Help me find my western mountain town

[Metlakatla]

I'm an Oregon native, and I tend to agree with a lot of what jazzlover says.

Resort/ghetto vibe = places like Sisters.

[That Girl]

Back to the original question maybe? Dave, there really are "idyllic" mountain towns still in Colorado, each one charming in its own way. Some are "crunchy" liberal in feel and full of "transplants" if that's what would make you comfortable; some are true blue conservative ~ the more agricultural and the less tourism-oriented, the more conservative it'll be - the more 'old time' Colorado you'll find. If you're "good folks" and live responsibly, keep your dog away from my chickens, and don't try to change my politics, I couldn't care less how you vote, though. Neither would the vast majority of my mountain neighbors. Basic. Rules of Thumb: the better the view, easier it is to get to your property, the closer to employment, the more expensive. And vice-versa. Stands to reason. Eastern slope: no water rights. Western slope, you can get them in certain places ~ near good sized towns, with views, and the best folks on the planet. But I'm not telling you where. If you can figure it out yourself, you might deserve to live here. Take some of your travel time seeing Colorado for yourself, one general store at a time... And good luck, sir. If you come, determine to make us glad you're here.

[MTBamap]

Any outcomes to this search? I appreciate the original question and on-point comments posted, as I have been going through my own decision making process.

Each person has lifestyle aspects that hold more value to making a decision, or offering an opinion. I have seen posts where people comment what they want, but the requirements are VERY broad. There are so many options available in Colorado, so I will pose the same questions as I ask myself. Granted, the premise is living in an area to enjoy the outdoors/recreation, as "city living" in Colorado is very average compared to other U.S. options. The 2nd premise is, a reasonably priced place to either buy a home (250k - 350k) or rent (850 - 1400). There are a handful of very nice mountain & foothills towns that fit this budget.

I currently rent a home in the Fort Collins foothills, have lived in Ridgway (1.5 years / actually moved there about the same time as frequent poster "Jim") and Durango (2 years), and starting in 2007-08 did 2 six month Colorado (winter) trials (Crested Butte & Evergreen) ...and extended my Evergreen trial with 2 months in LoDo (downtown Denver). Last winter I was in the Teton Valley (Driggs, ID aka Wydaho). I relocated from MI at age 40, and even though I had a dcent idea of what I was looking for, still did a trial run to get a real taste...gotta have troops on the ground! There's the background. Back in MI, post College I bought/lived in 2 places over 15 years. Work location is flexible...internet, phone, and travel.

If you are looking for a lifestyle change (which I was) you really do not know what to expect unless you dabble a bit. For example, I made decisions to live near ski areas, but have turned into an avid mountain biker. So now, getting 9 months of MTBing (with a few luxury winter days thrown in) is more important than powder days (and mud season!). Each area I lived in (albiet they are all whitey-ville), offered something a bit unique. But I have it pretty much nailed down now and will be making what I hope is a permanent move this spring of 2014.

These are some considerations:
How much hard winter and how much transitional winter are you comfortable with? The middle winter cold and lasting spring snow (into mud season) is a big consideration. What is Hot to you, and how much of it do you like? Another big consideration.
Airport considerations? Like direct flights or can tolerate the over-slammed DIA commuter terminal?
Prefer to blend in to a traditional town culture, or a "progressive" one being changed by the new-bee's?
How far will you drive for a day trip? Shopping requirements? Really need to think this one through. Live in-town or surrounding rural area? Do you fish? Okay with the smell of manure? (BTW, funny "Jim" living in Delta post related to cows, fully understand!)
How important is City proximity for shopping, culture, or events? Proximity to road-trip destinations, Moab, Vegas, Denver, Santa Fe...?
How much traffic can you tolerate? Eisenhower tunnel okay or prefer to always have access to a rolling stop left turn? (Jim, Ridgway!)

I have read through many of the Mountain Town posts, mostly post October 2008 economic crash (BTW, which I am thankful for as this State, along with other 2nd home mountain areas were getting destroyed). If you sift through some of the B.S., overly political, and angry posts, you will find some very logical comments.

So, David, did you make a decision, or still kickin' the tires?

[Lost Roses]

It looks like his search has moved on to Idaho.

Finding the right country property

[mayra285]

You mention Conifer, what about Bailey or Pine Grove? I would recommend using recolorado.com instead of zillow or truilla to search for properties. This site is the very same site that Realtors use when searching for active listings and is up to date. There is a map feature that allows you to search by area, you can adjust the search by price, etc. Good luck! Mayra

[HeyHowdy]

When I hear "Minturn", all I can think about is steak!