Looking to move Grand Junction vs Durango vs Pueblo (Denver: transplants, rent)

[syoung078]

Hey all!

Looking to move to CO from the East Coast in a year or so. Trying to figure out exactly where I want to be. My job is flexible, I work as a home health nurse and could live anywhere as long as there's an agency close by for work, which in these places there are (among others in CO). I keep coming back to these three in terms of pricing of housing, weather, and decent job potential. I cannot afford the Denver area. Also tickling the idea of Colorado Springs?

Just looking for some insight. I've been to Colorado, but mostly the Northern half (Denver, Estes Park, Aspen, Boulder, Leadville, Carbondale, Crested Butte and Gothic).

I'm single and 27 yo with a full time job and enjoy the beauty of Colorado and outdoor sports/activities.

I've looked up the generic info for each like demographics, crime rate, employment, etc.

What is the culture like in these areas? Are they too isolated? Touristy? How are the people?

Any info or personal experience in these places would be much appreciated. I do plan to fly out atleast one more time before purchasing a home but just wanted some insight since it's costly to fly out and drive around to all these places and get a true feel for the town/city.


Thank you all so much!

[otowi]

Durango is kind of touristy and pricey and relatively isolated, but it is a pretty location. Pueblo you're on the Front Range minutes from Colorado Springs so you might as well also consider Fountain/Widefield/Security and then you could potentially work in either city easily. If you're worried about being too isolated, it is a good choice. I haven't been to Grand Junction in awhile - but the Western Slope of Colorado is quite different from the areas you say you've been to.

[NW Crow]

Don't skimp on time on the ground before buying. A quick buy that was the wrong buy will be far more costly than an extended visit or a 2nd or 3rd one.


The key initial questions are housing price point and what kind of housing situation you seek.


Pueblo's average hone price is around $150,000 or maybe higher now. Grand Junction's avg. price is 50% higher tha Pueblo. Durango proper is double GJ's though you can get cheaper 10-20 plus miles out. Do you want in town, close suburbs or rural? How big, how new?


On culture I don't know what to say beyond that GJ votes way more Republican. They all have access to the Colorado outdoors. They have urban life consistent with their size but none are likely considered exceptional on urban culture by many.


Pueblo has a slight Hispanic majority. Durango is in the middle on diversity with Hispanics and some Native Americans. And Texans and some Californians, Arizonans, Oklahomans and assorted other Midwest & East Coast transplants (true for the others too but maybe to lesser degree). GJ is the least diverse but still has around 20% Hispanics. This matters to some, not much to others. Pueblo West is another option with somewhat less diversity and modestly higher housing prices. Pueblo has the higher crime rates but it varies by neighborhood, behavior, degree of caution used, etc.

[DrDog]

Haven’t visited Grand Junction. Love Durango as a tourist- hiking, taking the dog along the river, shopping, dining etc. Don’t think I’d want to live there. As mentioned it’s small, expensive and isolated. Minimal exposure to Pueblo, but don’t like what I see. Seems poor, run down, and true high desert with emphasis on desert.

[TCHP]

Pueblo has an extensive extensive historic downtown. They have a major river running through town. They have a major reservoir 20 minutes from downtown. They have a significant arts and conference center that is larger and better funded per capita than many other cities the same size. They have a large number of family farms east of town along the Arkansas River valley that provide fresh produce at least six months out of the year. They still have an active automotive drive in with three different screens. Pueblo has a lot of neat little things about it. It also has some substantial working class neighborhoods which are not new, with large houses, nor upscale curb appeal. Its crime rate is unfortunately higher than average. It is still struggling to shake off its heavy industrial past and reconcile its blue collar population with modern industry. Some of its schools are struggling. But, there are still some very neat parts of Pueblo that are worth looking into.

[COcheesehead]

Consider weather too. Durango will have the most snow and cold of the three. Pueblo is probably second and GJ has mild three seasons with hot summers. They all look vastly different from one another. Alpine to mesas and canyons. You couldn’t pick three more diverse towns to consider.

[LHS79]

I doubt living in C/S and working in Pueblo would be a good idea- that would be a looooooong commute.

Similar to living in C/S and working in Denver- how much emphasis do you put on "quality of life" and stress levels?

I-25 was shut down again this morning near Castle Rock- enjoy the commute!

[otowi]

Originally Posted by LHS79

I doubt living in C/S and working in Pueblo would be a good idea- that would be a looooooong commute.

Similar to living in C/S and working in Denver- how much emphasis do you put on "quality of life" and stress levels?

I-25 was shut down again this morning near Castle Rock- enjoy the commute!

If you live in south Springs or Fountain, it is not a bad commute at all - about the same as going to the north end of Colorado Springs, and typically less traffic. There is also a lot less traffic congestion between Pueblo and Colorado Springs, generally speaking. Just as an example, my niece lives in Widefield and when deciding where to go to college, she considered drive times and it was virtually identical for her to go to UCCS vs. CSU Pueblo. Mileage was a bit higher to Pueblo but had much lower traffic congestion.

[COcheesehead]

Originally Posted by otowi

If you live in south Springs or Fountain, it is not a bad commute at all - about the same as going to the north end of Colorado Springs, and typically less traffic. There is also a lot less traffic congestion between Pueblo and Colorado Springs, generally speaking. Just as an example, my niece lives in Widefield and when deciding where to go to college, she considered drive times and it was virtually identical for her to go to UCCS vs. CSU Pueblo. Mileage was a bit higher to Pueblo but had much lower traffic congestion.

I knew somebody who commuted to Pueblo from CS. I know they invested in good snow tires.

[Terra_lioness]

Pueblo is the cheapest route in terms of rent but its also one big ghetto except for Pueblo West. Its predominantly Mexican and Pueblo West is mostly white.
Crime is extremely high and corruption has touched every industry including st Marys Hospital which they just closed down.
There is only 1 hospital now.
The children only go to school 4 days a week in some areas because of budget cuts.
Its a small city and people gossip a lot because theres nothing else to do there.
Even if you lived in Pueblo west, you would still have to deal with Pueblo in some regard....