From California To Colorado. Why??? (Denver, Pueblo: short sale, buy, taxes)

[Mike from back east]

Originally Posted by Ulysses61

.... Colorado does not tax pensions....

Actually, for retirees, COLO exempts the first $20k of income; for my wife and I we get $40k deducted from our COLO taxable income, which, at 4.9% amounts to $1960.00 per year.

[davidv]

Originally Posted by jazzlover

So, if Colorado would "wise-up" and embrace a "no-growth" policy, it's citizens would ultimately wind up better off, not worse. How? Simply by having government actually QUIT spending taxpayer money doing some things, to wit:

1. Eliminate all government funding for ADDITIONAL road expansion. If developers need new road, street, or highway construction because of their development, make them pay for it--all of it, not the taxpaying public.

2. Eliminate all government funding for any new diversion of water supplies from any source to municipal use. Again, if developers want to secure water supplies for their development, then make the developers pay for it.

3. Eliminate government funding of any public services for illegal immigrants--no exceptions.

Those three steps alone would greatly help assure that any population growth that does occur is required to pay for itself and not become a burden upon existing residents. What a concept.

While I agree that new development does not pay for itself, the steps that you advocate would also have consequences. You can decide for yourself if these consequences are positive or negative.

Such steps would make new development prohibitively expensive, but it would not necessarily decrease the influx of immigrants to this state.

1. The density of the cities would have to increase, as we put more people into the area already developed. This would be accomplished in a couple of ways:

This would increase the likelihood of filtering - the process by which larger single family homes are turned into multi-family apartments. This has happened in many areas near downtown, and the practice would spread further as the need for homes increases.

Many single family areas will be torn down in order to build multiple family housing. It will be cheaper for builders to hook into existing lines.

Higher demand for existing housing will increase housing prices for all. Soon, we will be paying California-type prices for houses. In fact, by limiting growth, we will not turn into Los Angeles, but rather we will become like San Francisco, a city whose growth is not limited by statute, but by geography.

2. Transportation will become increasingly harder as more density means more cars in the same space. More density will make light rail a better option for commuters. It will probably need to be expanded (I don't know why RTD hasn't decided to put a line down Hampden, but that is another story), but more density will make light rail more cost efficient.

3. Because suburbs are seen as desirable places for professionals to live, the transformation of the suburbs into something that is more urban would be detrimental to any effort to lure businesses to our area because of quality of life concerns (real or perceived).

In the business of luring corporations, we will start to lose out to places like Salt Lake City, Boise, and Albuquerque over quality of life concerns.

The population of the United States continues to grow, and I don't believe that closing our state to outsiders will achieve the results that you desire. Promoting smart growth is probably a good compromise between shutting down population growth and allowing unfettered population growth.

[Raf Suarez]

I can now say that different people, different opinion. I live in CO for almost 8 years now and most of the comments that I had read are not true. Colorado is beautiful, no doubt, one of the most beautiful places I had ever been, beautiful blue skies, great mountains and of course, world class skiing and snowboarding, gorgeous. But as some of you said, same weather? I don't think so, cheaper? craziness, and illegal immigration as bad or worse than CA. I guess its all depends where you live in CO. I live in Breckenridge (summit county), the county outrageously expensive, affordable housing is $300,000, winters are brutal (585 inches of snow last year) average of 400+, and every day we see more and more illegals moving to the county. Yeah, I love this place and you can call me crazy but I am thinking about moving to SoCal. Growing 3 kids is not easy in the mountains of CO, is boring here. There is so much fishing, hiking, mountain biking and skiing, you can do, after a while, it gets old. -32 degrees days in winter? no, thank you, 8 month of winter with no spring or fall? I don't think so. I guess what I am trying to say is that if you want to live in the beautiful, clear air, rivers and beauty of CO you have to suffer the snow, the cold temperatures, long winters and also the illegal immigration. Me, myself, miss the ocean.

[JMM64]

Originally Posted by Raf Suarez

I can now say that different people, different opinion. I live in CO for almost 8 years now and most of the comments that I had read are not true. Colorado is beautiful, no doubt, one of the most beautiful places I had ever been, beautiful blue skies, great mountains and of course, world class skiing and snowboarding, gorgeous. But as some of you said, same weather? I don't think so, cheaper? craziness, and illegal immigration as bad or worse than CA. I guess its all depends where you live in CO. I live in Breckenridge (summit county), the county outrageously expensive, affordable housing is $300,000, winters are brutal (585 inches of snow last year) average of 400+, and every day we see more and more illegals moving to the county. Yeah, I love this place and you can call me crazy but I am thinking about moving to SoCal. Growing 3 kids is not easy in the mountains of CO, is boring here. There is so much fishing, hiking, mountain biking and skiing, you can do, after a while, it gets old. -32 degrees days in winter? no, thank you, 8 month of winter with no spring or fall? I don't think so. I guess what I am trying to say is that if you want to live in the beautiful, clear air, rivers and beauty of CO you have to suffer the snow, the cold temperatures, long winters and also the illegal immigration. Me, myself, miss the ocean.

Good Point!

I support your decision to move back to CA. And please tell everyone in CA that CO sucks and is a terrible place to live.

[CosmicWizard]

Jmm64 wrote:

And please tell everyone in CA that CO sucks and is a terrible place to live.

The same could be said for any state. Colorado does not hold a monopoly on people who say that it sucks. If you think Colorado sucks, then you will probably feel the same way wherever you are. Thinking that a place sucks is an inside job. It's not the place that sucks, but rather your outlook.

Where ever you go, there you are.....and the same sucky attitude is there with you.

[JMM64]

Originally Posted by CosmicWizard

Jmm64 wrote:

And please tell everyone in CA that CO sucks and is a terrible place to live.

The same could be said for any state. Colorado does not hold a monopoly on people who say that it sucks. If you think Colorado sucks, then you will probably feel the same way wherever you are. Thinking that a place sucks is an inside job. It's not the place that sucks, but rather your outlook.

Where ever you go, there you are.....and the same sucky attitude is there with you.

You didn't catch my tone did you? Read it again and then see what I REALLY meant ; ).

[CosmicWizard]

Oh, I caught your tone all right, and I chose to comment on the ignorance that inspired it.

[JMM64]

Originally Posted by CosmicWizard

Oh, I caught your tone all right, and I chose to comment on the ignorance that inspired it.

You didn't catch what I meant, but you can make what you want of it and are entitled to. USA!!!!

[Mike from back east]

Me? I'm tone-deaf and need a copy of Tone For Dummies to figger it all out....

[dmccright]

Originally Posted by JMM64

Good Point!

I support your decision to move back to CA. And please tell everyone in CA that CO sucks and is a terrible place to live.

I second that motion...Please tell all the CA folks how bad it is and we Coloradans will just sit in our own "misery" alone. wink, wink.