Ruminations on Colorado

As I mentioned earlier this week, our little family is planning a move to Colorado as we speak. When the opportunity came up, we made a Pros and Cons list. I thought I’d share that with you.  Today I’m just going to post the Pros.  I’ll be back soon with the list of the Cons.

Pros of Moving to Colorado

• Colorado has limited recognition for same-sex couples, which is far better than the absolutely-no-recognition, not-in-a-million-years in Oklahoma.

• It’s far more likely that Colorado will move to allow full same-sex marriage in our lifetime than Oklahoma will.

• Colorado has full rights for same-sex parents when it comes to adoption.  As we begin the process of adding Bean #2 to our family, Jer and I will be able to go through the process together, as parents, and not have to hide or deny our relationship.

• Being able to adopt together means no additional, outrageous legal fees to complete a guardianship for the other parent not listed on the birth certificate.

• Jeremy and I hate the heat in Oklahoma.  We’ve wanted to move to a cooler climate for years.

• The Denver metro area is far more liberal and progressive than any place in Oklahoma, which means we will no longer feel like mutations and draw so much attention.

• There are numerous family groups for LGBT families all around the Denver area.  Bean would have the chance to grow up knowing more families like his and we’d have the chance to interact more with other LGBT parents.

• Cost of living in the suburbs is, for the most part, pretty comparable with Oklahoma.

• Oklahoma’s state income tax is 5.5%.  Colorado’s state income tax is 4.63%.

• For the necessities at the grocery store, there’s no sales tax (it applies when you get into junk foods like pop, cookies, etc.)  In Oklahoma, we pay 8.5% on everything we buy.

• The scenery is much more beautiful than in Oklahoma, where we have none.  It’s flat.

• The position I was offered is a rather large promotion for me, which comes with a higher base salary and other perks.

• There’s an IKEA in the metro area.  HALLE-LUU-YER.  We have to drive nearly 5 hours now for our injection on allen-wrench-necessary furniture and inexpensive furnishings.

• We can afford to purchase a home in the metro area unlike some larger cities where the cost of owning home is staggering.  I hate renting apartments or houses; to me it’s like lighting money on fire and watching it burn.

• The summers are warm but mild enough to stay active with highs in the upper 80s, as opposed to the 120+ days here in Oklahoma where it’s nearly impossible to do anything outdoors without risking a heat stroke.

• The Denver area is conducive to a more active lifestyle with the mountains, hiking trails, skiing and snowboarding in the winter, etc.

• The Denver area has some incredible school districts.

• It snows.   A lot.  We love snow.

• We love fall clothes so much more than summer clothes.  We’ll be able to rock our rather large assortment of sweaters for more then 60 days a year.

• There will no longer be awkward run ins with exes.  Fresh start!

• We’ll have the opportunity to explore a new part of the country together.

• By moving now, we avoid a difficult transition for Bean where he leaves behind close friends.

• The allergy sitch in Colorado is much better for me than the sitch here in OK, where I battle sinus infections year round.

• There’s a much higher ratio of young families in the Denver metro area than in our part of Oklahoma.

• Two words: direct flights.  With Denver being a large hub, we can get almost anywhere in the US on a direct flight, which means they’re less expensive.  AWESOME!

• Being in a hub city, it’ll be easier (and less expensive) for our friends and family to come see us.