10 Things That Shock People About Moving to Colorado

We may all be one country, but each U.S. state has its own quirks and idiosyncrasies.

However, it can be hard to recognize your state's unique characteristics as quirky when you haven't known anything different. How are Colorado natives supposed to know what's "weird" about the Centennial State?

RELATED: 25 Things Coloradans Do and Say That Other States Think Are Weird

An outsider's perspective can help.

When I moved to Colorado from North Dakota in 2008, I was shocked to see how people dressed — especially throughout the winter. I came from a place where wearing snow pants for half of the year was normal, and I couldn't believe that people here seemed to think a hoodie suffices as a coat in January.

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I also realized that some of my preconceived notions about Colorado weren't true either.

As a naive 10-year-old, I assumed the entire state was a mountainous tundra, and I was prepared to trek through the Rocky Mountain snow every day. Upon arrival, I was surprised to find that Colorado has regular, sunny neighborhoods and that the mountains actually looked kind of small (that's not to say they aren't beautiful...I just thought they would be towering over me).

READ: Check Out These 13 Crazy Colorado Laws That Make No Sense

Maybe you'll learn the Colorado way of life isn't exactly normal to everyone else. Perhaps you'll feel affirmed that the negative stereotypes about our state aren't necessarily true.

Regardless, check out the 10 things that shock people about moving to Colorado in the gallery below:

Another thing that may shock newcomers about Colorado is our wildlife. See 25 crazy Colorado wildlife encounters in the gallery below.