For everyone who's so gosh-darned upset that people keep moving here, here's a ray of light:  Last year, Colorado saw the lowest net migration in seven years.  Including a high number of people moving out of our state, the U.S. Census Bureau figured the 2016 population increase at about 30,000 people.

The most common reasons people leave probably won't surprise you:  High housing cost, low-paying jobs, and traffic - the last of which tells me we aren't losing a lot of urban Texas nor California transplants.  To them, our traffic is nothing - which I try to remember when I'm stuck in it.

Last year, 193,000 residents moved out of Colorado - a 10,000 increase over 2015.  223k moved here - which is roughly 4000 less than 2015.

I first came to Fort Collins from Grand Island, Nebraska, in the mid 90s.  Even then, having my rent double and my wages stay flat was terrifying.  But if I was going to continue a life worth living, I had to get out of Crank Island, if ya know what I mean (if you don't, it's that the town became so overrun with meth that it was impossible to avoid for me.  But there were hundreds of other reasons for the change.)  To this day it's the second best thing I ever, ever did for myself (the first being marrying Kim.)  I wouldn't have the life I do had I stayed where I was.  So, when people are quick to gripe about transplants, I have to chuckle.  Most of the ones who do would lose their minds if they had to live in some of these other places for a week.

I will say though, that Colorado deserves respect.  That's why I don't litter and do things to take care of Mother Earth, as well as work hard, and do my best to stay out of people's way; generally, I aim to contribute more than I drain.  I've seen numerous transplants, mainly in the past few years, who I could tell probably wouldn't make it.  Why?  They were unmotivated, and oftentimes moved here for the legal weed.  And what a stupid reason to move anywhere:  For the convenience of walking into a dispensary rather than stopping by Julio's.

If you want something badly enough, I believe it can happen.  Now we're seeing that everyone's 'something' isn't necessarily living in Colorado.  Mine is.

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