Livable Mountain Towns in CO? (Denver, Colorado Springs: real estate, how much, home)

[BAHOWELL]

My husband and I are both very young, and soon to be graduate. We are looking to move from Houston, Texas to the mountains to start a family. I have rummaged all over Colorado (online of course) and it seems like you either get the big hustle of town without much immediate mountain viewing or access, or the complete opposite like Telluride.

We want a town where there are mountains towering over you. Or at least ones you can see very clearly from your yard. It seems like the other towns only have small foothills and not consistently or the mountains are blurs in the background. We obviously need something we can afford, but we've always made due in towns too expensive for us. So throw something out that fits this. The mountains view is what is more important. We want to hike, ski, bike. Thanks!

Let me add after Jazzlover's comment that I am not looking for something exceptionally backwoodsy. Just a good town/city that has a great view and access to mountain activities. We despise the climate in Texas and ARE moving to the mountains and would like real assistance with finding a good, stable town to settle in.

[jazzlover]

For what you are asking--NONE! People should consider it instructive that most kids who grow up in those towns have to leave to make a living. The people who are moving into the mountain towns on any kind of permanent basis are generally middle-aged to older folks that have made their "wad" someplace else, can afford the high real estate prices, and do not have to rely on the local economy to make a living.

Some people always grab on to the "Paradise Syndrome" and try to scratch by--exponentially more difficult if they have kids to support--for a few years. It usually ends badly, with them moving back to "the world" someplace--broke, with their tail between their legs--when they figure out the "dream" wasn't what it was cracked up to be. They talk up their "wonderful" few years in Colorado around the water cooler at their 8 to 5 job in Houston or LA--but don't mention why they aren't in Colorado anymore. A few do actually make it--probably at about the same odds as Lotto winners.

Sorry, I've been around rural Colorado for over 40 years, and watched dreamers like this poster get their dreams slammed into the Colorado dirt so many times that I wish I had a dollar for every time--then I could retire!

[Dreaming of Hawaii]

The first town to come to mind with mountains towering over the town is Telluride. When you come out, go visit and see what you think. Then contact a realtor and find out what it costs to live there (eeek!).

I recommend the Buena Vista/Salida area. They are located in a mountain valley surrounded by lots of very large mountains and the views are spectacular. Rents and housing costs are much more affordable there than in any of the ski towns. Like anywhere else, jobs are scarce; the big employer there is the prison.

[BAHOWELL]

Appreciate the wisdom you're passing on here and I will remember this. But with our needs still in mind, is there a town that has the same great views as a more rural town might but without the bite of living in the middle of nowhere. I.E. Denver or Breck. I haven't been to either though my husband has and I just want to know it wont look like Houston.

[bluescreen73]

Originally Posted by BAHOWELL

Appreciate the wisdom you're passing on here and I will remember this. But with our needs still in mind, is there a town that has the same great views as a more rural town might but without the bite of living in the middle of nowhere. I.E. Denver or Breck. I haven't been to either though my husband has and I just want to know it wont look like Houston.

As Jazz and others have said before, it's all about supply and demand and unfortunately everyone wants to live in a similar place to what you're describing. Unfortunately the people with gobs of money are already there.

Most people can't afford to live in or nestled up to the mountains because the cost of living is too high. So, they live near the mountains and drive to them when they want to recreate. Take Steamboat Springs for instance. If you want to play in Steamboat, you live in Craig, Hayden, Oak Creek, or Yampa.

Have you considered someplace like Ruidoso, NM? Granted the Sierra Blancas don't tower over you like the San Juans do in Telluride and Ouray, but the cost of living is _dramatically_ cheaper. The town is at almost 7,000 feet, and it's only a 3 hour drive to either El Paso or Albuquerque.

[CosmicWizard]

If you have lots of $$$$, most Colorado mountain towns will fit the bill. If you have only a small amount of $$$ there truly is no place in the Colorado mountains that will provide what you are looking for, unless you are OK working a couple of minimum wage jobs each ( if you can FIND a job that is ) and living in relative squalor.....then you can make it work in the Colorado mountains. Young folks do it all the time, but it a lifestyle that quickly grows old for most people who choose to live that way. Go for it if that is what you really want. A few years down the road, when you're back in the city somewhere, you can tell great stories about your Colorado mountain experience, around the cooler, to your peers who are all 10 years younger than you. Good luck!

BTW...Ruidoso, is a very nice mountain town ( not to be confused with a Colorado mountain town ) that would be very livable if you can find a job there. Finding a job however could be quite a challenge during this economic upheaval.

[Plain Jane 3953]

Evergreen and Georgetown come to mind. Georgetown is right in the mountains - so much so it felt claustrophobic. One could possibly commute to Denver from these places.

[Jerry Bckr]

You've gotten some good advice from those ahead of me. Mountian towns like you described are what everyone wants, so they end up being a people magnet and evolve into resort areas. This makes the cost of living extremely high with such competition for jobs, that they end up being low on the pay scale. Buena Vista was a good choice. Going in an opposite vein, how about Colorado Springs? I helped the son of a college friend purchase a home there this summer, and I was surprised at how much better the mountain views were there, compared to Denver. This is because they're closer to the city, duh! The views were so common that people don't seem to get as excited by them, instead paying more attention to the home layout and yard, which is what it should be.

Anyway, by being closer it's a quicker shot into the hills. Not only that, but you'll have better job opportunities, unless you want to run a ski lift or bartend.

[Mike Weber]

Don't be completely put off by the replies here, but take them to heart. It can be done, but not easily. My wife and I moved to Frisco the day after our wedding, with no jobs or friends there. We found work, lived cheaply and saved lots, while playing a ton. We eventually saved enough to buy land and build a home near Keystone. We moved to Fort Collins a few years later because we got tired of the long winters, short mountain biking season, transient nature of the community, and we wanted a more family oriented palce to raise our kids.

Summit County was a great place, because of the play opportunities and proximity to Denver. We never skied on weekends, and always drove I-70 in the opposite direction of the traffic jams.

As for starting a family, we waited and got some of the playing out of our systems first. Expenses are higher in these areas, and having a family multiplies this. Also, Summit was OK while the kids were little, but the kids have to be pretty grounded when they get older to avoid some of the sidetracks that can be found in a resort area.

Jerry has a good point that Co Springs has some great views of the mountains, but has more opportunity.

[delta07]

Montrose, Gunnison, Salida, Leadville, Fairplay & Buena Vista all come to mind, although some are more isolated than others. Montrose would probably have the best chance at finding work since it's the largest of the communities. However, with the current economy it may be a few years before jobs open up.