I hope you don't mind a response from someone who doesn't currently live in CO. I lurk the CO board from time to time because, to be quite honest, I miss it. I absolutely loved being there. If the opportunity opened up today for a decent job for the wife or I, and we had the resources to cover the move, the U-Haul would be packed and this litter-box (Florida) would be in our rear view mirrors by nightfall. I'd move back THAT quickly.
IMHO, you can find what you're looking for in Colorado. If you're looking for the metropolitan, big-city feel, it's there, if you're looking to almost disappear into the wilderness, you could do that as well, and there's everything in between. And, truthfully, bigger city amenities such as Denver or Colorado Springs are only a few hours way from a good portion of the state no matter where you go. And, you just cannot beat the scenery you'll get during your drive there and back. (Although, the eastern plains of CO are kind of bland if you end up going that way for any reason. I enjoy the mountains, so, my experiences with CO are westward LOL. )
I spent some time in Denver, well, Lakewood-West Denver to be exact. Then, I spent about 6 months in Eagle and Gypsum (VERY small towns) and then about a year or so in Glenwood Springs. I enjoyed living in Glenwood Springs more than any. The Denver area isn't bad at all. But, as pointed out above, it's nice to find a quiet place just outside Denver to leave the hustle of the city behind. Not to mention Denver's frustrating odd-ball OC ban in a state where OC is barely noticed anywhere else.
Eagle was a little desolate for me. Nothing there but an airport and.....well......they've got an airport. *shrug* Glenwood Springs was perfect for me. Everything I might need or want, but, none of the big-city mess. And, Denver was only about 3 hours way when I wanted to see the Bronco's play. That's good weather of course. Took me almost 6 hours one night as a winter storm chased me back home from Denver. If I hadn't been in a well equipped 4x4, I'd have spent the night somewhere in between. But IMHO, those risks are just part of the adventure of Colorado.
I'm a wanderer though. I spent most my free time literally picking a highway at random, then picking a direction at random and spending a day or two traveling Colorado. That state has some of the coolest little towns and scenic byways I've ever seen. You literally never know what you'll find around that next bend in the highway.