Outsider fitting into Colorado?

[CosmicWizard]

Katiana wrote:

If they have called you for the interview, assume it means they are interested in you.

IMO, if you go into an interview without sincerely believing this, you are just wasting your time.

[inuitboater]

Crics,

You've received some really good input, which should be helpful to you. Another aspect of things in Colorado is that our tax structure has made it very difficult for all levels of government to have enough revenue to fill all the positions needed to meet the demand for services, in all catagories. The anti-government/anti-tax factions in the state have, to a significant degree, handcuffed local and state authorities. While we have crushing needs that should be addressed, the money simply isn't available. You may have encountered a frustrated interviewer who wanted to fill a position and simply couldn't do it because of financial constraints.

Colorado is full of residents who are "from somewhere else." In the Front Range particularly, there are fewer and fewer "natives," as a percentage of the population. There IS a backlash of sorts by the so-called "natives" (how many of them are Arapaho, Cheyenne, Comanche, Kiowa, or Ute is open to speculation...), but I would be surprised if you really encountered that in Broomfield. Many Coloradans don't like Texans, so maybe your accent was indistinguishable from that of Texas, and that enters into your perceptions.

I will say, however, in rural Colorado there is a very strong "good old boy" mentality, and how long one has lived there (we're talking generations, not years) DOES make a big difference. There also is a strong anti-intellectual bias in some of the mountain towns. I moved to a west slope town nearly 20 years ago and, even though I was very active in my community, I was never really made to feel welcome. I encountered cliques of "locals" who simply wouldn't admit a "newcomer" to their social circles. There ARE disgusting amounts of petty (and not so petty) corruption in local governments that are a direct result of this aspect of life in Colorado. Some have told me that there's a real fear of anyone obviously more intelligent or better educated by the "old timers." They have their way of doing things and don't want anyone to come in and suggest a different way of looking at or accomplishing things. There's also a real paranoia and resentment of change.

Anyone considering relocating to the small mountain towns in Colorado would do well to think long and hard about this unfortunate reality of life up here.