I’m a Colorado native, and proud of it.

I’m seeing a lot of Colorado stereotypes being thrown around with the recent legalization of weed, so I thought I’d take a moment to debunk (some) of them.

When people ask where I’m from and I reply, “Here” the response is almost always surprise (since there are so many transplants, particularly from California and Minnesota) followed by, “So you ski, right?”

No. I don’t ski or snowboard. I tried once. Hated it.

I do drive a Subaru, or a Liberal-mobile as my brother dubbed it. It is the first time I have fallen completely in love with a car I’ve owned. Her name is Shelley. She is covered in (liberal) bumper stickers.

I have tried to get into somebody else’s Subaru thinking it was my own. Their presence in parking lots is…prolific.

I don’t have a dog.

I absolutely do not run.

I do own a pair of cowboy boots and enjoy some country music, but I have eclectic musical tastes. Yes, the Indigo Girls are high on my list of likes.

I have ridden a horse once. My friends made me. It wasn’t fun.

I am constantly amused by TV commercials (usually for cars and trucks) which seem to think everyone here is a rough and tumble cowboy/girl.

I do hike. It’s one of my favorite pastimes. All you really need is a good pair of shoes, the ability to get to a trail, and a water bottle, though I confess to owning a collection of gear. We Coloradans like to look active, even if we’re not. Thank you, huge REI in the old tramway building.

I also do practice yoga. (Same story on the clothing and gear.)

I have no idea what “transplants” mean when they complain that the pizza here just isn’t right. Mountain pies, people. This isn’t New York or Chicago.

I do have hippie tendencies and am definitely what one would call a “crunchy” parent.

I am not a pothead but I do ingest weed before bed for medicinal reasons. I certainly know some potheads, but we’re not all a mile high all the time.

I do not own Birkenstocks, or any North Face outerwear. I will admit to envying all the nifty Keens I see, though.

I do have a preference for craft beer, but I rarely drink it. I prefer vodka and tequila if I’m going to drink.

It’s called pop, not soda, but I also do not indulge in that. Except for Izze and Oogavé, which also happens to be from Colorado. We stick together.

I do try to eat mostly organic, and to purchase locally as much as possible.

I am not a farmer, or even a gardener.

I do have difficulties with navigation outside of Colorado without the mountains as my compass.

I don’t own or ride a bike.

I do say “you guys” more often than I care to admit.

Even we natives cannot predict Colorado weather. It is as unpredictable as you have been led to believe.

I do love living here.

Alright, natives and transplants alike, weigh in with people’s misconceptions of Colorado and its people. If you came here from elsewhere, is it how you expected it would be?

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Editor: Rachel Nussbaum

Photo: Free Grunge Textures via Flickr