Best City or Town for Single Female Retiree? (Denver, Colorado Springs: ski resort, for sale)

[suaz]

I’m a single female thinking about retiring in Colorado. My budget prohibits a lot of towns. I’ll be looking to spend no more than $250,000 for a small single family home. I would love a vibrant walkable downtown with lots of good restaurants and shopping. I love the arts as well. I’m a big walker as well, averaging about five miles on my walks. I’d love to find a historic character house if I could. Good medical care is important as well. Do any small cities or towns jump out at you? I’d love some insight

[Mike from back east]

Might be something in Canon City, CO, like this one: https://www.zillow.com/homes/for_sal...04_rect/12_zm/

Realtor.com shows over 200 homes in COLO SPGS under $250k which checks a lot of your boxes and has good access to health care for retirees.

[DrDog]

I would think good medical care requires being within driving range of the front range?

[NW Crow]

It depends what you mean by a small city, but you might find a small house in Loveland in that range.

[StealthRabbit]

as a single female, COS would be my first choice, (if mixed social events are of interest)

or...

I would up the budget and move to Loveland. or... first rent, and then buy later (when the next crash hits NoCo RE prices hard)

Loveland has always been a favorite, but is currently overpriced due to economy / mobility (it will re-adjust). Look for the nice older homes around Bill Reed Middle school (west 4th street to Colorado / Duffield Ave, and near the SE side of Lake Loveland and nearby Veteran's park) it is really nice to be walking distance to the Lake (nice path around the lake) and near Sculpture Garden. Very nice active retiree community.

DTWN Ft Collins is quite a lot nicer, but trendy and sometimes college focused (during session) FtCol is also heavy 'family / soccer mom'

Berthoud gets my vote for 'sleepy and nice' . older home around the park are nice.

[anyam22]

Suaz...I'm looking for the exact same thing you are. I'm retired, single, 70...a perky 70, and have lived up in Summit County for the past 7 years. I have your requirements in need, plus a couple more: living at nearly 10,000 ft in elevation has caused me to require oxygen at night (though I've lived over 9,000 for 14 years). Apparently hundreds and hundreds of people up here end up with that; also, my son lives in Nashville and visits spur of the moment when working clients in Denver, so I want to live near but not too close to I70 or I25 making the airport drive reasonable; my little house has appreciated greatly in 4 years so I want to get the money out of it, downsize my house and put the remainder back into investments in case I live longer than I expect! And finally, maybe just a little less snow! Not ski resort level. I've loved it, but I need a change.

Canon City and Loveland have been mentioned and those two seem to be the most likely to meet my and your price criteria. I receive alerts of new listings in both those towns and also Florence, the smaller town next to Canon City, for houses under $350k, although my actual range ends around $300k or less. I get new houses sent to me daily from those towns, and I'll tell you, we will get more for our money in Canon than Loveland.

My sister lives in Fort Collins, and I lived there 25 years, leaving in 2002. It's blown up since, and I can't find a house I would care to live in in my price range. I get alerts from FC too, but they're not interesting nor very nice. I'm priced out of the front range. Colorado Springs may be the exception, and I know and like it. For me, it's just too large and busy. Forecasts even call for it to surpass Denver in population at some point! Here in Summit County, in the two high seasons (most of the year), there is so much traffic and so many tourists and second home people I am looking for a quieter spot with less people and congestion. I should mention, that like you, I'm not looking at the new, treeless, cookie cutter neighborhoods in any town. If I were to consider CS, I'd begin looking in Old Colorado City which has a lot of character and old homes, shops and eateries, along with a very diverse group of people, but it's a cool place. And wonderful old homes of every size around downtown, but I don't know about those prices.

Canon has had an iffy reputation in the past because the main industry there is prisons. I lived up in the mountains above Canon City, Westcliffe, for 8 years and went to Canon at least twice monthly . I never got how the prisons would effect my personal life, but I think maybe people are leery because of who they think works at those prisons or who is living in town to be near their loved ones in prison. ?? I still don't see the problem though. It's a big industry that keeps Canon thriving. My friend in Westcliffe, who shows her art in a Canon gallery, is urging me to come there. She says Canon City is flourishing, sprucing up, and businesses and people, especially retirees, are moving in.

If I really wanted to size down, I get listing alerts for houses from $175k to $225k. Another realtor friend there says those won't last too long as people are buying and fixing them up for rentals. Many of them are small but awfully cute, and the old ones, of course are nearer the downtown area.

Living in Canon, you have good choices of where to get medical treatment and where to do more special shopping than a small town offers. Pueblo is about 30 or 40 minutes from Canon City with a big super Walmart and big grocery stores even closer...maybe 15 minutes down the road. Personally, Pueblo isn't my cup of tea, so I would choose Colorado Springs for my larger, near town which is 50 minutes or so from Canon. The same goes for medical....two hospitals in Pueblo and much more selection of facilities and specialties in the Springs. And Canon isn't ON the freeway, but access is easy (and scenic). That brings me to another observation, I think Canon is pretty. Good mountain views and just a mile or two and you're well into them! It's quite scenic there...much more than Fort Collins, and though Loveland is pretty, I think overall scenery around town is better in Canon.

Don't think because I've mentioned the two larger towns there is no shopping there. There is. There is a nice City Market and a Safeway and most of the other kinds of stores you'll want, though not fashion, Whole Foods, or Starbucks. ha ha. I'll miss those two when I move, but it just means I'll save a bunch of money.

I'm told not to overlook Florence, just a few miles from Canon. It's been known as Colorado's antique town forever and has a darling downtown main street. But in recent years, the art community there has grown and flourished, opening an art center in an old house and my friend said lots of artists and artsy types live there. People used to say Florence is "rough", but I don't imagine locals would agree with that now. Both towns have great old houses close to town, though much less comes up for sale in Florence, perhaps just because it's smaller and there is less. New restaurants and galleries are moving in here also.

Of course, Loveland offers everything the front range offers or close proximity to it. But wow! that northern front range area it's congested. So crowded with more folks streaming in daily.

I'm putting this house on the market August 1. What is your time frame? If you have any questions, please, just email. I'd love to compare notes! anya@anyawest.com

[suaz]

Thanks everyone for your input. A great deal of valuable information! Anya, I sent you an email

[TCHP]

I'll throw my pitch in for Colo Spgs. Less expensive, historic housing can be found in Shooks Run (east downtown), Mesa Springs(between Old North end and westsides), the near westside (between downtown and Old Co City), and Roswell (near Old North End) neighborhoods. Downtown's Tejon street is very walkable as is is Old Colorado City (westside) and Manitou (far west side) and all three areas specialize in local eateries, several of which have been featured in Diners, Drive Ins, and Dives TV show. The Olympic Museum that is under construction will extend this walkability into the southern downtown area. Ivywild and Lincoln School centers are turning into neighborhood social centers for south and north Cascade Ave. respectively with breweries, cafes, bakeries, and exercise outlets. Colorado College (near downtown) hosts numerous events throughout the year and is a leading liberal arts college in the western US. University of CO at Cos is the fastest growing university in the state at it near north side location. Access to healthcare is pretty good as well. Public transportation isn't stellar, but getting around in a vehicle is not troublesome at all.

[COcheesehead]

Have you looked at the western slope? We like Grand Junction. Cute downtown, good regional medical center, lower elevation, short winters, long shoulder seasons. Lots and lots to do. Within a few hours of many national parks. Growing retirement community. Lower cost of living. It will eventually catch up with the rest of Colorado for home prices. Don't wait too long.

[suaz]

Great suggestions, everyone! Thank you!