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Coloradans Love Their Politically Purple State

Frank Kovalchek
/
Flickr-Creative Commons
Coloradans love their state in part due to its great access to places like Rocky Mountain National Park, shown here.

If you live in Colorado and also think it's a great place to call home, you're not alone.

A new Gallup Poll shows that Centennial state residents rank their home as one of the better states to live in, and most of them don't want to leave.

The poll looked at political leanings, economic sentiments, culture and overall satisfaction. Sixty-five percent of Coloradans said their state is one of the best to live in, compared with 46 percent of state residents nationally. The lowest ranked state was Rhode Island, with only 18 percent of residents believing their state is best.

Coloradans want to stay, too – at 73 percent, the percentage of residents that want to stay in their state is near that of the highest ranked state – Oregon, with 76 percent choosing to remain there.

Politically, Colorado remains purple, probably one of the reasons the 2014 Senate race between Democratic incumbent Mark Udall and his challenger, Republican Cory Gardner, is so close. According to the Gallup poll, 42 percent of voters say they are Republicans or lean that way – and the same percentage identify as Democrat or left-leaning.

Coloradans are less religious than the nation as a whole, with just 33 percent saying they are very religious. The national average was 41 percent.

The Colorado and national survey results are available online.

Stephanie Paige Ogburn has been reporting from Colorado for more than five years, primarily from the Western Slope.
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