Many people choose to live in Colorado, and everyone has their own reasons for choosing the Centennial State. Some may move here to partake in the legal drugs available, while others are mountain lovers and hit the slopes or trails most weekends. While living in Colorado has downsides, it also offers incredible reasons to live here in this Rocky Mountain state.
Before I give you a few of my favorite reasons to live in Colorado, here’s my list of reasons Not To Live In Colorado.
Here are 10 reasons to live in Colorado:
1. The Great Outdoors (Beauty and Awe)
Outdoor enthusiasts love Colorado because the great outdoors are spectacular in this western state! The Southern Rocky Mountains run through the middle of the state, and much of it is mountainous, with jaw-dropping views. Colorado offers a long list of outdoor activities, including some of the most popular: skiing, hiking, camping, and fishing. The air is clean, and much of the state is peaceful for those who appreciate outdoor beauty.
One of VIA’s character strengths is Appreciation of Beauty & Excellence. According to the VIA Institute on Character, Appreciation of Beauty & Excellence falls under the transcendence subcategory. VIA suggests that transcendence “describes strengths that help you connect to the larger universe and provide meaning” (VIA, 2026).
Colorado’s outdoors are so incredible they can feel transcendent. They help me appreciate the earth and the land that I walk on. I’m reminded of how small I am in the universe, but also how connected the world can be. Colorado’s trees, hills, mountains, animals, sky, and stars can make you feel grateful. While you may feel small beneath such huge mountains and tall trees, you can also feel important and feel a sense of duty to protect the earth and humanity.
The United States has many gorgeous areas and states, but in my opinion, only a few rival Colorado.
2. Mental Health
Breathing fresh air, hiking on gorgeous trails, and being surrounded by mountains, evergreens, and aspens is great for our mental health. Being outside and in nature is a well-known antidote to depression and anxiety. Natural outdoor environments reduce stress, boost mood, and improve cognitive function (Pearson & Craig, 2014).
Just getting outside can boost mood and improve mental health, and it doesn’t have to be in Colorado, but if you are, it is a pretty nice place to be.
3. Physical Health
We all know the benefits of moving our bodies and being physically healthy. Hiking and all the outdoor activities available in Colorado let us do just that: move our bodies and stay healthy.
Colorado is one of the fittest and least obese states. Colorado ranks 12th in healthiest states according to americashealthrankings.org and isn’t ranked higher due to its liberal views on drug use. Colorado does have a higher-than-average rate of teenage drug use and higher-than-average alcohol use. Just good information to know.
If you enjoy the outdoors, get outside often, and conservatively use drugs or alcohol, you’re likely to stay at least moderately healthy. Of course, anyone can be healthy and fit in any state, or unhealthy and unfit in any state; my point is that Colorado has a great foundation for outdoorsy types who want to be and stay healthy.
My view on staying active and healthy is to make it easy. Make what you want to accomplish easier and what you don’t harder. The easier it is to get outside to walk or hike, the more likely you are to do it. I’m sure we could have a long, philosophical discussion about why people in certain states are more or less fit and healthy.
It’s not just about access to awesome hiking trails and outdoor adventures, though that definitely helps. Physical health is a personal choice, and small decisions can add up to big changes, for better or worse. The choice is yours.
4. Clean Fresh Air
I don’t think this point gets enough attention. Large cities often have huge, visible clouds of emissions, which is unsettling. Go to Miami, Houston, Los Angeles, Detroit, or Chicago, and you’ll often see poor air quality hovering above the city in dark clouds.
Here’s an interesting article about the states with the worst air quality. The top three states listed are California, Pennsylvania, and Texas. Denver isn’t very clean, but the mountain towns mostly have clean air. Based on the statistics, Colorado isn’t as fresh and clean as I originally believed before I did a little research for this post. Colorado ranks about mid-range for air quality.
Some rankings put it in the healthier top half of states, while others rank it just below average. CoPIRG Foundation, part of the Public Interest Network, noted that Denver, Colorado Springs, and Fort Collins were all among the 20 most polluted cities.
These three large Colorado cities have poor air quality, but outside of them, especially in the mountains, the air is clean and fresh. So, I suppose this point could be a positive or negative. As bad as Colorado’s three major cities are, the clean-air areas are likely top-tier because of the abundance of trees.
5. Jobs
There’s a lot of talk about a lack of jobs and how AI has taken and will take all the jobs. I’m writing this post days after Microsoft emailed 60,000 employees about taking early retirement. AI has changed jobs; that’s a fact.
While AI has certainly changed many jobs, tons of people and businesses still need good employees. And let me tell you, in a state that has legal drug use and struggles with illegal drug use in many areas, you’ll find and keep a job if you show up not high every day. While I’m mostly talking about lower-income jobs, the same applies to higher-paying jobs, too.
Anecdotal evidence isn’t the most convincing, but from what I’ve been told and what I’ve experienced, many people live in Colorado or move here for the fun adventures they can have every day. They moved here to play, not work. Not all, but many people here put work second. Nothing’s wrong with that. I’ve put adventures first many times in my life, and I wouldn’t be the person I am today without those experiences. So I’m not knocking that way of life. I’m saying that for those who want to work, there’s work in Colorado.
According to thehonestlocal.com, Colorado’s economy is booming and is currently the 2nd best economy in the states. The Honest Local also noted in the same post that Colorado has the best job market in 2026, and I’m not surprised given what I mentioned above.
6. Winter Sports & Adventures
Should this be #1? Living near Breckenridge, winter sports are the area’s main draw. Yes, there are numerous ultra-running and mountain biking events, plus summer festivals and concerts throughout the state, but winter sports are a huge part of Colorado’s appeal.
A few winter sport/adventure options:
- Downhill skiing
- Cross-country skiing
- Snowboarding
- Ski Mountaineering
- Snowshoeing/Winter Hiking
- Fat Tire Biking
- Sledding
- Snowmobiling
- Ice climbing
- Hot Springs Pools
- Ice fishing
- Ice Hockey
- Curling
Winter can be dangerous in Colorado, but it’s also fun. Snow absorbs sound, so if you’re alone in the snowy woods, you’re left with your thoughts. And animals. Your thoughts and animals.
Winter sports and adventures in Colorado are abundant, fun, and exciting. Stay hydrated and stay warm with proper clothing and layers. Wool is a winter favorite. Keep your head, hands, and feet warm and dry. Keep hand warmers close by just in case, and be careful on the roads!
7. Summer Sports & Adventures
Many people visit Colorado in the winter, but summer is when Colorado really stands out. As a Texan, where summers are deadly hot, Colorado’s summers (especially in the mountains) are absolutely perfect. After one summer in Colorado, it was really hard to move back to the Texas heat.
In Park County, summer was always insanely perfect. I spent every weekend hiking different trails and exploring different areas of the state. The number of hiking trails in Colorado is crazy. According to colorado.com, the Centennial State has more than 39,000 hiking trails. If I wanted, I could hike 10 miles every Saturday and Sunday in Colorado for the next twenty years and never hike the same trail twice. Insane.
A few summer sport/adventure options:
- Hiking
- Camping
- Fishing
- Running
- Mountain Biking
- Road Cycling
- Golf
- Horseback Riding
- Tubing
- Hunting
- Hot Springs (after hike soak)
- Rafting and Stand-Up Paddleboarding (SUP)
- Rock Climbing
- Overlanding and Off-roading
- Scenic Train Rides
Colorado also hosts numerous concerts, festivals, and summer events each season. Whether you live there or are visiting, most popular towns have something fun to attend each weekend. Colorado also has some of the country’s coolest cider bars and breweries. Rivers, mountains, evergreens, and aspens make for spectacular patio views with friends or family. It’s hard to beat the views and experiences this state offers.
8. The People (Like-Minded Outdoorsy Types)
Most states with wicked cold winters and harsh environments have pretty hardcore, resilient people, and that’s what I found in Colorado. The people here are tough and know how to take care of themselves, but they’re also incredibly nice and more down-to-earth than I expected.
I’ve been fortunate to work with incredible people in a number of states, but I can honestly say the work environment I had in Park County, CO, was the best I’ve experienced. It was a smaller organization because it was two hours outside of Denver, but still a decent number of people because Park County is a big county. I was always amazed at how friendly and helpful my co-workers, supervisors, and community members were.
Besides being friendly, helpful, and resilient, people here are outdoorsy. You’re not surprised, I know. But it’s worth mentioning: something super neat happens when you’re around people who get you.
As an ultra-runner, or “crazy” ultra-runner, as some would say, it was nice to be around other ultra-runners at ultra-races. I never had to explain why I was running 100 miles, because other runners understood. No explanation is needed when people understand you, and that’s how it felt in Colorado.
There are so many hardcore, ultra-endurance athletes, rock climbers, mountaineers, etc., that people don’t have to explain why they’re into that sort of stuff; they just get it. As an outdoor lover and someone who wants to spend all my time in the mountains, I don’t have to explain this to like-minded people. The entire state of Colorado is like one big outdoor Facebook group.
I know some amazing professional endurance athletes in North Texas. There are plenty of amazing athletes in North Texas, but way more people aren’t into cycling, running, or hiking. Colorado definitely has more people who want to work out, ride their bike, hike, or camp, which is great if you’re into that kind of thing.
9. Perfect Work-Life Balance
Colorado is a great place for people who want to work hard and play hard. It’s the perfect place to crush a work week, then take an adventure on the weekend. And any extra days off, like three-day weekends, can be spent on an adventure with minimal travel time because excellent trails run throughout the state.
From just about anywhere in Colorado, a great hiking trail is often less than 2 hours away, and that makes a huge difference for full-time workers. I worked for a company that offered free ski season passes and similar perks to encourage outdoor adventure. Most employers understand the enormous benefits of getting outdoors and encourage employees to spend as much time outside as possible. I can say with certainty that no employer in Texas has ever given me mountain passes, although I bet some Texas companies do; I just haven’t worked for any of them.
10. Abundant Wildlife
I saw my first black bear in Breckenridge, and it was awesome! When I lived in Colorado, I saw elk daily and moose at least once or twice a week.
I’ve come across moose many times while hiking and never had a problem, but that doesn’t really mean anything. Everyone I knew who lived in Colorado advised that moose are the most likely encounter while hiking, and the most likely to charge you or be dangerous, not bears.
Living and hiking in Colorado means sharing the trail with many large, potentially dangerous animals, and you should be prepared for an encounter. That being said, most animals smell humans and want to get out of the way. My views on animals while hiking are to always expect an encounter and know what you would do in each scenario.
In 2023, a moose attacked a hiker in Boulder, causing significant injuries. Three years after the attack, Chris Ray stated she doesn’t hold any animosity toward moose, though she won’t hike that trail alone anymore.
Like most outdoorsmen, hikers, and trail runners, I love animals and enjoy seeing animals in the wild. I respect wild animals and try to be as prepared as possible on the trail, and frankly everywhere I go in Colorado.
There’s a risk of a dangerous encounter, and I’m usually willing to take that risk because, to me, the benefits far outweigh the risks. Not everyone shares my view, and that’s okay. Life is short, and there’s no better way to spend my time than out in the mountains, woods, and trees, surrounded by nature.
Some people may see possible animal encounters as negative, but I think they’re a benefit. We hear about bad encounters on the news and social media, but how many animal encounters happen each day with zero issues? I can’t tell you that number, but it’s huge.
Conclusion
While there are tons of reasons to live in Colorado, this list of 10 is a few of my favorites. From the great outdoors and abundant wildlife to the mental and physical health benefits to jaw-dropping mountain views.
This state is an outdoor lovers’ dream. Visit in the summer or winter, or move to Colorado for good. While risks and dangers exist, the benefits outweigh them for many. Are you a hardcore mountain lover? Or an overland adventurer? Or are you looking for a state with the perfect work-life balance? Colorado might be the place for you.
Stay safe and have fun! Until next time.
Jess
References
Pearson, D., & Craig, T. (2014, Oct. 21). The Great Outdoors? Exploring the mental health benefits of natural environments. National Library of Medicine. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC4204431/
VIA Institute on Character (2026). Appreciation of Beauty & Excellence https://www.viacharacter.org/character-strengths/appreciation-of-beauty-and-excellence