Canon city or cortez??? (Denver, Colorado Springs: ski resort, home, to buy)

[ALMOST2L8]

My Wife and I will be moving to Colorado sometime in March/April of next year. I have done plenty of research as has my Wife, but my dilemma lies with where to relocate in Colorado. We had both settled on Canon city as our destination, but recently I have had my attention turned toward Cortez. We are now trying to find out the pros and cons of both places before making a final decision. We are both fond of small town living, and dont want our children to grow up in a big city. We have heard many great things about the Cortez weather but the vicinity of Canon city to Colorado springs and Denver are very attractive as well!! I suppose what I want to know is: Is there anyone who has lived in either place (or both places) that could list for me these pros and cons?? I would appreciate anyone who could possibly give me the answers I'm looking for. Thank you in advance!!

[momof2dfw]

Have you been to these places? I have not lived in either of those towns but have visited Colorado enough in my life to know that I would not suggest either one of those right off the bat. Don't decide on either of these until you have taken a long visit there. While Canon City is close to Colorado Springs, the Royal Gorge, river rafting, hiking, etc. It is a prison town and not much there at all except for what little tourism comes thru and that is only on a day basis as many tourists don't even spend the night there. The Royal Gorge is great as is the area thru the canyon to the north up towards Victor. Cortez is the same way except the toursit attractions are Mesa Verde and Four Corners. Again, only tourists that come that way for the day and then go back to Telluride, Durango, Ouray, etc to stay. Both have downtowns/mainstreets that look and feel "economically depressed" even if they are doing vibrant business. Neither are terribly far from winter activities like snow skiing but it could be a treacherous hike to those areas depending on weather conditions.

Personally, I'd find something else to closer to a large city or a little more "alive" so the kids don't feel like they are "stuck" and nowhere to go but into trouble. Just my honest opinion. Same goes for being closer to medical facilities should they be needed with kids growing up. If one kid has a medical conditioin that needs a specialist visit even every 6 months it isn't going to be something quick. Your going to take out half a day or more just for that.

[ALMOST2L8]

momof2dfw, I personally have not been to Colorado, but a good friend of mine lived in Aurora for 6 years. He raves about Colorado all the time!! I have been doing lots of research. I knew about Canon city being a prison town, but we would prefer a small town to the bigger cities. As for Cortez, I know it's out there in the middle of nowhere and not alot to do, but I am a huge fan of quiet places. Chicago has gotten on my last nerve!! People are rude, inconsiderate, and the middle finger is so commonplace that it has replaced the wave hello. During rush hour it will take you a good 2-3 hours to go from the north side to the south side(no exaggeration)!! So the sooner we get to Colorado the better!! My wife and I also were also taking good looks at Pueblo, Fort Morgan, and Sterling as well. Pueblo being the largest community considered. To be honest were just looking to find a good place to raise our children, and a place with a few friendly faces. Thank You momof2dfw, I would love to hear anyones input about Colorado. BTW my children are too young to ever remember living here so wherever we go will be thought of as home to them.

[80skeys]

Cortez is desert with one mountain in the vicinity and no decent shopping anywhere close except Farmington which is a small town.

Canon City is sort of desert-like with many mountains surrounding it and close to Colorado Springs.

[momof2dfw]

Originally Posted by ALMOST2L8

momof2dfw, I personally have not been to Colorado, but a good friend of mine lived in Aurora for 6 years. He raves about Colorado all the time!!

Then you really REALLY REALLY need to go visit these cities before wasting too much time on investigating them as a possible relocation and getting to set on either of these. Aurora doesn't even compare to either of them. Colorado is vast and has many different geological areas from flat plains, mountains, desert. Neither of these places have "a lot going for them" and you do get that sense of "economic depression" there. They don't even have that "alive" small town feel.

If you want some more places to check out that can put you and your family in an area that feels more "alive" even without the big city there are some out there. Try even Woodland Park, Green Mountain Falls, Ouray, Durango, Frisco, Dillion, Breckenridge. These would even offer you kids a chance of finding a job as a teenager even though they are tourist spots they get tourists that stay for long periods of time and never leave. There are others as well. These would be MUCH closer to some of the "Colorado" your friend raves about.

[momof2dfw]

Or even Buena Vista or Salida. Even a good friend of mine that grew up in that area isn't all hip on it but these are better than Cortez by a long shot.

If you really want out there and that country feel I've got a lot outside Hartsel

Check out Hartsel and Fairplay as well.

[jazzlover]

I get so sick of reading these "I want to live in small town Colorado" posts that get answered by other people who have never lived in small town Colorado who also don't have a clue about it. Well, I have lived and do live in small-town Colorado--close to four decades of it, in numerous locales around the state. First, the resort towns are not "real" small towns in the romantic way that people want to think of them. They are primarily populated by part-time residents, ex-urbanites, low-wage migrant worker bees, and affluent not-very-genuine people--none of which is typical in most normal American small towns. They have a lot of problems more typical of metro areas--drugs, juvenile problems, domestic problems, etc. Second, the towns that are relatively close--i.e., within commuting distance--to the metro areas tend to be less and less like small towns, but look and act like suburbia--with all of the attitude, social issues, etc. that come with metro areas. Third, the energy "boom" towns aren't really "normal" small towns, either, but hearken more to the boom towns of old---transient, often mostly male populations, which a disproportionate share of various vices (illicit drugs, alcohol, petty crime, even occasionally prostitution) fairly readily available. That leaves a relatively few agricultural/ranching communities (and getting to be fewer all the time) that have some resemblance to what people--especially people from the Midwest or East--think that a small town should be like. These have their own challenges, too, like low-paying or nearly non-existent jobs and the like.

Some other factors that outsiders often fail to notice or consider: Bluntly, a fair chunk of Colorado is not Midwest White-Anglo-Saxon-Protestant. The southern half of Colorado is fairly heavily Hispanic, and always has been. I don't say for one second that is a bad thing (I have many Hispanic friends), but it is not what a lot of outsiders expect.

In the particular case of Cortez, it is a nice town. A good friend of mine lived there for years, and literally cried when she had to move from there because of health reasons. That said, Cortez is also unique culturally, having two Indian Reservations (the Mountain Ute and the huge Navajo Reservation) nearby. That cultural mix can be volatile sometimes, especially for school-age kids.

Now, I happen to like Canon City very much. But, as others have noted, it is the center for the correctional industry in Colorado. That does not bother me, but it does bother some people very much. Canon's biggest disadvantage, in my opinion, is that it is just TOO close to Colorado Springs and Pueblo. I've been going to Canon for years and years--it just doesn't seem to be as friendly now as it once was. But, that is true in much of small town Colorado.

If you care about the scenery more than about the social/economic/cultural environment, there are places in Colorado that are OK places to live. If you want a safe, stable, and nurturing social environment in which to live and raise a family, there are far better places that can be found elsewhere.

As a middle-aged person with no kids, my list of Colorado small towns that I would consider OK to live in is not very long, but contains a few names. If I had school age kids, I would cross 3/4's of them off the list. The remaining ones I could count on my hands.

[SoButCounty]

I live in Pennsylvania and am also interested in moving to Colorado..... someday.... like after I retire. I favor SW Colorado, Durango area, Vallecito Lake primarily. But in my research and reading of this forum (thank you Jazzlover for your insightful posts), it has become extremely obvious to me that there is very little work available in rural Colorado. If you are a white collar worker bee and used to making at least $100K a year, you really won't be happy no matter how pretty your surroundings are. You'll be broke and really won't be able to enjoy life as you currently know it. I need to work at least another 5 years before I retire so for now, SW Colorado is a possibility in the future, not yet a sure thing. We'll be visiting Vallecito Lake over Labor Day weekend to look at some building lots but we're not in a hurry to buy. We want to see what's available, weigh the pros & cons, and then at some point make the decision on whether or not to buy a lot to hold and then build on..... after we retire. Again, I have only ever visited Colorado but having traveled through it somewhat, I would say to think long & hard & be sure to do your homework. It may look beautiful, but rural Colorado has it's own set of problems and you need to go in with your eyes wide open to them. Otherwise, you could be very sorry you made the move.

[wanneroo]

Originally Posted by SoButCounty

I live in Pennsylvania and am also interested in moving to Colorado..... someday.... like after I retire. I favor SW Colorado, Durango area, Vallecito Lake primarily. But in my research and reading of this forum (thank you Jazzlover for your insightful posts), it has become extremely obvious to me that there is very little work available in rural Colorado. If you are a white collar worker bee and used to making at least $100K a year, you really won't be happy no matter how pretty your surroundings are. You'll be broke and really won't be able to enjoy life as you currently know it. I need to work at least another 5 years before I retire so for now, SW Colorado is a possibility in the future, not yet a sure thing. We'll be visiting Vallecito Lake over Labor Day weekend to look at some building lots but we're not in a hurry to buy. We want to see what's available, weigh the pros & cons, and then at some point make the decision on whether or not to buy a lot to hold and then build on..... after we retire. Again, I have only ever visited Colorado but having traveled through it somewhat, I would say to think long & hard & be sure to do your homework. It may look beautiful, but rural Colorado has it's own set of problems and you need to go in with your eyes wide open to them. Otherwise, you could be very sorry you made the move.

It's tough to make it out there in rural Colorado. I did the ski resort thing and you have to work hard and work through the system to get a decent job. It's not like in a large city where you have a plethora of white collar jobs to choose from.

Ultimately what I found to live in a ski town and be able to have a decent standard of living you have to work your butt off during the busy seasons. The problem with that being that's when all the activities are going on. By the time you have some days off and your energy back it's the offseason and by then you are so sick being cooped up in a cold mountain town you leave town until the busy season comes back.

I never did learn how to ski the seven years I lived in Vail. Never even been up on the mountain.

Granted my sister started as a waitress in 2001 and worked her way through various companies and now has a nice well paid job in the Vail Valley.

[ALMOST2L8]

I originally posted this thread because I wanted to relocate to Colorado, and I thought I had it narrowed down to Canon city, and Cortez.Well a new contender has emerged, and Pueblo has just won by unanimus descision. Based mostly on my love for food & football. The festivals, and fairs are a huge plus. Anything else (outdoor wise- fishing,hiking,camping) can be done with a short family trip!! And if you consider that I'm 50% white and 50% hispanic as is Pueblo. Then we are a perfect match!! Thanks to all for the info, and God bless!!!