Curious about  Pueblo..

 Pros, cons  etc...

It's 10+ degrees hotter than the Springs in summer.  It's heavily Democratic, as a union town.  Lots of latinos and gangbangers.  Lots of good mexican food too.  I've heard the gun club at Pueblo West is nice, but have never been there.

not a fan of pueblo at all.  I dread going there.  To me it should be far off the highway down a back country road.. like you see in crappy B movies.  

I've never gone to Pueblo to do anything 'fun'.  I'd never go there if we didn't have an office there.  I'm not even sure there is a 'nice' part of town..

they used to have a nice racetrack if you like running your car at track days.  otherwise, its a toilet.

The pueblo west gun club is great, as are the guys that shoot there.

I can't say much about the rest, just don't know.

Born and raised in Pueblo.  Lived here 21 of 27 years.

General Info
-About 100,000 people live in the city proper.  If you include the County of Pueblo it is ~150,000 people.

-The Climate is more mild than the rest of the state.  It is usually 10 degrees warmer, and receives half the rain and snow.  Very windy whenever the seasons are changing.  As a recent example, last night it snowed North of Pueblo and South of Pueblo, but we had no inclement weather at all.

-Demographics:  50% Hispanic, 45% White, 5% other. (not official, that is my own estimate and I believe it to be accurate)


The good:

-Some of the best damned food in the country if you like Mexican/Southwest style.  I am not exaggerating at all.  Pueblo Chilies are exceptional.  I have worked or at least spent the night in 45 States and I have never found food like we have in Pueblo.  Try the green chili.

-Low cost of living.  Housing is inexpensive compared to the rest of the state.  Even the good neighborhoods.

-Traffic is relatively light when compared  to Colorado Springs and especially the Denver area.  You can reach anywhere in town with a 15 minute drive.  Colorado Springs is a 30 minute drive.  (to the Southern part of COS)  Fort Carson is a 30 minute commute.

-Very patriotic.  Pueblo's motto is "The Home of Heroes".  There are four Medal of Honor recipients from Pueblo, more per capita than anywhere else.  There is absolutely no Soldier bashing here.

-Pro-gun.  The population accepts the ownership of firearms as normal.  The Sheriff will sign off on fun toys and CCW.  There are a couple decent gun shops downtown.  Arctic Shooting Supply caters more towards police and tactical stuff, and Pueblo Sporting goods takes care of the hunters and reloading stuff.  Big-R and Wal-Mart sell to the more uninformed gun buyer.  There is a gun store in Pueblo West but the guy tries to run everything by mail order.  Very small selection.

-Pueblo West. Pueblo has a bad reputation in the state.  Many view it as nothing but gang bangers and Democrats.  They have never been to Pueblo West.  It is where most of the conservatives have moved.  It is a planned community 5 minutes West of the city that is more spread out.  It has strict covenants that can be annoying if you own a house, but also keep the trash from fucking up the neighborhood. (no cars on the lawn, no trash left outside, houses must be landscaped etc...)  In Pueblo West you can buy a new 2000 square foot house with an acre of property for $160,000.  

-The Pueblo West Sportsman's Association.  We have a very nice private range here in Pueblo West that I am a member of.  It limits the membership to 1000 members at any given time.  It has rifle ranges at 100yd, 200yd, 300yd, and 425yd, seven pistol ranges, an archery range, and two shotgun ranges.  It operates on big boy rules.  There are no full time range safety officers.  If someone is breaking the rules or acting in an unsafe manner the other members will correct the behavior or report it to the elected range officers during the monthly meeting.  There are several monthly shooting matches or events.  IPSC, cowboy stuff, three gun, and NRA sponsored events like Women on Target.  (good way to meet chicks) Check the forum, there are a couple members here that are very involved in that stuff.  I think HBARLeatherneck?  

-Not too small, not too big.  Pueblo does not feel like a big city.  You recognize people around town, but it is not so small that you have trouble finding stuff you need.

-The State Fair.  The Colorado State Fair Grounds is here in Pueblo.  The fair is a great place to spend a few nights in August.

-The reservoir.  The reservoir in Pueblo West is great if you like boats, fishing, or water skiing.

Added:  I forgot to mention PMI.  If you like dirt bikes, ATVs, drag racing, ect, Pueblo has a huge area that you can ride for free.  It is a semi-arid playground for motor sports and is open year round.  I ride my ATV there all the time.

The bad

-High unemployment.  Pueblo is a blue collar town.  When the economy stinks, work is scarce.  Pueblo is still a major steel producing town but the steel mill is nothing compared to what it used to be.   In the last couple of decades the mill has been sold a few times, and I think the Russians own it now.  I don't even know.  That said, things are looking better.  There is the new Vestas plant, a new concrete plant, and a couple new distribution centers that have been hiring lately.  I have been able to stay busy on a few construction projects.  (I am a construction electrician)  The health care industry is booming.  The population is aging and doctors, nurses, and care givers are in high demand.

-Lower average wages.  Jobs generally pay a little less here, but you are also spending less on living.  Sucks when you buy a car.

-High crime IF you are in the wrong neighborhood.  Pueblo has seven neighborhoods with very distinct boundaries.  Some are better than others.  You don't go to the East side, the West Side, or Bessemer after dark unless you have a couple friends and you are all carrying firearms.   You don't park your car in those neighborhoods and expect it to leave unscathed.  Everywhere else is cool, but the criminals wander out from time to time.  There is a problem with gangs in the bad neighborhoods.  The Sureños in Bessemer, Crips in the East side, and the Norteños in the West side.  The other four neighborhoods are great.

-Pueblo is solidly Democrat.  Every presidential election that I can remember, Pueblo has voted at least 55% Democrat.  This is interesting because the majority of the population is: pro-gun, pro-hunting, religious, anti-abortion, and anti-taxes.  The "D" vote is all because of the unions.  Pueblo is a very union friendly town.  That is just how it is.  I am a member of the Local 12 IBEW because if I was not, I would be unemployed.  It is that simple.  The unions have a strong influence over the local government and they use that influence to help new work go to union contractors.

-Low standard of Education:  Pueblo has a low % of college and high school graduates.  We have our professionals, doctors, businessman,  engineers, chemists, skilled tradesman, ect, but there is a higher than average % of unskilled laborers and workers.  One interesting local fact:  If you talk to a stranger in most cities and ask them "where did you go to school?", they would respond with what college they attended.  If you ask the same question in Pueblo you will receive one of 5 answers:  East, South, Central, Centennial, or County.  This is true even if the individual has graduated college.  Yes, they are telling you which high school they attended.  I found this interesting after spending time away from Pueblo and returning.

-The night life sucks.  There are less than a dozen bars downtown, and most of them are small and crowded with very drunk 20 somethings.  








I have more to tell, but not enough time to tell it.  If you have any specific question, put them in this thread and I will get to them.   I can also give a detailed breakdown of where to buy/rent a house and where not to.  Hope this helps.

Its funny.  Pueblo is the whipping boy of Colorado.  All the "cool kids" hate it or talk crap about it, but I have been to far worse places in Colorado.  

Denver and Boulder are WAY more Liberal.  Remind me again which cities want to ban guns?

Fountain is WAY more of a shithole than Pueblo.  I was in Fountain selling roofs after a hailstorm when some guy started telling me how shitty Pueblo was.  I laughed in his face.

Mile High stadium in Denver... It has taken me 45 minutes to drive from the south end of Mile High to the North end.  I have never spent more than 5 minutes in traffic in Pueblo.

I have been in more "almost shooting/stabbing" incidents in Colorado Springs than I have been in Pueblo, including one actual stabbing incident in downtown Colorado Springs.  ( I was a bystander thankfully)  That is significant because I don't spend a lot of time in COS.









However, I would rather live in Durango, Fort Collins, or Grand Junction than Pueblo.

I appreciate the responses so far.

 The gang activity that has been noted is a concern, as the "problem" never goes away and just gets worse over time. I may have opportunity to work there a couple weeks a month.


Thanks for your time and effort,   I have no other specific questions right now.

The gangs have been there as long as I can remember, but I have never had a run in with them.  Besides that, these are "little league" gangs.  Punk kids for the most part, not hardened MS-13 killers from South America.  

You learn very quickly which parts of town to avoid, and after that you won't have any trouble.  I can go months without having to go into the east side.  The gang bangers stay in their neighborhoods.


What kind of work will you be doing if you don't mind telling?

Help a friend remodel his house.. will be an ongoing project, and   want to scout the area out if I go up there,  ya never know, might like it and move!

Keep the intel coming!