Living on the Plains E of Co. Springs (Calhan: new home, purchasing)

[skylover58]

Greetings all. I lived in Co. Springs back in the early 90s and am contemplating a move back soon, with a particular interest in purchasing a home w/acreage in the Yoder-Rush-Calhan vicinity. Being the skywatcher that I am, that area is ideal for storm photography, not to mention the colorful sunrises and sunsets and night-time star gazing, hence my interest in those areas mentioned. So with that in mind, I'm looking for info, the pros and cons of living in those areas. Are there water shortage issues? Crime? Are neighbors neighborly or distant, etc.? Thanks to all who respond.

[Charles]

There is the superslab thing out there...something to be aware of.
Where are you going to work?
There is some thread entitled something like "Colorado is running out of water"...you might read that.
Do you have kids?

[scorpionleather]

Interesting question, because whenever I look at Google Earth of the East plains I'm wondering what exists out there. Farmer field? Empty flat stretches of government owned land? Little towns? Anything "interesting" in the history of this area? So far to me it just sounds like a place to pass through on the drive to Kansas, maybe like the open desert land between LA and Las Vegas.

[SheridanL]

skylover58,

You should talk to Swampy101,..he has many great pictures of the weather!!
He has all the equipment.
Also, there is CoBound6 looking into the weather thing also.

Swampy's pictures are soo awesome....check it out!

[tangelo]

Am wondering what the approximate cost of a water well would be out in the Calhan area? Am contemplating purchasing land there. Is the terrain pretty rough? Have not been out to see it yet.

[ryanek9freak]

I hate that part of Colorado. They can just give everything east of Falcon to Kansas as far as I'm concerned.

The storms would be just about the only thing to look at.

[lizmyer]

I think it is pretty in it's own sort of way. It's just so vast and empty. Kind of like how the desert is beautiful, but you'd never want to live there. Water must be really expensive there, as well as the rest of your utilities. But if you could get some kind of self-reliant energy, that would help. I've heard that solar is pretty easy (but a little expensive) to install and is efficient. Something to think about, especially if you're building a new home. Good luck!

[lalahartma]

Well permits are not easy to come buy. Do your research!

[Mike from back east]

We have good threads on water. To see them, go to the main CO forum, select the index, then cursor down to WATER, a serious issue in CO and a topic you MUST discuss with your realtor until you nail down the specifics of any piece of land.

[TheBeach]

My biggest beef living out here (Peyton) is the Wind. Even the cold is more bearable if the wind is calm. Water is an issue for sure. When you drill for water, it's a gamble if you'll get 1 GPM or 15 GPM. But you will pay for that well no matter what it produces. You could end up drilling more than one well. We had a well that went down to 660 feet and it was dry 2 years later. Not much fun drilling well after well.

Most homes out here are on Propane. Probably the most expensive way you can heat your home. If you have a large home you will feel the pain of filling that tank. Or you can just get use to having icicles hanging off your nose by keeping the thermostat very low.

On the good side, you don't hear your neighbors TVs. Radios, or kids running around. Sometimes you hear gun shots, but then you notice it was you doing the shooting

If we have a bad snow storm, you could be stuck in your house for a few days, so you need to be prepared with food, water and backup heat. And good luck if you have a medical emergency.

It's a trade off like most things in life. Going to the store to pick up a couple of items at a moment's notice is not as easy as it is in the city. But if you want some land, horses, shoot on your property, ATV on your property and other stuff along those lines, it's pretty good. Just got to know what you want and want you are willing to give up to get it.