Possible relocation to Colorado

[dotman]

Why is it that Pueblo gets a bad rap? I would think the lower costs would entice more businesses and people to get out of the Denver area. How long of a drive is it to COS from Pueblo?

 

[loggerchas]

30 minutes from Pueblo to COS. Certain neighborhoods in Pueblo have high crime rates and gang influences (Bessemer, East Side, West Side) wile other neighborhoods seem to hold value and "stability" well (Sunset Park, El Camino, La Vista, University, Pueblo West). Car thefts are high for certain vehicles and there seems to be an epidemic of folks checking car doors for fast rummage-n-run 3am thefts.

Opiod and pot issues plague certain communities but others remain somewhat unaffected. High instances of shoplifting from big box stores. High disabled population.

Homeless population is volatile here, when COS runs them out of Fountain Creek they come south for a few months then migrate north again.

As far as businesses go, I know of a huge employer in Pueblo, higher $$ jobs, who had to renegotiate its contract with the city/county (tax perks for moving here) because originally they had agreed to hire 50% local. Problem was they couldn't get enough qualified people to pass the whizz-quiz to meet that quota so they had to change it to "50% of employment offers will be to locals pending successful urine/blood tests". That kinds says it all.

Pueblo is a weird duck when it comes to neighborhoods and navigating around. Jail has been 140% capacity for years forcing a "catch and release" mentality in the judicial system which only furthers the petty crimes. Residents consistently vote down any tax increases to resolve the jail issue. "Open enrollment" in the school systems have mixed the classrooms with kids from all the different neighborhoods and as a result the test scores for the "city schools" have fallen while the county schools have excelled. Just a weird duck all the way around here in Pueblo.

All that being said, if folks keep their wits and don't engage those neighborhoods or folks then things are pretty smooth sailing. Be smart, be safe.

$200,000+ buys a super nice house in Pueblo in any of the better neighborhoods.

 

[justinspicher]

I grew up north of Denver and hated it. I joined the military directly after high school just to get out of the area. 20 years later I retired in Colorado, but not anywhere near where I grew up. Instead, I moved to the SW part of the state, just outside of Durango. I have a seasonal job with the forest service, live within 30 minutes of the national forest, and have the ability to hunt from August to the end of April every year. The weather isn't bad, some days are hot, some days are cold. I've been here for a year and a half now and really don't have anything to complain about. I don't pay any attention to anything unless it has to do with work or hunting. The kids are doing well in school, and the wife is happy so there's nothing for me to worry about.

 

[Gatorgrizz27]

I’m also originally from Florida, and moved out to Austin several years ago, now I’m back in N FL, and happy all things considered. It sounds like you need to list out your priorities, then make a choice based on them. The areas with the best hunting are likely to have slim pickings in the women/nightlife front.

I found the same thing you have about hunting in Texas. I wasn’t able to afford a quality lease near the city, and I’m also not a fan of the box blind/feeder hunts where shooting the 8 point on the left will cost you $1,200, and shooting the 10 point on the right will cost you $2,000.

I’m in Tallahassee now, and while the species are limited compared to out west, the free hunting/fishing and quality of life are fantastic. 2 of the last 3 years, I’ve killed 10 point bucks in public land, for free except for a hunting license. Within 30 minutes of my house I can catch a quality redfish, sea trout, tarpon or cobia in season, largemouth bass, and panfish. I can also shoot a deer or hog, snipe, marsh hens, turkeys, or ducks. Admittedly, the duck hunting suck compared to places like Louisiana and Arkansas, but it’s still here. Without a $6,000/year lease fee I can afford a couple hunts out west annually. Not the same as living out there obviously, but it seems the grass is always greener.

The social scene is breaking out of the “college/government” mold big time. We don’t go out much anymore but did to a new bar district the other week and it was insane. On a Wednesday night we passed several bars that were full of women to men, 10 to 1. It wasn’t like that several years ago.

 

[cnelk]

My property tax assessment went up 64% this past evaluation.

Be prepared for the worst

 

[5MilesBack]

Why is it that Pueblo gets a bad rap? I would think the lower costs would entice more businesses and people to get out of the Denver area. How long of a drive is it to COS from Pueblo?

Pueblo has always gotten that rap here in CO. I grew up there out in the county in farm country. Pueblo has a high % population of Hispanics compared to the Springs and Denver, or at least they used to.....and I was friends with a bunch of them. That was part of the rap from the rest of the state. And Pueblo has always been a "hole" to Denver folks.

When you're from there, it's not bad. If you're not from there.......well it probably mirrors Trump's supposed comments about some countries. However, I do know that it has gotten a lot worse in the last 10-15 years. It always has been a tough place, but it was that way without the gangs. It was tough, but there was still a Pueblo pride thing in that (that honor among thugs kind of thing). The gangs don't care, they're just gangs out for themselves.

Another thing........Pueblo has more Medal of Honor recipients than any other locale in the nation. That might tell you something about the real people of Pueblo. But here's another tidbit most probably never would know........back in the 80's Pueblo was ranked as one of the top mafia cities in the country. It's a very diverse place, and there really is a Pueblo connection around the entire world. The closest place I've seen that compares in any way, would be Butte, MT......and Montanans know the reputation Butte has.

 

[sndmn11]

In my eyes, I would rather spend time in Pueblo than CO Springs. I think it is a neat town with what should be the benchmark example of an urban tailwater, quick access to a genuinely uncrowded world class freestone, and it seems uncrowded. Every time I get off I25 in the Springs, it seems the lady giving me directions in my phone takes me around all sorts of weird ways, and everything seems congested but spread out.

 

[elkduds]

Pueblo CO was a transportation hub for the coal mines upstream, then got the CF&I steel mill. All that = unions. @ turn of the 20th century southern CO was home to a violent paramilitary war between mine owners and unions (google Ludlow Massacre). State gov't, in the pocket of rich mine and rail owners, sent troops in to end strikes, many were killed including women and children. That history leaves a taste that lingers, and Pueblo's reputation as a leftist haven was made. When labor ruled, the Mafia was strong there. The steel mill is gone, along w much of the economic base. Today Pueblo is, per capita, the easiest place in CO to get murdered. Illegal MJ grows are rampant, law enforcement is very underfunded (low tax base). On the plus side there is Pueblo Reservoir for boating and warm water fishing, the Arkansas river through downtown, a vibrant and different culture/arts vibe than the northern and western parts of the state, wind turbine manufacturing, the state mental hospital, the state fair (but I repeat myself), a "university" and a community college. There is a much more rural flavor to Pueblo County than to anywhere else on the Front Range. I enjoy Pueblo (but wouldn't live there) and the surrounding rural spaces are even better: Rye, Wetmore, the Cliffes, even Florence.

 

[dotman]

Pueblo has always gotten that rap here in CO. I grew up there out in the county in farm country. Pueblo has a high % population of Hispanics compared to the Springs and Denver, or at least they used to.....and I was friends with a bunch of them. That was part of the rap from the rest of the state. And Pueblo has always been a "hole" to Denver folks.

When you're from there, it's not bad. If you're not from there.......well it probably mirrors Trump's supposed comments about some countries. However, I do know that it has gotten a lot worse in the last 10-15 years. It always has been a tough place, but it was that way without the gangs. It was tough, but there was still a Pueblo pride thing in that (that honor among thugs kind of thing). The gangs don't care, they're just gangs out for themselves.

Another thing........Pueblo has more Medal of Honor recipients than any other locale in the nation. That might tell you something about the real people of Pueblo. But here's another tidbit most probably never would know........back in the 80's Pueblo was ranked as one of the top mafia cities in the country. It's a very diverse place, and there really is a Pueblo connection around the entire world. The closest place I've seen that compares in any way, would be Butte, MT......and Montanans know the reputation Butte has.

The Butte comparison helps me understand Pueblo much better, thanks.

 

[Colorado Bighorn]

One more thing to think about.... Colorado's population is expected to double in the next 20 years. Things that are expensive and crowded now will only get worse! Granted, most of the increases are expected to be along the front range, but by then the front range will extend from Trinidad to Cheyenne!

 

[SlimWhitman]

Thanks guys. Sounds pretty positive overall. I’ll be visiting before any commitments happen.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[BrassEnthusiast]

I lived in TX briefly and came away with the same thoughts as you.