job opportunity in salida (Colorado Springs, Pueblo: apartments, how much, home)

[animal friend in br]

I visit this forum daily and have gained a wealth of knowledge from the folks on here. Thanks for that! I have been trying to move to colorado for a year now but as many have posted, the job search takes some time. And I'm not one to move myself and my animals without a job.
My company has a branch in Salida and a director position has opened up that I am considering- it would be a promotion but I am not sure what the salary will be. Salida is beautiful and looks to be the kind of town that I would love to live in or live near. I have done 2 scouting trips in the last 2 months but did not make it there unfortunately.
My problem is with the limited job openings in salida and the surrounding areas- my significant other is a respiratory therapist with 20 years experience and had applied for two positions in denver and never heard anything. There are no openings in Salida, Buena Vista, Pueblo, Cannon city, etc that we can see so he would have to move and hope something opens up. That is so scary to us!
So we can either play it safe and wait to we both get jobs in the denver area (where we really dont want to be) or take a chance on this dream location!

What do you think?
I'm a RN by the way

Thanks,
nicki

[Mike from back east]

If the two of you can live on the salary provided by your one job in Salida, it might be worth taking, but there's not a lot of work up there and it could take him a while to find something. Is it possible for him to stay behind a while before following you out here?

[Colorado Rambler]

Salida is certainly located in some pretty country, but IMO, commuting there from anywhere besides Buena Vista would be hell. Canon City and Pueblo would both require driving up and down the Arkansas River Canyon with all its bends and sharp curves and lookie loo tourists in the summer and ice and snow patches in the winter. I drove from Salida to Colorado Springs for a while and there is no way to make that commute a pleasant one no matter which way you go.

If you make enough money to support the two of you and your S.O. has always wanted to be a fly fishing bum, it might just work out moving there with only you having a job. But other than that, I'd be careful about just taking off for a dream - there just aren't that many jobs in Salida and your dream could turn into a nightmare!

[movinbacktome]

Look at Gunnison or Grand Junction, Delta, Montrose, Ouray these places certainly have more jobs and it's just as pretty IMO.

[sesamekid]

I'd say it depends on if you can live on one salary for a while or not. Your spouse would likely eventually find work, but it might take some time - years even. The commute to Canon City would be rough, but people do it. Canon City is going to have more job opportunities than Sailda for an RT since there is a bigger hospital here and more senior services, etc.

But you never know - you may get lucky in Salida. It's not like there are a ton of RTs there!

[delta07]

Has your significant other considered travel type positions, or home heath? My husband is also an RN and he worked for a while with a travel agency based out of Grand Junction. He was in high demand for home heath type positions, especially in the rural areas of Colorado. Pay was actually really great and often times they provided apartments for him to stay in when he took these assignments. It might be something for him to look into.

We also used to live in Fairplay and while there aren't any big hospitals in the area, there are small clinics in almost all of these towns. I do believe Leadville has a small hospital, in addition to the small one in Salida. He might not be able to find full time work, but possibly call shifts, which might be enough to get you by. You'll have to consider what your salary will be. Good luck!

Salida is gorgeous but the opportunities for professional employment are few and far between. It could be months, or even years before he landed something permanently. Smart to weigh your options.

[proveick]

We used to live just north of Salida. Like any small town these days, you have to bring your job with you. Very limited and low paying jobs to service the retirees and tourists.
If you're not a local you're out of luck.
That's about it.

[Jude2]

How much $ would it take monthly to live in Salida...rent/utilities. I am semi-retired and looking for small town in CO with a more liberal mindset and older population.

[Dreaming of Hawaii]

What size place Re you looking for? You say you are "semi retired" -- does that mean you still would need some work?

You could check rents through Craigslist or the Chaffee County Times.

[Littlekw]

Local Salida newspaper: TheMountainMail.com: The Mountain Mail | Salida, Chaffee County Colorado, breaking news, entertainment, sports, classifieds. They have a link for their classifieds, good place to start to get a feel for the community.