Moving to Alamosa CO (Gunnison, San Luis: home, employment, to buy)

[colorado_bound]

We are moving to Alamosa, Co in March from Florida and looking for some info on living in the area, school info and basic info for relocation info and what its really like living in such a cooler region than what we are used too. Employment info would be cool to, I am currently a manager in a retail optical chain but looking for a simpler life at a slower pace to enjoy my family. i have three children aged 4, 9 and 10 and wodering what Alamosa has to offer for families and fun things to do around town ect... Just any info would be interesting.

[winglady]

I'm a little at a loss for how to ask this....

You say you have already decided to move to Alamosa. Yet, I get the impression from your posting that:

a) you don't have a job in Alamosa yet
b) you don't know anything about the schools
c) you don't know anything about what's in the town

So, how did you make this decision to move to a small town in a very cold winter climate, in the high desert, in a very rural part of Colorado?

Sorry if I've misunderstood, but I'm a little confused here.

P.S. Fun stuff in the region: Great Sand Dunes National Park, Colorado 'Gator Farm, several hot spring swimming pools, lots of hiking & camping opportunities, several wildlife refuges.

[jazzlover]

I have posted extensively on the San Luis Valley and Alamosa. Query my posts on the subject. Quickly, a few things you had better know about Alamosa:

1. There are not a lot of jobs and wages are not great. Two of the most impoverished counties in the nation (Costilla and Conejos) border Alamosa County.

2. It can be brutally cold there--I mean lows near 30 below (NOT 30 above). Summers, by most standards, are not warm--few days over 90, usually drops into the 40's every night. Dry--less than 8" of precipitation per year. The vegetation on the valley floor is brown about 8 months of the year everywhere, and close to 12 months per year where it isn't irrigated.

3. The San Luis Valley is a heavily Hispanic area--most descendants of old-line families who have lived there for generations.

I happen to like the SLV very much, but is absolutely an acquired taste that not many people from outside of this region embrace.

[colorado_bound]

Originally Posted by winglady

I'm a little at a loss for how to ask this....

You say you have already decided to move to Alamosa. Yet, I get the impression from your posting that:

a) you don't have a job in Alamosa yet
b) you don't know anything about the schools
c) you don't know anything about what's in the town

So, how did you make this decision to move to a small town in a very cold winter climate, in the high desert, in a very rural part of Colorado?

Sorry if I've misunderstood, but I'm a little confused here.

P.S. Fun stuff in the region: Great Sand Dunes National Park, Colorado 'Gator Farm, several hot spring swimming pools, lots of hiking & camping opportunities, several wildlife refuges.

My mom bought land there, and looking to relocate with her. She loves it, just wanting some other opinions on life there. job is not an issue planning on opening our own. Schools are however but the research i've done is kind of un-helpful

[AQUEMINI331]

I remember my dad wanted to buy land out and move the family out there to Alamosa many years back. I've never been there and had no idea what it was like, i think he just wanted someplace rural and quiet. But alas, that never happened, and I ended up being raised in Alabama instead


_

[ozyalvarado72]

Hi everyone. I'm new to this forum and way of networking.
Somehow Jazz... and Mike from East... get in on every thread. I don't know how that's possible, but thanks for your feedback and insights.

I guess I'm doing the right thing researching what I can on some property I've reserved in West Conejos, NorthWest of Capulin. I'm now totally scared about purchasing the property and am thinking of not doing it. However, I'm also hestitant to move anywhere in Colorado now. Water running out is the major issue for me. Also, I don't want to end up drilling 800 feet - who knows how many times - to find water on my property.

Part of me wants to move as planned; so that I can help with the racial problems and gang activities there. I'm a minister - and will also have income from work at home sources.

I hear a good buzz about the valley with development forecast in good light. But then this water issue really throws everything out the window.

[jazzlover]

Originally Posted by ozyalvarado72

Hi everyone. I'm new to this forum and way of networking.
Somehow Jazz... and Mike from East... get in on every thread. I don't know how that's possible, but thanks for your feedback and insights.

I guess I'm doing the right thing researching what I can on some property I've reserved in West Conejos, NorthWest of Capulin. I'm now totally scared about purchasing the property and am thinking of not doing it. However, I'm also hestitant to move anywhere in Colorado now. Water running out is the major issue for me. Also, I don't want to end up drilling 800 feet - who knows how many times - to find water on my property.

Part of me wants to move as planned; so that I can help with the racial problems and gang activities there. I'm a minister - and will also have income from work at home sources.

I hear a good buzz about the valley with development forecast in good light. But then this water issue really throws everything out the window.

Water is probably in more certain supply in the San Luis Valley than most places, unless the Front Range goes after it again (and that would not surprise me one bit). Have you been to Capulin (pronounced "Cop-you-leen," means chokecherry in English)? There is not much there (not that that is bad, in my view).

Also, I just checked--yesterday's high in Alamosa was 14 above, the low 23 below. And it's not January yet. Bring your long underwear . . .

[GraniteStater]

The low this morning in Alamosa was at least -33F.
It is a dry cold!

[jazzlover]

Originally Posted by Plains10

The low this morning in Alamosa was at least -33F.
It is a dry cold!

Yep, it's a dry cold

Let me tell you from personal experience (some years spent in Gunnison), 30 below or lower is just plain cold, humidity or not. At those temperatures, a deep breath can freeze your lungs (oh God, does that hurt!). Exposed skin can get frostbitten in scant minutes. How many people have heard snow emit a very high-pitched squeak when you walk on it? At those temperatures, it does. Once you get below 30 below, each degree seems exponentially colder. 40 below is absolute misery compared with even 20 below. Get down to 50 below, and nothing--not machinery, not your body--wants to function.

The only thing worse is if there is wind with that kind of cold. Fortunately, in places like Gunnison and Alamosa, when it is that cold, the wind is generally not blowing. To "enjoy" that experience, with bone-chilling cold and wind, eastern Montana or the Dakotas can provide that.

[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!!!