Family Moving to Telluride- Need Advice (Montrose, Ouray: ski resort, for sale, apartments)

[kyndcookie]

Hi, My family (wife, 2yo son, pets) is in the process of purchasing a restaurant in Telluride. It's time to start looking for a place to live. We are well aware of how expensive it is to buy, and we know what rentals are like.

We've determined that we can pay $2000-$3000 a month in rent.

My questions are:

- Is it at all feasable to live outside Telluride and drive in to town? I know it's a rural area and don't have a problem with a "commute", but I worry about snow.

- Are there any residence-restricted housing available? We are looking to rent for 6-12 before buying a home, but I cannot seem to find non-resort rentals.

Any help would be greatly appreciated!

Shawn

[CosmicWizard]

kyndcookie wrote:

Family Moving to Telluride- Need Advice

Bring lots of money! Good luck. I hope you find what you're looking for.

[Sockeye]

I'll 2nd that one about plenty of dough! I'd also think this one over very thoroughly, too. Telluride, superficially, is a very charming resort town. Whats happened to this old mining town over the last 25 years is tragic, though. Property taxes have skyrocketed to where the old hangers on have been forced out. What you have there now is no one from there anymore. Its become an odd assortment of trustafarians, a FEW old hippies, and a transient workforce. The Town Council is comprised mostly of folks who have never worked a real job in their lives, and shamelessly promote elitist agendas. That said, it would hardly be an ideal place to raise a family. The nearby towns have also seen big increases in the cost of living.

[kyndcookie]

Originally Posted by Sockeye

I'll 2nd that one about plenty of dough! I'd also think this one over very thoroughly, too. Telluride, superficially, is a very charming resort town. Whats happened to this old mining town over the last 25 years is tragic, though. Property taxes have skyrocketed to where the old hangers on have been forced out. What you have there now is no one from there anymore. Its become an odd assortment of trustafarians, a FEW old hippies, and a transient workforce. The Town Council is comprised mostly of folks who have never worked a real job in their lives, and shamelessly promote elitist agendas. That said, it would hardly be an ideal place to raise a family.

I hear what you're saying, Sockeye. Gentrification is never pretty. I've lived in cities like NYC and Monterey, California and I've seen firsthand how regular working people are pushed/priced out of their homes and neighborhoods. I myself was kicked out of two apartments in Brooklyn because I suddently found myself living in the "hip" part of town and could no longer afford the rent. We're working class folks looking for a better place to raise our son. Social politics aside, Telluride does have many advantages over Las Vegas- where we presently live: Much lower crime, rural environment, left-leaning politics, environmental awareness and much better public schools. Not to mention the myriad opportunites for outdoor recreation, which my wife and I dearly love. Besides, most desirable cities (Las Vegas included) have a group of residents who would like nothing more than to gentrify blue collar workers/minorities/non-rich people out of existence.

(cliche' warning) We also long to leave the "rat race" and find a place we can settle into and be part of a community. While that community may have a great deal of transients and "elitist" consumers, I would hope to find myself part of a group like-minded business owners who are civic-minded and care not only about the businesses we run, but for the town itself. I hope that's not being naive.

In any case I hope to get the thread a little more back on topic. I like to hear what people have to say about the political climate of Telluride, but maybe we could start a separate thread.

On the home front, we've spotted what appears to be a nice rental home. My question is this: Is it too far away, and will I regret being so far out of town once snow arrives? We were thinking a 4WD vehicle would be necessary as a matter of course for living in a mountain environment. Please see the link below.

Telluride Colorado Vacation Ranch Home - House For Rent in Telluride, CO - HotPads.com (broken link)

[Sockeye]

On the home front, we've spotted what appears to be a nice rental home. My question is this: Is it too far away, and will I regret being so far out of town once snow arrives? We were thinking a 4WD vehicle would be necessary as a matter of course for living in a mountain environment. Please see the link below.

You'll definitely need a 4x4 for that drive. If current trends continue, fuel costs will be a considerable chunk of your budget. Gas is also more expensive in the rural mountain areas. I respect your desire to be community minded, too. Resort businesses that are successful often remain so by giving back. Best of luck to you!

[brightdoglover]

I used to own a small rental home in Ridgway, which is about 45 miles from Telluride. It's a good highway between the towns, and certainly people lived there and worked in Telluride in all seasons. I think Ridgway is a very good environment for family life. Like any place with snow, when it's snowing, driving is hard. In Colorado, I think when it stops snowing, the sun comes out, and the roads are cleared and dry rather quickly. By the way, there are no avalanche slides like there are outside Ouray (a large concrete roof over a section of road known for avalanches.
I know 45 miles could get pricey with gas, but I think the actual drive is a clear highway shot, and Ridgway is an excellent community for kids. From what people there tell me, Telluride simply is not- that it's more like L.A. in a beautiful box canyon. Any ski resort area (as had been mentioned by other posters who live in CO) can be a rather unwholesome environment, and Telluride is very high-end for a ski area. And yes, local agree that Telluride is utterly ruined.
Good luck- it is such a beautiful place, all of it. I still get the Ridgway newspaper and try to plot a way to spend retirement summers there (at least).

[brightdoglover]

P.S. Your rental budget is more than sufficient for a place in Ridgway. That could make up for the gas prices of commuting.

[rybert]

Is this a multi-story restaurant? Is it possible to create your residency @ the restaurant? I suppose that may be frowned upon by the city officials.

[jazzlover]

Originally Posted by kyndcookie

Hi, My family (wife, 2yo son, pets) is in the process of purchasing a restaurant in Telluride. It's time to start looking for a place to live. We are well aware of how expensive it is to buy, and we know what rentals are like.

We've determined that we can pay $2000-$3000 a month in rent.

My questions are:

- Is it at all feasable to live outside Telluride and drive in to town? I know it's a rural area and don't have a problem with a "commute", but I worry about snow.

- Are there any residence-restricted housing available? We are looking to rent for 6-12 before buying a home, but I cannot seem to find non-resort rentals.

Any help would be greatly appreciated!

Shawn

I sincerely hope you are not a victim of "paradise syndrome." I won't repeat but you may query the phrase in some of my earlier posts and see what I mean. Telluride, like many resort areas in Colorado, is a great place to go broke in business--I've watched it for--oh--only 40 years.

[ShellKing]

Does Telluride really need another restaurant?

Telluride does have housing for sale that is only available for people who have jobs in Telluride. It's usually listed as "deed restricted". I don't know about rentals like this. Although a rental that allows pets might be hard to find.

The main road in/out of Telluride is kept in pretty good condition because it's the only way in/out. Telluride is busy enough that it needs to keep the traffic moving. It does not get snowed in.

I couldn't see the exact rental you linked to. Is it along that main road? Anything else would be kinda crazy,

What about starting your restaurant in Ridgway or Montrose? Montrose is much bigger than Telluride or Ridgway -- but still offers a lot.