Retiring to Colorado, western slope (Grand Junction, Montrose: to rent, condos, house)

[80skeys]

since you'll be in Paonia, be sure to check out Carbondale as well. I know a couple people who live up there and like it a lot.

Originally Posted by jim9251

Headed there Friday! Going to wander around for a few weeks looking at rental places and basically wandering around Ridgway, Montrose, Cedaredge, Ouray, Paonia, and a few other places to see where I want to move.

[jim9251]

Spent the day in Ridgway today. Wandered around talking to folks, including a town deputy marshal. Ridgway seems to be a small quiet mountain town with no crime, no pollution and a laid back lifestyle which I would really like. Some very nice people, and gave me great tips on rentals and some numbers to call. I'm happy with what I've seen so far. Everyone was honest about the winters there and how cold it gets. Headed to Paonia tomorrow.

If I can just get past the Colorado accent...

[80skeys]

And you'd be near the state park and lake

Originally Posted by jim9251

Spent the day in Ridgway today. Wandered around talking to folks, including a town deputy marshal. Ridgway seems to be a small quiet mountain town with no crime, no pollution and a laid back lifestyle which I would really like. Some very nice people, and gave me great tips on rentals and some numbers to call. I'm happy with what I've seen so far. Everyone was honest about the winters there and how cold it gets. Headed to Paonia tomorrow.

If I can just get past the Colorado accent...

[Bideshi]

Originally Posted by jim9251

If I can just get past the Colorado accent...

They have an accent here?

[CDDave]

Reply for JazzLover....

Can't speak for Ridgway or Telluride or Ouray etc, but as for Silverton your assessment that it's a "multi-millionaire" haven couldn't be further from reality...well, I suppose it could...but you'd have to try harder. I've been there for a "spell" and can tell you that the vast majority of year-round people there (or is it "here"?) are below middle class...and the majority of that majority are well below middle class (as far as money goes, of course). Indeed, the place is gorgeous, a bit challenging to live in year round, a bit cold with long winter etc, but these amenities have apparently appealed to those of us who are willing to work numerous jobs (most Silverton people would smirk at those with "only" two or three jobs...), cope with the inevitable "education" hierarchy, and enjoy the life that one can only get in a place as isolated -- yet 100% "plugged in" -- from "out there"...of course the RE crunch hit here too...I believe that SJC sold all of no houses all last year...could be wrong, but I bet I'm not far off...so much for terribly expensive real estate.

[jazzlover]

Originally Posted by CDDave

Reply for JazzLover....

Can't speak for Ridgway or Telluride or Ouray etc, but as for Silverton your assessment that it's a "multi-millionaire" haven couldn't be further from reality...well, I suppose it could...but you'd have to try harder. I've been there for a "spell" and can tell you that the vast majority of year-round people there (or is it "here"?) are below middle class...and the majority of that majority are well below middle class (as far as money goes, of course). Indeed, the place is gorgeous, a bit challenging to live in year round, a bit cold with long winter etc, but these amenities have apparently appealed to those of us who are willing to work numerous jobs (most Silverton people would smirk at those with "only" two or three jobs...), cope with the inevitable "education" hierarchy, and enjoy the life that one can only get in a place as isolated -- yet 100% "plugged in" -- from "out there"...of course the RE crunch hit here too...I believe that SJC sold all of no houses all last year...could be wrong, but I bet I'm not far off...so much for terribly expensive real estate.

I have several friends in Silverton (was there on Sunday) and they are most definitely not millionaires. However, they all have lived there for 20 to 30 years or more and bought their homes before real estate went crazy. I can guarantee you that it is not those "local" types who have paid anywhere from $200K to $500K for houses in Silverton--it is upper middle class and wealthy money from outside of Silverton (California, Texas, and Arizona mostly) who were paying that. I think Silverton real estate will collapse as the outside money dries up, but right now the asking prices are still up in the stratosphere--no surprise that there are few sales. I also think there will be a major die-down of businesses in Silverton over the winter. The businesspeople I have talked there to are not having a very good season, and I suspect many of them will not have sufficient capital to tide them over the winter. I did see some new minerals exploration going on in a couple of places--but it will take some real high precious metal AND base metal prices to bring that industry back into Silverton in any significant quantity. Another problem with that is that a lot of the sharpest mining people who were in Silverton have relocated elsewhere in the last several years--so there is also the "brain-drain" problem when it comes to mining. I don't know what your "spell" of familiarity with Silverton is, but mine is over 40 years now . . .

[jim9251]

I like Ridgway. Headed back there today to wander around. When I was there Sunday a local was telling me that "traffic isn't always this bad". I said, traffic? What traffic? Neat little town.

[wanneroo]

Silverton and a real estate boom? Last time I was there was 1993 so I imagine it has changed some, but then it was a scruffy mountain town and with nearly year round winter I can't imagine why people would want to move there en masse.

[CosmicWizard]

jim9251....I hope you are enjoying your tour. To my eye anyway, the area around Paionia - Hotchkiss - Crawford has some of the most beautiful countryside/scenery in all of Colorado. It's a bit hotter than Ridgeway in the summer, but not as cold in the winter.

A nice drive to do if you like driving tours is the so called West Elk Loop. If you like short hikes, there are several trail heads right along highway 92. If hiking is not your cup of tea, I think you'd still enjoy the overlooks into the Black Canyon of the Gunnison. National Park visitation has been down for several years now, but visitation in The Black Canyon of the Gunnison NP is up over 20% this year. Even in the morning, there were cars with plates from all across the US at the overlooks withuot any sense of crowding.

[jim9251]

Thanks. Went to Black Canyon last fall when I was here and took Hwy 133 into Carbondale. Beautiful area. Love to hike and camp, and when I return for good I hope, will do alot of that.