Current residents of the San Luis Valley...Can I ask you a few things? (Colorado Springs: transplants, real estate)

[Drifted_Cowboy]

I've been visiting the valley for most of the winter to explore and observe, to look at land and people, and recently to begin a process of research I to what it takes to succeed there. I've seen quite a few mis-starts that ended in failure but I also see many h homesteads with the years under their belt.

My wife and I moved to Colorado from the border of Canada and north Dakota out in the open plains. I was raised in a town of less than 500 and while Colorado Springs has much to offer a city life is not for us. Remote living, extreme weather and brutal cold are second nature to me. Not so good with traffic and stop lights. I am 100% fine with a 2 hour drive to Walmart, washed out roads, no snow plows, and just making things work with what's available.

Are any of you raising kids and homesteading that would be interested in chatting more? Which town would I prefer to live 20 minutes away from in regards to schooling? Any places where riding an unlicensed dirt bike through town in a responsible manner is not only accepted but common?

is there any advice you could offer on finding a rental home? We will be living in the town we choose for at least a year before we begin researching a land purchase. I've visited San Luis, Crestone, Ft Garland, Blanca, Monte Vista, and Alamosa but there's only so much a visit can return without experience as a guide.

If anyone would like to meet up for breakfast in the valley and chat about life let me know. I'll buy coffee.

[rabbitbrush]

I've lived in the SLV for almost 27 years. Have a homestead outside Alamosa and two small kids. I'd be happy to answer any questions you might have if I can. Sounds like you would be a good fit here.

[Mike from back east]

Cowboy, you owe it to yourself to read our threads on the SLV. Water is a big issue there, as is the cost of drilling a well and getting utilities to a property. If you haven't already, use our search tool to search on SLV or LUIS. Alamosa is the main town down that way, has just about anything you'd need. Try padmapper.com to find rentals, though I'd bet there are few down there. Jazzlover has spoken often on land scams down there that you need to be wary of.

[Littlekw]

Originally Posted by Drifted_Cowboy

I've been visiting the valley for most of the winter to explore and observe, to look at land and people, and recently to begin a process of research I to what it takes to succeed there. I've seen quite a few mis-starts that ended in failure but I also see many h homesteads with the years under their belt.

My wife and I moved to Colorado from the border of Canada and north Dakota out in the open plains. I was raised in a town of less than 500 and while Colorado Springs has much to offer a city life is not for us. Remote living, extreme weather and brutal cold are second nature to me. Not so good with traffic and stop lights. I am 100% fine with a 2 hour drive to Walmart, washed out roads, no snow plows, and just making things work with what's available.

Are any of you raising kids and homesteading that would be interested in chatting more? Which town would I prefer to live 20 minutes away from in regards to schooling? Any places where riding an unlicensed dirt bike through town in a responsible manner is not only accepted but common?

is there any advice you could offer on finding a rental home? We will be living in the town we choose for at least a year before we begin researching a land purchase. I've visited San Luis, Crestone, Ft Garland, Blanca, Monte Vista, and Alamosa but there's only so much a visit can return without experience as a guide.

If anyone would like to meet up for breakfast in the valley and chat about life let me know. I'll buy coffee.

I lived in the SLV for a few years and definitely know some people that have found success with homesteading. But these are all people without kids, work only part-time and are willing to support themselves on poverty wages while growing, canning and otherwise preserving their own food. To find a big enough parcel to turn from sagebrush flats into arable land is going is not only be hard but not cheap as well. The lots that have all of what you want and ready to go are pricey. However, if you can find a lot with guaranteed water (either ditch rights or a guaranteed shallow well, which are both scarce) and have a source of income that doesn't depend on the majority of minimum wage jobs in the Valley AND are willing to clear a lot of deep-rooted sagebrush, deals can be found. But those are a lot of of hurdles to cross.

Look at the price of a section of sagebrush flat vs. a ready-to-go crop circle with water. It's a vast difference and there's a reason for that. Doing it on your own is feasible, doing it with a family in tow is much harder and more expensive and labor intensive.

On that note, if you have the resources to make it happen, Alamosa and Moffat have the best schools in the Valley. Also, in Colorado riding an unlicensed dirt bike is illegal. If it's a state or county maintained road, it definitely is. Doesn't stop a lot of people but be ready to accept the consequences if you get caught.

[rabbitbrush]

Gentleman, Please. I'm feeling a little bummed out here. This is my long time home that you are constantly bashing in several threads on this forum. Living in the SLV is really no different than living in most of the impoverished rural West. I know LOTS of people who have moved here from mostly places East of here who are absolutely in love with the SLV. I feel a lot of my love of the place has been lost over the years, but it's still my home. It's not as impossible to live here as many of these threads make it sound.
And no, I do not work in real estate!

I still appreciate what you have to say, so Thank You and let's keep up the good dialogue!(and hopefully continue to warn people away from those 5 acre lots in Costilla county)

[Littlekw]

^ Haha! I didn't mean to give the Valley any flak, it's one of my favorite parts of the great state of Colorado. I went to college in Alamosa and couldn't bring myself to leave for a couple of years after I was done. I still have family in Rio Grande, Alamosa and Saguache Counties so there is still a huge soft spot in my heart for the SLV.

Yes, the worthless lots in Costilla County are to be avoided since many of the subdivisions don't even allow wells and have no access. But like I said, I know some people that made homesteading work. One particular family member bought 135 acres of sagebrush just north of Alamosa on River Rd. with two ditch shares for $35,000. Turned over a lot of the sagebrush and started a homestead. It's worked out well, especially with pure solar and wind power and a strawbale house. But it was work and they had to work as a substitute teacher for a while to make it happen. But there are some beautiful success stories. :-)

[jazzlover]

Originally Posted by rabbitbrush

Gentleman, Please. I'm feeling a little bummed out here. This is my long time home that you are constantly bashing in several threads on this forum. Living in the SLV is really no different than living in most of the impoverished rural West. I know LOTS of people who have moved here from mostly places East of here who are absolutely in love with the SLV. I feel a lot of my love of the place has been lost over the years, but it's still my home. It's not as impossible to live here as many of these threads make it sound.
And no, I do not work in real estate!

I still appreciate what you have to say, so Thank You and let's keep up the good dialogue!(and hopefully continue to warn people away from those 5 acre lots in Costilla county)

I am one who tries to tell the hard truths about the SLV. One of the things that I admire about the long-time SLV residents (as well as lot of rural residents in the Rocky Mountain West, and I am one of those) is that they know how to survive in a very challenging economic and physical environment. It is not easy, by any means, and it takes a special person to be able to do it, especially over the long term.

One of those hard truths is that most transplants, especially those from the 'burbs, just don't have that kind of determination and "moxie" to make in a place like the SLV. They like to think that they do, but they don't. I've watched that go on in rural Colorado, including the SLV, for decades. A few do make it, as you note, but many more don't. I will add that "rural living," with all of its privations that it can have, has been easier in the last 30 years than probably anytime in history. In my opinion, that era is reaching its end. A host of economic, physical, and geographical factors are combining to make it much more difficult again. People don't want to see that coming, but I'm convinced that it is.

[Justin hope]

Well Huh!! U got me thinking because my wife and I just put money on a 5 acre plot 5-6 miles North of San Luis!! If anyone knows that area please tell Me I didn't join the ripped off group!?

[Colorado Rambler]

Originally Posted by Justin hope

Well Huh!! U got me thinking because my wife and I just put money on a 5 acre plot 5-6 miles North of San Luis!! If anyone knows that area please tell Me I didn't join the ripped off group!?

You may have. The time to ask questions about San Luis (and the SLV) is before you buy, not after. Let's hope that some valid water rights were included with your 5 acre plot.

[Canmae2]

I am concerned now after reading some of these threads- Ive left the slv blanca area today and am purchasing land on Monday- what questions do I need to ask before I finalize ?

Thanks in advance,
Canmae