Is there any rural Colorado left??? (Denver, Fort Collins: house, find a job, construction)

[Kristin_09]

Hello everyone! My husband and I are considering a move to Colorado. I am from Missouri and we currently live in my hometown. However, my husband, who is from Utah, says he can't handle the midwest humidty, ticks, chiggers, etc. anymore...He wants to go home. He works in construction, and by this, I don't mean building multimillion dollar homes, although he is certainly capable of it. We're not rich, and we're not looking to get that way. He can do anything from concrete to roofing to framing to sheetrock...whatever. We are both from a small town, ranching background and I was wondering if there were any towns left in Colorado that fit that description, but still large enough that a person can make a living. It seems like the cost of living is sky high in Colorado anymore... Could anyone give me any suggestions? I was thinking that Cortez could be a possibility. What about Montrose? I'd appreciate your advice!!

[jazzlover]

I wish that I could say that there are, but they are very few, far between, and not likely to stay affordable small towns. The resort "vibe" is even catching on in places like Cortez, Montrose, Delta, etc. About the only area that hasn't gotten totally caught up in either the recreation, retirement, or energy boom (though the booms are faltering in all three) is the San Luis Valley. The downside of the SLV is a rigorous climate, very limited job opportunities, and widespread poverty. Other than that, you are looking at Colorado's Eastern plains--which many would not consider an improvement over where you are now.

Personally, I would look elsewhere--some of the rural areas of Utah, Idaho, New Mexico, Wyoming, Montana, or the Dakotas. You have a lot better chance of finding a "real" town that still promotes agriculture and true small town values. I have a few criteria to know what places to avoid: If it brags about a "lovely mild four-season climate," it's already wrecked by the deluge of the "beautiful people." If there is a ski area nearby, it's probably wrecked or will be. If it's been named as a "top pick" for living or retirement by any national magazine, it's wrecked. If it bills itself as a "destination resort," it's wrecked. If it's proud of having fancy new developments, it's wrecked. If more than 10% of the cars you see in town have out-of-state license plates, it's wrecked. When the median house price is well into six figures and the median wage is in the low two figures per hour, it's wrecked. By those measures, there are not many places left in Colorado that are not wrecked. Too bad. Paradise lost.

[20yrsinBranson]

Originally Posted by Kristin_09

Hello everyone! My husband and I are considering a move to Colorado. I am from Missouri and we currently live in my hometown. However, my husband, who is from Utah, says he can't handle the midwest humidty, ticks, chiggers, etc. anymore...He wants to go home. He works in construction, and by this, I don't mean building multimillion dollar homes, although he is certainly capable of it. We're not rich, and we're not looking to get that way. He can do anything from concrete to roofing to framing to sheetrock...whatever. We are both from a small town, ranching background and I was wondering if there were any towns left in Colorado that fit that description, but still large enough that a person can make a living. It seems like the cost of living is sky high in Colorado anymore... Could anyone give me any suggestions? I was thinking that Cortez could be a possibility. What about Montrose? I'd appreciate your advice!!

Go east. Walsenberg, La Junta, Rocky Ford, Lamar. These are the only really decent places in Colorado (one person's opinion). The rest of it is just California in different clothes. The real Colorado people are where it isn't so "trendy" to live.

20yrsinBranson
who once lived in Colorado

[DOUBLE H]

Originally Posted by 20yrsinBranson

Go east. Walsenberg, La Junta, Rocky Ford, Lamar. These are the only really decent places in Colorado (one person's opinion). The rest of it is just California in different clothes. The real Colorado people are where it isn't so "trendy" to live.

20yrsinBranson
who once lived in Colorado

Not bad choices. If you were to latch on to some employment in the Arkansas valley, Fowler wouldn't be a bad way to go. If it wasn't for health facility concerns, I'd move into the San Luis Valley in a second. Monte Vista is a nice town, so is Alamosa. There is ag work there, but not a lot, and doesn't pay a lot. And in the winter, it's damn cold. Even in the summer when the high gets up to 90 degrees, it could drop to 45 degrees at night regularly.

One area that doesn't get a lot of action on this forum is Craig, in the NW corner of the state. I like Craig, worked up there in the mid 70's on the first power plant. Not familiar with their economic situation at present, I suspect things are kind of flat there. But man , it gets cold there in the winter. I still remember Jan.1976, for three weeks straight the high was 8 to 10 degrees, and the low was 20 to 25 below. UGH!

[bluescreen73]

Originally Posted by DOUBLE H

One area that doesn't get a lot of action on this forum is Craig, in the NW corner of the state. I like Craig, worked up there in the mid 70's on the first power plant. Not familiar with their economic situation at present, I suspect things are kind of flat there. But man , it gets cold there in the winter. I still remember Jan.1976, for three weeks straight the high was 8 to 10 degrees, and the low was 20 to 25 below. UGH!

Craig had a spike in activity a couple years ago when a natural gas pipeline was built from the Piceance Basin north into Wyoming, but with the collapse of natural gas drilling and $70 oil putting a lid on shale extraction, Craig's back in the same rut it's been in since the late 70s.

Craig's definitely rural but it's about as scenic as a mud flat, and yes, it's butt cold. There was a 3 or 4 day stretch back in the late 80s where the overnight low was 40 to 50 BELOW ZERO. For those reasons I wouldn't recommend it to anybody looking for a slice of paradise.

Venture 40 miles south on Highway 13 and try Meeker. If you can find a job there it's much more livable than Craig.

[20yrsinBranson]

Originally Posted by DOUBLE H

Not bad choices. If you were to latch on to some employment in the Arkansas valley, Fowler wouldn't be a bad way to go. If it wasn't for health facility concerns, I'd move into the San Luis Valley in a second. Monte Vista is a nice town, so is Alamosa. There is ag work there, but not a lot, and doesn't pay a lot. And in the winter, it's damn cold. Even in the summer when the high gets up to 90 degrees, it could drop to 45 degrees at night regularly.

One area that doesn't get a lot of action on this forum is Craig, in the NW corner of the state. I like Craig, worked up there in the mid 70's on the first power plant. Not familiar with their economic situation at present, I suspect things are kind of flat there. But man , it gets cold there in the winter. I still remember Jan.1976, for three weeks straight the high was 8 to 10 degrees, and the low was 20 to 25 below. UGH!

I agree that the San Luis valley is probably one of the most breath-taking and beautiful places in America. Water rights stink to high heaven though and don't even get me started on what it costs to bring electricty to a rural parcel! $20,000 a 1/4 mile? yow!

20yrsinBranson

[Kristin_09]

I appreciate the input, guys. It's too bad that the West is so crowded and work so difficult to find (although that's the case everywhere). It seems like there is a lot of work in the Fort Collins area, but its been years since I've been there, and by looking at the map it looks like its just one big metro area from Denver on up. The thought of living there horrifies me, as I've lived my entire life in a town of about 3,500 people. We don't even have a Wal-Mart. We have to drive 30 minutes to the nearest one and for actual shopping it an hour and a half away. Honestly, I think I'd feel out of place and a bit afraid in such a HUGE area.
I looked into Montana, and the state really appeals to me, but my mother will be moving with us. She has arthritis and has had a broken hip, so all of the snow and extreme temps could be a problem for her. That is one reason I was looking into Cortez, as I understand that it has somewhat mild winters. Trinidad could also be a possibillity for us. It is on the Eastern side of the state. Does anyone know anything about Trinidad as regards work? What sort of town is it?

[Westcliffe]

The only experience I have with Cortez passing through on two instances was groups of Native Americans who were three sheets to the wind falling of the curb into traffic. This @ 8AM! Not to mention the air quality has seemingly gone to hell in SE UTAH from Monticello down to AZ, extreme SW CO, and the whole area around Farmington, NM I always thought Dolores was cool, however it kind of breaks the rule: "If the sky ain't blue-it ain't on my list"

[DOUBLE H]

Kristin_09-There is a sizable thread on Trinidad, on the first page here scroll down to about line #20-there are 92 posts on it. There are other threads on Trinidad if you want to dig a little bit more.

[Amy WJ]

Might be difficult to make a living there but it certainly sounds like what you're looking for! This is downtown Westcliffe on Thanksgiving Day.