Possible Move To Colorado

We live in Az and Hubby has been offered a job in Pueblo, Co. We have seen alot of Colorado but, have not visited Pueblo.
Does anyone live in or near this area? We would greatly appreciate your input.

Wishing you well, Sunny. It seems there may be several of us that are transitioning from AZ to CO. If you do move to Colorado, I think you'll love it. It is truly a fantastic and beautiful state.

Thanks Brenda. We have lived in Az and in our currant home for 12 years. I know that with all we have it will be ALOT of work.
I've googled and found alot of information on Pueblo but, would love some first hand info.

Sunny AZ,

I have always found the following website to be extremely informative. http://www.city-data.com/city/Pueblo-Colorado.html

If you do move to Pueblo, you might want to check on the outlying areas.

Pewjumper

Thanks Pewjumper. I'll go and check out the website. : )

I drive through Pueblo from time to time on my way to Denver, but haven't spent much time there. It looks like a nice enough town and seems to have become a center for government operated institutions. The biggest drawback for many people is that it isn't in the mountains. But it isn't far from mountains and many other recreational areas.

It's on the Arkasas River. It gets pretty hot there and tends to be very dry (even drier than Denver). Coming from the Pheonix area it will still seem cooler to you! It's a smallish city with a strong industrial base. It's not far from the mountains (situated kind of like Denver - on the plains right in front of the mountains).
demographic info: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pueblo,_Colorado
city web page: http://www.pueblo.us
chamber of commerce web page: http://www.pueblochamber.org
main local newspaper: http://www.chieftain.com

Please, do yourself a favor and, if you're moving to Pueblo, move to Pueblo West. It's a sister city that grew up near the reservoir and is a beautiful little community. I see too many things on the news about Pueblo itself that wouldn't hearten me to move there, but Pueblo West? Definitely. But, very hot & dry for Colorado. Also, I don't know where in AZ you're from, but realize that Pueblo is a LITTLE town. Little - like around 50,000? So if you're from one of the burbs of Phoenix or Tucson, realize that. :)

Thanks for all the great info.
Skiekitty thanks for the Pueblo West info.

I ditto the Pueblo West recommendation.

SUNNYAZ,

I echo the sentiments above about Pueblo West. Pueblo itself was a steel town, union blue collar that has been down on its luck, but I hear that has been changing over the years.

If you love your gardening like all of us do, think about the topography of your new place! Get up off the river bottom, good soil, but very cold air that comes down the Arkansas River Valley.

Also, I wrote about "island neighborhoods" when I was in college. In a nutshell it deals with the lack of crime in areas that are "isolated". These neighborhoods are usually small, they are located along roads that do not connect major destinations, (Like shopping centers, recreational areas, airports, government centers, interstate highways.) and there is only one way in and out of your location that is hedged in by natural or man made barriers.

Good luck with your move!

Thanks again for the info. Looks like if we move it will be sometime in Oct.
It's nice to get first hand info.

Please keep us posted about your move SunnyAZ.

Then you might have to change your screen name to SunnyAZinCO!

SunnyAZinCo thats perfect Brenda. : ) I'll definately keep ya posted.

Hi, I'm mostly a lurker but wanted to put my 2 cents in. Pueblo West is nice enough but it doesnt have many trees, the wind howls out there but you do get a great view of Pikes Peak. Lake Pueblo state park is nearby, so if you want to go boating or fishing or water skiing it can be fun. The mountains are not that far away, maybe 30-45 minutes. The Arkansas river above the reservoir is a great place to go white water rafting or in some of the pullouts to go fishing. Below the reservoir and through town there is a kayak run. Up on the mesa there are alot of farms, and there are farmer's markets this time of year. For me, I think that autumn is the best time of year. The summers can be so hot, I dont usually go out and garden in the middle of the day. The winters are mild here, comparing to the Denver metro area. Spring here is like alot of areas of Colorado, very tempermental. Sometimes going up to the 80s and then down to the teens, all in the same day People are friendly here. The cost of living is a lower here compared to the bigger metro area such as Denver and Colorado Springs. thats about all I can think of.

Lilly

Great to hear from you again Lilly. Glad to know you are still around.

Pajaritomt, i've been lurking for awhile, I let my subscription lapse. Im glad to be back.

Well, glad you are back -- we have a lot of fun here and learn things, too.

Lilly.....thanks for all the info. I hope you don't mind but, I will probably have alot of questions for you.
What areas of town do you suggest when looking for a house?
Was just looking at Pueblo's currentt temp... 80
We are 109. : (

You will think you moved to Alaska, SunnyAZ! Comparatively speaking, that is.

well it depends on how far your hubby wants to commute. Belmont is nice, its very close to the university as is University Park, Northridge is new too. The mesa area is nice too. From what Ive been reading in the paper they are going to develop an area near St. Mary Corwin Hospital that has a small lake,that might be a nice place its on the south side. When the wind tower plant is finally finished it will be on Pueblo's south side too. You can get around Pueblo in about 15 minutes from one side of town to the other. Pueblo West is a little farther out and the commute into Pueblo takes a little while longer and its Pueblo's "rush hour" oh and something I forgot to mention is that Pueblo doesnt have watering restrictions like some of the other areas.

I am in Pueblo West. If you are thinking of buying a house, this is a good time to do it (re: the economy). Belmont has some bentonite soil (you don't want it) in some areas. Yes, the wind can howl in Pueblo West - and it can be a hot wind, too. But I've never lived anywhere that the wind didn't howl now and then. I have lived here long enough to complain about, and avoid, "the long commute between Pueblo and Pueblo West" just like everyone else.
But the truth is: it averages only about 20-30 minutes to most of Pueblo, but it is a small town and we're a bit spoiled. Also, Pueblo West is sprawled over about 50 square miles, so there is quite a bit of variation, even in the weather.

Well, it is official we will soon be residents of Pueblo, CO. A couple weeks ago we visited the area and loved it. : )
Hubby officially accepted the job last friday and will start work middle of Nov. His job is at the airport.
We drove around alot of areas and loved Pueblo West and noticed there where a lot of homes for sale.
We have been busy busy busy getting ready for our move.
Hubby will go first and look for a place to buy or rent. I hope to be able to get there sometime in Dec.
Thanks everyone for your help. : ) We are very excited on our upcoming move but, very busy getting ready for it.

Welcome to the Rocky Mountains SunnyAZ ^_^

Yes, welcome to colorful Colorado, SunnyAZinCO!

The Pueblo County Extension Service is moving to new offices around December. After you both are settled, I recommend the Extension Service for advice on Gardening/Landscaping in Colorado. Also check out Pueblo West's new green-built Library. That is where I work. For gardening books with plant lists, I recommend regional authors.
And Welcome to Colorado!

Welcome to the Rockies, Pollengarden!

Welcome to Colorado!

Welcome to Colorado! Hope you like it here.

Thanks for the welcomes. : )
We are busy getting ready for the move. Boy, we have sure accumulated alot of stuff.
Moving is not fun! But, We are really looking forward to after the move and living in Colorado.

Welcome to Rocky Mountain living. You can tall that all of us love it. Gardening can be challenging here, but has its rewards as well -- fewer bugs and weeds than in wet and warm climates. I second Pollengarden's suggestion about contacting the county extension service. I use the ones here quite a bit. It is their job to help you learn to garden in your area. It is my experience that they are very helpful and call upon the local agriculture college for research relevant to the area.

BTW, welcome to the Rocky Mountain Forum, Pollengarden as well. I haven't seen your posts before --- so I assume you are new, but pardon me if you are not.

I'm new to Dave's Garden - I was using "Plantfinder" so often that I decided I may as well sign up and make it my homepage (so much better than news headlines). I am not new to Colorado, my family has been here since the Pikes Peak gold rush. We settled in Pueblo nine years ago, after my huband finished his 20 years in the military. While he was in the military I've gardened (or tried) in various places including South Carolina, North Dakota, and Sicily, Italy. I have allergies, & I picked "pollengarden" because "no-pollen-well-I-guess-that-isn't-realistic-so-lets-try-for-less-airborne-pollen" was too long.

I used Plant Files so much that I finally signed up with Dave's Garden. It just kept coming up in my google searches for information on stuff that I wanted to grow.

If I haven't said so already, welcome, Pollengarden!

Pollengarden...my hubby just retired after 20 years in the military also. His retirement date was just this past Saturday.
Of course, we had no idea Pueblo would be our home after retirement but, after visiting the area I know we are going to love it.
Hubby is leaving in less than two weeks boy, it sure came fast.

welcome to the rocky mountain forum pollengarden. hope to see more of your posts :)

Well, the move has begun. Hubby arrived in Pueblo yesterday. The roads were not good and he hit a bad snow storm thankfully, he arrived safely.
Today is his first day at new job. He called this morning and said the temp was 17. Our lows at our home in Az was in the 40's.
Even though the weather is going to be so different I'm so looking forward to finding a home and making the move.

The tradeoff is that you won't ever see 120+ in Pueblo. Not a bad thing.

We had to drive through some serious snow the other night, too... coming back from Grand Junction. Hoping you find your new home soon!!