Future Colorado retirees - need suggestions! (Fort Collins, Boulder: renting, house, to buy)

[Karen H]

Hi - Husband and I (age 55 & 56) plan to explore Colorado July 14th through the 19th to see if we can see it as our future retirement home/state. We will be driving from Minnesota (13 hour drive) so really we have only 4 full days to explore and get a feel of an area. This will be the first of hopefully a number of trips to explore the different regions as I know there is lots to see! To get an idea of what our ideal retirement looks like: Fishing, outdoor/nature enjoyment in general, live music (along with craft beers). Housing: We want to have some privacy (aka not a city or even a suburb, really) but do realize that we need to be close to quality medical care, especially as we age. 20 minutes or less to grocery stores, some restaurants, etc. If it matters, we are liberal leaning. Volunteer opportunities. Near a vibrant community (I hear college towns usually offer this).

In the research I've done, I think the Fort Collins area checks a lot of these boxes (although my husband is intent on being able to fish and I'm not sure there are that many opportunities near Fort Collins for fishing?) Grand Junction is another possibility.

I would really appreciate any suggestions on possible day trips and would especially love to hear from any other people who have retired to Colorado who have similar interests. Thank you!

[StealthRabbit]

Ft Collins / Wellington / LaPorte / Rist Canyon / Red Feather lakes / Estes Park... for senior friendly with ez access to Ft Collins and to outdoor recreation of your tastes.

If you are SERIOUS about outdoor recreation and you prefer EZ access and being ALONE in the wilderness (once you get there), getting as close to WY is best! (or south central or SW CO / access to NM.)
Of course WY LIVING offers no state income tax. (+/-, as CO is fairly taxed across many payees, and states have to get their money somehow). We have ~ (20) MN exile friends living in NoCO if you want some personal input....

Check into some of the IC communities in Boulder and Lyons if you want some alternatives. They have both mixed age and senior focused.

Then... a little west... SW WA, (Mild / temperate winters / Green 11 months / yr, instead of BROWN 6+ months / yr) you have income tax free living and the highest concentration of craft brewers in the USA (sales tax free OR). As COLO escapees (with MN roots), we are about 2 minutes from great hiking, pics, and fishing (Steelhead, Salmon, Sturgeon), Plentiful water, fresh wildberries (edible landscape) and 20 min to PDX (a great airport for the frequent 'sun breaks' to CO, NV, CA, TX, NM).

We have a HUGE MN annual picnic! and it is 3 hr flight to MN (4x + / yr) instead of a 15 hr drive (When we lived in CO)

Colorado has some good things, but since leaving, we have found it better to visit than to live there.

YMMV

Day trips... (broader region search) I like the loop from Ft Collins to Laramie (via back road to Vedauwoo), over the Snowy Range to Saratoga, (free hot springs) Then to Encampment,WY and back down the Poudre, or continuing on to Grand Lake and over Trail Ridge to Estes Park.

house search related...:
Peak to peak Highway is nice (Nederland to Estes Park)

Also Rist / Buckhorn Canyon with a short stop in Masonville (My home town).

The loops over Horsetooth and Carter Lakes (Ft Collins to Berthoud)

Red Feather Lakes (from Livermore)

When are you coming (I see Jul... we are in WA that weekend for an annual event)? We are in CO frequently and can give you a free 'C-D' tour. (I do that for a lot of people who survey SW WA.) Our next planned trip is not until Father's Day weekend, but we often end up in CO 'unplanned'. once / month or so.

If you want a great Aug - Oct escape from MN, grab one of the discounted SWA fares MSP to PDX. We have 'free' international guest home and will be happy to host you. Good fishing (plus free salmon and berries while at our house). OR coast 1 hr, Mt Hood, 1 Hr, Mt St Helens 1 hr, Mt Rainier or Mt Adams (great lake fishing and hunting) 2 hrs, Seattle=3 hrs, by car / Bolt bus / train / 30 min via cheap flight.

[davebarnes]

You need to consider another state.
Colorado is very different from Minnesota.
Water is rare here.

Why is Colorado on your list and not Kentucky?

[jim9251]

It's a BIG state with very different areas. Grand Junction is desert and gets 100 degrees in the summer. Good luck, you may want to really spend time looking around.

[Karen H]

Originally Posted by davebarnes

You need to consider another state.
Colorado is very different from Minnesota.
Water is rare here.

Why is Colorado on your list and not Kentucky?

Hi davebarnes - That is something that we are hoping to explore (fishing opportunities) on our trip(s) to Colorado. I know there are few lakes but I've read there are a number of reservoirs and rivers.
I don't know much about Kentucky but really have never felt a "pull" to that part of the country.

[Karen H]

Originally Posted by StealthRabbit

Ft Collins / Wellington / LaPorte / Rist Canyon / Red Feather lakes / Estes Park... for senior friendly with ez access to Ft Collins and to outdoor recreation of your tastes.

If you are SERIOUS about outdoor recreation and you prefer EZ access and being ALONE in the wilderness (once you get there), getting as close to WY is best! (or south central or SW CO / access to NM.)
Of course WY LIVING offers no state income tax. (+/-, as CO is fairly taxed across many payees, and states have to get their money somehow). We have ~ (20) MN exile friends living in NoCO if you want some personal input....

Check into some of the IC communities in Boulder and Lyons if you want some alternatives. They have both mixed age and senior focused.

Then... a little west... SW WA, (Mild / temperate winters / Green 11 months / yr, instead of BROWN 6+ months / yr) you have income tax free living and the highest concentration of craft brewers in the USA (sales tax free OR). As COLO escapees (with MN roots), we are about 2 minutes from great hiking, pics, and fishing (Steelhead, Salmon, Sturgeon), Plentiful water, fresh wildberries (edible landscape) and 20 min to PDX (a great airport for the frequent 'sun breaks' to CO, NV, CA, TX, NM).

We have a HUGE MN annual picnic! and it is 3 hr flight to MN (4x + / yr) instead of a 15 hr drive (When we lived in CO)

Colorado has some good things, but since leaving, we have found it better to visit than to live there.

YMMV

Day trips... (broader region search) I like the loop from Ft Collins to Laramie (via back road to Vedauwoo), over the Snowy Range to Saratoga, (free hot springs) Then to Encampment,WY and back down the Poudre, or continuing on to Grand Lake and over Trail Ridge to Estes Park.

house search related...:
Peak to peak Highway is nice (Nederland to Estes Park)

Also Rist / Buckhorn Canyon with a short stop in Masonville (My home town).

The loops over Horsetooth and Carter Lakes (Ft Collins to Berthoud)

Red Feather Lakes (from Livermore)

When are you coming (I see Jul... we are in WA that weekend for an annual event)? We are in CO frequently and can give you a free 'C-D' tour. (I do that for a lot of people who survey SW WA.) Our next planned trip is not until Father's Day weekend, but we often end up in CO 'unplanned'. once / month or so.

If you want a great Aug - Oct escape from MN, grab one of the discounted SWA fares MSP to PDX. We have 'free' international guest home and will be happy to host you. Good fishing (plus free salmon and berries while at our house). OR coast 1 hr, Mt Hood, 1 Hr, Mt St Helens 1 hr, Mt Rainier or Mt Adams (great lake fishing and hunting) 2 hrs, Seattle=3 hrs, by car / Bolt bus / train / 30 min via cheap flight.

Thank you stealthrabbit for the wealth of information, insight and suggestions! I will be sure to use this to further our research and help guide us while planning our trips to Colorado. Nice to see another Minnesotan chiming in Thanks again!

[Karen H]

Originally Posted by jim9251

It's a BIG state with very different areas. Grand Junction is desert and gets 100 degrees in the summer. Good luck, you may want to really spend time looking around.

Thanks, jim9251! It really is rather daunting! But we do have to start somewhere, I guess. Interesting your comment on Grand Junction. I was thinking that it would maybe not be the best fit, but I was just trying to think of all of our possible options. Colorado is central to so many family members, and it's a beautiful state. (We have family in Iowa, Missouri, northern CA, southern CA and Arizona) It seems a good, logical state to explore at this point of our journey. (7 years out from retirement) We have plenty of time to visit possible new "homes".
Thanks again!

[NW Crow]

That is a tight timeline. Will you be up for hustle between the drives? I would otherwise suggest stops in Rapid City / Spearfish SD and maybe Sheridan WY but maybe that is a different trip. Stick to NoCO. Mostly Fort Collins & Loveland. Maybe Longmont and Greeley if you want more options. Try for a day / night in / near Rocky Mtn National Park or quieter alternatives.


Spend some time on Google maps / street view for preview of the land. Make note of places you want to see in person. Using google or other to map out the best routes. Uncertain, distracted driving can be nerve-racking and possibly unsafe.


Browsing the local newspapers can be helpful too.


Flying / renting car might be worth it or add more time if you can.

[StealthRabbit]

Originally Posted by NW Crow

That is a tight timeline. Will you be up for hustle between the drives? I would otherwise suggest stops in Rapid City / Spearfish SD and maybe Sheridan WY but maybe that is a different trip. Stick to NoCO. Mostly Fort Collins & Loveland. ...
Flying / renting car might be worth it or add more time if you can.

Yes, One of your RT routes should include Sheridan, and Spearfish (nice college towns in Income Tax Free states) I also like Piedmont, SD and Powell, WY (as alternatives) Visit Powell on your next trip to Yellowstone (and use highway 14a and the Beartooth!)

Loveland is really a swell retirement town, and most my MN friends live there. (but they do not have your same interests and desires of near Micro Brews (only a few in Loveland). More every yr.

If seeking your recreation in WY, (fishing without 10,000 other anglers is great)... stay north of Ft Collins (it's traffic is not ez to cope with). Train runs N-S near main (College Ave), and it has to have the most stoplights per capita in USA. A good friend does a traffic safety job in FC, big demand!

7 yrs will assist in the RE market, as the prices in desirable spots is currently out of reality at the moment (and often). Find your spot (region / area) NOW, have the cash to buy it when the time is right.

If gardening is a hobby, CO can be disappointing. (dry, wind, hail)
Berthoud is the "Garden Spot of Colorado" and a nice little town. You will need water / water rights if you like GREEN. There are some nice rural spots with irrigation ditches, just be sure you get water rights. In CO you CANNOT do unlimited rain water collection, it is capped to ONE 55 g drum (IIRC), That might work for a house plant.

[brown_dog_us]

What type of fishing does he want to do? Fly fishing in the mountains? Trolling in a lake?