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I am just going by the official numbers giving by all the major papers in the state including but not limited to the Pueblo Chieftain, Colorado Springs Gazette, Colorado Springs Business Journal, Denver Post.
Here is the article from the Chieftain:
A 200-megawatt station could generate power for upward of 60,000 homes, based on industry estimates. A 300-megawatt site Ñ which would rank as the nation's largest Ñ could supply 90,000 homes.
So, I guess a story probably written by some 20-something wet-behind-the-ears reporter who "doesn't know a kilowatt from a kumquat" carries more weight with you than what engineers who work with stuff for a living has to say? I've yet to see very much serious journalism about any technical subject in the mainstream media. Those pinheads usually have no technical education in the field about which they attempt to write, they can't get the facts straight, and are usually very prone to believe whatever "line" of opinion is popular at the time. I've had the intense displeasure of having to try to work with some real ignoramuses in the "mainstream" media--I trust almost nothing that comes out of that group as a result of those encounters. And an equally ignorant American public just accepts that drivel as fact and laps it up without questioning what is being said--even when a scintilla of research would reveal the flaws in reporting.
I'll send the vacuum cleaner salesman and the Florida swampland real estate salesperson right over. You're "ripe."
So I guess the Gazette and the Denver Post and the Denver Business Journal and the Colorado Springs business Journal did not know what they were talking about either? Interesting.
So I guess the Gazette and the Denver Post and the Denver Business Journal and the Colorado Springs business Journal did not know what they were talking about either? Interesting.
Yeah, quite often they don't. Fancy that. Oh, and quite often some cub reporter writes the story--then one of the news services (AP, Reuters, etc.) picks it up, and--voilà !--the same nonsense BS winds up in two dozen more papers.
Of course, one can take heart--at least the print media has more brains than the largely brain-dead talking heads that make up most of the broadcast media. Most of the those folks couldn't find their *** with a map. In fact, most of them can't read a map. The complete silliness of the broadcast media reporting of the "balloon boy" story showed that in spades. A number of them continually referred to that POS overgrown weather balloon as a "spacecraft." And you expect those morons have any understanding at all of the extremely complex energy situation in this country. They don't have a clue . . .
I may be accepting a job transfer to the Alamosa area. I am unsure of whether to do this or not. I currently live in Iowa near the Mississippi in a town of about 8000 people, close to larger cities. I am back in my hometown, in the country where I can afford land and to have horses.
My concern is accepting this position and not being able to afford a DECENT place in the country where I can support my horses. My budget would be around $150K. Looking on real estate sites there is such an extreme difference in price ranges for houses with land and outbuildings. I dont know realistically what to look for or where. If I move, I would like to be able to ride my horse for hours out my back door...is that realistic also? What about water? What about cost of hay?
I would be by myself...is it safe for a young female to live in the rural areas by herself? Also, I come from a very lush, hilly, green part of IA....I wonder if I would even like living in the valley where it seems very brown and flat. I want to live somewhere beautiful and close to Alamosa (20min). Is that possible? Thanks for any information! Also the cost of houses and land just dont seem realistic when I see the area has very low incomes...that doesn't make sense!
Hi,
Did you move?
I am moving to Alamosa to finish nursing. 36 yr old female...have horses, but not with me right now.
I was wondering if you might be interested in a roommate?
Thanks.
Okay Alamosa is very small, it's the same size as the town you're in now. However it is not close to any cities at all. Strike number one.
The San Luis valley is not lush and green. It's brown and flat. It's a very large valley surrounded on all sides by large mountains. But the mountains are way off on the horizon. If you want to reach them you have a long drive. Then if you want to reach a city, you must drive over them or through them. Strike number two.
The valley is a harsh place in the winter. It is often the coldest place in Colorado (and in the continental U.S.). As a single person on your own, can you handle that?
It's also southern Colorado which means there is a different culture than what you are used to.
Quote:
Originally Posted by LJMAX
I may be accepting a job transfer to the Alamosa area. I am unsure of whether to do this or not. I currently live in Iowa near the Mississippi in a town of about 8000 people, close to larger cities. I am back in my hometown, in the country where I can afford land and to have horses.
My concern is accepting this position and not being able to afford a DECENT place in the country where I can support my horses. My budget would be around $150K. Looking on real estate sites there is such an extreme difference in price ranges for houses with land and outbuildings. I dont know realistically what to look for or where. If I move, I would like to be able to ride my horse for hours out my back door...is that realistic also? What about water? What about cost of hay?
I would be by myself...is it safe for a young female to live in the rural areas by herself? Also, I come from a very lush, hilly, green part of IA....I wonder if I would even like living in the valley where it seems very brown and flat. I want to live somewhere beautiful and close to Alamosa (20min). Is that possible? Thanks for any information! Also the cost of houses and land just dont seem realistic when I see the area has very low incomes...that doesn't make sense!
While the OP may be long gone, might I suggest to anyone else considering Alamosa, CO that not only is it a long way from any major city, but in fact IS the major city in the San Luis Valley, such as it is. There are other smaller towns in the valley, otherwise the closest civilization is relatively small Taos, NM. Or further south of there at Santa Fe or Albuquerque, NM.
The San Luis Valley is fairly barren, flat with mostly sagebrush. Save for the few wild wetlands, such as near Crestone, CO, the only disruption to the sagebrush are the irrigated areas, via deep wells.
If thinking horses and grass, the best options may lie southwest of Alamosa. Not sure where the water comes from in all cases, in the vicinity of Del Norte it may be via irrigation ditches from the Rio Grande river. If driving west of Alamosa towards Creede, CO one will notice lots of good pasture paralleling the Rio Grande river. Chances are it is all appreciably more expensive than the sea of not entirely happy sagebrush east of Alamosa.
Del Norte was once considered for the state capitol of Colorado. That has obviously not happened. The upside in all of this is that when most people have Colorado dreams they center along the distant Front Range, which is another world altogether. Thus the San Luis Valley and environs is far less expensive and crowded. There are any number of outdoor opportunities, and with the massive Sangre de Cristo mountains to the east, the largely unpopulated San Juan mountains to the west. Alamosa is reliably one of the colder places in Colorado come winter, if with lots of sun. Venture even as far west as South Fork, CO and one will discover that much that applies to Alamosa no longer does, and real estate prices reflecting this. But you will still probably be driving to Alamosa for your major shopping, if not further.
I am seriously thinking of moving to Alamosa in the spring or summer. I curently live in north west Nebraska. I noticed the weather is milder there and the populations in the surounding communitys are larger. Your unemplyment rate is comparable. Please tell me the pros and cons. I currently live in the country and like my privacy. I am self employed. I own some land about 7 miles outside Alamosa.
Living in north west NE I am used to long commutes when I was employed I commuted two hours each way to WY. The next biggest place to shop is 197 miles away. There are many times I am snowed in or roads are closed so there is no leaving town. There were also many times that I had to stay over in a motel when working in WY and that was not just in the winter that can happen any time of year with hail storms, tornados etc. it is flat, lots of wind, short growing season, unpredictable weather. So, how does Alamosa compare?
Last edited by Mike from back east; 12-25-2009 at 10:43 AM..
I am seriously thinking of moving to Alamosa in the spring or summer. I curently live in north west Nebraska. I noticed the weather is milder there and the populations in the surounding communitys are larger. Your unemplyment rate is comparable. Please tell me the pros and cons. I currently live in the country and like my privacy. I am self employed. I own some land about 7 miles outside Alamosa.
Living in north west NE I am used to long commutes when I was employed I commuted two hours each way to WY. The next biggest place to shop is 197 miles away. There are many times I am snowed in or roads are closed so there is no leaving town. There were also many times that I had to stay over in a motel when working in WY and that was not just in the winter that can happen any time of year with hail storms, tornados etc. it is flat, lots of wind, short growing season, unpredictable weather. So, how does Alamosa compare?
A quick post between Christmas meals.
I know both the San Luis Valley and northwest Nebraska pretty well. Unless you have a compelling reason to make the move, I recommend against it. The climate of NW Nebraska and the SLV may seem similar, but it is not. The SLV is very much a cold desert, with scant precipitation--probably less than half of what NW Nebraska gets (and NW Nebraska is considered semi-arid). Virtually no place in the SLV itself gets more than about 9" of precipitation per year. Points with higher total are all in the higher mountains surrounding the valley. The SLV does get more sunshine, but it also gets very cold nighttime temperatures in winter. The SLV is much cooler in summer than NW Nebraska--that can be good or bad, depending on one's point of view. On the positive side, the SLV's summer daytime temps are usually below 90°; on the other hand, summer nighttime temps often drop into the 40's. Severe thunderstorms are relatively infrequent in the SLV, but precipitation is also scarce. The growing season is pretty short in the SLV--likely shorter than most places in NW Nebraska by a considerable amount.
Do not be deceived by unemployment rates in the SLV. They are distorted because jobs are so scarce that most people--especially young people--are forced to emigrate out of the valley to find jobs. The SLV includes several of Colorado's most impoverished counties, a couple of them being some of the most impoverished in the entire United States. Unless you bring money with you sufficient to live on or you do not have to rely on the local economy for a living, the SLV is an economically very rough place to live.
Finally, the culture of the SLV is pretty unique. Much of the valley is majority Hispanic, with families tracing roots back generations. The Hispanic and Anglo cultures have never really totally assimilated in the Valley. People not used to that can have real problems adapting to living there.
The bottom line for me would be this: The SLV tops NW Nebraska in having beautiful mountains nearby, some great New Mexican food (if you have the taste for it), and a cost of living that is lower than average for Colorado (but that's not saying much). In most any other measure, I would pick NW Nebraska, western South Dakota, or NE Wyoming (not Gillette, but Sundance, Newcastle, etc.). The SLV is also starting to confront some serious long-term water issues, so if one's work is tied to the area's irrigated agriculture, the long-term prognosis for that may be troubling.
I get the perception from reading some of these posts that I will be told not to move to Alamosa. But. my family and I currently live in Minneapolis and I have been offered a job in Alamosa that would be very difficult to turn down.
First of all, we are both former CO residents. I lived on the front range and my wife lived in Crested Butte/ Gunnison area in Almont. Coming from small communities in the midwest we are hoping to get back to a simpler, rural lifestyle. I am concerned about the water shortage. I have family who live on the front range and they are concerned about the long term water issues as well. Could someone please explain to me what is going on? I get the perception that Alamosa gets it's water from aquifers?
I understand the weather gets cold and I've been watching the weather daily since November. We live in MPLS, enough said. It is brutal here and I'm looking forward to actually stepping on pavement that hasn't been covered in glare ice for the last three months. What kinds of activities do people do with children during the winter months (indoor rec, ECFE classes)? We have an 18 month old son.
Can anyone advise me on where to find rental properties (houses, not apartments)? My contract in Alamosa would be for at least three years and I would like to rent for awhile until we figure out where we'd like to live in the valley. Any help would be appreciated.
Lastly, I understand that the valley is huge. Driving from Alamosa how long does it take to get to mountain trails for hiking/ trail running/ mountain biking?
If you have a job lined up in Alamosa, that is better than 99.9% of the Colorado wannbe posters on this forum can say, so that is a plus. The San Luis Valley gets water from two basic sources--surface water from the Rio Grande River system that flows through the valley, and from underground aquifers. There is a lot of debate about how much of the aquifer of the SLV is "tributary" water recharged from the river system, and how much is "ancestral" water that is non-renewable. Whatever the case, the SLV is now in the unenviable position that it must deliver a goodly amount of water from those aquifers to downstream states to satisfy interstate water compacts. The impact is that something on the order of 25% of the irrigated land in the SLV is going to have to be withdrawn from irrigation (which basically turns it into dry graze wasteland) in the next decade or so. That will really hurt the already impoverished economy of the SLV plenty.
Coming from a big metro area, you are likely to find the SLV a cultural desert as far a having a lot of entertainment options. It's an isolated rural are--resort country it ain't. Like the joke says, "High culture in the San Luis Valley is the Sky-Hi Stampede Rodeo at Monte Vista, at 7,800 feet."
From Alamosa, you can be in mountains in just about any direction within an hour to an hour-and-a-half. If there is one thing that is attractive about the area, it is that some of the least despoiled mountain country left in Colorado surrounds the SLV.
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Alamosa
Moving to Alamosa- Rental questions
