Salida, CO. snow and wind (Denver, Colorado Springs: 2013, rent, low crime)

[martyg]

Hi - I know Salida in the fall, spring and summer like the back of my hand. A little bit of winter too. My question is, with Salida's average annual snowfall of 48 inches, how does it typically fall? A few storms with big snowfall amounts? More frequent storms with a few inches falling? And, I assume it does not last on the ground too long - am I right? How about the wind during winter snowfalls - see much white-out / blizzard conditions? Much drifting snow?
Thanks

[proveick]

It typically snows a few inches than melts in a couple of days. It's the banana belt of CO. Rarely does it white out. Here's what happened two winters ago, Monarch got 70 inches of snow in 36 hours and Salida 25 minutes away got 7, amazing microclimate. RP

[NormanF]

Yup. An underappreciated region. Amazing more people haven't discovered it yet!

[jazzlover]

Originally Posted by NormanF

Yup. An underappreciated region. Amazing more people haven't discovered it yet!

Well, except NO JOBS. I also chuckle about the "Banana Belt" comments. Salida has a mild climate for its elevation, but there are many, many places that are milder in the winter than Salida--Cañon City just down the road comes easily to mind, as do the western valleys in Colorado. I know Salida quite well--and one feature of the winter weather not frequently mentioned by the people pimping it is the frequent wind in the winter. It blows a lot.

Salida is gorgeous in summer, but about 7-8 months of brown the rest of year does not equate as "mild" in most people's minds.

[Josseppie]

Salida is the next Summit County as the Pueblo and Colorado Springs area continue to grow. That is because Salida is the play ground for us much like Summit County is Denver's play ground. One thing that will help the area is making Highway 50 four lanes and building some kind of rail from Pueblo maybe even HSR in the future as the region grows.

[martyg]

Hi
Have these past few months (January - April 2013) in Salida been windier than normal for the time of year?
M

[Lugnuts]

Originally Posted by martyg

Hi
Have these past few months (January - April 2013) in Salida been windier than normal for the time of year?
M

Not really. It always windy here and it's obnoxious. You can dress for the cold but that wind really takes it out of you.

[Lugnuts]

Originally Posted by Josseppie

Salida is the next Summit County as the Pueblo and Colorado Springs area continue to grow. That is because Salida is the play ground for us much like Summit County is Denver's play ground. One thing that will help the area is making Highway 50 four lanes and building some kind of rail from Pueblo maybe even HSR in the future as the region grows.

Completely disagree. It's not that Chaffee county has a bad economy, it's that it has no economy. The WalMart and the prison are the biggest employers. I can see how it would be a great place to retire for the very active and affluent set but it's a terrible struggle for everyone else.

[lovethehighcountry]

Lugnuts, sounds like you live there?

How do you think Salida would be for someone who works via the internet?

[Lugnuts]

Originally Posted by lovethehighcountry

Lugnuts, sounds like you live there?

How do you think Salida would be for someone who works via the internet?

Yes, I'm in Chaffee Co. It really depends on your interests. It's beautiful. Lots of outdoorsy stuff to do-great mbiking, rafting, fly fishing, hiking, etc,etc. People are great. Schools are good by CO standards, less so by national standards. Low crime that tends to be petty theft. It is very demographically challenged though. Most middle aged people who care about having a career are on the front range. So that leaves a younger 20-something set who want to board/ski and raft, and the affluent retiree set. There is a small group of IT telecommuters but it's hard to get a feel of how big this group is. I recently bumped into a late 30s/early 40s IT guy and I was shocked that he had lived here for 7 years. Never seen him before. You would think that in a small town everyone would know everyone else but that's not necessarily the case. Make sure that you want all four seasons if you move here as you will get them (sometimes in the same day!) The wind is a PITA but like most annoying things, you learn to deal with it. Being single here will be tough. If you are female, the odds are good but the goods are odd.

If you lurk on the different CD forums you will often see the same advice repeated: rent first. This is ESPECIALLY important in rural CO. If you buy, plan on being stuck for a while. Hope this helps. Good luck