Top Ten Things You Should Know Before Moving to Colorado

The Estately website — which provided us with material for posts highlighting the top ten cities for douchebags (including two from Colorado) and what all fifty states are worst at — often alludes to our fair state.

But one of its most recent lists is all Colorado all the time.

It's headlined "31 Things You Should Know Before Moving to Colorado."

How well do the selections correspond to the Colorado you know? We've highlighted and photo-illustrated the top ten below. Continue to get a sense of the picks — and to see all 31 Estately choices, click here.

1. It’s a nerd-friendly place

According to a 2014 study by Estately, Colorado is the fifth nerdiest state in the country. The state cracked the top ten for enthusiasm for Star Trek: The Next Generation (7th), cosplay (9th), Star Wars (8th), Lord of the Rings (9th), Magic: The Gathering (8th), and comic books (5th).

2. Populated by rabid Denver Broncos fans

Colorado is absolutely crazy for the Denver Broncos. If you’re a fan of another team, or if you don’t care for the NFL at all, you’re going to be the odd person out in Colorado. So if you’re looking to avoid this rabid mass of blue and orange consider moving to Hinsdale County, Colorado. According to Facebook user data, more people in Hinsdale County prefer the Dallas Cowboys to the home state team. Of course there are only 786 people who live in Hinsdale County, but so it goes.

3. It’s skier/snowboarder heaven

There are 28 ski resorts in Colorado, which is just the sixth most in the country. However, unlike Wisconsin (34) and Michigan (38), Colorado’s ski resorts are enormous, have incredible snow, and are superior in every way. There are over 42,000 acres of ski runs in the state, and if that’s not enough for you there is even more backcountry skiing spots as well.

4. Your vote counts in Colorado

Colorado is a state of stark political contrasts and closely contested elections. As a swing state, Colorado voters wield far more power than the average voter in other states. Colorado narrowly elected Barack Obama in the past two presidential elections, but it went for George W. Bush in the two before that. The governor is a Democrat, but the state’s congressional delegation is pretty much split evenly between the Democrats and Republicans. With elections so close it’s not surprising voter turnout is high. In the 2014 midterm elections 52.4% of the state’s eligible voters went to the polls—fourth highest in the country.

5. People tip better in Colorado

According to Square, which tracked millions of credit card transactions, Colorado is among the most generous states when it comes to tipping. The average tip on transactions was 16.5% — which ranked seventh highest in the country. In measuring cities, the study found Denver was the most generous large city in the country.


6. Not as welcoming to newcomers as it once was

Colorado’s population has grown considerably in recent years, which has created some resentment of newcomers by lifelong Coloradoans. You’ll definitely hear locals grumbling about the new arrivals, but this wasn’t always the case. There was a time when locals openly recruited non-natives to the area. Back in 1948 local game officials imported mountain goats for hunting purposes, and then they added moose in 1975 for the same reason.

7. So where do Colorado residents come from?

As of 2012, only 42% of Colorado residents were actually born in the state. The rest all moved here from somewhere else. So where did they come from? According to the New York Times these are the biggest sources of Colorado residents: foreign born — 11%, California — 6%, Texas — 3%, Illinois — 3%, New York — 3%, Ohio — 2%, Nebraska — 2%, Kansas — 2%, and Michigan — 2%.

8. The locals are fit

Colorado offers so many great outdoor activities there’s really no excuse for being a couch potato. That fact is represented in the state’s obesity rate—20.4%. That may sound like a lot, but it’s actually the second-lowest rate in the country. You don’t have to become an ultramarathon runner if you live here, but you’ll probably find yourself doing activities outdoors more often than in other states.

9. But do they take it too far?

Colorado is focused on health and fitness more than most states, but that also means it falls hard for the latest fitness, health, and food fads. The state is #1 for CrossFit enthusiasm, and actually has the most CrossFit affiliates per resident of any U.S. state. It also searches online for “paleo recipes” and “gluten-free diet” more than any other state.

10. Anti-vaccination force is strong in Colorado

If polio or smallpox make a comeback in America it’ll probably start in Colorado because when it comes to vaccinating kids Colorado is apparently trusting the advice of Jenny McCarthy over that of its doctors. According to the CDC, only 81.7% of Colorado kindergarteners were vaccinated, the lowest rate in the country.