Salida vs Canon City- pros and cons (Denver, Colorado Springs: real estate, crime)

[Tulsa Guy]

My wife and I are considering a move to one of these cities from Tulsa and would like the opinion of those who know Salida and Canon City. We are in our mid 50s - not ready to retire, need jobs. I'm a credit/operations mgr wt a Master's in Mgmt degree and teach as an adjunct at a local college (business course). My wife works wt the elderly- companion care. We love the natural beauty of Salida but find the housing to be much higher then in Tulsa and not much in regards to jobs. Both Salida and Canon City boast of being in the Banana Belt and have milder winters then other mountain areas.
CS has the prisions - is that a big deal? Housing prices seem to be much less expensive in CS however. What are some to the pro's and cons to both cities - weather, crime, opportunities, recreation, retirement (down the road), amendities, shopping, and even church life which is important to us.
Thank-you

[sesamekid]

Originally Posted by Tulsa Guy

My wife and I are considering a move to one of these cities from Tulsa and would like the opinion of those who know Salida and Canon City. We are in our mid 50s - not ready to retire, need jobs. I'm a credit/operations mgr wt a Master's in Mgmt degree and teach as an adjunct at a local college (business course). My wife works wt the elderly- companion care. We love the natural beauty of Salida but find the housing to be much higher then in Tulsa and not much in regards to jobs. Both Salida and Canon City boast of being in the Banana Belt and have milder winters then other mountain areas.
CS has the prisions - is that a big deal? Housing prices seem to be much less expensive in CS however. What are some to the pro's and cons to both cities - weather, crime, opportunities, recreation, retirement (down the road), amendities, shopping, and even church life which is important to us.
Thank-you

Hi Tulsa Guy,

I love both Canon City and Salida... but live in Canon City because it is a lot more affordable in terms of real estate, that and the weather is nicer here than in Salida. (winters not as bad in Canon City)

One thing that Salida has over Canon City is that it is a more liberal, progressive artsy town whereas Canon City has traditionally been more conservative due to the surrounding prisons and number of military veterans who live here. But that can be a pro or a con depending what your politics are.

Crime is almost a non-ssue in either city. Small towns, responsive police forces, not much crime. Perhaps in CC you might get some more meth houses than in Salida.

CC is known to be a very popular retirment community and is set up as such with many elder care facilities and resources.

Both towns have great recreational opportunities, although Salida might have the upper hand on that one as they have that fabulous rec center with the hot springs pool. Canon only has a seasonal outdoor pool.

Canon City has Salida beat in terms of ammenities. We have a Home Depot, Office Depot and a Walmart. Salida only has a Walmart. But they have many fine specialty stores and boutiques in the historic downtown.
But Canon City is closer to more major shopping centers in Colorado Springs and Pueblo. that would be over a two hour drive from Salida.

Canon City probably has more options to choose from in terms of church life - it is a very religious town. Literally churches on every corner of most every denomination. Many people around here seem to be very active in their churches.

I'm not sure of job opportunites in your field in either Salida or CC. However, your wife could easily find a job as an elder care worker in Canon City - i see them advertised all the time in the local paper.

Best of luck to you!

[jazzlover]

Jobs are a big problem is both towns, Salida especially. When you say you have to work, that pretty much knocks you out the running for either, unless you want to work in Corrections in Cañon City or commute to Pueblo or Colorado Springs every day. Cañon is definitely the more affordable of the two as far a living costs and housing costs, but that must be balanced against potential local income, and neither is especially favorable in that regard. Salida is pretty much unaffordable if one needs to make a living there from the local economy.

I laugh when I read the "Banana Belt" comments about Salida. For a MOUNTAIN climate, yes, it is fairly mild, but that should not be confused with what most people call a "mild" climate. Salida's growing season is still only around 120-130 days. It does not have a constant snowcover in winter, thanks to the Chinook winds which blow off of the mountains to the west, but that also means that it is frequently fairly windy in the winter. A temperature of, say, 40° F. with a 20-30 mph wind is not going to seem "Banana Belt" to most anybody. Cañon City is MUCH milder, but does get some wind in winter. It also gets much warmer in summer--possibly uncomfortably so if one is expecting a montane summer climate with temperatures not exceeding the mid-70's to low 80's--Cañon will exceed that often in the summertime.

I've said this so many times that I know people get sick of it: rural Colorado west of the Front Range--just about anyplace--can be great IF you DO NOT need to work, IF you bring a substanitial net income and/or net worth with you, and IF you do not need to rely on the local economy for much of anything. Otherwise, it's pretty much a brutal place to survive, unless you are a long-time resident who bought into the place back when it was way cheap decades ago, or you are willing to lead a lifestyle of extreme austerity or near-poverty. Even then, it's not easy--I know.

And, forget all the Chamber of Commerce-like junk you read on these forums. A lot of the people who post it either have something to gain from promoting their town, often are the very people who don't have to worry about having a job, or just don't know how ridiculously difficult it can be for someone--especially for a newbie to town--to actually get a job that will allow one to live there. They just gloss over that.

[salidamama]

I've lived in Salida for 8 years now. Housing is very expensxive compared to other areas. It has come down a little since the economy bust, and you can find good deals, but they are still higher than CC.

I only drive through Canon City on my way shopping in Colorado Springs or Pueblo. In the summer time I find Canon City to be very hot and can't wait to get back into my vehicle and ac. Salida, however, needs no ac. While daytime highs in the summer can get up to 90, but very rarely, nights always cool down into the 50's or 60's. No one has AC here, not even businesses. The Arkansaa River, the most whitewatered river in the country, runs through town, there are several hot springs in the area, beautiful mts to hike, bike, ski, snowshoeing and 4-wheelering. People from all over the world, even CC, come to Salida for recreation. Sand Dunes Nat'l Park, Breckenridge, Pueblo, are 1 1/2 hrs. away. Aspen, in the summer, CS, Vail and Cripple Creek are about 2 hrs. away. The scenery is unbeliveably gorgeous. But there are not as many places to eat as in CC, job market is not the greatest right now, although there may be jobs in the elder care environment, and the papers lately seem to have lots of jobs listed lately where computer knowledge is a must. Other than petty crime by juveniles, its almost non-existant here in Salida. Last week the voters approved the building af a new high school, and a new hopsital opened 2 years ago. We have many doctors in town and get visiting doctors form the Springs, Denver and Vail that see people for heart, bones, etc...

Contrary to what another person siad, we have many churches here in Salida. Catholic, methodist, 2-3 baptist, morman, lutheran, and many, many other non-demonational . Church is a very big part of the community.
Property taxes are low for this area, but local taxes, I think, are high. Our growing season is shorter than CC, but people grow corn, squash, beans, peas, garlic, lettuce, tomotoes, pototoes, and much more here with no problem. People also have peach, plum, apple, and other fruit trees here that always produce bountifully. Hope this all helps.
If you move here, buy a 4-wheeler, You will need it to go on the backroads in the high country and view all that nature offers.

[mquest123]

Salida is much closer to snow skiing.