People & Places
Touring around Colorado
Imagine a state of outstanding natural beauty, whose residents are some of the wealthiest and healthiest in the US.
Sound good? Well grab your hiking boots, don a rain coat and make sure you're prepared for surprises – Hanna Lindon's taking you on a tour around Colorado. Colorado tends to attract people who enjoy an outdoors lifestyle – they come to take advantage of the striking mountainous scenery, the clear air and the increasing number of leisure
activities on offer. "It's is a very active lifestyle place," says Tom Walker, who emigrated to Denver in 1980. "Granted, not every person out here is like that, but we are still more likely to work out and do outdoor activities."
It must be hard to stay indoors when there's so much to do and see outside. The Rocky Mountains run through Colorado, shaping a landscape of towering peaks, hidden valleys and sparsely populated plains – a haven for hikers, skiers and adventure lovers. Even the proportion of the population which resides in the state's 'urban corridor' east of the Rockies live a lifestyle punctuated with skiing trips, mountain walks and outdoor sports. "The best things about Colorado are the wide open spaces, together with every conceivable sporting activity and clean fresh air," says David Drew, a Brit who moved to Auroro in 2003 with his family. "You can hunt, fish, fly – whatever takes your fancy." Despite the emphasis on the great outdoors, Colorado has a number of thriving cities, most of which are nestled at the foot of the Rockies to protect themselves from the state's notoriously fickle weather. Denver is both the capital and the most populous city; other large urban centres include Colorado Springs, Alamosa, Grand Junction and Pueblo. The majority of British emigrants are concentrated around Denver. "We live just to the west of Denver, in a place called Lakewood," says Sue Green, who emigrated from Britain in 2001. "I don't think you get so many British people in Colorado as you do in places like Florida, but there are certainly a few that we know around Denver. They tend to live to the south and west of the city, mainly in the suburbs. You don't get too many living in the rural areas!"
Politically, Colorado sits on the fence – it isn't as conservative as the other Midwest states, but is certainly less orientated towards Europe than the East Coast. Liberals should look to metropolitan Denver, and the college towns of Boulder and Fort Collins, to find sympathisers. Conservatives will feel more at home in Colorado Springs and on the western side of the state. Although Colorado has traditionally been seen by Brits as a travel rather than an emigration destination, this is something which is changing. Its cities are growing in size and importance, its industries are booming and there are plenty of job opportunities opening up. Families looking for a healthy and safe place to bring up their kids are gravitating towards the state, as are retirees keen to take advantage of the clear air and outdoors activities. Unless you're a confirmed urbanite who rarely steps outside the city, Colorado is certainly worth considering as an emigration destination.
Lifestyle
If you're moving to Colorado then you can expect to pick up a host of new hobbies along with a ruddy tan. "I've done a little of everything since I moved here – skiing, snowshoeing, hiking, camping," says Tom. "I live 25 minutes from the heart of Denver and just over an hour from the closest ski resort, depending if I go east or west, so there's a lot of choice." Newly arrived emigrants should bear in mind that Colorado is a good deal wilder than the UK, and precautions may need to be taken in some areas. "Living in any of the mountainous regions has its own problems, like really wild wildlife!" says David. "There are bears, lions, extra-large raccoons, moose, and lots of other dangerous beasts that simply don't exist in the UK. Many precautions have to be taken, even on a simple picnic in the park, and its best to adopt the advice of naturalists and park rangers to avoid any bad encounters." Sue agrees. "We had a slightly dodgy meeting with a moose last year," she recalls. "We turned a corner in the car and he was standing there, blocking the road. My husband reversed rather quickly, and fortunately the moose didn't follow!"
If the idea of getting this close to nature doesn't appeal, then there's also a variety of cultural entertainments on offer in Colorado. "I have to say that we're behind the UK here in terms of culture," says Sue. "But there are still places, especially in Denver, where you can see plays and concerts, eat in great restaurants, go to art galleries, or simply sit in a nice café with a good book and watch the world go by. Americans don't really do this, though – they like to feel as if they're 'doing something' all the time." This 'doing things' ethic is something that David has also noticed since moving to Aurora. "My experience is that most Americans tend to regard any activity pursued for fun as worthless," he says. "They tend to think of leisure as 'doing something useful out of work' and so we do activities that involve the family group, events such as birthdays, anniversaries and public holidays… a lot of food and family-orientated functions. "Leisure in the USA tends to have qualities associated with it – it's never simply an enjoyable activity, it has to involve education, competitiveness, purpose, character or team building, health or fitness. This means that I have grown accustomed to pursuing leisure activities that will inevitably impress other people – such as voluntary work with the local nature centre, managing an online Yahoo Group and writing for the local newspaper. These are considered good community-based activities that Coloradans admire."
Weather
Colorado is famous for its erratic weather – thunderstorms one day and bright sunshine the next. Winter is usually cold and snowy, while summers are mainly sunny and hot. Tom describes the weather as "variable, but in a predictable way." "We get snow in the winter, which makes the skiers happy, and hot sun in the summer," he says. "I think it's over 300 days of sunshine every year." Sue cites the weather as one of her favourite things about the state. "It just feels wild," she says. "The storms are incredibly beautiful – we're mainly protected from them in Denver because of the mountains, so we can just sit by our window and watch them breaking over the Rockies. It's hot and gorgeous in summer so we can go walking outside, and cold and snowy in the winter so we can ski. What more could you want?" A lot more, it seems, if you listen to David. Unlike Sue and Tom, he sees the weather as a downside of living in Colorado. "There are only two seasons: winter and summer," he says. "In summer it is unbearably hot, reaching temperatures in excess of 100oF, and in winter extremely cold with temperatures below freezing. Altitude is another concern not often considered – even in Denver we are one mile above sea level, so oxygen is sparse and can initially cause altitude sickness. The atmosphere is also very dry and can frequently cause dehydration. We are literally covered in snow and ice for about half the year, and personally I get depressed about this." Whether these extremes appeal to you or not, you will certainly need a stout raincoat if you choose to relocate to Colorado. Better bring your thermals too – and bear in mind that, even if you're going on a short walk, you need to be prepared for the weather to change. Fast.
Employment
One of the main things attracting migrants to Colorado is the wealth of its inhabitants. Per capita personal income was over $40,000 last year – that's eighth in the nation. Employment opportunities have also grown significantly in recent years. "Colorado is the best it's been in a while for employment, and it's getting better," says Tom. "Despite the current economic conditions, I think the state's hi-tech and energy industries and becoming better all the time. Nurses and teachers are always needed. I think it's a good place for job prospects."
Sue was actually motivated to move to Colorado by the large number of jobs on offer. "My husband is from Colorado, but we had always lived in the UK," she says. "Unfortunately, I was made redundant in 1999, and was finding it difficult to get another job. Pete (my husband) suggested we consider moving to the US, and when we looked into it we saw that Colorado had a thriving employment market. I got a job within months of moving here, and I really like the high-energy, meritocratic work culture." However, experts have now confirmed that the US is in recession, and Colorado is likely to suffer from this like every other state. Because of this, David says that right now it's an employer's market. "The economy is not in good condition, and there is constant talk of recession," he says. "Most people in work are on the lowest wages that employers can get away with.
Employers will veer towards taking Americans rather than foreign nationals for jobs, and the jobs that are left are usually filled by illegal immigrants! Unless you have a specific skill or talent that is in short supply here, you may experience a three-to-five-month search for work…that is unless you come here on a work visa supplied by a company for prearranged employment." David also warns that being out of work in the US can be extremely uncomfortable and stressful. "I have been unemployed twice since I came, and it is not a good experience," he says. "There are no benefits to help people looking for work, no job centres and very few agencies. Basically, I found that it was my CV and a prayer that got me the job. Many people over here have never travelled abroad and don't know where England or Britain or the UK is. One of my employers through that UK was 'Ukraine' and that I was from Russia!"
Cost of living
Moving to Colorado could be a great financial move. Not only do its residents enjoy generally high incomes, but there is also a flat tax of just 4.63 per cent and cost of living is low. Sales tax, the equivalent of VAT, is also extremely low compared to the UK. "It's cheap to live in Colorado compared to the UK," says Tom. "Even ignoring the exchange rate (which is a goldmine if you're coming from the UK to here), cars, food, and other basic needs seem to cost the same or more in pounds as they do here in dollars! Obviously, the main example of this is petrol. I am now paying around $3 per gallon, which, while we complain that it's really high, is still less than half what you would pay back home. A car like mine, which is a typical sporty sedan, cost me about $25,000, and I've priced the same car in England at close to £30,000! It's simply much cheaper to live out here, and it's the main reason I doubt that I could ever move back to the UK. For what I could sell my house for, I could never buy a place back in England."
While David warns that the low cost of living is balanced against lower wages in Colorado, he admits that the majority of lifestyle costs in America are far cheaper than in the UK. "We can get a first-class meal in a top-class restaurant for a mere $30 here," he says. "We pay $850 per month for a three-bedroom apartment in Aurora.
"On the other hand, all public art galleries and places of interest charge an admission fee. Medical insurance is also incredibly expensive: I have not been able to afford it since I came here in 2003, and frankly the whole system is a rip-off." If you like what you've heard about Colorado, then the next step is to take a research trip. Sue and Tom both warn against making the move without visiting first – but both are united in the belief that their state has more to offer British migrants than anywhere else in America. "Visit other places in the US, like Florida and California," says Tom. "Then make back because you realise that Colorado has everything that they have except ocean, but doesn't have the crime, pollution, hurricanes or earthquakes!"
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