A neighbor who was still moving out, stopped by to clean up the apartment that her and her husband were in. I've talked to her before and really liked their dog, which was named Duke. She is 37 and originally from northern Idaho. She misses her family there, but her husband is from here and loves northern Colorado. Anway, I decided to invite her into our apartment to see our wall decor. Wife was working in the spare bedroom and came out to say "hi". She was very impressed over all of the rodeo pictures we have on the walls, as well as the western tv and movie stars. Also showed her our "Old West" wall, that includes The Great Indian Chiefs, Buffalo Bill Cody and others. Showed her our hat rack, with our straw cowboy hats hanging on it. I told her, "I know I told you before why we don't belong in this city, but telling is one thing, actually seeing things is another." She told me and my wife "yep, you're right, you don't belong here. You should be in Wyoming, Montana or Idaho. The Front Range (as what the area is called here) is definitely not you." So, in seeing our apartment wall decor (pictures), she definitely knows why we have to move.
Well, I can truly see that nobody cares anymore about our move OR those that know we should. Guess I've talked to much about it.
Moving is for young people. My friends in Nevada kept telling me you can never go home after leaving so long ago.
Well, moving isn't necessarily just for young people, even though they are mainly the ones that do it. When we came here to check out the city in 2018, guess we weren't here long enough to really, really check it out. It had definitely changed since our 2004 County Fair visit and has changed even more in the last almost 3 years since we been here. Guess we thought, and note the word "thought", we could handle the change. But the new, and very young (21+), residents now are just to "citified" for us.
if you can..."git whilst the gittin"s good".......else you'll be sorry for not the rest of days... Best wishes to you and your family.
One of my daughters moved out to a 'suburb' of Denver--to the north.--near Erie. She ran a very large dog day care/kennel. She had a beautiful view far-off mountains to the west and farms all around. She quit and moved back to Wisconsin after eight years. The beautiful view was being subdivided into huge houses. That is happening everywhere there. Someone sees someplace beautiful and says Hey! I want to live here. It is so beautiful! So houses spring up like mushrooms and it is no longer beautiful, the view is blocked by them. Then they will start complaining about the barking and the smell of horse manure.... She said the traffic in the area became impossible. Sadly, it is happening around my farm as well. A subdivision to my north sprang up. It is called Wild Life Acres. LOL. No more wildlife there. And a realtor said if they complain about my animals I will probably have to get rid of them. I use my manure but the land to the west spreads his and sometimes even I want to complain in case we might get blamed about the smell. It is pretty bad when you clean out the calf pens. You moved to the country! Idiots! It did not move to you!
I would love to see what the US look's like about a hundred years from now. It all depends on how much the people allow the politicians to destroy. I lost all my faith when they started allowing foreigners living here for 10 years to run for federal office.
Yes, @Mary Stetler, parts of northern Colorado are getting filled in with new homes and even some apartment buildings. From just north of Ft Collins, to the Wyoming border, there is still quite a bit of undeveloped land, but, as time goes on........who knows? One block north of our apartment is the main street of the city. From there, a person can look to the left and completely see the foothills that lead into Estes Park and Rocky Mountain National Park. We are only a few miles away from the foothills and that's why we get more snow than east of us. There is a livestock auction in Ft. Collins, next to the I-25, that wife and I have been to a number of times just to watch. Many businesses around the area, including Waffle House, Denny's and a few motels, would probably like to see the auction pack up and move. But, it's used by ranchers from the eastern plains of Colorado, up into Wyoming, for buying/selling livestock. On sale day for horses, cattle and other livestock, a whole lot of horse and stock trailers there. Centennial Livestock Auction isn't going anywhere, even if the locals don't like the smell. Even though we can only afford an apartment, parts of Wyoming are much better for us to live in than where we are. Lots of rodeo action in Wyoming, but that is expected. Even their flag shows a bronc rider.
Well, we really didn't expect another move, but then again, we thought (with a heavy emphasis on the word "thought") that Jacksonville, Florida would be our last home. That didn't work out either. Actually, we should've never moved out of Colorado in the first place in 2007, but to see the way it is now, we would've ended up moving out anyway. Seems like after Recreational Pot/Marijuana was legalized in Colorado, the population seen a royal boom. We already knew we wanted to, and had to, move, but, after hearing this young lady tell us "you really don't belong here" after seeing the inside of our apartment, we definitely knew.
More than twenty years ago, a friend of mine told me he was leaving Colorado for the same reasons he had left California. He owned a construction company and couldn't compete in California unless he hired illegal labor, and the same thing was happening in Colorado.
Yes, a whole lot of illegals in So California. A lot of cities there have Mexican names, like Santa Ana, Costa Mesa, Montebello and so on. Actually, the landscaping company the apartment complex we lived in in Jacksonville, Florida, was mainly Mexicans. Legal or illegal, I really don't know, but do know that only the head man spoke English. Actually, here where we are now, after a resident moves out, the apartment cleaners are Mexican as are the crew that installs new carpet. But, the landscaping company that does the complex, is not. Parts of Colorado, like part of Pueblo, Lakewood and Greeley are like a Little Mexico. Lots and lots of Mexicans. Again, legal or illegal, don't know. We've been to our Golden Corral Buffet on a Friday night and the entire one end of the restaurant seemed like a Little Mexico. Yes, that many Mexican people!
When we attend the PRCA Cowboy Ball and the Pro-Rodeo Hall of Fame Induction next month, we will be asking those attending what they think of our move. Miss Rodeo Wyoming will be there and we will definitely get her ideas/opinions. After we attend these weekend events, we will be driving to Cheyenne, Wyoming for a few days to check it out. Then, after that, we can decide "yes" or "no" to moving there. My wife definitely wants to be in a state close to mountains and that doesn't mean Colorado anymore.
That is wonderful that you will be getting such important input into your plans for moving somewhere besides Colorado, @Cody Fousnaugh , and I am sure that their input, especially Miss Rodeo Wyoming, will be just what you both need to find that perfect place that you have been searching for for so long.
Getting other’s opinions is a good move but asking Miss Rodeo Wyoming might not be the best person to ask about moving to Wyoming. I mean, what is she going to say? No, you should stay in Colorado or better yet, I hear that Florida and Texas are good states to retire in? And also, she’ll be one of the dreaded Millennials or x or y gens so what is she going to tell you about senior living? Granted, ya need to go by and take your hat off, give her a hug and say Howdy in the most cowboy like drawl you can muster up but you might want to stick with the advice of some old timers who know a little more about what pasture to retire in.