Why Live in Colorado??
Colorado
I'm simply curious, but as someone who unfortunately has to live in Colorado for the next 6 years, why would anyone want to continue to live in this state? Why haven't we all headed north to WY, ID, or SD? 1. Zero chance CO will ever have another GOP Governor or legislature. 2. The release of the wolves is the beginning of the end for quality hunting in the state. 3. As of November '24, we will not be able to hunt lions or trap bobcats. 4. Houses have become unaffordable in any CO location that you'd actually want to live in. 5. Population is growing out of control. 6. The major rivers are becoming completely over-run (largely with non-fishing recreationists) to where it's difficult even to find a spot to fly fish. I can't leave until I retire in 6 years, but why are you still here??
Can't convince the wife to move north yet. Too cold she says. Still trying to work on it. With global warming, it won't be as cold up there in a few years, right? That is what the liberals keep telling us. Same boat here, I have 5 plus years until retirement. I'm 4th generation Coloradoan & I agree, never will we have GOP in control of this state again. Calirado will only get worse.
Simply put, because it still has so much to offer for those who seek it. I can’t imagine waking up in any state east of here (maybe one) and say, wow, this place is great.
Kids finishing high school is my biggest reason for staying. Should stay for work/retirement, but not sure I can hang on that long. This place has gone downhill fast and shows no signs of improving. When the liberals finally get tabor eliminated that will be the final nail in the coffin of this once great state.
It's not too bad where I live, in southern Fremont county. I really like my house/property. The thought of getting all of my stuff, and wife's stuff moved is overwhelming. The other problem is, I don't know where we would go. Wyoming and Montana are expensive. Idaho is full of Cali people, and their tax burden is not inviting. Looked hard at Arkansas a few years ago, really wasn't "feeling" it. I'll stay here for now, not sure how long though.
My wife is finally on board, just need to get 4-5 more years in at work. She’s not nearly as conservative minded as I am, and she is done with the stupidity! Colorado hunting should still be decent for that long….hopefully!! I’m trying for Wyoming, but she’s not convinced there’s a place that isn’t windy up there yet:). I would have no problem going a little east, I absolutely love elk hunting but I’ve came to the conclusion that it’s only the month of September. It’s a short season, and I see that coming under attack soon in this state. Once retired I’ll find somewhere to get my mountain “fix”, but I love hunting more than a few weeks in September and everything else I hunt aside from mountain critters is just better elsewhere. I spend more time hunting in Nebraska than I do in Colorado most years. It’ll be a sad day for me when I leave, I loved my first 10-15 years here. The last 5-10, not so much! The hunting has been good to me , and I love the feeling of being off the beaten path. It is truly sad what has been done to this state, and the fact that many can’t see it, or are ok with it. Even a few here on this site.
Family and work. I loved this state. Politics aside, It's my favorite place in the US.
We will likely leave but where the kids end up could change that.
Glunt, luckily my son is set on staying in Wyoming after college. He can’t stand Colorado much anymore either. That should help my cause, and he only has one semester left.
My teen son also plans on getting out. My teen daughter wants to live in a huge city?
Cazdor bump.
I've found it takes quite a while for the pokes to warm up to new greenies. And good luck finding anything affordable in any decent town in WYO. They're all getting overrun by the same crowd. MT has the same issues with old MT having to blend with new MT. That's my understanding of it. All the best to ya tho if you do get the chance. Otherwise let's all secede and make West Colorado then bordered at the continental divide but include north park haha.
I love the West, but I could do the Dakotas, Nebraska, KS, OK. Close enough to get to the mountains and I could keep plenty busy hunting deer, turkeys, coyotes, pheasants and waterfowl. I also haven't sold the wife on WY and as mentioned, prices are fairly high.
I live in a nice but not extravagant neighborhood on the front range. For what my house goes for I could have a place with a shop and a patch of woods big enough to hang a treestand or two if I give up being close to the mountains.
I've been here since '77 so I knew CO was changing but when the wife and I decided to stay and plant roots here in the 90's, I way underestimated how far and how fast it would go.
My wife spent all last evening on Zillow, looking at properties in WY. We have some logistics to work through (two houses 56 miles apart) but the wheels are in motion.
Have lived in CO since '62. Makes me truly sick to my stomach to watch this state turn into the "People's Republic", at least from the voting demographic. The transplant population explosion is only making it worse, and rapidly.
Looking to buy more acreage adjacent to my place in Wyoming. It won’t be my year around place but at least I’ll have about everything I need for 9 months of the year.
I just have too many good hunting spots to leave behind. I’m pretty certain you’ll see claw marks if I had to leave. I don’t let the politics bother me at this point, but it is changing. Still not enough to drive me out.
I grew up in the middle of nowhere, I have no plans of going back to nowhere either. I like the mix of what CO offers. Night life, outdoors, hell the reason it’s crowded is the reason I’m here.
I’m hoping and anticipating being able to have more when we sell our place. I know it probably won’t be a large parcel though, enough to hang a few stands and maybe chase some turkeys. So a state with a lot of public opportunities is a must. I’m a little crazy, I enjoy trying to be successful on public lands. I like the challenge and the freedom to roam and check out new places. I get bored with the same old places all the time.There are a few states fairly close that check those boxes. I just need to be fairly close to civilization for the wife:)!!
4.5 more years of kids in school, but an aging mother in law is something I haven't figured out how to be overcome. Anyone have suggestions? My wife is not going to want to leave that behind. It is a dilemma.
I need to take a closer look at Utah, only 3 million people. Same place Colorado was when I came in 1984. Will my nonresident points transfer if I become a resident of Utah? If so, I could do it at least until I get a Utah premo elk tag.
The politics don't bother me too much but having been here since 63 the consequences are perfectly clear. :^( But I'm anchored here by children and grandchildren. They just don't fit into any trade off. Now, what if it were that I could or would leave? I'd go back to the UP. I grew up there and 350" of snow don't scare me one bit.
I grew up in PA and moved out here in 2006. Still have my deer hunting property back there so I'm not in a hurry to leave Colorado because I can always go back to PA shoot deer. I went back for rifle season and we saw 27 doe and 6 buck by 11am. But if I were to ever leave Colorado West Virginia has cheap acreage, Indiana, Ohio. So plenty of red states with cheap tracks of land to deer hunt on.
The funny thing is... most of that stuff is what the people before you said when you got here. Move north and that's how they will feel about you yet still.
Sorry you complaints are somewhat laughable....
I cant fish in "my" river cause other people are having fun it it... and they don't even have fishing poles!
I have great job, but as soon as we retire, we are out of here. So sad what this state has become. The Californization is almost complete here.
Yep and soccermom is one of the cancers that moved here
It's not just new people fishing "my" river. A better analogy would be I snuck up to the bank casting a hopper/dropper rig and my buddy is down stream a bit retrieving a Mepps. The new guys showed up and tossed a couple sticks of dynamite in the hole I'm fishing then drove down to my buddy's spot and right through the river. Of course they get stuck and knowing as much about vehicles as they do about fishing, they blow their motor trying to drive out and spill oil and coolant in the river. Access gets closed and that stretch is ruined for everyone.
I moved to Colorado in 1991 for Ohio, mainly so I could archery hunt elk each year, and other big game, owned and ran a tourist lodge on Lake Granby for 10 years and retired to Ft. Collins in 2022 at the age of 62. In 1991 the state population was 3.2 million, now 5.8 million. The state use to be Republican and conservative. At the age of 83.9, too late to move anywhere. I can still elk hunt each year, (that may change in 2025) but can hunt other big game here and in adjacent states. Fishing is ok, waterfowl and same.. I have a good house on the north side of Ft. Collins and the price keeps going up but not planning to leave; where in the hell would be a better place? Tricia is connected to local community theaters and church and she is good here and happy. You know, all about a "happy wife". Why live in Colorado? Why not at my age.
Paul serious question if you were 33 and not 83 would you still want to live here?
I'm looking at moving to Oklahoma
Don’t do it!
If you do, let me have your deer spots,
Colorado was my dream and passion. Beautiful high mountains with great rivers for fishing, skiing, and lots of big game species. Not to mention the best place in the world for my favorite big game animal - giant mule deer. The human population has exploded since I came to Colorado and those people’s political and religious views are in direct opposition to mine. Add in wolves and the inevitable consequences to the big game numbers and it is just sickening.
I have been in Arizona for the last 7 months. Enough time to establish residency. I will get my lifetime hunting and fishing license in January that puts me in the resident (90%) pool for big game tags for life. With about 30 points for sheep, I at least will have a chance for a desert ram in AZ in my lifetime in the resident pool.
Considering Idaho for their lifetime license for the hunting tags as well as the steelhead fishing… We shall see how that plays out.
Although all of my family is in Texas, it just has no glow for me. I am considering Alaska or Wyoming as a final place to settle down but that may be a bit.
Cazador, the CPw has ruined my high country deer. Their war on mature bucks has worked very well. Increasing rifle tags across the board and hunting them in the rut with rifles has devastated the areas I used to hunt. It will take years of extremely limited hunting combined with predator control to bring it back. We all know where that is headed…
The liberals have won the battle in Colorado and I cannot do what is necessary to remove that cancer, as bad as I would love to. I have to find a new home.
I agree with treeline, the battle is over all that has to be done is a well planned and financed retreat. Preferably to an impregnable fortress, but I fear that's not possible. But I'm building the castle, and hopefully can get some gators for the moat... In 5-10 years this place will be unrecognisable from even todays perspective. We have only just begun to suck.
Anyone, regardless of age, that doesn’t agree with Tavis’s statement is definitely a liberal.
Orion, Your question-------- Yes, if I was younger I might leave Colorado but not sure there I would actually go. I came here from Ohio, 12 million population, 32 years ago so I could bow hunt elk each yea and also get away from so many people. So 32 years ago, if Colorado was like it its today, would I have moved there? NO, mostly likely would have ended up in Montana.
cnelk i agree. I also see that many who just moved here or moved here in the last twenty years really dont know how great this state used to be.
The state still is great. The people in the US in general, are just Debbie downers. Next thing we will hear is how great British Colombia is, 25 species to hunt bla bla bla, ….. News flash, it’s liberal as hell.
Hunt, turn the news off, block Ziek out of your head, and enjoy CO for what it is. It’s Still pretty good when you think about it.
Yep. It’s pretty good. High property taxes, high insurance premiums, high inflation compared to other areas in the US.
Hunting or turning the news off won’t changing anything for the better in Colorado
We’re all on the same team, so where is this “Valhalla in which you speak”
Elk OTC, bears OTC, giant WT bucks, Mule deer in the alpine and on the plains, Antelope OTC, or easy draw, ducks all over the place, high country lakes full of trout to yourself….
Basically hunting August to January? Neighboring states and their pot of gold within hours? Where ?
Let’s hear it?
Honestly, Wyoming especially as a resident. Could hunt region G and H every year. Great antelope, and elk hunting. Great whitetail hunting. Plenty of lakes to fish, good bird hunting. Can have the wilderness dang near to yourself with the nonresident guide law. I've had great hunts in general elk areas and I've hunted 61 and 76 here and I'd put my Wyoming hunts as better than those areas. Taxes are cheaper and huge tax incentives for retired folks.
OTC elk sounds like it’s going away, elk heard isn’t nearly what it was just 10 years ago, duck hunting is much better in Nebraska, they have ruined the whitetail on public ground in eastern Colorado compared to just 10 years ago and doubling down on that stupidity. CPW is well on there way to ruining the mule deer herd dynamics also. Now unmanageable wolves dropping and a good chance of losing lion and bobcat hunting. Plus all the other stuff cnelk and treeline posted! There are a lot of geese to shoot if you want to buy a lease:)
Wyoming is a good choice as a resident. Basically Colorado without the libtards. Much better on taxes and lower housing cost. Quality is better for elk, antelope, and mule deer. Decent whitetails and sheep. Wyoming moose have been hammered but the same will soon be happening in Colorado.
Alaska is really amazing for the hunting and fishing as a resident. Just have to deal with long dark winters.
Montana would likely be a third choice. Idaho would be in the mix as well.
"Elk OTC, bears OTC, giant WT bucks, Mule deer in the alpine and on the plains, Antelope OTC, or easy draw, ducks all over the place, high country lakes full of trout to yourself…."
You're describing Wyoming pretty well.
“ You're describing Wyoming pretty well.”
Describing current day Colorado. I get it, some people are fed up with the politics and what is on the horizon. Good luck what ever you decide. The whole country is turning on us.
WY also has spring bear, trapping, no private seller gun background check, no 3 day waiting period, no background check on new sales if you have a CCW, no magazine ban, no emission testing and the same total acreage with 1/10th the people.
It's also worth noting. If your over the age of 65 the population of the USA has more than doubled in your lifetime.
^still doesn’t get what the real problem is! Clueless.
Haha bowaddict I thought the same thing. It's hard to see the problem when you are the problem. It's not the number of people it's the type of people that have moved here that caused the issues.
Dense populations of dense people. Ugh
The people number is in large part your actual problem.
Yes, surprisingly you aren't going to like the lifestyles of.... (checks notes) 170 million more people but that's not even the main issue in your complaint
Shoot, even if they were as white and trump worshipping as you wish you'd still be complaining all the same. More people means more people in your river.
Boo hoo, colorado isnt the same as when you were a kid, or even 20 years ago.
Colorado's population has increase more than 3.5x since the 50s.
Funny I'm not white and I don't worship Trump. Let me ask you soccermom did you vote for Polis? Did you vote to try and end TABOR?
I grabbed this from another site that sums up Colorado perfectly.....
"Bro, my wife and I are super athletes and we love the outdoors, we have to move to Denver to be with our people and make our mark. It’s not like we could just live here in the Midwest and “make our own mountains”. It’s not like there’s descent mountain biking, climbing, lakes and boats here in the Midwest. We must move to Denver and become permanent contributors to urban sprawl and traffic. We couldn’t possibly live in the Midwest and just be vacationers. We’re elite athletes and very active. We must do what everyone on social media is telling us to do and be super cool and move to the mountains (Denver) (a big city) Once we get our feet on the ground and can build a nest egg, we will start looking at homes in Bozeman."
Orionsmellslikeonions....
Yes I voted for polis over the election denier, trump supporting, conspiracy theorist Heidi ganahl.
I did not vote to end tabor.
And you say you dont worship trump... but did you vote for him once, twice, or never have? Would you vote for him 2024?
I'm spending over 70% of my time in Arizona now. After being gone for over t years from Arizona, im looking forward to once again being permanent there. I sold my house 3 weeks ago, and the only thing keeping me here is my dad. I won't leave him alone.
Colorado has nothing left for me. Even our little town has changed, and for the worst. And after listening to the bs from the cpw over the past few months, hunting is going to get worse here. We're trying to kill lions now before it's banned, which it will be. Our quota was dropped this year, and now the trouble lions that the government trapper is killing is going against our quota.
The chance to make better money, get away from the liberals that are running our state has weighed heavily on my mind. It's time to cut my losses and get out of here.
Soccermom claims to be a sportsman and votes for the most anti sportsmen governor we've ever had. Your TDS is strong. Like I said in an earlier post your part of the cancer that has moved here.
Onion... you conveniently didnt answer my question.
You're a trump supporter and worshiper and about as logical as one would expect one to be
I'm not even going to address you further since you cant answer a simple question
Typical Liberal response, again your part of the cancer that moved here. Your probably anti AR-15 aren't you?
Soccermom I'll post my voting history when you post your real name
I was born here in 1965 and have lived all but 2 years in this state. As of now, I am pretty pleased with my hunting options. Between my brother, SIL, and myself, we can draw a couple of deer tags, 1 cow tag and an antelope tag every year. This provides enough meat for us for the entire year. I've never hunted for horn size/score and now I am an unapologetic meat hunter. The #1 reason we hunt is to put meat in the freezer. As I have recently exited the workforce, we are turning my property into a homestead, which includes a full garden (for year around food) chickens for meat and eggs and (soon) a full rabbitry. Goats for meat and dairy and hogs are also in the plans. My brother and I have fully locked down our budgets, spending only what is absolutely necessary. At this point in our lives, we are committed to spending the least amount of money possible- which is still a staggering amount. Spending on entertainment (eating out, movies, ball games, recreating ETC) has completely stopped. We have fully transitioned to spending all free time with family and friends who are of like mind. This has supercharged our commitment to a simple homesteading life. Even in deep blue Colorado, there are numerous ways to "beat the system", it just takes ingenuity and resourcefulness. I realize this lifestyle is not for everyone. I realize this lifestyle is not for many. However, we have fully embraced it and we have bought all in. We view it as a big "F-You" to the current society and it's leaders, and this is most gratifying.
I voted for Trump, that doesn't mean I worship him. Know the difference. What other option did I have, Hillary, then Biden. LOL OK then. I've only been in Colorado since 2004, seems I always catch the tail end of the good times.
Take someone with you when you go.
the country is a toilet, the front range is the turd tank, and the west slope is the leach field where it all gets cleaned up... except it aint perking enough for the flow.
Not surprisingly the folks living in the turd tank all see their particular compartment as Evian spring water.
I did vote for Trump the last two elections, because the alternatives were totalitarian Marxist communists. At least Trump was focused on getting the country back on track after the deep decent of Obama and Bush. I do n not worship him, but the alternatives have proven to be absolutely disastrous for this country and its citizens.
From what I can tell, the same people that keep voting for Democrats are anti-American and would love to see this country fail. They worship the false god Government with no exception. Similar to Muslims in that if you do not swear total fealty to Government, you are to be marginalized, censored, and outcast. The last 3 years have been very enlightening to see liberal worship of the COVID lies, the unprecedented invasion of our borders, subservience to shit hole countries on the international stage, the “green” revolution, and the unbelievable redistribution of wealth by pouring billions of our tax payer resources into money launder schemes in other shit hole countries.
As bad as the Democrats hate America, they should all leave and go to some communist or Muslim shit hole where they would be happy. I would be happy to help buy tickets.
"As of November '24, we will not be able to hunt lions or trap bobcats"
I'm not convinced of that yet. Alot of wheels in motion.
"Houses have become unaffordable in any CO location that you'd actually want to live in."
Not true. I just viewed some in a few sections of the western slope $100k-200k. I just paid $149k for a second home, 1475 sq/ft 3 bed, 2 bath, in great shape with prine hunting and fishing close by, eventually to become my primary residence.
"The major rivers are becoming completely over-run (largely with non-fishing recreationists) to where it's difficult even to find a spot to fly fish."
You need to expand your horizons. Plenty of seclusion once away from the front range.
"Population is growing out of control."
Yup, so spend some more time in the mtns. Get away from it
I've been retired for 5 years, live close to my hunting, fishing spots. Will probably sell this house to my daughter at a discount and hold a 0% mortgage for her when I move to house #2
The sky is not falling for me. And there's certainly not a reason to get uptight. Maybe stay in the game and try to change things, don't cower and fall over like a card.
"Maybe stay in the game and try to change things" I've thought of this also. Stay and fight, or we can all go to Wyoming. Wyoming is great for now, but no where is safe from liberal cancer destruction. It also likes to spread north. It started in Cali, moved along the coast up through Oregon and Washington. There is no cure?
Urban demographics indicate that things are only going to get worse in this state. I have a couple friends who are very active politically in Larimer County. They run caucuses, campaign for candidates, door knock, hand out brochures, and the margin of defeats keeps growing.
I was a CO resident from 2014-2017. My sister and her family still live in Superior. If I had my niece and nephews then, I probably would’ve considered staying. I could see the change political change coming hard and fast and frankly didn’t enjoy the company of many of the transplants I met. I lived within walking distance of the ballpark for a bit and was in the heart of Denver.
Being from Kansas, I wasn’t viewed like those transplants from TX, WI, and CA moving to CO. When I moved back to Kansas, I said Cory Gardner was the last Republican Senator that Colorado would see for a very long time. Unfortunately, I think I’m right.
I miss a few of the friends I made there and do miss the fly fishing that was close to town, but I don’t miss the cost of living, traffic, politics, and people.
Put on the full armor of God and stand.
If you need that explained visit with your pastor. If you don't have one, ask someone that you think has a pastor.
Or you can blow the dust off your bible and read Ephesians 6:10-17
So I guess that means stay and fight?
Stand for truth no matter where you are because it's the same battle no matter where you go. We're not just dealing with dense ignorance of people. The same people that are no different than us when it boils down to it. We don't necessarily have to fight with them but still need to stand out ground no matter where one ends up.
So yeah sure stay put, trust, pray, believe that God's still in control no matter who's in office. History has proven that nations rise and fall. And I believe that a certain amount of that hinges on the level of our faith.
"Tis but a flesh wound" said the Colorado conservative who put on the full armor of God and stood tall..
Haha. Yeah maybe something to that effect.
Yeah Rome fell after 1000 years because.... "god".
Oddly enough they managed to kill jesus, and didnt collapse until they became Christians
"Gods plan" though amiright?(sarcasm)
Gods plan can be odd to us but I got news for ya Nick. They didn't succeed in killing Jesus. "God's plan" amiright?
Didn't mean to hijack the thread guys that wasn't the point and I'll drop the mic now.
Gods plan can be odd to us but I news for ya Nick. They didn't succeed in killing Jesus. "God's plan" amiright?
Didn't mean to hijack the thread guys that wasn't the point and I'll drop the mic now.
Well said, Keepitreal. Wise words to heed, in my opinion.
Listened to the news this morning on KOA Radio. In 2023 there were 12,000 more people that left Colorado than came here. Politics and COL were the biggest reasons for vacating.
If ya count the all the bus loads of illegals that have arrived, that number is probably reversed.
You know like Paul, I'm too old to leave, but there are other reasons that can't be ignored Like kids and grandkids and now great grandkids, you know my brother told me probably back in the eighties that there was no place to go and get away and have the real hunting experience that I craved back then, and he was right I'm sorry to say. Even Alaska now isn't what it used to be! Back then I told him I'll go to the Yukon, and he said it's too late. Now for sure I know it's true. Of course if you are young you may not understand, but I wish you the best.
I grew up here and stayed for the hunting, relatively uncrowded trailheads and the live and let live attitude. All the conveniences but still a small town, Americana feel.
That's all spiraling down the crapper so I'll stay a while for the wolves and the joy of explaining to my kids why there's a homeless guy standing in the intersection with his pants around his ankles yelling about Michael Jackson.
Fixed it for ya…. :)
“ That's all spiraling down the crapper so I'll stay a while for the wolves and the joy of explaining to my kids why there's a homeless guy standing in the intersection with his pants around his ankles yelling for an Andrew Jackson.”
I'm making retirement plans that include moving to another state with a lower cost of living and not run by nitwits. Colorado is beautiful but between the high cost of living, terrible I-70 traffic, herds going down the tank and now wolves to kill elk on winter range, the reasons I moved here are fast disappearing. One ranch I know of near Craig had around 15,000 elk on it during December-January times. Imagine what a bunch of wolves would do, running them around until they exhaust their reserves and die of exhaustion. Good grief, we don't want any hunters contributing to the Moffat County economy, enjoying themselves and eating wild meat.
It'll be a few years yet as I'm making good money here but Colorado is a sinking ship for hunters and outdoor recreation.
Been here my whole life and between my hunting cabin and my home, I don’t think I could do much better based on my means.
Not looking good for Arizona either.
https://www.foxla.com/news/california-population-change-2023?utm_campaign=trueanthem&utm_medium=trueanthem&utm_source=facebook&fbclid=IwAR098QOV6Qicb7q0YJIYKyaqSxwRTkKtyK6G2rWeeJ3IlneZAPfSKAj-nLY
