Towns Similar to Durango. Help! (Denver, Colorado Springs: house, where to buy, college)

[AllOverTheMap89]

Recently moved from FL to Durango and was petrified that I'd hate living anywhere above sea level (my house in FL was a comfortable 4 feet above...) and anywhere that has an actual winter. Fast forward: I adore this town. The beau and I, both unfortunately and fortunately, need to move from Durango (boo!) to somewhere somewhat near the Denver airport for a new job opportunity (yay!).

I lived in a little cow town in Florida (yet still a short drive to the beach. Gotta love that crazy state), so I really appreciate and adore small town living. Durango is perfect size-wise resting just around 17k in population. We both do not want to live in a big city, so the heart of Denver is out of the question. In addition, after living in a college town for a while after graduating from college, we'd both like to avoid a big college town (hence why Boulder is off of the table for us, as well).

We're both big into all things outdoors (hiking, biking, climbing, skiing, rafting, etc), but we also enjoy hanging out at a local brewery for a craft beer every now and again. In addition, we're both huge into eating organically (I know the craft beer kind of cancels that out haha) and going to green markets and whatnot. Being around shopping malls and restaurant chains really isn't high on our list of priorities (that's what the internet is for )

My main thing is that I want to be able to enjoy the scenery. We moved here for the adventure and it was a bit hard leaving the beach, but I knew that I was trading it up for the mountains and I LOVE the mountains. I don't want to lose that. One of my favorite things about Durango is being able to have the most beautiful scenery just driving to the gym in the morning or to the grocery store. We don't want to live in a place where getting to a mountain or to a beautiful hiking trail is a trek. We don't want to live somewhere where the mountains are way off in the distance.

That all said: I did some research and stumbled upon Golden (which greatly resembles Durango's Western feel and is around the same population [17k]) and Evergreen (which is 1,000ft higher in altitude than Durango [Evergreen is 7k+], has a small pop [9k+], and is much more mountainous from what I can see. So far, I have an Internet crush on Evergreen).

I was wondering if anyone could tell me what towns close to either Denver or Boulder cater to the lifestyle that I mentioned above; towns that are maybe similar to Durango? Do you think Golden or Evergreen would be a good fit for an active, easy-to-please, remote working/traveling couple?

[alliern]

If you have to travel to DIA (or near DIA) for a normal Monday-Friday work week, I wouldn't necessarily recommend Evergreen or Golden. If it's an occasional commute then I think either area could be a great fit for you. Golden, in my opinion, has a bit less of a mountain feel and is browner, drier, and hotter than Evergreen unless you are up on Lookout Mountain.

Other areas you could consider are Conifer or Morrison. The commute from any of the areas mentioned to DIA would be at the bear minimum an hour and can easily be longer depending on where you settle. I do think that Evergreen does check off the rest of your wants and needs very nicely. Please be more specific as far as job location and how often you'd be going to/from that job.

Good Luck!

[SkyDog77]

Evergreen is your best bet, but don't expect it to be Durango. I too love that town, but it is unique.

[hammertime33]

Lyons?

[SkyDog77]

Originally Posted by hammertime33

Lyons?

I like it. Good suggestion.

[AllOverTheMap89]

Alliern, we both will be working remotely. His particular position just requires him to be somewhat near DIA to travel for the job around 2x a month.

SkyDog77, thank you! Yes, I'm slowly coming to terms with the fact that I'll probably never find another Durango haha.

Hammertime33, I haven't heard of Lyons. I'll check it out!

[Yakscsd]

From someone who has lived in both, I don't see Lyons as anywhere near Durango. The exception would be the commitment to outdoor activity and the opportunity to do so in close proximity. Lyons is small at just a few thousand people. That means no grocery store, pharmacy, home improvement store etc. Yes they have smaller versions of what you might need in an emergency, but not for regular shopping. Of course, Longmont or Boulder are just a short 20 -30 minutes away on a 2 lane highway. Now if you happen to be a musician, Lyons could definitely lean the scale. All that said, i'd take Lyons over Golden any day. In my opinion Golden is just as described above, brown and dull, but some people love it. Also like someone else said, Durango is unique.

[ALStafford]

If you only have to go to DIA 1-2x a month, then I think Evergreen would be fine. Just try to plan flights so you don't have to drive to the airport during rush hour times. And, by 2016, you would be able to take light rail from the Golden station on the W line (not too far from Evergreen) all the way to DIA, which would make the trip out there from Evergreen even easier.

[LadyDonna]

Go to the "Parks"

Estes Park is near Lyons and is a beautiful little town. You see Elk walking around the downtown area. Check out this website for pictures and more information. Estes Park Vacations, Activities & Things To Do | Colorado.com I really love the Scottish Fest that is held in Estes Park every year. Here is the website for the latest on the fest and where to buy tickets. Home I also like Woodland Park near Colorado Springs. It also has beautiful mountains and wildlife. Check out their website at: Woodland Park Vacations, Activities & Things To Do | Colorado.com You can fly out of the Colorado Springs airport which is easy to get to from Woodland Park. I would have a hard time deciding between these two towns!

[NW Crow]

Might want to look at Roxborough Park as well.