Commute fr.Bayfield to Durango? (Pueblo, Sterling: housing, condo, jobs)

[duster1979]

Originally Posted by bigglynals

I second that question. That sounds like what we're looking for. After reading the info from duster1979, that scares me about Bayfield; we were really looking there for houses/jobs. Yikes....

Didn't mean to scare you about Bayfield; that was two or three years ago. Given the fact that the population has really exploded the last couple of years, I have to assume that they've addressed the problems they were having.

I just wanted to warn about the possible pitfalls involved in moving to an established community that sees a sudden burst of development. Just ask lots of questions before buying!

[dgogal]

bigglynals: how small of a town are you looking for? Isn't ABQ pretty big? Are you looking for a town with the amenities of a big town, or are you already used to small town living? You might wanna consider living closer to dgo (great downtown) unless you like more of that sleepy/isolated small town feel.

[bigglynals]

We've already decided on Durango. We're now just looking at suburbs that are affordable. Thanks duster1979, I will take that advice.

[dgoboy204]

Hey bigglynals,
Congratulations on your choice to move to durango! Its cool to see someone who is willing to go for what they want. I wish you the best. Another thought ... I have some friends (young active husband/wife) who recently purchased a new spec home in a Bayfield subdivision. They said their were several new smaller subdivisions going in over there if I remember right. If you are interested, I will see what I can find out...?[/i] Also, the communities in S. Colo. seem to be really aware of the potential problems associated with "high dollar growth" - ideas for providing "affordable" housing in the area are always being considered and new options and opportunities may show up in the near future. Best wishes.

Simmers (& bigglynals): Sorry for the delay in responding to your questions. Noticed your thread on Colorado cities, so I will try to aim there. Durango, Mancos, and Cortez are small - way less than 100k - Dgo about 15k, Cortez maybe 10K, and Mancos about 2K. From Pagosa Springs to Cortez, including Dgo, Bayfield, Mancos ... maybe 50-60K (my guess).

All of this area in S. Colo is outdoorsey -- all of the activities you mentioned and more. Durango is likely the "hub", but there are so many possibilities in the whole area!

Durango, Pagosa (to the east of Durango), and Mancos (to the west) are all pretty mountainous. If you have been watching the news about missing climbers on Mt. Hood in Oregon this week , mountains like that are found generally to the east and especially north of Durango. As you go south (Farmington NM) and west, terrain becomes flatter and more high deserty. Cortez (west) is definately still mountainy, but not as much.

home prices in Dgo and Pagosa seem high right now (not my area of expertise - my apologies) - might be a little hard to stay under 250K. Bayfield maybe rising, too. I think Cortez and Mancos are more affordable - I know rents in those two are much more affordable than Dgo, Pagosa, Bayfield.

Smaller town/family feel (not so collegy): Durango somewhat college town. Bayfield, Mancos, Cortez you might LOVE. Durango still has some small town, but I think that the others are much more small town-ish for sure.

Job market: Tough to say - depends on your line of work - in general, Durango probably offers much more than the others, but all are growing, so opportunities are growing as well.

In regard to this thread, you asked if I would recommend Mancos .. yes, I think Mancos is a beautiful place for mountains, trees, home prices and available land. Close to Dgo (30 mins about), too. It may be too small for your likes and jobs may be a little difficult, though. Finally, you asked about other areas - might check out Montrose Colo. -- a lot like Durango, but without the college. Growing, too, but doesn't seem to be quite as expensive. Beautiful mountains, etc and about 1 hour from Grand Junction Colo The Grand Junction area probably has about 120k people - Montrose maybe 15K. Hope this helps - let me know if I can help more - Best wishes and Merry Xmas! dgoboy

[bigglynals]

dgoboy:
Thanks, we're so excited. As soon as my husband finds a job, we're outta here (albuquerque). Im interested in that Bayfield subdivision your friends moved to. We now live in a 'cookie-cutter' housing development. So, we're used to the houses close together. My dream place would be to have much more space between the houses (1/4 acre) w/ some forrest in the backyard. If we could find that, I'll be surprised. We have 2 german shepard mutts who love to run around, so the more space the better. Thanks for all the time & effort you put into your responses! Merry Christmas.

[Simmers]

Originally Posted by dgoboy204

Simmers (& bigglynals): Sorry for the delay in responding to your questions. Noticed your thread on Colorado cities, so I will....

THANKS AGAIN DGOBOY - THIS IS GREAT INFORMATION! I am going to look around for jobs at the places you suggested and hopefully get this moving! Thanks again, the information was very helpful and is greatly appreciated! Merry Christmas!

[sharf315]

Originally Posted by bigglynals

dgoboy:
Thanks, we're so excited. As soon as my husband finds a job, we're outta here (albuquerque). Im interested in that Bayfield subdivision your friends moved to. We now live in a 'cookie-cutter' housing development. So, we're used to the houses close together. My dream place would be to have much more space between the houses (1/4 acre) w/ some forrest in the backyard. If we could find that, I'll be surprised. We have 2 german shepard mutts who love to run around, so the more space the better. Thanks for all the time & effort you put into your responses! Merry Christmas.

Hi bigglynals,

Just wondering how you are doing in your search to move to Colorado. My fiance and I were in the Durango area (drove from Albuquerque which I believe is where you live!) and found it to be the place we want to move to! The housing is Durango is WAY high priced, at least for our pocketbook, so we found Bayfield to be very desirable. We have our own business so we don't have to worry too much about the job market (thank goodness!). Anyway, we found a wonderful "subdivision" that has a resort feel just north of Bayfield called Forest Lakes. You can easily find a 3 bed/2 bath with about a 1/2 acre for under $300,000 which I think is pretty reasonable.

Any information/helpful hints you can give me regarding things you have heard from other members on this area would be greatly appreciated. Good luck to you and, who knows...we could end up being neighbors someday!! We have 5 dogs right now (my fiance has 50 acres!) so we are HUGE animal people and it is very important to us to live somewhere where our animals can roam freely, at least in our own yard!

Would love to hear from you and good luck in your search!

All the best,
sharf315

[I_LUVNM]

You really are picking the right place if you love animals! Durango has more animal lovers than anyplace I have ever seen! I think there are two dogs and cats for every person!

[LFults]

I_LUVNM,

I'm happy to hear that Durango will welcome my pets as well as my family!! We are heading to Durango for our trip at the end of this month. We are staying in Durango for 3 nights and would like to stay in Bayfield for a couple of nights as well. I have the Durango end covered, but having trouble where to stay in Bayfield. Would ideally love a "little cabin in the woods", with a little price tag to go with it!

Anyway, if anyone has any suggestions, let me know. Also, has anyone been to or stayed at the SawMill in Bayfield?

LFults

[sharf315]

Hi again LFults,

Not sure about where to stay in Bayfield...it's definitely not as "up and coming" as Durango but it does has all the necessities so there must be something. I know that there are resorts just north of Bayfield near Vallecito (which is gorgeous as it is on a reservoir!!). Found one but it is closed in the winter but check it out...it is GORGEOUS!!

http://www.vallecitoresort.com/

Now, THAT'S why I am moving to Colorado!!! (Do people always ask you WHY you are moving???!!!).

Found a few more resorts that look great!

http://www.frontier.net/~deerwillow/index.htm (cabins are only $80-$100 a nite!)
http://www.lonewolflodge.com/index.html
http://www.durangoresortonlake.com/index.html
http://www.eaglesnestcabinsandhomes.com/eaglnest.html
http://www.pineriverlodge.com/
http://www.bearpawlodge.com/cabins/
http://www.coloradovacation.com/cabins/elkpoint/
http://www.virginiaslodge.com/htms/circleS.htm

Let me know where you end up staying as I will probably be back there in March and would love to stay at one of these resorts!

Hey I LUVNM...thanks for the great info about Durango being a pet loving community...now I am POSITIVE I have picked the right place!! I know you live in NM but how many dogs and cats do you have??

Take care and hope to hear more from all,
Shar