Westcliffe CO (Denver, Colorado Springs, Pueblo: house, living in, prices)

[jellyn]

My husband and I are interested in possibly moving to somewhere in South Central Colorado, in about 4 years, and we were interested in the Westcliffe area. We currently live near Elkton MD. We visited the area about a year ago and looked at some 5 acre properties south of town. They were interesting but, as we got a better understanding of Colorado water laws, we have some reservations about what exactly we could do on the properties. We have also cruised the Trinidad sites, but have grave concerns about a depressed area if this is true. Anyone with knowledge of the areas would be welcome to give input.
I would like to be able to do some raised bed vegetable gardening, solely for ourselves. Am considering a few raised beds with some flowers by the entrance. We are lookiing at some "green" houseplans, but, of course will be older and may need to consider services in the area. We liked Westcliff, but asre concerned if we run inot medical problems. It is also affordable on our terms.

Is there anyone who lives out in this area who could give us their perspective on the area? We want to get away to a quieter area but, we are also concerned about the medical support in the area. How avialable is medical care and how far would we need to travel if one of us needed hospitalization? My husband has intersts in geology and history and I am a gardener and dog trainer. We would be in our early sixties upon moving out there. Do our five kids have something to worry about?

[Nadine]

I love Westcliffe and from the time I was 6 yrs old, when I lived in the Wet Mountains, I promised myself someday I would live there. Never have made it tho. Why, mostly because of jobs and my husband loves to raise a garden and Westcliffe is 8000 ft. Things like cabbage, peas, spinach do quite will as will underground vegs. The season is too short for things like peppers, tomatoes, watermelon. For instance, they get 1 cutting of hay. We can get 3 So much is the difference. Much of the valley does have water rights. You just have to make sure the land you have does. The Wet Mt Valley's water is creeks coming down the Sangres on the West side & on the east side there are a few, very few creeks coming off the Wet Mts. Septic Tanks and wells are the ulitities. I don't know if any haul water for use. I don't think so. We live at 5500 there about. We can raise pretty much what we want. But we too have water rights. I would not want to have to raise a garden without irrigation water. I know of some that do with city water here using a drip system but it is a tiny garden.-----Medical there is a clinic. Pueblo is the closest for more.---What kind of dog training?

[Katiana]

Medical care would probably run: local, then Canon City, then Colorado Springs, then Denver. Denver is really the "mecca" of the health care system in Colorado.

I'm not exactly sure of distances; I would guess Canon City is about a 1/2 hr drive from Westcliffe. Colorado Springs about another hour? Denver is about 1 1/2 -2 hrs from COS, depending on start and end points. I was at a conference this week and talked to a nurse who works in a family practice office in Westcliffe, so there is some health care right there.

[winglady]

Originally Posted by pittnurse70

Medical care would probably run: local, then Canon City, then Colorado Springs, then Denver. Denver is really the "mecca" of the health care system in Colorado.

I'm not exactly sure of distances; I would guess Canon City is about a 1/2 hr drive from Westcliffe. Colorado Springs about another hour? Denver is about 1 1/2 -2 hrs from COS, depending on start and end points.

I think your driving times are a bit off. I'd put the drive from Westcliffe to Canon City to be a bit over an hour. Westcliffe to Pueblo would also be a bit over an hour, and there are good health services in Pueblo.

A drive from near the middle of Colorado Springs to downtown Denver is also a bit over an hour, assuming you can avoid rush-hour traffic in both cities.

[Katiana]

Good point about Pueblo. May be a better secondary place than Canon City, as it is larger. I've driven to COS many times from Louisville, north of Denver. We always plan on 2 hrs, sometimes takes us less time. There always seems to be some traffic problem.

[Nadine]

Originally Posted by pittnurse70

Medical care would probably run: local, then Canon City, then Colorado Springs, then Denver. Denver is really the "mecca" of the health care system in Colorado.

I'm not exactly sure of distances; I would guess Canon City is about a 1/2 hr drive from Westcliffe. Colorado Springs about another hour? Denver is about 1 1/2 -2 hrs from COS, depending on start and end points. I was at a conference this week and talked to a nurse who works in a family practice office in Westcliffe, so there is some health care right there.

You are correct on medical care but most go to Pueblo rather than Canon City. Alto Canon is a might closer. It just is a straighter shot. Westcliffe to Pueblo is 56-57 miles well over an hrs drive, Westcliffe to Canon City is 53-54 miles. These are not interstates. These are mt. roads, paved but sharp curves and dropping in altitude quickly. You can not be driving the nutty speed that is done on the interstate in some place it does reach 55. From Pueblo to the Springs the Interstate can be hit and the speed then faster. As to Denver, this part of Colorado goes there only for a more extreme cases. Most are handled in the Spring or Pueblo. Canon City has a nice facility too, just not as large.

[jazzlover]

I echo what Nadine has said about Westcliffe. Gorgeous area, but at 8,000 feet, the growing season is short. I have friends who live in Westcliffe and love it. One is a Westcliffe native, the others all Colorado natives who are used to living in mountain climates even rougher than Westcliffe's in winter, so all know what it's like in the winter.

My standard advice to ANYONE who wants to live in the Colorado mountains. Go visit in March--generally about the most miserable time in the Colorado mountains (no, it ain't spring there in March). If you can stand it there then, you will probably be OK. Don't be fooled by the summer and fall--gorgeous in the mountains. You gotta get through that long winter and post-winter (I don't like to even call it "spring" because it's just a season that lurches between winter and summer). Colorado natives know what I'm talking about . . .

[jellyn]

Thank you for the good info on medical care and water issues in the area. My husband and I would be building a passive solar home with a sunroom where i would start my longer growing veggies and flowers. We realize this is not a garden paradise, but I think it would be possible to have a few raised beds next to the house and large pots with whatever.
My husband is concerned about internet access. I understand there is no DSL in most areas. What has been your experience? We are spoiled here on the East Coast, but if satellite works reasonably well we could deal with that.
In answer to your question, I teach basic and competition Obedience and Rally. I am trying to learn agility, but my lead Bouvier has a brain tumor and can't compete anymore and my second one has a shoulder injury being treated. My new 9 month Bouv rescue is just learning to walk on a leash. I do not purport to be a certified trainer, but especially enjoy teaching beginner obedience.(I am actually a retired nurse.) thanks to all of you who responded. It is a big move for us and we have loved every vacation out West over the last 20 years. There is so much more we want to see and my husband is a rock hound who would love to spend time looking at rocks.

[jazzlover]

Internet access can be hit and miss in the rural Rocky Mountain West. Many relatively small communities have broadband cable access in town that is very good, but some don't. I live near Cheyenne, WY (Pop. 55,000). Neither broadband cable nor DSL is available if you are any distance out of town. That's pretty typical in a lot of areas. Satellite internet is about the only choice, then. People I know who have used Hughes (formerly DirectWay) have not been very impressed. A player in this region is WildBlue--their satellite internet service seems to be well-liked. Others may have heard differing opinions.

A blunt opinion from one who has lived in the urban, small town, and rural parts of Colorado and Wyoming--one thing can be very frustrating for people moving from more desndely populated areas of the country to the rural parts of Colorado is that even relatively simple things may require a hundred mile or mile round trip. In these days of exploding fuel prices, that can become quite a burden. We Westerners tend to downplay this by talking about distances in terms of time. ("Well, going to "X" is only an hour's drive.") But, it can add up to lots of miles. Several years ago, I underwent some specialized medical treatment that required me to make multiple trips to Denver on nearly a weekly basis for a while. When I added up my mileage for that year, those trips ALONE amounted to 6,000 miles.

[Nadine]

Originally Posted by jellyn

Thank you for the good info on medical care and water issues in the area. My husband and I would be building a passive solar home with a sunroom where i would start my longer growing veggies and flowers. We realize this is not a garden paradise, but I think it would be possible to have a few raised beds next to the house and large pots with whatever.
My husband is concerned about internet access. I understand there is no DSL in most areas. What has been your experience? We are spoiled here on the East Coast, but if satellite works reasonably well we could deal with that.
In answer to your question, I teach basic and competition Obedience and Rally. I am trying to learn agility, but my lead Bouvier has a brain tumor and can't compete anymore and my second one has a shoulder injury being treated. My new 9 month Bouv rescue is just learning to walk on a leash. I do not purport to be a certified trainer, but especially enjoy teaching beginner obedience.(I am actually a retired nurse.) thanks to all of you who responded. It is a big move for us and we have loved every vacation out West over the last 20 years. There is so much more we want to see and my husband is a rock hound who would love to spend time looking at rocks.

Just wondered because we used to show and train obedience. Competed thro Utility. That was back before the other fun competitions where done, around here anyway. At that time we had Keeshunden. Now I like my Australian Cattledogs. Still certainly use my training with them but don't compete. All my kids, grandkids and even my brother call my house Grandma camp.LOL Because every now and then I dog sit for them. When they get their dogs back, they have been taught some manners. I can't stand to be around a dog that does not mind. Begging at the table, not come when called, jumping up on people, barking continuously etc.------One thing is for sure. The Rocky Mountains have lots of rocks to look at. In our area there has been a geology camp. I think it is closed now but I see lot of rock hounds even along the highways. Big dinosaur finds here also.----Google, Internet Westcliffe, Colorado. I believe they have Comcast high speed in some areas.