Welcome to City-Data.com Forum!
U.S. CitiesCity-Data Forum Index
Go Back   City-Data Forum > U.S. Forums > Colorado
 [Register]
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
View detailed profile (Advanced) or search
site with Google Custom Search

Search Forums  (Advanced)
 
Old 10-23-2014, 06:13 PM
 
1 posts, read 7,816 times
Reputation: 15

Advertisements

I am planning to move to Colorado early next year. Right now I live in Virginia and know pretty much all there is to know about the counties and prices of rental properties, but Colorado is a whole other thing. I would like to live close to a small town and not too far from a major city. I have twin teenage boys so I'd like to accomodate them as well as set up a little homestead for myself.

Whats your thoughts on this?
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message

 
Old 10-23-2014, 06:43 PM
 
2,253 posts, read 6,959,600 times
Reputation: 2653
Wink Near Front Range, quite likely

You may need to elaborate on your priorities in this.

Briefly, most of Colorado's population lives along the Front Range, or the more or less thin continuous corridor of urbanization (with some gaps) running from Colorado Springs in the south to Fort Collins to the north. So to be near a city you would need to live in a certain proximity to that area. Minor exceptions being Grand Junction on the West Slope, and Durango in far southwest Colorado; both, particularly Durango, more like large towns.

The Front Range borders the abrupt rise of the Rocky Mountains. Denver and all these towns situated on the basically flat far edge of the eastern plains stretching off to Kansas, etc. So to the east one could live in a small town, or near it in the country on the eastern plains. Directly to the west of the Front Range it is all mountains, with many options in a possible home. In example, one could live in or near the small mountain town of Nederland, driving down the canyon into far larger Boulder (on Front Range) when wishing. Aside from traffic at times, it is a simple matter from Boulder to drive on into Denver via US 36 to I-25.

While Colorado is a large and diverse state geographically, you may find in exploring this that you've focused on but a few areas.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 10-23-2014, 07:14 PM
 
8,317 posts, read 29,365,244 times
Reputation: 9305
Quote:
Originally Posted by lclott View Post
I would like to live close to a small town and not too far from a major city. I have twin teenage boys so I'd like to accomodate them as well as set up a little homestead for myself.
Colorado is not like the Midwest and East. The metropolitan areas are large suburban blobs. There is almost nothing "small town" about them. One has to get at least 50 or, better yet, about a hundred miles away from the metro areas before smaller communities become less suburban and more small town rural. There are still a few nice small towns in Colorado that have not been ruined by urbanization--more properly, "metropolitanization"--or recreational resort development, but those not ruined places also tend to be the ones where it is most difficult to make a living.

So, you are likely faced with a difficult choice: Give up the dream of true small town or rural living and live in or in close proximity to one of the metro blobs, or be willing to have a very tough row to hoe to live in a true rural small town.

Oh, and either way, get ready to pay for it. The days of Colorado being a relatively inexpensive place to live are pretty much over.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 10-23-2014, 09:01 PM
 
Location: The 719
17,875 posts, read 27,269,911 times
Reputation: 17128
Rye Colorado.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 10-23-2014, 09:10 PM
 
914 posts, read 2,188,318 times
Reputation: 1514
Quote:
Originally Posted by jazzlover View Post
One has to get at least 50
Nonsense.

Quote:
Originally Posted by jazzlover View Post
or, better yet, about a hundred miles away from the metro areas before smaller communities become less suburban and more small town rural.
Nonsense on stilts.

Niwot. Erie. Lafayette. Lyons. Brighton. Evergreen. Idaho Springs. Conifer. Palmer Lake. Monument. Woodland Park. Peyton. Falcon. Fountain. Florence. Bayfield. Palisade. Loveland.

Some would include places like Westminster, Golden, and Brighton, or significantly larger towns like Castle Rock. The list could go on and on.

While you or I might not care for some of these places, we are not the ones wanting to relocate. Both "small town" and "major city" are terms with different meanings to different people. Which is Pueblo? Or Grand Junction? Either? Neither?
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 10-23-2014, 10:49 PM
 
26,115 posts, read 48,712,075 times
Reputation: 31492
Consider Canon City, Penrose, Pueblo West, Florence, Peyton, Larkspur, Elbert, Elizabeth, Yoder, Green Mountain Falls, Divide, Woodland Park, etc.
__________________
- Please follow our TOS.
- Any Questions about City-Data? See the FAQ list.
- Want some detailed instructions on using the site? See The Guide for plain english explanation.
- Realtors are welcome here but do see our Realtor Advice to avoid infractions.
- Thank you and enjoy City-Data.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 10-24-2014, 04:49 AM
 
Location: We_tside PNW (Columbia Gorge) / CO / SA TX / Thailand
34,560 posts, read 57,481,475 times
Reputation: 45918
Too far is 1 Hr or 6 hrs (from major city?/ airport)
Mtn,
Prairie,
High Meadow

$100K?
$1M?

Need college / EDU?

Why Colorado? BTDT... Not the best place for teenage boys. (School / gun violence)
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 10-24-2014, 11:42 AM
 
930 posts, read 1,645,307 times
Reputation: 798
I have to say Falcon, Peyton, Monument, Fountain, and even Palmer Lake (due to proximity to Monument) are all solidly suburban areas. Maybe some areas that are *really* far out there but somehow still have that city as the post office designation, but if a friend of mine lives in a golf-course community, with HoA mavens driving around every morning to catch rule-breakers, houses on top of each other (Meridian Ranch) and his mailing address is Peyton, that is not rural, at all.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 10-24-2014, 12:15 PM
 
8,317 posts, read 29,365,244 times
Reputation: 9305
Quote:
Originally Posted by Arrby View Post
Nonsense.


Nonsense on stilts.

Niwot. Erie. Lafayette. Lyons. Brighton. Evergreen. Idaho Springs. Conifer. Palmer Lake. Monument. Woodland Park. Peyton. Falcon. Fountain. Florence. Bayfield. Palisade. Loveland.

Some would include places like Westminster, Golden, and Brighton, or significantly larger towns like Castle Rock. The list could go on and on.

While you or I might not care for some of these places, we are not the ones wanting to relocate. Both "small town" and "major city" are terms with different meanings to different people. Which is Pueblo? Or Grand Junction? Either? Neither?
Considering that I spent years studying Colorado demographics and economics as part of my work, and considering that I've literally been in every nook and cranny of Colorado over several decades, I stand on my opinion. Nearly all of the towns listed above may masquerade as small towns (and actually were "real" small towns in decades past), socially and economically they are essentially part of suburbia now. Florence, Palisade, and Bayfield are more "small town" because they are closer to smaller "micropolitan" areas like Pueblo, Durango, and Grand Junction. The sad part is that most metro residents don't know the sociological and economic difference between a suburb and a true rural small town, so they espouse that they are the same thing when they usually are not.

Now, there are a lot of true small towns in Colorado, both sociologically and economically speaking, well away from the metro areas on Colorado's Eastern Plains, in the San Luis Valley, and in some areas of western Colorado where they have not been swamped by recreational development, but--as I said earlier--that small-town economic demographic can be really tough. Often it is that which keeps those towns both small and unfettered by the "big city attitude" that towns overrun by suburban development get.

If the OP wants to live in a community that is essentially a "poser" for a small town, then, yes there are plenty of those in or near the metro areas in Colorado.

Last edited by jazzlover; 10-24-2014 at 01:05 PM..
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 10-25-2014, 11:20 PM
 
Location: Colorado
42 posts, read 57,089 times
Reputation: 74
Quote:
Originally Posted by jazzlover View Post
Nearly all of the towns listed above may masquerade as small towns (and actually were "real" small towns in decades past), socially and economically they are essentially part of suburbia now.
I agree with this, and will add, that a large percentage of the residents of these towns, are commuting to the larger cities for work. I work with people who commute more than 100 miles per day to the city, all to live (or really just sleep) in such a "small town."

I understand that you (OP) are looking for a quieter place to settle down, but you want some balance for your teenagers. In light of that, the major questions that you may want to ask yourself, are: are you planning on them having a car, and do you think they will go to college?

The anatomy of our suburban areas, is such that you may have a large swath of houses, but most of the residents commuting far away to the city for work, leaving little nearby to the neighborhood. A 15 minute drive to the nearest grocery store isn't a big deal if you're going an hour to work, but look at it through your teenagers' eyes: potentially the nearest source of employment for them is a 15 minute drive (assuming that they're getting help to have a car), and they're competing with everybody else in that 15 minute radius who wants to work at that store.

Even in places that may at first glance appear to have a "small town" feel, scratching under the surface will reveal that Main Street is a product of the local chamber of commerce; a collection of retail outlets and newly built housing, but little actual economic value being created.

On the flip side, you want to "homestead," which wasn't too specific. If you're planning on actually farming, having chickens, cattle, etc., you'll need to be in an area without an HOA, or in a development which is friendly to such activity. Due to the increasing sprawl, properties in increasingly remote areas are being subdivided and put under such restrictions.

If you do decide that this is for you, and Colorado is the place, I would steer away from the front range. Look for areas which have some specific economic engine, and aren't simply trying to capitalize on being a "small town." In particular, I would point toward the Western slope, both the area around Grand Junction since there is industry, and outlying areas of the ski resort towns, since there is some economic activity but also land availability.

In short, I understand wanting to be away from the bustle of the city, and want to point you to a place where you aren't simply on some remote appendage of a mega-city. However, I have a friend who grew up in such a situation where their parents felt that being away from the city would be safest (e.g. from crime, drugs, etc.), but found the lack of opportunity, transportation, and jobs to be extremely frustrating. They live on the outer fringes of a front range bedroom community.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.

Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.


Reply
Please update this thread with any new information or opinions. This open thread is still read by thousands of people, so we encourage all additional points of view.

Quick Reply
Message:


Settings
X
Data:
Loading data...
Based on 2000-2020 data
Loading data...

123
Hide US histogram


Over $104,000 in prizes was already given out to active posters on our forum and additional giveaways are planned!

Go Back   City-Data Forum > U.S. Forums > Colorado

All times are GMT -6.

© 2005-2024, Advameg, Inc. · Please obey Forum Rules · Terms of Use and Privacy Policy · Bug Bounty

City-Data.com - Contact Us - Archive 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37 - Top