Colorado is a western US state with a diverse landscape of arid deserts, river canyons, and the snow-covered Rocky Mountains partly protected by Rocky Mountain National park. A combination of job opportunities, beautiful weather, scenic views, and a culture of wellness makes Colorado a diverse state you want to live in. The human history of Colorado dates back to more than 14000 years ago. Lindenmeirer site in Larimer County is a Folsom culture archeological site with artifacts dating approximately 8710 BC. Colorado made it to the union on August 1, 1876, and experienced a gold rush in 1850. There was a battle between Native American tribes and western settlers during the civil war years. To date, Colorado still enjoys the benefits from mining and includes oil and gas.
With this brief history and information, you want to move to Colorado, but before you do that, there are pros and cons to consider that includes:
Pros of Living in Colorado
1. Colorado offers the best scenery for skiing. Normally February Is the best time to ski in Colorado. The base depth of snow on the mountains at this time is at its deepest, and there is plenty of powder still pouring in. Due to the highest altitude lift terrain, Colorado offers plentiful snowfall and spectacular views. Currently, Colorado has approximately 32 ski areas operating at their peak in winter. The Rocky Mountains are worldwide known for their ski and snowboarding destinations. Some resorts offering skiing sports include Breck, Vail, and Copper, but you are not limited to only these. There’s a long list you can choose from.
2. High-quality medical Care. Colorado is ranked seventh-best state in the provision of health care. It is also ranked 23rd in healthcare cost,15th inaccessibility, and 3rd on the outcome. Colorado has good quality public hospital system, quick response, and reduced waiting time for emergency services. With these factors to boost the life expectancy is increased and disease rates are reduced.
3. Colorado has a great variety of recreational activities. Colorado is distinct in that it has four-season outdoor sports activities. Skiing is done in winter, hiking during spring as you enjoy the beautiful scenery, and summer gives you various activities such as camping, mountain biking, and fishing. Autumn gives you a spectacular sight to behold. The Aspen trees found on the Western sides of the state, e.g., Grand Mesa, provide colorful scenery at this time.
4. Good climate and opportunity for all seasons experience. The weather in Colorado is good. Colorado experiences more sunshine days, unlike city-states like Washington. It experiences low humidity, and the climate is mostly dry. Cities like Denver, Grand Junction, and Montrose offer the best outdoor sunshine experience during the year.
5. Favorable corporate taxes for conducting business. Colorado offers a good corporate tax rate of less than 5% .with low taxes, the business can make more money. The sales tax is the lowest in the country, and commodities like food are excluded from sales tax. Despite Colorado being rated highly, it has one of the lowest property tax rates in the country.
6. Great cultural experience and history. Colorado maintains a range of historical sites and museums around the state, including Bent’s Old Fort and Sand Creek massacre. Colorado has many religious and spiritual groups, including Jews, Christians, Muslims, Buddhists, and Hindus. The culture and nature in Colorado are quite similar, starting with the best outdoor activities such as skiing, biking, snowboard, camping, and boating.
7. Great taste of food. Colorado offers a great variety of mouthwatering foods that want you to stay even longer. The variety of foods include rocky mountain oysters, palisade peaches, green chili/pueblo chilies, Colorado lamb, Olathe sweet corn, Rocky Ford cantaloupe, Colorado style pizza, trout, bison, Denver omelet, and Denver steak. Travel to Colorado and have a taste of a lifetime.
8. Availability of craft breweries. Beer greatly contributes to the state economy in Colorado. You will find both large and small breweries spread across the state. The range starts from Coors all the way to Breckenridge brewery with a variety of tastes available for everyone
9. Well established and productive economy. Recently Colorado had one of the lowest unemployment rates in the nation. This is because the economy is supported by strong state population growth. The state boasts of a productive economy that gets a boost from a diverse employer base. Some of the industries that provide this support include aerospace, Technology, craft breweries, cannabis, and agriculture
10. Incomes are high in Colorado. Citizens in Colorado generally have a high income. Colorado’s recent 2019 income statistics indicate that the median household income is $72,331, and the average household income is $96,970.
Cons of Living Colorado
1. High cost of Living. The cost of living in Colorado is pretty high. If you intend to travel or live in Colorado, be sure to pay more for fuel, groceries, and other common items. The recent housing cost in Colorado ranges between $1306-2212, with the home price at $467,818. If you want to live in Denver, the cost is the highest with $517,766 for a home compared to other locations.
2. Unwelcoming locals in Colorado. You will be able to note the different attitudes of the residents in Colorado when you move there. In rural communities, the residents are quite friendly. Unlike in rural, the urban residents are quite unwelcoming, and many blame transplants for low housing inventories and high real estate costs in Colorado
3. Hard to get through the traffic jam. I call it hard to get through because it can be as bad as in Chicago during the rush hour. During the weekend, the traffic is worse as seemingly everyone is heading to the mountains or back to the city. To manage this, you can prefer to travel during off-hours.
4. Effects of high altitude. Altitude sickness is a great challenge in Colorado. The symptoms include headache, nausea, fatigue, and insomnia. Although the symptoms resolve after 1 or 2 days, you are not completely immune due to the high elevations in the country.
5. Extreme and unpredictable weather patterns. Majority of Colorado experiences severely cold weather and extreme temperature. Without outdoor gear for the cold, for sure, you can’t withstand it. The weather is also quite unpredictable. You can experience cold, heat, rain, and snow in relatively short periods of time.
6. Effects of urbanization. The negative impact of urbanization, such as overcrowding, is no exception in Colorado. Like other states, Colorado experiences impacts of population growth caused by an increase in the number of residents and tourists.
7. High home prices. You can get a good job in Colorado, but it won’t hold the high cost of renting a house. The average price of a home is around $520,000. Denver and mountainsides are quite expensive. Even the cheaper homes are high compared to what the market normally pays.
8. Swimming is limited. Swimming is uncommon in Colorado, unlike other states. This is because the waterways are best suited for fishing and boating activities.
9. Colorado is landlocked. Despite Denver boasting of mountains and trails, it lacks a variety of beaches that people look for. There are very few sandy areas and waterfront points.
10. Inadequate infrastructure expansion. Denver lacks enough infrastructure expansion to meet the recent uprise in population. There is also inadequate public transportation that frequently leads to automotive traffic.
