Best place to be a runner (Fort Collins: houses, live, moving)

[Ulysses61]

Grand Junction is not very scenic and very dry. It's close to the Utah border and to me, I would never live there (endless tract houses, way over developed).

I'd pick Boulder. Hey, if Frank Shorter says it's the best running place in America, I would trust him. I believe he still lives there. He did in the 70's when he won his gold and silver medals in the '72 and '76 Olympics.

[Dusty Rhodes]

Best place to be a runner

The vast plains of South Africa, if you're not fast you're lunch.

[Scott5280]

The Ken Caryl area in SW unicorporated Jefferson County is an option..there are several developments in the area that meet your price range. I just googled Falling Water Condos
around Ken Caryl and Simms..here is a link COhomefinder | Fallingwater Condos Littleton Colorado For Sale and Sold Real Estate Listings There are some decent older Writer built townhomes in your price point in that area..I think they are called Sunset Ridge...Colorado Springs area is a runners paradise as well.

[CosmicWizard]

runtrails wrote:

How cold is really cold and for how long do your winter's last in Grand Junction. It seems that most of the places the people recommend in CO are on the other side of the Rocky Mountains with the exception of Grand Junction. Why is that? How long have you lived there? Would you ever move? If so, where would it be?

We recently had a 13 day stretch where the mean temp during that time was only 5 degrees warmer than Duluth Minnesota with the temperature below freezing during that time, and four night below zero. The coldest temp during the 5 winters I've lived here was 16 below zero. Typically there are about a half dozen below zero mornings per winter. The severe winter has been limited to Mid December thru Mid January during the 5 winters I've spent here. The rest of the winter is not that bad IMO. Today for example the temp is in the 40s...and that feels pretty warm to me coming on the heels of the cold snap.

I think most people recommend the mountains and/or front range locations because they like that kind of environment or that is what they are familiar with. I enjoy the desert and I genuinely love the Red Rock Canyon country.

I think about moving all the time. I have lived in many locations during my life and I enjoy the variety of different locations. It's my nature to be eternally looking for my next best place. I've lived all along the west coast states ( Alaska, British Columbia, Washington, & California ), but I never lived in Oregon. Oregon is high on my list for my next move.


Ulyssess61 wrote:

Grand Junction is not very scenic and very dry.

I agree with you assessment of dry, but to me the location is quite scenic, with the Bookcliffs to the north, The Colorado Monument to the south, the Grand Mesa to the east, and the Colorado and Gunnison rivers running thru the valley. But then I like desert scenery and Red Rock Canyons. To me that is more scenic than typical alpine country. To each his or her own! If you enjoy mountain biking, this area is a mountain biking mecca, rivaling Moab UT.

[runtrails]

Originally Posted by runtrails

How cold is really cold and for how long do your winter's last in Grand Junction. It seems that most of the places the people recommend in CO are on the other side of the Rocky Mountains with the exception of Grand Junction. Why is that? How long have you lived there? Would you ever move? If so, where would it be?

Okay...I did a little research on the Grand Junction climate. It is a little too cold for me. Other than that, it sounds nearly ideal.

[runtrails]

Originally Posted by Scott5280

The Ken Caryl area in SW unicorporated Jefferson County is an option..there are several developments in the area that meet your price range. I just googled Falling Water Condos
around Ken Caryl and Simms..here is a link COhomefinder | Fallingwater Condos Littleton Colorado For Sale and Sold Real Estate Listings There are some decent older Writer built townhomes in your price point in that area..I think they are called Sunset Ridge...Colorado Springs area is a runners paradise as well.

Scott, Thanks so much for the research! Awesome! I am in the beginning stages of planning a trip and will keep this location in mind!

[ndk]

Originally Posted by Ulysses61

I'd pick Boulder. Hey, if Frank Shorter says it's the best running place in America, I would trust him. I believe he still lives there. He did in the 70's when he won his gold and silver medals in the '72 and '76 Olympics.

I actually knew his son Mark from working out in the gym when I lived in Boulder. Great guys, even if they're much stronger than me.

But I'll second the Morrison suggestion. It's a beautiful area with a number of good paths. Longmont has also been really building out its trail system lately, with plans to extend it all the way to Lyons, and it's a lot more affordable than the other locations.

Though, Grand Junction is one of the warmer areas in the state. If you're worried about the cold, you're going to find the Front Range more chilly on a handful of days. It's very much hot and cold, as it were. So long as you don't need to hit the trails every single day, you'll be fine, but there are stretches that get very chilly everywhere in Colorado.

[davemess10]

Well, most of the places mention are on the East side of the Rockies (or the Front range) because that's where all the major cities are! Outside of the Grand Junction, which isn't that big, you won't find anything larger than the average mountain town once you get into the rockies. If you like anything a big city has to offer (entertainment, sports, major airport, restaurants), Grand Junction is pretty darn far away from a major city.

I would give you the nod to Fort Collins over Colorado Springs. The springs has some decent places to run, but they're really spread out, so you'll be driving A LOT to get to places. The only real trail in the downtown area is along the creek, and it is in dire need of some love and care in many spots! (I still haven't figured out why the city doesn't realize what a gem of a trail this could be if they put a little time and money into it). The Springs trails (consisting mostly of clay) do not handle moisture very well and turn into this really sticky mud that will literally add inches to your shoes in just a few steps. This mud can be found all over CO, but I found it worst in the Springs by far.

The Fort has good trails all over most of the town, with easy access to good trails right on the foothills. I could do solid 10+ mile trail runs with only a mile or two on pavement right out of my front door. The outdoor feel is significantly higher than the Springs, IMO. The cycling is probably better as well (although I will give the nod to the springs for mountain biking, although the Fort isn't bad).

I will tell you that most choices on the front range are good for winter running. Most years the snow will not stick around much, so the trails can be used almost year round, and you'll get some warm days in the middle of the winter (think 60's in January).

The Fort is a tough choice for jobs though. There should be more employment (as well as cheaper housing) in the springs.

[runtrails]

Very insightful! Thank you. I am heading out that way next month for business and will be checking out Ft. Collins. I figure February will give me a good idea how cold it really gets! Agree with your opinion on the jobs situation, employment is an issue throughout the US right now, but I am optimistic

Do you have any suggestions on neighborhoods in Ft. Collins that you would look into as a new home buyer?

Originally Posted by davemess10

Well, most of the places mention are on the East side of the Rockies (or the Front range) because that's where all the major cities are! Outside of the Grand Junction, which isn't that big, you won't find anything larger than the average mountain town once you get into the rockies. If you like anything a big city has to offer (entertainment, sports, major airport, restaurants), Grand Junction is pretty darn far away from a major city.

I would give you the nod to Fort Collins over Colorado Springs. The springs has some decent places to run, but they're really spread out, so you'll be driving A LOT to get to places. The only real trail in the downtown area is along the creek, and it is in dire need of some love and care in many spots! (I still haven't figured out why the city doesn't realize what a gem of a trail this could be if they put a little time and money into it). The Springs trails (consisting mostly of clay) do not handle moisture very well and turn into this really sticky mud that will literally add inches to your shoes in just a few steps. This mud can be found all over CO, but I found it worst in the Springs by far.

The Fort has good trails all over most of the town, with easy access to good trails right on the foothills. I could do solid 10+ mile trail runs with only a mile or two on pavement right out of my front door. The outdoor feel is significantly higher than the Springs, IMO. The cycling is probably better as well (although I will give the nod to the springs for mountain biking, although the Fort isn't bad).

I will tell you that most choices on the front range are good for winter running. Most years the snow will not stick around much, so the trails can be used almost year round, and you'll get some warm days in the middle of the winter (think 60's in January).

The Fort is a tough choice for jobs though. There should be more employment (as well as cheaper housing) in the springs.

[davemess10]

well, I would recommend the north end of town. Cool older houses, good walking distance to Old Town. The south is all new, cookie cutter houses with not much walkability. It's more of the suburban area. If you can get near the Poudre river, that trail is great. Or the further west you are the closer you are to the foothills trails.