People continue to move to Colorado. Why? A new report from the University of Colorado Boulder's Leeds School of Business notes that Colorado's economy continues to outpace most of the United States as a whole, and growth is expected to continue through the rest of this year and into 2019.
The economy and the environment are the primary reasons that transplants land here...even though a popular misconception blames it on legal pot.
Joe buys that argument, and says:
Although I supported Colorado making marijuana legal, I do not support the influx of people coming to the state because of that.
Responds Brandon:
We literally come here to cause traffic, smoke your weed, and hike up rent. We don't even like it that much, we just want to piss off the "natives".
Adds Jeff:
Now if you could just address the seeming genetic superiority native Coloradan's claim to have that allow them to drive flawlessly in the snow and not be cold in the winter.
Melanie compares Colorado with Florida, where medical marijuana is now legal.
We moved away from Denver to Clearwater two years ago. I've lived in eleven states and never have I seen such hatred for transplants as I have in Colorado!! Florida is a transient state which hosts snowbirds from all over the place every year. I've never had a bad experience when someone asks if I moved here or was born here. Colorado has the worst sense of nativism I've ever seen. Even more so than Hawaii!!!
Responds Haley:
Stay in FLORIDA! We don't want anymore Floridians, Texans or Californians!!! We are full!!!!
Concludes Trevor:
Because they ruined their own states, they want to ruin ours. It’s almost like the plot from Independence Day.
Keep reading for more stories about transplants coming to Colorado, particularly from Florida.
"More Reasons That So Many Transplants Are Moving to Colorado"
"Ten Ways Colorado Is Better for Retirement Than Florida"
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"Where Are Transplants Moving to Denver From?"
Legalized marijuana doesn't even make a blip in the report, which focuses on other parts of the economy.
But while the statistics about Colorado look great on paper, the reality is more complicated than that. Plenty of people struggle in Denver despite the strong economy, partly because of housing costs that continue to rise in many, if not all, metro-area neighborhoods. And the report acknowledges that gains aren't being experienced equally across the state.
Meanwhile, marijuana has been a definite boon in some areas, according to El Paso County Commissioner Sal Pace. "Cannabis legalization has been great for Pueblo," he says. "With nearly 200 cultivation licenses, Pueblo has become the Napa Valley of cannabis in Colorado. We’ve seen hundreds of millions of dollars in capital investment, thousands of people employed and the biggest real estate boom in our community’s history."
What do you think about how legalization has gone in Colorado? Post your thoughts in a comment, or email marijuana@westword.com.
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