Moving to Alamosa CO (Manassa, Antonito: low income, real estate, to rent)

[jazzlover]

Originally Posted by ozyalvarado72

Planins10 and Jazzlover, you're making me cringe with all that talk about the cold. But, I appreciate the information.

I'm from Syracuse and Brooklyn, NY and my wife is from Maine. We have some experience with cold of course. But this sounds bad!!!

Well, the low in Alamosa last night was 29 below. I just checked Wunderground--temp there now is 21 below. Yep, it's winter.

Did I mention nighttime lows in the middle of summer are in the 40's? I happen to like the San Luis Valley very much, but no one should doubt that it can be one cold place.

[ozyalvarado72]

Does anyone know if the hot springs pool just north of Alamosa is open year round?

[marcia4d]

I moved from Florida to Woodland Park over the summer, and so far Woodland Park seems downright balmy compared to the temps in Alamosa and Gunnison, which are lower in elevation. I'm assuming the lows are due to the cold air settling in those valleys, no?

BTW, I love---absolutely love---Woodland Park. I've lived all along the East Coast and will take the dry cold of Teller County any day over the wet cold of the Northeast and the humid heat of the Southeast. I'm here for good. Wish I'd done this decades ago.

[jazzlover]

Originally Posted by ozyalvarado72

Does anyone know if the hot springs pool just north of Alamosa is open year round?

No, it is just open during the summer months. Valley View Hot Springs at the northern end of the San Luis Valley is open year-round, but is a "clothing optional" hot springs.

[froggin4colorado]

I went to go to Valley View when I was a Senior in HS- lots of pot smoking nudies! No, I didn't smoke it nor did I go nude- it was a huge shock to me that adults were doing this!!!

I lived in Saguache my Senior year and spent a lot of time in Monte and Alamosa. I was shocked to see so much gang activity and drugs. I remember one evening in Alamosa when I was chased in my car by some guys with a gun. All we had done was visit with another group and guess this other group got mad. I don't know if it involved jealousy, suspicion, or what- we were just asking for directions!! Those that I know that still live down there say the drugs have gotten worse- I can't even imagine. I do remember one of the school teachers moved from Saguache to Monte because it had been discovered that he was molesting girls in school but Monte was willing to hire him. I had moved to CO from an AZ small town and the gang and drug activity was no where near as bad in AZ. Believe it or not, it was a HUGE shock to me.

[ozyalvarado72]

Interesting. I wonder what's currently being done to help solve that problem; besides arresting people.

[dustyloins]

Yeah, I spent 5 years in Great Falls, Montana and the temp WITHOUT the wind chill got down to -47. Uncovered skin freezes, your nose freezes up if you take a breath, your skin will stick to metal, etc. You can learn to deal with it.....just stock up on food and other supplies. And learn the meaning of "Cabin Fever".......

[suzco]

Alamosa's experiencing a frightening, dangerous problem with salmonella contamination affecting Alamosa's water supply. Many people are sick, some hospitalized, and the numbers are going up.
Salmonella in Alamosa water sparks emergency - The Denver Post

Salmonella in Alamosa water sparks emergency
By Katy Human
The Denver Post
Article Last Updated: 03/21/2008 03:07:48 PM MDT

Officials in Alamosa declared a state of emergency this morning over the city's contaminated public water.

"We have an emergency when we can't deliver potable water through the normal distribution system," said Don Koskelin, the city's public works director.

[jazzlover]

Originally Posted by suzco

Alamosa's experiencing a frightening, dangerous problem with salmonella contamination affecting Alamosa's water supply. Many people are sick, some hospitalized, and the numbers are going up.
Salmonella in Alamosa water sparks emergency - The Denver Post

Not to downplay this--it is serious--but such problems with salmonella, giardia, or other assorted critters and chemicals used to be just about an annual occurrence in many a Colorado mountain town. For example, a friend who grew up in Aspen in the 1950's told me that the locals never drank the town water without boiling it from about late March to mid-June every year. Thirty years ago in the Colorado town I lived in the time, it wasn't unusual in spring to turn on the water tap and have a tadpole plop into your water glass with the water. Yum. Water purity is one thing that has definitely changed for the better in rural Colorado in the last 40 years or so.

The Alamosa problem is somewhat unique to them, as they get their water supply from wells. You have to wonder if the bacteria somehow got into the water system downstream from the treatment plant (which, by the way, doesn't chlorinate because the well water is considered pure).

[DOUBLE H]

I thought I would never say this in my lifetime-EVER! Here goes! I appreciate what Walmart has done for the community. (end). Walmart and Anheuser Busch has trucked in semi loads of bottled water into Alamosa to help the area. According to Saturday's RM News, this problem is gonna take a while to resolve. This is gonna really hurt the valley as well as Alamosa. I can't imagine the effect this has on restaurants; it's liable to put a few of them down. Very sad. You don't find that area filled with people living off their investments; it's blue collar to the 'nth degree there.