, and protectors of what we have here, in every sense of the word..." Perhaps that's a bit of an idealistic view of Colorado, and western states in general...maybe that ideal never existed, even, but the mythology is certainly there.

What's corrupted California is money. Every state has their driving political issue...I think Arizona's is land, Colorado's is water, and California's is cash. It's not that Coloradans don't want California's money...I think it's that Coloradans don't want "Californians" (defined by lifestyle and motivations rather than geographic origins) flooding money into Colorado and then telling Coloradans how to run their affairs. Frankly, I don't blame people in Colorado for feeling that way. Of course they should look at their house and make sure it's in order, as well...as there are plenty of faults from within, but I think the complaints about ugly "Californians" put forth a legitimate concern.

California has it's identity, and the Western / Rocky Mountain states have theirs. It's not a culture the West is interested in importing...and even less interested in having it thrust upon them.

Unfortunately, it's a lot of money...