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  One thing I have noticed is the re-vitalization of the old Rail Depot area down by the river. The Frau and I had actually looked at what it would take to open a small mirco brewery/pub down there in the late 90's. We were in a race w/ the folks who opened Phantom Canyon Brewery  in the Springs. They thought is was their turf  ... as it was no one opened anything.
  Had a friend who lived on the east side, worked for the State. He never had any trouble. 6' 6" 300lbs, a German shepard and a crap pile of weapons.

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Live in Colo Springs, work in Pueblo.  It's a 40 mile commute.  The Springs is the conservative heart of the state.

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have they got vehicle inspections? how about bumper height limits? These 2 things and the CCW laws tell me enought about a state for me to make a buy/no-buy decision alone.

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have they got vehicle inspections? how about bumper height limits? These 2 things and the CCW laws tell me enought about a state for me to make a buy/no-buy decision alone.

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had a phone interview today. I asked about the economy and unemployment and was told it was not a factor in Pueblo, and was certainly no worse than the national or state average. I appreciate folks wanting to paint a bright picture but based on the responses here, it would appear the ecomony has hit Pueblo harder than than most other places.

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Open carry is also 100% legal.  You may attract unwanted attention if you walk through downtown while OC, but otherwise you are good to go.

One of the great things I love about Colorado law is this:  You can carry a pistol concealed in your vehicle without a permit as long as you are legally able to posses a pistol in the first place.

If you are into dirt bikes, ATVs, and 4x4s, there is a huge motorsport park in town where you can pretty much do whatever you want.  Lots of hills and jumps.  We used to be able to shoot out there, but that was before it was inside city limits.

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Life-long Pueblo resident here.  I will fill you in a bit.

This town is very, very union and very democrat.  They are the kind of democrats that don't really know why they are democrats, but they will always vote that way.  The democrats here like guns and hunting, hate abortion, and hate taxes.

The town is very patriotic and has strong tradition of military service.  There is no Berkley-style soldier bashing here.  Anybody that tried would be beaten.  The town is called the "Home of Heroes" because there are more Medal of Honor recipients from here than anywhere else.

The weather here is slightly more mild than the rest of the state, and we don't get as much snow.

The population is about 105,000 people.  50% Hispanic or partly Hispanic, 45% white, and 5% other.  The 45% white includes Italians, who probably make up about 10% of the total population. There were about 3 black families in the town before hurricane Katrina, now there are a few more.  There used to be some prejudices in the past, but now I would consider this town extremely tolerant compared to other parts of the country I have been.  

The town has a very Hispanic and south-western culture.   It has the best Mexican food I have ever had, anywhere.  I have visited 45 states including all of the south western states, and nowhere have I tasted better. There is an Italian sub-culture that is very strong.  They used to run everything 50-60 years ago.

Economic:
Pueblo is suffering from high unemployment right now.  It was once a booming steel town, but the mill is nothing like it was a few decades ago.  Average wages are lower than the rest of the state, but this is offset by a very low cost of living.  This is a very cheap city to live in.

The city is broke, just like everywhere else in the state.  The council started several major projects in the last few years, but when the economy tanked, the projects began to run out of funding and are now lagging behind.

Housing is very cheap:
Apartments start at $350 a month for a one bedroom on the bad side of town.  Average price for a decent apartment with 2-3 bedrooms is $500-$600.

There are seven neighborhoods in town, and housing prices differ greatly depending on where you are.
You can rent a three bedroom house in the east side for $550-$600 a month.  I would not live there.
The average price to rent a nice 4 bedroom, 1800 square foot home is about $1000 a month.

Buying homes:  The median price in my neighborhood is $165,000.  This is a 2 year old development, all 1700-2200 sq foot homes, 3-4 bedrooms in one of the nicer neighborhoods.  


Stuff to do:  This is one of Pueblo's biggest problems.  The night life is shit.  There are a dozen bars downtown that get some traffic.  Occasionally a nightclub will spring up but they don't tend to do very well.  

As for daytime stuff, there is a large reservoir outside of town that is big enough for 30ft boats.  Decent fishing.  
There are a few nature trails along the rivers that run through town.  
The state fair is held here every summer, that is kind of fun.
The best thing about this town is that it is 30 minutes away from 3 different places to have fun in the mountains.  The wet mountains to the south have some decent camping, hiking, and fishing.  To the west there is some great white water rafting.  To the North is the Garden of the Gods and Pikes Peak.

Up until this year the town was developing very quickly.  New shopping centers, department stores, super walmarts, Sams Club, restaurants, and housing.  That all slowed down this year.

Neighborhoods to live in/avoid.

Northridge= good
University Park=Good
South Side=good
Belmont= allright
West side=bad
Bessemer= Very bad
East side= Don't get caught there after dark if you are white.


Now for Pueblo West.  PW is a separate, planned community outside of town that is actually larger than the city itself.    Think of it as a super suburb.    This is my favorite place to live.  Houses are more spread out, land is cheaper, the houses are nicer, the demographic is "nicer," and crime is lower.  It also has a very nice private shooting range.  The only annoying thing is all of the neighborhood covenants.




That is pretty much it, all in all it is a decent place to live and work.  It may not be the nicest city in Colorado, but it is not as crowded as the other cities either.