Colorado by niels827 on DeviantArt (original) (raw)

I love traveling. I've been to many countries across Europe, Latin America, and the Caribbean, but I've found my own country to be the most culturally, socially, ethnically, and geographically diverse.

I was born and raised in California's Bay Area. I've lived here all my life, except for two years I spent in Illinois before coming back home. Besides these two, I've been to 19 states. But I've spent far more time in Colorado than any other state I've been to, and I've probably spent more time in Colorado than time I've spent in all other states combined. From road tripping and horseback riding to trail trekking, city walking, and visiting relatives, I always have a reason to go back.

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Craig is one of the largest small towns in Colorado's western slope, and the surrounding area is home to numerous ranches and farms. But eat your heart out, Colorado. With the Wyoming border just a few miles north, cowboys are far more likely to settle there instead. I was going to put a bandana around Stan's neck, but it wouldn't have come out looking right. Giddy'up, lil' wrangler.

Colorado Springs has the distinction of being the most beautiful and visually-stunning large city I've ever seen outside of San Francisco. It's surrounded by the Rockies, covered by coniferous forests, and dotted by gorgeous parks, a vibrant downtown area, and clean buildings and streets. It's also home to several American military institutions, including several air force bases, which leads Colorado's second-largest city to have a relatively high number of resident or transplanted soldiers. Thanks for your service, ladies and gentlemen. Unfortunately, the military's significant presence in the city, along with a huge list of mostly-evangelical religious institutions headquartered there, have given the Springs the distinction of being one of the most conservative large cities in America. Sorry, Springers. I'd probably live in your city myself if more than half the people there weren't so backwards. Don't die, Kenny.

Denver is Colorado's capital and largest city, and serves as a major hub for businesses who need an established presence in America's Mountain region, whose only other major cities are Phoenix, Salt Lake City, and Albuquerque. Like any other highly-populated metropolis, it's a highly-progressive, fast-paced environment that sets a good example for how metropolitan areas should be managed. Although some parts of the city do suck, Denver is unique in that there really isn't any part of the city you should just avoid at all costs out of fear for your safety. Anyone who lives there will tell you, however, to try and look for a place to live, work, or play away from the east side. Most people also know it as the "mile-high city" due to its altitude, so if you have asthma, this city may not be ideal for you. More interestingly, to capitalize on this, there was a 1966 movie (and a rather awful one, at that) called "The Doomsday Flight," in which a terrorist claims to have planted a bomb on an airplane that will explode if the plane goes below 5,000 feet above sea level. This causes the pilots to panic, thinking they can't land. That is, until they realize they can land at Denver's Stapleton Airport, which sits at 5,300 feet above sea level. Not nearly as many people know of this movie as much as they know of a movie with a similar premise. The 1994 film "Speed", set in Los Angeles, involved a bus with a bomb that would detonate if it went below 50 miles per hour. This bus was a 1960s model GMC "New Look" bus, also affectionately called the "Fishbowl" bus. Formerly a very common sight on Denver's roads, it was one of the last major American cities to use these buses. Introduced in 1959, they were used for about forty whole years before they were gradually retired across much of the country, more than a decade after production stopped in 1987. Enjoy the ride while it lasts, Kyle.

Walsenburg is a smaller town several miles south of the city of Pueblo. With all due respect to any potential Walsenburgers reading this, I have never in my life seen so many rednecks in one place in my entire life. That is utterly horrific. And it smelled, too. But that was probably, and hopefully, an isolated incident. Did I mention when I opened the door to walk into the convenience store at the gas station, a chicken walked right out? The fuck is up with this place?

From my understanding and experience, there are three kinds of people in Fort Collins: drunks, students, and drunk students. Colorado's fourth-largest city is a college city, home to Colorado State University. It should probably be a given, if you know your demographics, that it's a very liberal, young, and vibrant place with lots of festivals, plenty of fit and active people, and a shitload of beer. So. Much. Motherfucking. Beer.

Vail is a small town nestled in the Rockies, a few hours west of Denver. During the winter months, this resort town is swarmed with tourists and winter sportspeople who enjoy taking on the second-largest skiing mountain in the United States. Another Colorado ski resort town, Aspen, is notable for its winter resorts, sports offerings, and insanely-high cost of living. If you've ever seen the movie "Dumb and Dumber," you needn't ask any questions. But Aspen was the '90s. Hopefully Vail's growing popularity won't lead to its demise. It really is a beautiful town. Conclusively, if you Aspen when you're supposed to Vail, you're gonna have a bad time.