Recommendations for active retirees? (Denver, Colorado Springs: real estate, low crime, new home)

[Hanne]

We're probably interested in Colorado for the same reasons most everyone else is........but we're youngish retirees. So we'd like a fit where perhaps everyone isn't under 30. <g> Where do retirees head? We're the sort that're not into monster houses, but looking for outdoor and cultural opportunites.


What areas would you suggest for active retirees, looking for:

Reasonably priced housing

Close to parks/natural areas near the mountains or foothills

Small town vibe

Low crime

An artsy or creative vibe is a plus

Thanks!

Hanne

[COflower]

Cañon City might be a good fit for you. It's perfect for people wanting a small city or large town that also is closer to the bigger cities for more cultural activities:

Business, Relocation and Visitor Information Cañon City Colorado Chamber of Commerce

The community actively supports the arts but it's a scenic drive up 115 to get to Colorado Springs for Broadway plays, some big name concerts and more refined shopping. It's close to Pueblo Reservoir if you like boating and such. Monarch Ski area is a bit over an hour and is more local resident friendly than the big guys up in Summit County. Cañon City itself bosts a lot of trails for hiking and biking and water sports in and around it. It is usually sheltered from major winter storms so for a young retired couple, the weather isn't as big an issue in the winter months.

As for the smaller towns in Colorado, that's my second choice after Grand Junction - even though the size of the two aren't comparable really, the climate of each are similar as well as the feeling of small towns.

I'd make a trip out here and take a look around. spend a couple of weeks to get a feel for what interests you and ask locals about a town. There are other smaller towns and cities you might find interest you: Ft. Collins (keeping you young and hip), Durango has a lot to offer too...

Hope that helps.

[jazzlover]

"Reasonably priced housing" knocks out all but a few places. Canon City has already been mentioned. Also popular is the Delta County/Montrose County area. Housing there is still sort of reasonably priced, so long as you don't have to rely on a local income. Unfortunately, the rural sprawl that is killing the desirability of a lot of rural Colorado is running rampant there. The bucolic agricultural nature of those two places is rapidly dying off. "Culture" is pretty much absent in most of rural Colorado, compared to urban areas, unless you live in one of the hideous, expensive yuppie resort towns.

Durango is "trophy house" central and is hideously overpriced, unless you live way out of town.

Climate is also a consideration. Canon City, Delta, and Montrose have pretty mild winter climates for Colorado, but summers can be hot, with temperatures usually hitting 100 degrees at least a time or two every year. Daytime highs over 90 are common from late May through early September.

On the crime issue, I would pick Canon City over Delta or Montrose. People complain about the numerous prisons around Canon City, but crime there is less than in Delta or Montrose (and there is a minimum security prison in Delta, anyway).

I wouldn't consider Grand Junction. It is in the middle of the gas drilling boom. Housing is getting way overpriced, the traffic is getting worse all the time, crime is up, and sprawl is out of control.

Also, if you have or expect to have any specialized medical needs beyond the usual cardio-vascular, pulmonary, or (some) cancer stuff, you can expect to have to travel to the Front Range cities for specialized treatment. Virtually everyone I know over the age of 50 (and a lot who are younger) living in rural Colorado has had to go to Denver or Colorado Springs at least once for specialized medical needs. Medical services in rural Colorado are a lot better than they used to be, but they are still a "fer piece" from the level of medical services available in urban areas.

Oh, and aside from housing costs (maybe) and a few services, just about everything else in rural Colorado costs as much or more than it does on the Front Range--especially food and fuel.

I have spent all but a few years of my life in Colorado, most of it in rural Colorado, but I probably won't retire here. That ought to tell you something about how I've come to feel about the "new" Colorado.

[Hanne]

So quickly do I get great responses with just the kind of info. I'm looking for.

Coflower, Canon City looks like a great suggestion.....I've been googling it. Thank you. And I'll take a look at Grand Junction. I was there a long time ago but don't remember much about the area.

Jazzlover, you hit upon several things which are deal breakers no matter where we are looking......sprawl, growth, and that reference to "new". New "anywhere" has often lost what drew folks there in the first place. Where would you consider for retirement for yourself, if the "new" Colorado has taken hold?

I spent summers near Golden nearly 30 years ago and fell in love with the area. So, I guess we were wondering if anywhere in CO would fit us now as we look to move, coming retirement. I realize a LOT can change in 30 years. <g>

[jazzlover]

Hanne,

There is really no place in Colorado that is anything remotely like it was 30 years ago, unless you go out on the eastern plains, or a few places down in the San Luis Valley (there are some recent posts on that). Unfortunately, the "resort" sprawl mentality is spreading throughout the Rocky Mountain West. I spent several years in Wyoming and it is creeping in there. Same with New Mexico, Utah, Idaho, and Montana. Areas that I never believed I would see development in my lifetime are now being subdivided--it's sad and criminal, really.

Where to go? Much as I love the mountains--and have lived near or in them all of my life--I am seriously considering moving into a small town in the rural Midwest for my retirement. There is a lot to be said for small-town mid-America. I would miss the mountains terribly, but sometimes practicality and economics just have to win out. I have written extensively in this forum about my opinions of Colorado's increasingly unbalanced economy. I won't repeat here, but I think that may be a big problem in the difficult economic environment I believe the US is going to face for many years ahead.

[suzco]

Originally Posted by Hanne

So quickly do I get great responses with just the kind of info. I'm looking for.

Coflower, Canon City looks like a great suggestion.....I've been googling it. Thank you. And I'll take a look at Grand Junction. I was there a long time ago but don't remember much about the area.

Jazzlover, you hit upon several things which are deal breakers no matter where we are looking......sprawl, growth, and that reference to "new". New "anywhere" has often lost what drew folks there in the first place. Where would you consider for retirement for yourself, if the "new" Colorado has taken hold?

I spent summers near Golden nearly 30 years ago and fell in love with the area. So, I guess we were wondering if anywhere in CO would fit us now as we look to move, coming retirement. I realize a LOT can change in 30 years. <g>

Since you mention Golden, I've noticed signs along Hwy 93 for a 55+ community in Golden, Parkview Villas, being developed by Pulte. I know nothing about the community, and Golden is certainly nothing like it was 30 years ago, but you might be interested in learning more about that community.

[Hanne]

Jazzlover,
You describe it:"it's sad and criminal, really". I couldn't agree more. While I'm sure it's not to the extent you see in Colorado....we, too, have our version of sprawl and the strip-mall-ization of our rural areas. (I'm in Ohio.)
I can't imagine leaving the mountains for the midwest. That sure says a lot about the change you've seen.
I'll look for your previous posts on Colorado....sounds interesting.
Thanks,
Hanne

[livecontent]

Originally Posted by suzco

Since you mention Golden, I've noticed signs along Hwy 93 for a 55+ community in Golden, Parkview Villas, being developed by Pulte. I know nothing about the community, and Golden is certainly nothing like it was 30 years ago, but you might be interested in learning more about that community.

This points out one of the major issues for retirement that I have been pointing out on this forum. This retirement community cannot be served by the Access_a_Ride,access-a-Ride the bus transportation for the disabled. That is because:

"You can use access-a-Ride to travel within Arapahoe, Adams, Denver, Boulder, Broomfield, Douglas and Jefferson counties as long as the same trip could have been made on the regular RTD fixed-route bus system. Your trip must have a starting and ending point within 3/4 mile of an RTD non-commuter fixed route."

This development is located at 58th and Hwy. 93, north of Golden, west of Arvada. Go to the RTD Mapping Site
Denver - Regional Transportation District Mapping Site

You will find a purple line with a disabled marker around the map; this indicates the boundaries for the Access_a_Ride Service. Now, before you complain, this boundaries is determined by federal regulations. A few years ago RTD, was not strict about enforcing it and the federal government told them that it was required for federal subsidy. So, make sure your new home is within the boundaries--and this is important for young families--you must anticipate your future needs.

Now is this important??

Take it from me, a disabled person, who never thought about this issue before a sudden illness--it is very important. In addition, I have elderly parents who cannot drive, and it is just luck, that they are juse within the boundary for service because it was not considered before they bought their retirement home.

Keep this issue, in mind, when you look at a retirement home. You may become disabled and certainly you will get old, and transportation can become a problem. In addition, I would look into a retirement community that was in walking distance of basic shopping and regular transportation services--not like this Pulte community which requires driving.

Just as Jazzlover pointed out---medical care can be difficult, if not impossible, in many rural communities. I have written about this issue on this forum--as you get older you will need more specialized care.

I am lucky that I live within walking distance of stores and a major bus route and a rail station will be built within walking distance. In addiition, when I have severe difficulties walking, I can get an para-transit bus to all locations within the RTD boundaries--and believe me--it is very helpful.

Livecontent

[CosmicWizard]

Grand Junction might be worth a visit at least. As Jazzlover mentioned however, housing has gotten more expensive ( still a good buy compared to Virginia Beach where I moved from ) and it is still appreciating very slightly even as real estate tanks in many other parts of the country. Winters are relatively mild and there is very little snow to deal with. Summers can get hot. In 2007 there were 10 days with triple digit highs and a total of 79 days with high temps of 90 or more. However, it is a dry heat as they say. Personally, the dry heat is far more tolerable than the humid heat of the east.

Some might consider Grand Junction traffic to be on the heavy side, but that too is relative. On those rare occassions when I have to sit thru 2 light changes and I start complaining, my wife reminds me of sitting thru 5 light changes in Virginia Beach. It really is relative. Compared to the traffic of a small town in Wyoming, Grand Junction traffic must seem like a horrendous nightmare.

If you enjoy year round outdoor activity in a relatively mild climate, Grand Junction (broken link) fits the bill very nicely. If we need a break from the 100 degree temps, it's less than an hours drive to the Grand Mesa where the temp is at least 20 degrees cooler. Same deal in the winter, if we want to play in the snow we can take a short drive to the Grand Mesa. Ouray hot spring is less than 2 hours away and Orvis hot spring is about 15 minutes closer. Moab, Arches National Park, and Canyonlands National Park are about 2 hours away. Locally, the Colorado National Monument, a relatively unknown unit of the National Park System, is right on the edge of town.

Before you cross it off your list, come for a visit and get a first hand feel for the place. It may or may not be the place for you. Only you can make that decision. My wife and I have been here for 20 months and we are liking it more and more as the months zoom by, mostly becasue of the great out door recreational activities nearby. When you read the perceptions of someone who lived in Colorado in the good ole days, everything gets compared to that. What doesn't seem so hot based on that comparison, might seem magnificently appealing to you. Remember that you'll be making your comaprisons to Ohio, not to Colorado as it was 30 or 40 years ago.

[Hanne]

Livecontent, Thanks for the sound advice. Most people don't even consider those issues until they have to. I suppose we look at our next move as the "next chapter", and plan to get closer to those services at some time in the future. So, knowing that that will be an even "later chapter" (hopefully), it's exceedingly important that we don't pay too much for our next house in an unrealistically inflated market. I don't know if that makes sense, but that's the plan. <g>
NewAgeRedneck, you make some very good points. So we'll check out Grand Junction. I did google and property was more expensive that I'd anticipated. I know what you mean about relativity......our "good old days" were as recent as 10 years ago, and the recent waves of suburban "pioneers" think they've moved to the wilderness. So there's some irony. Due to our changing landscape, we're considering Colorado? Hmmmm. <g>

Thanks,
Hanne