most affordable yet scenic and close to skiing co. town

[CTC]

Glenwood Springs might work-close to skiing, nice climate it has a very good hospital as well-much more affordable than many of the resort towns. It really has a lot going for it, culture, restaurants, decent shopping etc. Check it out

[jazzlover]

Originally Posted by CTC

Glenwood Springs might work-close to skiing, nice climate it has a very good hospital as well-much more affordable than many of the resort towns. It really has a lot going for it, culture, restaurants, decent shopping etc. Check it out

I don't consider Glenwood "affordable." Compared to Aspen, well, anything is more affordable than that, but otherwise . . .

[timothyjames14]

I dont get it. I just dont see, even the resort areas being overly expensive.

There are 2 bed condo's all over Breckenridge for $1400-$1600 UTILITIES included and furnished! Much less for studio's and 1 bedrooms.

It cost me about the same to live in Gatlinburg Tn and Tampa Fl.

[wanneroo]

Originally Posted by timothyjames14

I dont get it. I just dont see, even the resort areas being overly expensive.

There are 2 bed condo's all over Breckenridge for $1400-$1600 UTILITIES included and furnished! Much less for studio's and 1 bedrooms.

It cost me about the same to live in Gatlinburg Tn and Tampa Fl.

Compared to your income, yes they are expensive.

These towns look much bigger than they are due to tourists at different times of the year. In reality most towns have a few thousand people, full time year round jobs that pay a good salary are at a premium and for a good 4-5 months of the year these towns are quiet. Many people will have 2-3 sources of income or work extra hours in winter and summer to compensate for a quiet off season, especially in spring.

Also there is a disparity in housing in these places. People that might be able to afford a spacious, detached house with a garage and yard in other normal areas of the country, will only be able to buy a townhome or condo instead. Since land is at a premium, development tends towards multi million dollar properties rather than building tracts of suburban type homes on the cheap.

[timothyjames14]

Generally, income the the resort area's tend to even things out a bit.

The bartenders and severs I met take off close to 6 months a year. During the season, they also work 6 days a week, sometimes doubles. All while laughing all the way to the bank. Keep in mind though. These people are true pro's.

There are many ways to make a good income in the resort area's. You will just need the proper skill-set.

100% true in regards to housing.

[Lugnuts]

Originally Posted by timothyjames14

Generally, income the the resort area's tend to even things out a bit.

The bartenders and severs I met take off close to 6 months a year. During the season, they also work 6 days a week, sometimes doubles. All while laughing all the way to the bank. Keep in mind though. These people are true pro's.

There are many ways to make a good income in the resort area's. You will just need the proper skill-set.

100% true in regards to housing.

Do you live here?

[wanneroo]

Originally Posted by timothyjames14

Generally, income the the resort area's tend to even things out a bit.

The bartenders and severs I met take off close to 6 months a year. During the season, they also work 6 days a week, sometimes doubles. All while laughing all the way to the bank. Keep in mind though. These people are true pro's.

There are many ways to make a good income in the resort area's. You will just need the proper skill-set.

100% true in regards to housing.

Yes they are "true pro's". I was a "true pro" and earned very well and did have time off during the year. I was one of the top earners at my company, but I also worked over 80 hours a week during the season and kept my expenses low by living in employee housing and not buying anything.

Since detached regular houses start at over $500k minimum(and thats for a trashed house) for what I would spend on a townhome or condo in mountain Colorado I could easily have a regular house in most parts of the rest of country. When I reached that point of not wanting roommates, nor living in employee housing, nor buying an older condo, I left.

The thing people need to understand is that your dollars that might buy a normal full size house in most of the rest of the country is only going to get a "condo"(realistically it's just an apartment) in resort towns.

The people that want "affordable" end up living in the high desert and you'll be driving to get to any place with the mountain type skiing, hiking, fishing and so on they expect. And even then a lot of these towns in the high desert are not all that cheap compared to what you would get in other western states.

[jazzlover]

wanneroo hits the nail right on the head--again.

The most common theme that I see in these "Oh, I want to live and work in a ski/resort town" is the play-now-work-later attitude among a lot of young people. That is a very self-destructive attitude for a couple of reasons, especially in resort Colorado. First, it almost always means that the person will be working at the lowest-wage, least skill-building job in a place with very high living costs. Hardly the way for a prudent person to start their working career. Second, most young people don't realize that such "fooling around" and lack of starting to build skill sets and some financial security when they are young will come back to haunt them in their older years. A lot of Boomers and Gen-X'ers are finding that out the hard way now. The simple reality is that young bodies and minds can acquire job skills a lot faster than can older ones. What a lot of the Boomers and Gen X'ers are finding out is that, past around age 50, it gets much harder to re-train and/or continue to work at the efficiency and proficiency level that is now required in the workplace, but--thanks to their "goofing off" in their early work years--they have to continue to work at that high proficiency (and stress) level, often well past what used to be a "typical" retirement age of 60-65 years old. Given the ever more harsh economic environment that today's young people will have to endure for all of their working lives, it's going to be even tougher for them.

The hard truth is that, for the most part, the people who can enjoy a place like Colorado's quality of life and recreational opportunities the most and for the longest are the people who acquired at a young age the education/skill sets/work ethic to hit the ground running with a good career. Flipping burgers at the McDonalds in Vail or changing bedsheets at the Best Western in Dillon isn't the way to get there.

[joanne40744]

So for the vagueness of my OP; Yes, I meant downhill skiing; thank you all for your insights and recommendations. We have turned our attentions to Spearfish, SD, for its beautiful scenery, proximity to great downhill skiing, and not as $$ as Colorado; with no state income tax....it seems to fit most of our needs...thank you everyone!