What's it like to live in Colorado?

[C0|dB|00ded]

I've been thinking about moving there for a few years now. I'd like to be somewhere in between Springs and Denver. I want fresh, dry, cooler air, supreme hiking, and big city life within a short drive. I'm getting mixed reviews online: bad streets, horrific traffic, immigrants from the coasts, annoying hippies + most beautiful place on earth.

RMS and others... please chime in.

[MikeKennedyRulZ]

Have experience with Denver. Used to be a fantastic place to be and live. Still is pretty good. Has been over run by annoying Liberals and hippies seeking the "Rocky Mountain High" since they legalized things a few years ago. At least in Denver it is this way. Real estate prices have skyrocketed as well as the population. I think the areas outlying Denver are still pretty good but I would stay away from Denver proper. Just my opinion.

Avid outdoor activities and the natural beauty is something to behold for sure.

[C0|dB|00ded]

Yeah, median home prices in Denver at $480k compared to $150k in Wichita is an eye opener. Not looking to live in Denver, just recreate their occasionally on the weekends for culture and entertainment purposes. I've heard the live music scene is wonderful. And craft breweries are endless.

[MikeKennedyRulZ]

Yeah, median home prices in Denver at $480k compared to $150k in Wichita is an eye opener. Not looking to live in Denver, just recreate their occasionally on the weekends for culture and entertainment purposes. I've heard the live music scene is wonderful. And craft breweries are endless.

We visit there often and have a couple of rental properties so I can't complain too much about the market because I have benefited from it. If you are ever able to see live music again, the scene there is great. And you are right on about the craft brew. Still not better than San Diego, IMO, but great nonetheless.

[Rocky Mountain Shock]

What a great thread!

If you want to live somewhere between the Springs and Denver, that practically limits you to Monument and Castle Rock. I live in an area just to the north and west of Castle Rock called Roxborough. This part of the metro (south) is exploding, extremely popular, and I think way overpriced. May I suggest considering north? Fort Collins and Loveland are more affordable areas that have just as good of access to Denver proper and probably better access to recreational opportunities in the mountains.

Yes, traffic is terrible by Midwestern standards. But after awhile you get used to it and you learn when not to go certain places (like do NOT travel I-70 eastbound from the mountains Sunday afternoon).

Yes, home prices are...sobering. However, I figured out how to afford it and lots of other folks have too. Salaries tend to be higher here to help compensate for it a little.

No, weed is not a big deal. Very occasionally you’ll smell it in public, but it’s not widespread. Unless you go to a Phish concert or something you’ll rarely even remember it’s a legal thing.

People here love the outdoors. They work to live, not vice versa. The lifestyle is very laid back, the vibe is happy. Uptight, grumpy couch potatoes have a hard time fitting in here. And people here want to LIVE life. No one cares about stupid petty crap like potholes and traffic. Those things are what you care about if you hate where you live. It’s a completely different mindset here than Wichita.

Culture is extremely important here. We spend gobs of money on arts, museums, public facilities, parks, etc. There aren’t many CAVERS and they don’t have much influence. This by itself makes Denver feel much different from Wichita. We actually care about things like quality of life and investing in the future, not just saving a few pennies when we buy a stick of gum.

We have just as many—if not more—stupid transplants from Texas bringing their stupid conservatism as we have stupid transplants from California bringing their stupid liberalism. Don’t believe everything you hear about Californians overrunning this place. The state most folks I know are from is actually Iowa. Kansas is probably second. Texas probably third. Missouri, Michigan, and Florida are up there too. I don’t know many Californians at all. Maybe they all move to Boulder? I don't know, but I don't see the heavy California influence that some do. Instead, this is a melting pot of backgrounds and ideas and politics. Democrats have basically taken control of every level of state government, but I think that has to do with people tiring of the Republicans' indifference on environmental issues in a state where the vast majority of people care a great deal about nature--that's why we moved here after all. We don't want our favorite camping and fishing spots ruined because of some stupid coal mine, and we don't want our ski seasons shortened because we can't control our fossil fuel habits.

I think if you’re going to like where you live you have to appreciate the local culture. Don’t pick where to live solely based on practical factors like taxes or streets or cost of living. Come visit here a few times and immerse yourself in the local scene and stay away from where the tourists hang out. And when you’re here, look me up. I’ll buy you a beer or three at my favorite craft brewery.

[MadDog]

I spent seven days hiking in Colorado in October. One thing that really jumped out to me is that over 50% of the hikers we’re wearing masks. Not sure what that says, but I’m sure it says something.

[SB Shock]

Don’t believe everything you hear about Californians overrunning this place. The state most folks I know are from is actually Iowa. Kansas is probably second. Texas probably third. Missouri, Michigan, and Florida are up there too. .

Half the people who live in Colorado come from another state. The top states transplants are:

1. California (6.3% of the population)
2. Texas (3.4% of the population)
3. Illinois (2.7% of the population)
4. NY (2.3% of the population)
5. KS (1.7% of the population).

[Rocky Mountain Shock]

Half the people who live in Colorado come from another state. The top states transplants are:

1. California (6.3% of the population)
2. Texas (3.4% of the population)
3. Illinois (2.7% of the population)
4. NY (2.3% of the population)
5. KS (1.7% of the population).

I’ve never seen the numbers so that’s really interesting. Not surprised by Texas. I am by New York. I don’t know a single person from NY, not that my anecdotal experience is worth much. Good to know the actual CA number—now I can respond to the folks claiming they’re “taking over the state” with a “c’mon man!”

[C0|dB|00ded]

I spent seven days hiking in Colorado in October. One thing that really jumped out to me is that over 50% of the hikers we’re wearing masks. Not sure what that says, but I’m sure it says something.

Never fully understood the benefits of outdoor masking when not in large groups, but if it makes them feel better, who am I to judge. They sure aren't hurting anyone. The people I'm concerned with are the rednecks I saw in a big box store in the suburbs recently who were walking around without masks. I mean, I was standing one foot away from this dude while looking at toothbrushes. No mask. I almost said something, but I didn't want him to turn my direction and open his stupid mouth.

[C0|dB|00ded]

What a great thread!

If you want to live somewhere between the Springs and Denver, that practically limits you to Monument and Castle Rock. I live in an area just to the north and west of Castle Rock called Roxborough. This part of the metro (south) is exploding, extremely popular, and I think way overpriced. May I suggest considering north? Fort Collins and Loveland are more affordable areas that have just as good of access to Denver proper and probably better access to recreational opportunities in the mountains.

Yes, traffic is terrible by Midwestern standards. But after awhile you get used to it and you learn when not to go certain places (like do NOT travel I-70 eastbound from the mountains Sunday afternoon).

Yes, home prices are...sobering. However, I figured out how to afford it and lots of other folks have too. Salaries tend to be higher here to help compensate for it a little.

No, weed is not a big deal. Very occasionally you’ll smell it in public, but it’s not widespread. Unless you go to a Phish concert or something you’ll rarely even remember it’s a legal thing.

People here love the outdoors. They work to live, not vice versa. The lifestyle is very laid back, the vibe is happy. Uptight, grumpy couch potatoes have a hard time fitting in here. And people here want to LIVE life. No one cares about stupid petty crap like potholes and traffic. Those things are what you care about if you hate where you live. It’s a completely different mindset here than Wichita.

Culture is extremely important here. We spend gobs of money on arts, museums, public facilities, parks, etc. There aren’t many CAVERS and they don’t have much influence. This by itself makes Denver feel much different from Wichita. We actually care about things like quality of life and investing in the future, not just saving a few pennies when we buy a stick of gum.

We have just as many—if not more—stupid transplants from Texas bringing their stupid conservatism as we have stupid transplants from California bringing their stupid liberalism. Don’t believe everything you hear about Californians overrunning this place. The state most folks I know are from is actually Iowa. Kansas is probably second. Texas probably third. Missouri, Michigan, and Florida are up there too. I don’t know many Californians at all. Maybe they all move to Boulder? I don't know, but I don't see the heavy California influence that some do. Instead, this is a melting pot of backgrounds and ideas and politics. Democrats have basically taken control of every level of state government, but I think that has to do with people tiring of the Republicans' indifference on environmental issues in a state where the vast majority of people care a great deal about nature--that's why we moved here after all. We don't want our favorite camping and fishing spots ruined because of some stupid coal mine, and we don't want our ski seasons shortened because we can't control our fossil fuel habits.

I think if you’re going to like where you live you have to appreciate the local culture. Don’t pick where to live solely based on practical factors like taxes or streets or cost of living. Come visit here a few times and immerse yourself in the local scene and stay away from where the tourists hang out. And when you’re here, look me up. I’ll buy you a beer or three at my favorite craft brewery.

Thanks for the input. Feel free to keep talking. I have an unlimited appetite for tips. :)

I am looking into Monument.

I talked with a realtor who works in the Buena Vista area about lots and land. We went over all the particulars on obtaining utilities. So I'm checking out options in the "country" as well as denser civilization. Looking for the Colorado "hack" if there are any left. I doubt I can go the country route though as I need a stable and fat porn pipe to do my work - 10ms latency or better.

[MadDog]

Cold, I live in rural Butler county. A year ago the county put in new high speed internet and I get 50mbit/sec consistently. All TV is streamed and have at least 30 smart devices on my network. 50 is plenty adequate to support this, but could go to 100 right now if needed. So rural internet may not be as big an issue as you think. However in fairness it really sucked until this new service came along.

[shock]

329AE08A-A71F-434A-83C1-3C7682AE8EE6.pngI just did a speed test on my phone. I live over 100 miles from the nearest city, and over 200 miles from a city with any fast food. Population density is 1 person to 12 sq miles. Internet in the “country” in Colorado should be no big deal.

[C0|dB|00ded]

Cold, I live in rural Butler county. A year ago the county put in new high speed internet and I get 50mbit/sec consistently. All TV is streamed and have at least 30 smart devices on my network. 50 is plenty adequate to support this, but could go to 100 right now if needed. So rural internet may not be as big an issue as you think. However in fairness it really sucked until this new service came along.

I'm concerned more with latency than throughput. I don't need more than 50mbps. What I need are LPB (low ping bastard) connections.

And no disrespect, but rural Butler county ain't rural Colorado (I'm talkin' about on the west side of Pikes Peak & Colo Springs). They got bears in them thar hills!!! :)

329AE08A-A71F-434A-83C1-3C7682AE8EE6.pngI just did a speed test on my phone. I live over 100 miles from the nearest city, and over 200 miles from a city with any fast food. Population density is 1 person to 12 sq miles. Internet in the “country” in Colorado should be no big deal.

19 ping is nice in the middle of the frozen tundra. 1 person per 12 sq. miles? No wonder you have the disposition of a polar bear. But seriously, even with a ping of 19 showing, I'm quite certain it isn't stable. If you were able to do an IP traceroute, you'd find all kinds of lost packets. So hitting 19 is good, but not if it flashes to 120 every now and then. I need stability. That being said, lots of datacenters are located in the great white north. Perhaps they have installed a very nice porn pipe for ya'll. With your lack of density up there, you just might have some of the best cellular connections known to mankind. Particularly if it's really flat where you're at. I'm also concerned with how many hops to Chicago. You may ping great to your nearest hub, but if you're bounced all over creation (you would be up in Alaska), the latency adds up.

The realtor said DSL is available, but that kind of connection is never the best. I do have a dedicated cellular account currently that backs up my cable connection, but that's the only thing between me and having to call up a human for help which will ping something like 120,000ms. Talk about lag...

[C0|dB|00ded]

After further research the, the RE problem in and around Colorado's major urban centers is real. I don't know if I could convince myself to live in a $600k small town **** box w/ GrAniTE counter tops. And you can find the loveliest little 1 bedroom apartments in downtown Denver for only $625k. I mean... living in an Altoids container for a little over a 1/2 million? That just smells like clean mountain air!

I sound like a typical spoiled and boring Kansas tightwad don't I?

RE has basically doubled in price since 2012 in Colorado. So if you've been there that long RMS, congrats on the insta-equity!

They say Colo is bound for a RE crash in the next 5 years. Maybe that will be the time to buy. The mountains aren't going anywhere.

[shock]

I'm concerned more with latency than throughput. I don't need more than 50mbps. What I need are LPB (low ping bastard) connections.

And no disrespect, but rural Butler county ain't rural Colorado (I'm talkin' about on the west side of Pikes Peak & Colo Springs). They got bears in them thar hills!!! :)



19 ping is nice in the middle of the frozen tundra. 1 person per 12 sq. miles? No wonder you have the disposition of a polar bear. But seriously, even with a ping of 19 showing, I'm quite certain it isn't stable. If you were able to do an IP traceroute, you'd find all kinds of lost packets. So hitting 19 is good, but not if it flashes to 120 every now and then. I need stability. That being said, lots of datacenters are located in the great white north. Perhaps they have installed a very nice porn pipe for ya'll. With your lack of density up there, you just might have some of the best cellular connections known to mankind. Particularly if it's really flat where you're at. I'm also concerned with how many hops to Chicago. You may ping great to your nearest hub, but if you're bounced all over creation (you would be up in Alaska), the latency adds up.

The realtor said DSL is available, but that kind of connection is never the best. I do have a dedicated cellular account currently that backs up my cable connection, but that's the only thing between me and having to call up a human for help which will ping something like 120,000ms. Talk about lag...

We have two 96 strand fiber trunks connecting everything. It’s quite stable, and very nice.