Review by Ed Quillen
Colorado – April 2002 – Colorado Central Magazine
Colorado: A manual for newcomers and residents – Everything you need to know about living in Colorado
by T.J. Walker
Third Edition
Published in 2001 by Bradford Publishing Co.
ISBN 1-883726-64-6
WHAT DO YOU NEED to know to live in Colorado? Answering that question provides the rationale for many recent publications, ranging from “Code of the West” pamphlets to 290-page books like this one.
Since its full title is more than a mouthful, let’s call this one Colorado Manual here, and compare it to a similar recent book, The Good Neighbor Guidebook for Colorado, edited by Nancy S. Greif and Erin J. Johnson, and published in 2000.
The main difference is that The Good Neighbor Guidebook is aimed at buyers of rural property, and offers much relevant legal information about matters like livestock trespass and water rights. Colorado Manual is designed for a more urban and suburban audience; for instance, when it offers specifics, they’re generally limited to the 10 most populous counties.
But on a statewide basis, it offers a useful directory to the state government, with listings (including web sites) for all major state departments and agencies, and a brief explanation of their responsibilities — it’s much handier than the state government section of the Denver telephone directory.
Colorado Manual covers just about everything, from history to transportation, and generally in good detail. The education chapter, for instance, briefly explains state law and typical transfer or enrollment requirements, then lists all school districts with their telephone numbers, various forms of state aid for higher education, all two- and four-year colleges and trade schools (public and private).
Plus, the chapter concludes with something I’ve long wanted: a directory of all corporate, special, and private libraries. There are times when you know one of these places would help you with some research — the trouble has always lain in discovering the place.
Colorado Manual also covers things like business regulations, auto and driver registration, and coping with high altitudes, both in its health effects and in the kitchen. It doesn’t pretend to give you everything, but it offers plenty of guidance to more information.
It’s written in an informal and witty way (one chapter, for instance, is called “Send Lawyers, Guns, Money,” and credits Warren Zevon), so the text generally flows right along, even though this book is obviously designed more for reference than for casual reading.
Having lived in Colorado all my life, I can’t really know what newcomers might need to know (except never trust a weather forecast, especially in April), but I do know this book has plenty of information that all Coloradans, of whatever vintage, will find useful.
–Ed Quillen
