Reviews & Comments
Pueblo, CO
Not even close to as bad as some people make it -
9/9/2021So I have lived here for over a year now, and I would never have moved here if I read the reviews. I will give you an honest take on the city since the ones who say it is awesome (it isn't) are the ones who say this place is a crime lord's dream (it isn't).
Positives:
- Pueblo Reservoir is fun, big, and has lots of recreational opportunities there.
- Pueblo is close to the Springs and only a couple of hours to Denver, so easy to get anywhere you want to go
- Traffic is non-existent. I live on the far north side of town and work in the south, and on a congested traffic day, it will take me 15 minutes; without congestion, it takes me 12. It is not bad at all.
- Mild winters, and not SUPER terrible summers, but they do get hot here.
- Most things you want in a town (airport, DECENT restaurants, chain stores, bowling alleys, movie theaters, a mall, etc.) are all here.
- People are friendly but not in an annoying way; they leave you alone and don't meddle in your business.
- Cost of living is lower than most places in the state where there is actually a decent population.
- Has some great parks and golf courses and tennis courts, a zoo, and great dog parks.
- the RiverWalk is fun to walk around and go to the restaurants and hang out.
- The Colorado State Fair is here, which is fun to go to (when there isn't a pandemic, lol).
Here are what I see as negatives
- Crime is higher on the east side of town, but Pueblo West is one of the safest populated areas in the state. Stay in Pueblo West or the north side of town and use common sense as you would in any city, and you'll be just fine.
- Downtown has a higher homeless population, and it can feel sketchy at times, but I have never been bothered by them; it is just my paranoia.
- Some parts of town look run-down, but every town has that. Is it an eyesore? Yes, but not something you should avoid an entire city over.
- The job situation here is not great. Not a ton of opportunities here for good high paying jobs, but making ends meet on a lower income is much easier here than in many other places.
- Poverty here does seem to be higher than normal. There are some places around here that I think cause the crime rate to be higher due to poverty.
- This place has a much higher violent crime rate and property crime rate than most other places (even in the USA, to be honest). Still, I work for one of the local hospitals and talk to the cops often, and they say that about 90% of the crime here happens on the east side of town or is gang/drug-related. They said that if you lock your cars and take your valuables, you should be fine. If you are not in a gang, doing drugs, or like to stay out and cause problems in the middle of the night, then you should be fine. They said it is rare for people who are not into drugs, gangs or partying to have any problem with crime here. I can say that so far, that has been my experience as well.
- If you want great restaurants or plenty of different choices, you need to go to Denver or Springs. There isn't much here for that.
- HOUSING IS A DISASTER!!!!! You need to be prepared to look for months, waive inspections, pay over asking, and probably have cash on hand to buy a house. If you are looking for an apartment, you better look at least 90 days before moving here. I had to live at the Marriott for 2 months until we could get into an apartment. We tried to buy but gave up after about 200 offers and nothing going under contract because of cash offers or people willing to go 50k over asking.
So is it an amazing place to live? No. Is it as great as some people say? No. Is it as bad as some people say? No.
So come check it out yourself and see what you think. I am not a fan and will be moving in a couple of years, but I am used to major metro areas, and this place is too small for me.