Are CO people mean or what? (Denver: shop, agricultural, cars)

[gmm_24]

Ok if we have to sing Kumbaya, I am still going to shave my underarms and wear deoderant. Well I won't sing I will just move my lips.

A place is a friendly or not friendly due in some part to the effort you put in to it.
Not everyone in any state is going to run up to you with muffins and greet you to the neighborhood. Would be nice as long as they are not bran muffins

[bridgerider]

Interesting thread to read! Born & raised in Colorado, I was all set to disagree with OP. Suprised that so many responses agreed w/ her. But I haven't lived there for over 20 years & come back 3 times a yr; so perhaps I'm seeing things thru wishful eyes...
Live in a metro area in the northeast now, and have done extensive work/travel thru US. I guess I would have to admit some of this must be true - friendliness is one my reasons for wanting to move south.

[CharlieinLaVeta]

Moved to La Veta, Colorado - 81055 to retire 3 months ago. I'm 60 and I researched it beforehand. Everyone in La Veta has been courteous and friendly. There is plenty of friendly hand waving on the streets, both pedestrians ansd motorists alike. People here are friendly and helpful. Nearest Walmart - 40 miles. We are not altitude snobs at 7,013ft. We are artists. plenty of musicians here...and mule deer in the streets and yards....take your pick!!

[ mod cut ]

-ps the nearest 'altitude snobs' we have to contend with in La Veta live up the river from us in Cuchara, Colorado at 8,235 ft

[Sunderpig2]

Hey Charlie. I'm not sure where La Veta is, but it looks like a beautiful part of the country.

[McGowdog]

Welcome to CD Chuck. Used to play them in sports as I was from Rye.

My folks used to be friends with some musicians who used to play at the Greenhorn Inn in Colorado City... Arron and Beth. Wonder if they're still out there.

There are 3 beautiful little lakes out in Cucharas and used to fish right from our cabin up there every Memorial Day back in the late 70s. I caught some nice trout up there.

[benji73]

this forum made me laugh. my friend is from Connecticut and thinks people here are wayyy too friendly. i'm from Indiana and think people here are rather aloof. i live in the mountains now and the philosophy is you can do whatever you want as long as you leave me to do my thing. i'm learning how to be ok with. my friend is learning how to deal with her neighbors waving at her.

[elan]

Originally Posted by CharlieinLaVeta

Moved to La Veta, Colorado - 81055 to retire 3 months ago. I'm 60 and I researched it beforehand. Everyone in La Veta has been courteous and friendly. There is plenty of friendly hand waving on the streets, both pedestrians ansd motorists alike. People here are friendly and helpful. Nearest Walmart - 40 miles. We are not altitude snobs at 7,013ft. We are artists. plenty of musicians here...and mule deer in the streets and yards....take your pick!!

[ mod cut ]

-ps the nearest 'altitude snobs' we have to contend with in La Veta live up the river from us in Cuchara, Colorado at 8,235 ft

La Veta isn't a bad little town if you like small town politics, unemployed people, deer jumping out in front of your car 24/7 and crapping in yards or punks spray painting the church and park. I knew Mr Masinton (Charlie) btw, great guy. I wonder what he would think of his town now or his overpriced store. I'm glad you like it, but it's not what it used to be. The art scene is pretty darn poor, try Taos instead. I will say the quilters are good, but that's about it. The only decent place to eat is the Rye Street bakery and it's never open. Cuchara is a beautiful little place, but dead last time I was there. The people were down to earth, I can't believe you would call them snobs. That's hilarious.

[RaymondKHessell]

And here I just assumed a mix of introverts and extroverts lived in the states/cities I've visited. But then again, I'm kinda slow - I still haven't figured out how to accurately classify a whole region by a small fraction of its population.

I will say that, for my tastes, one of the most outspoken contributors on the CO forum - a native - also seems to be rather cynical, if not bitter. But fear not: I certainly don't chalk that up to the average Colorado native. I just assume that person is unhappy with the hand he's been dealt in life and is unwilling or unable to change how he plays it, so he shares his discontent on here as a service to the rest of us.

That said, I'm from the south and I try to be polite and mannerly with strangers but if I'm deep in thought, I might not wave back.

[Pierce2011]

Originally Posted by benji73

this forum made me laugh. my friend is from Connecticut and thinks people here are wayyy too friendly. i'm from Indiana and think people here are rather aloof. i live in the mountains now and the philosophy is you can do whatever you want as long as you leave me to do my thing. i'm learning how to be ok with. my friend is learning how to deal with her neighbors waving at her.

This post made me smile. I have always waived at my neighbors. But I cringe when Mrs. Chatty Cathy next door catches me get my mail and talks my ear off about nothing. (She's from Phoenix)

However, over the years my neighbors have been great to us and I hope they can say the same about us in return. We have a huge snow blower that can clear driveways in a few minutes, so we dig them out on bad snow days. And they come over to rototill our garden every spring and they help us out with our temper-mental swamp cooler. It's like, please don't bother me for a cup of sugar, but I will help you get your car out of that ditch. Yes, fellow natives...we are an odd bunch of people and that's why I like us....annoying bumper stickers and all.

[jazzlover]

Originally Posted by RaymondKHessell

And here I just assumed a mix of introverts and extroverts lived in the states/cities I've visited. But then again, I'm kinda slow - I still haven't figured out how to accurately classify a whole region by a small fraction of its population.

I will say that, for my tastes, one of the most outspoken contributors on the CO forum - a native - also seems to be rather cynical, if not bitter. But fear not: I certainly don't chalk that up to the average Colorado native. I just assume that person is unhappy with the hand he's been dealt in life and is unwilling or unable to change how he plays it, so he shares his discontent on here as a service to the rest of us.

That said, I'm from the south and I try to be polite and mannerly with strangers but if I'm deep in thought, I might not wave back.

Wrong on all counts. I'm pretty content with the hand I've been dealt in life. I just happen not to like some of the pretty unsavory things that are happening in the state that I have worked hard to preserve and better for going on a half-century. I'm also old enough and wise enough to recognize folly when I see it, and I see plenty of that in what is happening in this state and country. I hope that some of my "cynical" posts will cause more people to wake up to bad things that are happening and hopefully to mobilize them to change some of the things that are fundamentally wrong with the way far too many people are thinking and how their current unsustainable lifestyle is imperiling them and the future of this place.

One final note: Many Westerners--especially those who have lived in the rural areas and worked on the land--tend to be rather direct and blunt in their demeanor. Some people perceive that as being impolite--actually, what it amounts to is being genuine and truthful--"what you see is what you get." Most of those people also have little use for "phonies"--the people who will be nice to your face and then stab you in the back. Unfortunately, the "typical" Coloradan is now some metro resident who moved here from someplace else, many of whom--sadly--who do not have the same core values of many long-time Coloradans--the values of honesty, directness, hard work, love of the land, and genuine-ness that is far too uncommon in today's American society. To be sure, those good values are not unique to Colorado natives--they can be found in many places in the United States and in a fair number of people who have transplanted to Colorado--but, for some reason, it seems a disproportionate number of people who lack them seem to be attracted to Colorado. Maybe that is because the "resort" character of the state attracts a lot of people who are looking for "paradise" and flit from one place to the next trying to find it.