Is it possible to telecommute in rural areas of Colorado? (Denver: home, buy)

[geekgyrl]

I'm looking to relocate to Colorado in a couple of years, I work from home via cable internet, and ideally would like something on a couple of acres about 1.5-2 hours max from Denver in an area with lots of trees (I'm originally from the Pacific Northwest and need some green ). Is this even feasible for $200-250k? What areas would you recommend? I know I don't want to live east of Denver, definitely want lots of trees and mountains so I've narrowed it down to the western part of the state LOL. Snow isn't an issue for me either since I grew up with it. And since I won't be dependent on the local economy, I don't absolutely have to live near a big town, but I would need an area that does provide high-speed internet of some sort (other than satellite). I'm not in a big hurry to move or anything, but I will be in Denver next spring for a conference and would like to scope out the terrain a bit as long as I'm there. Any suggestions for areas to look at or avoid?

I didn't see any previous postings regarding areas to relocate to for telecommuting (i.e. not having to be close to Denver or Boulder), but I could've missed them - if this has already been addressed in the past, I apologize.

[jazzlover]

Bresnan is a major cable provider in rural Colorado (including the Western Slope) and has broadband available in many of the smaller and medium-size communities. Get outside of the incorporated areas, though, and things get much more dicey. You may be looking at satellite for broadband in a lot of those places.

None of the "western part" of the state is within 1.5 to 2 hrs. of Denver, unless you consider Vail or Summit County as being "western Colorado" (they ARE on the Western Slope, but are both close to Denver). You won't find much of anything to live in those towns for $200-250K.

In many ways, finding places with telecommuting capability in rural Colorado is not that difficult. The difficult part is when one has to ACTUALLY travel, which most telecommuters I know must do--at least several times a year or more. If that entails flying, it means either paying horrendous fares to fly out of one of Colorado's regional airports, or driving to DIA or Colorado Springs (or even Salt Lake City for some western Colorado residents) to fly out at reasonable cost. Having to make the drive through the I-70 "sacrifice zone" from the Western Slope to Denver is often no fun in the winter--and is getting more congested and dangerous all the time year-round. I know--I did it for years. It sucks.

[b.adams]

It seems like 200-250k won't buy much in the mtn's anymore. I know a guy at work who telecommutes from a remote part of the mountains and he uses wild blue satellite internet. Where he lives, there is no cable.