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"From the 1970s into the early 1980s, the Denver area exceeded certain EPA air quality standards nearly 200 days annually. By the 1970s, air pollution hanging over the city even had a name — the brown cloud.
Since the 1980s through today, stricter federal emission guidelines for vehicles led to several technological advancements in engine design including catalytic converters, fuel injection and oxygen sensors. Industrial sources were also required to install pollution controls and implement best practices.
Since 1995, Denver is in attainment for all pollutants except ozone and the looming brown cloud is visibly reduced"
"Except for ozone" is a big deal! From the EPA-
EPA Concludes Ozone Pollution Poses Serious Health Threats (2013)
Causes respiratory harm (e.g., worsened asthma, worsened COPD, inflammation)
Likely to cause early death (both short-term and long-term exposure)
Likely to cause cardiovascular harm (e.g., heart attacks, strokes, heart disease, congestive heart failure)
May cause harm to the central nervous system
May cause reproductive and developmental harm
—U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Integrated Science Assessment for Ozone and Related Photochemical Oxidants, 2013. EPA/600/R-10/076F.
Many other references exist on ozone's harmful effects. Some report harm to plants, too. It's bad stuff. And in those scenic suburbs of Jeffco, it's really bad. I've seen stats of 100 ozone alert days measured in Golden, in a year when Denver reported 50 and Aurora 25 (approx.). Thirty years ago when I was a reporter, the head of the Regional Air Quality Commission explained to me how westerly winds coming out of the foothills at 7,000 to 9,000 foot elevations, blowing right over Denver. That forms a big eddy, like you see beside fast currents in a stream. This eddy rotates on a horizontal axis, though. That ground-level easterly wind draws polluted air back eastward, where it stacks up against Lookout Mountain and surrounding foothills. As the day gets sunny and/or hot, it just sits there and cooks into ozone.
Now, 50,000 oil and gas wells north of Denver add another hazard. One study calls them responsible for up to 19% of Denver's ozone levels.
I've lived if Jeffco 20 years now, enjoying the topography and mountain views and slower pace. But I'm sure it's taken a toll on me. How much, we'll never know.
The responses are what I expected. Sort of a mixture of well not in my backyard, not in my bubble, not in my city, but the one next store. Now they have problems. LOL.
Yes, the world changes, but what is missed is that the changes are not for the better.
I lived in the city and the ‘burbs. Pollution is far worse. Traffic is far worse. Homelessness has spilled into places like Highlands Ranch.
Ignorance is bliss I guess, but when you engage with people who are thinking of leaving (got some PM’s as a result of this post) or ones that have already left, some folks get it and took action.
Where did you move to? You left Denver instead of trying to engage in solving the issue. Running away to the suburbs doesn't solve any societal issues. It solves your issues. You have the right to move, but Denver's problems are no different than any other big city issues. In the 50s, people moved out of the city to the suburbs. Now we have traffic on interstates that weren't designed for commuting, it was designed to move the military gear from base to base. Suburban developers piggy backed of the interstate and the whole development feeds one or two freeways that feed the city.
Study urban planning and you see that the move to suburbs has resulted in a poorer quality of life, fatter people, the decline of community, land use that dedicates 50% to parking as opposed to the stripmall/mall. People complain about things but they don't want to solve issues, they run away from it. So the issue gets larger just like a virus. I live in Denver, I don't feel in danger even when I'm in "Ghetto" parts of Denver.
The real estate values say otherwise. People are still moving to Denver from cities that have larger issues. Why is that? Relative to what they have experienced, Denver offers them a new beginning and a chance to not make the same mistakes that they made in their initial city. Growing cities are constantly changing, you can either change with the city or run and hide. Make the city what you want.
Denver isn't a very diverse city nationally speaking. I find the lack or representation appalling. Denver is doing a lot of great things too like becoming more pedestrian friendly. A few protest doesn't make the city. Every year Denver has protest or faires downtown. Maybe the fact that income distribution is not equal has caused Denver to have more homeless, unemployed, and restless people.
We're in a world crisis right now with COVID and the choices that Denver/National leaders have made in the past is coming back to haunt us today. People are advocating for change in our system. I can't blame them for that. What I don't care for is property destruction. Protests are a cry for help a voice for change. You're not wrong for feeling the way that you do, the issues are larger than us. How do you think people that have gotten COVID feel?
Where did you move to? You left Denver instead of trying to engage in solving the issue. Running away to the suburbs doesn't solve any societal issues. It solves your issues. You have the right to move, but Denver's problems are no different than any other big city issues. In the 50s, people moved out of the city to the suburbs. Now we have traffic on interstates that weren't designed for commuting, it was designed to move the military gear from base to base. Suburban developers piggy backed of the interstate and the whole development feeds one or two freeways that feed the city.
Study urban planning and you see that the move to suburbs has resulted in a poorer quality of life, fatter people, the decline of community, land use that dedicates 50% to parking as opposed to the stripmall/mall. People complain about things but they don't want to solve issues, they run away from it. So the issue gets larger just like a virus. I live in Denver, I don't feel in danger even when I'm in "Ghetto" parts of Denver.
The real estate values say otherwise. People are still moving to Denver from cities that have larger issues. Why is that? Relative to what they have experienced, Denver offers them a new beginning and a chance to not make the same mistakes that they made in their initial city. Growing cities are constantly changing, you can either change with the city or run and hide. Make the city what you want.
Denver isn't a very diverse city nationally speaking. I find the lack or representation appalling. Denver is doing a lot of great things too like becoming more pedestrian friendly. A few protest doesn't make the city. Every year Denver has protest or faires downtown. Maybe the fact that income distribution is not equal has caused Denver to have more homeless, unemployed, and restless people.
We're in a world crisis right now with COVID and the choices that Denver/National leaders have made in the past is coming back to haunt us today. People are advocating for change in our system. I can't blame them for that. What I don't care for is property destruction. Protests are a cry for help a voice for change. You're not wrong for feeling the way that you do, the issues are larger than us. How do you think people that have gotten COVID feel?
The answer to your question is in this thread and your presumption is wrong, but then you really just wanted to tell me I was wrong rather than read the entire thread. I am OK with that. Thank you.
Where did you move to? You left Denver instead of trying to engage in solving the issue. Running away to the suburbs doesn't solve any societal issues. It solves your issues. You have the right to move, but Denver's problems are no different than any other big city issues. In the 50s, people moved out of the city to the suburbs. Now we have traffic on interstates that weren't designed for commuting, it was designed to move the military gear from base to base. Suburban developers piggy backed of the interstate and the whole development feeds one or two freeways that feed the city.
Study urban planning and you see that the move to suburbs has resulted in a poorer quality of life, fatter people, the decline of community, land use that dedicates 50% to parking as opposed to the stripmall/mall. People complain about things but they don't want to solve issues, they run away from it. So the issue gets larger just like a virus. I live in Denver, I don't feel in danger even when I'm in "Ghetto" parts of Denver.
The real estate values say otherwise. People are still moving to Denver from cities that have larger issues. Why is that? Relative to what they have experienced, Denver offers them a new beginning and a chance to not make the same mistakes that they made in their initial city. Growing cities are constantly changing, you can either change with the city or run and hide. Make the city what you want.
Denver isn't a very diverse city nationally speaking. I find the lack or representation appalling. Denver is doing a lot of great things too like becoming more pedestrian friendly. A few protest doesn't make the city. Every year Denver has protest or faires downtown. Maybe the fact that income distribution is not equal has caused Denver to have more homeless, unemployed, and restless people.
We're in a world crisis right now with COVID and the choices that Denver/National leaders have made in the past is coming back to haunt us today. People are advocating for change in our system. I can't blame them for that. What I don't care for is property destruction. Protests are a cry for help a voice for change. You're not wrong for feeling the way that you do, the issues are larger than us. How do you think people that have gotten COVID feel?
So if people leave Detroit for Denver, they're seeking a new beginning, but if they leave Denver for Grand Junction, they're running and hiding. If people are supposed to stick around and solve their city's problems, how would you have them fix the problems of Detroit, or Chicago, or Buffalo, or any dying small town or badly run state instead of moving? Or even Denver's problems? IRL, Susie Sixpack or even some Tech Bro can't solve those problems, and their own issues are the main ones they're interested in solving anyway.
I don't know how long you've lived in Denver, but the highways have been widened many times and overpasses built to accommodate the traffic. Back when people were fleeing to the awful suburbs, Larimer was full of rough bars and street walkers; that clientele moved on to East Colfax. Riots, crime, forced busing and the decline of manufacturing jobs drove people to the suburbs of other cities. Whatever problems suburban living brought, it was better than living in the inner city.
Last edited by sheerbliss; 08-06-2020 at 11:23 PM..
When I moved to Denver in the mid 80s, there were gang wars in Curtis Park. There was very little to "downtown," the Highlands were a place you risked getting your car broken into if you happened to park there. Three people were murdered in the alley behind my Capitol Hill apartment. The bottom had fallen from the state economy and the recession could be felt in every corner of the city. Everywhere you went you saw homes for sale (cheap!) and apartment complexes begging for renters. There was a restaurant/coffee shop scene, but oh man it was so much more limited than today. No Thai food or Indian food to speak of. The main food section of the Denver Post explained what a bagel was. Locals would laugh that five years before that, you couldn't find espresso coffee anywhere in the city.
I just moved permanently from Denver. I lived there 26 years.
I loved it, but I left. It’s changed...a lot.
Watching the news tonight, I don’t miss it. Uncontrollable homeless, multiple murders, riots, highway shutdown, and that was just on the news today. 7/26/20.
Does anyone else see what I see?
My wife and I used to walk from mid town to downtown. Stroll along East Colfax. We felt safe anywhere. Not sure I would repeat those walks today.
I talked to another Denver couple and they said the vibe has changed...rapidly.
They owned a business on Broadway and they are leaving too.
lived there in 83-84 and it def changed. way to crowded but still very nice. Homeless have taken over downtown . East Colfax seems mild compared to the wild west days of 70's and 80's. I can not believe all the high rise apts going up downtown . but still nice.
i understand we have a few wild fires going out west but
Sunday afternoon we drove past a Denver Burger King, home of the flame broiled whatever.
The back half of the Burger King was belching its kitchen smoke cancer from hell. This + the wild fire haze; we made a U turn and headed back home.
I dont remember it being so hot dry out doors.
Last edited by daprara; 08-17-2020 at 01:29 PM..
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If people are supposed to stick around and solve their city's problems, how would you have them fix the problems of Detroit, or Chicago, or Buffalo, or any dying small town or badly run state instead of moving? Or even Denver's problems? IRL, Susie Sixpack or even some Tech Bro can't solve those problems, and their own issues are the main ones they're interested in solving anyway.
