most affordable yet scenic and close to skiing co. town (Denver: ski resorts, transplants)

[joanne40744]

We will be retiring but not for a couple years...starting to check out CO; We would like something that's affordable, close to great outdoor activities-hiking, biking, skiing, fishing, moderate temps (we live in MN and had a horrible winter-it's mid-April and 27 this a.m.!), what towns should we be looking at? Of course, we plan to come visit them before a move, hence, the reason I'm starting to look now...thanks for any input you may have!

[Snikt]

It was 20F this morning and we had 3-6 inches of snow and some rain all day Sunday.

Affordable and skiing don't mix at all. Can you define affordable, what is your rent budget?

[Dreaming of Hawaii]

Salida/Buena Vista. A little remote but in the Arkansas River Valley and close to abundant outdoor activities. The temperature is moderate, although it can get a bit breezy. Do a forum search on these two towns for more information.

[delta07]

Compared with MN, I think you will find much of CO milder in the winter. Even though temperatures might be close, as Snikt pointed out, there's the sun factor that really makes CO winters tolerable, IMO. Anyhow, I agree that defining what is afforable to you will really help narrow down your search. Ft. Collins is a great city, which is close to many of the outdoor activities you desire (unless you like to downhill ski). But, without knowing your budget and other things you want (closer or farther from a large city like Denver), it's hard to give you an idea of where to start. Also, I suggested to the mod that this thread be moved to the main CO forum, as you didn't specify you were only interested in N. Colorado and I think you will get more responses there.

[kizlykdm]

Depends on the size you want. If you want the front range, then Colorado Springs is your best bet. If you want small, try Georgetown (access to 7 ski resorts within an hour). You really do need to be more specific as to size, budget etc..

[Dreaming of Hawaii]

Originally Posted by delta07

I suggested to the mod that this thread be moved to the main CO forum, as you didn't specify you were only interested in N. Colorado and I think you will get more responses there.

Thanks, Delta. I realized after I posted about BV/Salida that this was in the Ft. Collins subcategory. Hopefully the OP will come back here and give us a bit more clarity as to what she is looking for.

[jim9251]

Affordable? Depends on what your definition is.

[Florida2014]

Originally Posted by Snikt

.Affordable and skiing don't mix at all.

x2. The eternal question with no real great answer because it just doesn't exist. My advice is to look to the Front Range and drive in for any/all skiing/hiking/mountaineering as much as you can.

[jazzlover]

"Affordable" and "close" when it comes to resort and skiing are mutually exclusive terms. Also, for retired folks, medical can be a serious consideration. Rural Colorado, like most rural areas, can have issues for people requiring specialized medical care. For those in that situation, the sprawled metro blobs are one's choices for very specialized medical services.

Most of Colorado is losing its shine for retirees--living costs (especially real estate prices) tend to be at the national average or higher, which are tending to overshadow Colorado's relatively favorable tax environment for retirees. Away from the metro areas, employment opportunities for retirees who need to work are getting pretty limited.

Utah's Wasatch Front, from Ogden south to Provo, has great access to skiing and mountain recreation literally right next to the cities, and offers excellent medical services. The downside is very bad air pollution in the winter.

Albuquerque, New Mexico offers a much milder climate, with some good ski areas within a hundred miles of so (Santa Fe and Taos), with nice mountain recreation as the city's eastern doorstep. Living costs are generally much more reasonable than Colorado, with good medical services available in the city itself. Albuquerque does get hot in the summer and is very arid.

ALL of the places listed above are semi arid to arid and all face water problems of one magnitude or another. That is something that many potential transplants fail to understand. None of the region is green in the Midwest or Eastern sense of the word, and drought is a frequent visitor.

[delta07]

One thing to consider is that the OP didn't specify downhill skiing. While most in CO associate skiing with downhill, many people is the Great Lakes states think of skiing in terms of cross country.

It sure would be nice if the OP responded back with some clarification though.