Relocating to Delta. Input please (Fort Collins, Pueblo: appointed, home, schools)

[CJLoren]

Hello everyone,
I have read up on the city, not big, and that is a definite plus. I used to live in a small mountain town in Northern California called Fortuna. I have been searching high and low for a nice small "villiage" to move to. I'm 21 and need a place where I can easily commute to a community college AND either a college that has an on-site univerity or a reqular university, where I can finish my BA in Education. I have been looking in to Mesa State College in Grand Junction. It seems like a great opportunity and only 30mins away from Delta. I would not mind the commute from Delta to Grand Junction, as I am currently in Las Vegas and to get from one side of town to the other is at least 1hr+. I have never liked big cities much, which is why I don't really care to live in Grand Junction, and would prefer a more quainty palce to live, and better yet I already have some freinds in the area, though they can't really tell me much about statistics.
I am not the typical 21 year old-- I don't care much for clubs, or bars, I'm an outdoor finatic (camping, hiking, fishing, ect) and I love the mountains. I would just like some input regaurding the pros and cons of living in Delta from every aspect, as my next move will be more of a permenant one.
Thanks so much,
Chantal

PS: Don't really need stats, I have looked them up already, and read the majority of all the Delta posts on here in the forum. I have been trying to do my homework, but since Delta is so tiny I can't find very much on the events, or close activites to it. Like what is there for a young, still in college, outdoodr enthusist to do, and when I do decide to settle it down a bit, is it good for kids. I want to know how you all in Delta see it! Or how towns around you see it.

[CosmicWizard]

That 30 minute drive is more like 40 minutes. While it's not a bad drive in and of itself, it does take time and expensive gasoline, so why not live closer to Mesa State. On the snowy days the drive from Delta to Gand Junction wouldn't be much fun at all. We don't get alot of snow per se, just enough to make the roads slippery during the morning rush hour. If you're looking for a small town closer to Mesa State, take a look at Fruita, one of the premier mountain biking towns in the USA. It is also adjacent to the Colorado National Monument, and McGinnis Canyon, and the Colorado River flows thru it. Mesa State is about 15 miles from Fruita, with 3 different routes for travelling back and forth ( I-70, business I-70, and 340 ).

[CJLoren]

Originally Posted by NewAgeRedneck

That 30 minute drive is more like 40 minutes. While it's not a bad drive in and of itself, it does take time and expensive gasoline, so why not live closer to Mesa State. On the snowy days the drive from Delta to Gand Junction wouldn't be much fun at all. We don't get alot of snow per se, just enough to make the roads slippery during the morning rush hour. If you're looking for a small town closer to Mesa State, take a look at Fruita, one of the premier mountain biking towns in the USA. It is also adjacent to the Colorado National Monument, and McGinnis Canyon, and the Colorado River flows thru it. Mesa State is about 15 miles from Fruita, with 3 different routes for travelling back and forth ( I-70, business I-70, and 340 ).

I apologize for my ignorance of the area, but those little towns that you just mentioned, are they greener or more desert-like? I have found that I am a fan of green trees, and four seasons. Las vegas has one season with two climates. I miss the leaves falling and changing colors, and SNOW! I adore snow activites, I was trying to find somwhere that is easily provides easy access to both school and beautiful country.

[delta07]

I agree with NewAge. Delta isn't a bad commute, but in the winter it could take an hour plus, especially if you have early morning classes. One thing Western CO does not have is a good snow plowing system. It always seemed that the plows didn't get moving until about 8 am, and by then the roads had already been driven on, iced up, and were a mess.

Delta, while a cute little town, doesn't really have much to offer someone in your age bracket. You would probably be bored out of your mind there. Mesa State is a decent college, but not a university by any stretch of the imagination. You may want to look at other colleges in CO before you settle on Mesa. My husband and I both completed programs at Mesa after going to a big university, CSU. While Mesa gave us what we needed in the end (nursing and teaching), it lacks certain programs.

If you do consider Mesa, you could also look into living in Palisade. It has a very rural feel to it while still being close to GJ.

[delta07]

Originally Posted by CJLoren

I apologize for my ignorance of the area, but those little towns that you just mentioned, are they greener or more desert-like? I have found that I am a fan of green trees, and four seasons. Las vegas has one season with two climates. I miss the leaves falling and changing colors, and SNOW! I adore snow activites, I was trying to find somwhere that is easily provides easy access to both school and beautiful country.

If you like green, then you are going to be sadly disappointed. Grand Junction and Delta, as well as Fruita and the entire western slope are pretty arid. It rains very little in those valleys, and the endless days of heat in the summer were miserable to me. It's not quite as arid as Vegas, but very similar. IMO, GJ and Delta are not pretty at all.

If you want 4 seasons and snow, you might consider Western State in Gunnison, Fort Lewis in Durango, CSU in Fort Collins (or even their satelite schools in Co. Springs or Pueblo, cant' remember exactly where it is now), or UNC in Greeley. All of these schools, with the exception to Greeley, are in beautiful locations and will provide you with 4 seasons and snow.

Grand Junction is relatively close to the Grand Mesa, which is beautiful, but not as spectacular, as the San Juans or other mountains in CO. It is a flattop mountain, so it does get tons of snow. But outdoor activities were a bit further for me. I enjoyed hiking and skiing, and the GM has Powderhorn (a relatively boring ski hill) and some hiking, but most of it was catered to the motor sports. Not my cup of tea.

Check out the other schools in CO before you settle on Mesa. I think you will have some pondering to do.

[CosmicWizard]

CJLoren wrote:

I apologize for my ignorance of the area, but those little towns that you just mentioned, are they greener or more desert-like? I have found that I am a fan of green trees, and four seasons. Las vegas has one season with two climates. I miss the leaves falling and changing colors, and SNOW! I adore snow activites, I was trying to find somwhere that is easily provides easy access to both school and beautiful country.

No need to apologize. Since the elevations of Fruita ( 4503 ) and Delta ( 4953 ) are very similar, the climate and vegetation are very similar also. Delta is perhaps slightly greener and a few degrees cooler, but not significantly different. The climate here is a 4 season climate, though winter and summer hang on longer than fall and spring.

I started to mention Palisades in my original post, but then I deleted it and recommended Fruita only. As delta07 recommends, Palisades might also work for you, but based on what you're looking for, I think you'll find Fruita more attractive, and it's only a few miles further out than Palisades. But Palisades is also worth a look.

Personally, I love the Grand Mesa. It's quite different than the big mountains of Colorado, lacking the big time tourist appeal of the more popular areas. Like delta07 says, it's not spectacular like the big mountains, but that is part of its charm. IMO, it's an undiscovered lake studded gem ( it reminds me of the Poconos in Pennsylvania in the 60s ), just an hour away from Grand Junction. If the summer heat in the valley gets too bad, you can always drive up to the mesa and cool off in the 20 degree cooler temperatures, and watch a spectacular sunset over the valley from Lands End.

In Sept of 2004, I flew into Las Vegas, rented a car and drove over to Grand Junction to check it out in person. At that time of the year anyway it was significantly ( probably 10 or 15 degrees ) cooler over here than it was in Las Vegas. Also, in the summer, the overnite lows in this area are at least 10 degrees cooler ( and sometimes more ) than the overnite lows in Las Vegas. In a typical summer, there are a handful of overnite lows in the 70s, but most of the time it cools down into the mid 60s. In the summer just completed, only 2 triple digit highs were recorded during the entire summer.

[CJLoren]

Delta does really sound like what I am looking for-- some of the cons you guys mention are actually pros to me. =) but like I said, I'm not that typical 20 year old.
thank you all for your input. Any other details you want to share????

[vegaspilgrim]

What about Gunnison?

[CJLoren]

Originally Posted by vegaspilgrim

What about Gunnison?

Never hear dof it, but i'm assuming it's pretty close to the area I'm looking in to.. What's there in Gunnison?

[jazzlover]

Gunnison is 85 miles from Delta, and is home of Western State College. It's a nice town, though somewhat overrpriced. It is also one of the coldest places in the lower 48 states. Gorgeous mountain country around it, though.

Western State College of Colorado