COLORADO DIVIDE
From the Eastern Plains to isolated mountain towns, from the Western Slope to the upper northeast hard by Nebraska, it抖阴ap often said there are two Colorados. There is the Denver metropolis and, with it, the string of cities along the Front Range corridor. And then there is rural Colorado. In the Colorado Divide, The Denver Post examines many of the issues that cast rural Coloradans in contrast with their urban cousins, and it explores the values and norms that shape responses to the challenges they face.
Intro: The seismic shifts that created the chasm in Colorado鈥檚 culture, economy and politics
A cultural, political and social fissure runs between rural and urban Colorado, a chasm that reveals itself across a range of issues and clouds a collaborative vision of the state鈥檚 future. read the story 禄
Red vs. Blue: The growing political divide leaves rural communities feeling voiceless
The political divide in Colorado, already present for decades, has widened and crystallized as the Front Range booms and national rhetoric gets more toxic. read the story 禄
Balancing Survival: Mountain towns struggle to keep identities without becoming tourist traps
The struggle to survive, to attract young families to balance out the retirees, to find people hardy enough for year-round, high-elevation living, leads to conflict between preserving an authentic vibe and becoming a gimmicky tourist trap, between retirees and young bloods, between second-home owners and permanent residents. read the story 禄
The Economy of Art: Could arts and culture spark an economic revival in struggling rural towns?
Arts and culture can seem like a luxury in many rural towns, but a growing number of communities far outside the Front Range are putting arts and culture at the center of their economic development strategies. read the story 禄
The Great American Desert: The water under the plains is being pumped dry
Farmers used underground water to turn the sandy prairie in northeast Colorado into an agricultural powerhouse, but as the aquifer dries up, they admit there are no easy answers for what抖阴ap next. read the story 禄
Choosing Rural: Why some Coloradans are cashing out of the Front Range and seeking their rural happily-ever-after
While the Denver metro area is booming and many of the state鈥檚 rural communities are fading, at risk of dying even, some Coloradans are migrating the opposite direction. read the story 禄
In Photos: Rural Colorado is no monolith
From former mining communities to the vast Eastern Plains to the windswept Western Slope, there is no monolithic “rural Colorado.” These photos capture the diversity in the rural parts of the state. read the story 禄
Race: Rural Colorado鈥檚 white population is declining as minorities transform economy, culture
The growing number of Latino residents in Colorado鈥檚 rural areas are helping to stop population loss, boost the economy and transform regional culture. read the story 禄
Beyond Farming: Rethinking southeast Colorado鈥檚 economy
The past remains deeply embedded in some swaths of rural Colorado, even as time literally has shifted the landscape and presented new economic challenges. read the story 禄
Population charts: Colorado could add nearly 3 million people by 2050
Colorado could increase its population by nearly 50 percent by 2050. Use this tool to explore the past (and future) of Colorado鈥檚 population. read the story 禄
Spotty Connection: Broadband gaps threaten to leave rural areas in the dust
While some rural cities are bootstrapping their own broadband systems, much of rural Colorado is missing the internet speeds that help schools, hospitals and businesses operate and compete. read the story 禄
The Family Farm: Young heirs to southeast Colorado farms inspire 鈥渞enaissance鈥�
For decades, the children of farmers in southeast Colorado have left for opportunities elsewhere. But some are following a path they never expected and injecting some youth into the region’s farming industry. read the story 禄
The Hemp Question: Can hemp help a county rely less on mining?
The heart of Colorado鈥檚 shrinking mining industry is looking for a new economic savior, and industrial hemp may fit the bill. read the story 禄
The Amendment: As home values rise in urban areas, essential rural services get less
The Gallagher Amendment to Colorado鈥檚 constitution is about to slash the funds available for firefighters and other essential services in rural areas, while cutting property taxes in the Front Range鈥檚 red-hot real estate market. read the story 禄
The Doctors: Rural doctors are retiring, dying with no replacements
It抖阴ap not unusual for a small-town doctor to retire in Colorado and suddenly leave towns and entire counties without a health care provider. read the story 禄
鈥淪afe Cells鈥�: Rural sheriffs are on the front lines of mental health care
As a new law preventing officers from jailing someone just because they have a mental health episode takes effect, rural sheriffs hope the state will help them find better ways to handle those suffering a crisis. read the story 禄