Frankly, I love the area. We live in Golden, just west of Denver and home of Coors Beer. Golden has the atmosphere of a small suburb or even small town, but I can be in downtown Denver in 20-25 minutes.
The weather is just what has already been stated. The foothills are right beyond my back yard I can be at 10,000 ft altitude in minutes.
Yes, there are illegals around, but I only see them when they are mowing the neighbors lawn or behind the counter at the fast food joint. We have had our share of vehicle accidents, but none have included illegals. In fact, my wife had her car rear-ended by an Anglo. I have totaled 2 motorcycles all by myself.
Most of the Hispanics I interact with are the old, long-term residents who come from families who were in Colorado Territory before Europeans arrived. Then, again, the people I deal with daily tend to be pretty highly educated. The long-term resident Hispanics tend to be strongly assimilated, something that cannot be said about the illegals or even the recent legals.
In my neighborhood, made of homes that were built in the 1959-62 period, the people are friendly, but reserved. I haven't lived anywhere in the last 35 years that have that "neighborhood" feeling that I remember when growing up. Kids grow up and don't stay in the area. Home turnover can be pretty high, so families don't spend decades with other families in the same neighborhood. Still, we have Thanksgiving dinner with the same neighbor family for the last 20 years. My family still checks in almost daily on the elderly couple across the street. My wife works in Denver and I find it friendly, if not outgoing. Most people in downtown Denver are there to shop or work and then go home, so it doesn't have the little town feel.
Good luck to you.
Ron
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