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We brought home some little maple saplings 32 years ago, that have been above the house (2 story) for at least the last 10 years. The one I am looking at right now has a trunk about 18=20" in diameter.
That is impressive What variety of maple? What type of soils are in that part of Colorado?
I live in a rural area of Minnesota on about five acres of land. Some of my neighbors have 15-30. About ten miles away from here there are plots of 40 to 80 acres of forested land, which sell for cheap. In general, it seems like land in areas with rich soil and long growing seasons sells for much more than land here, which as far as I know has soil inferior to that found in many areas of my state and short growing seasons. For example, in some isolated areas up north - where most of the land is owned by the state and federal governments - you are lucky to get three frost-free months. On the other hand, most of where I live was formerly farmed, probably just not productively enough to compete with industrial farming operations.
As far as why it is that way out in states like Arizona, I have a guess: limited pre-existing infrastructure and government. Most of the land locally was either farms or timberland. This was the case up until at least the 1950's. By then, roads, electric / phone lines, etc. were built. Hence you have the infrastructure already in place for non-farmers (or non-loggers) who want to move to a place with ample space and relative freedom (e.g. you can play music as loud as you want, shoot target practice in your own yard, and even - though illegally - ride dirt bikes and four-wheelers on the roads). As far as water, digging a well is quite easy out here.
By contrast, desert land has little use (unless oil or minerals are under it), and hence attracts few people. Governments in states like Nevada and Arizona seem to collect fewer taxes from their inhabitants, and therefore cannot provide as much in way of services (like new roads). Wells must be either deeper or penetrate more difficult soil (?). In fact, from what I've read, it seems like a lot of the services traditionally provided by municipal governments (cities, counties, etc.) have been outsourced by municipalities in newer states to homeowners' associations, providing an impetus to cram as many homes into a plot of land as possible in order to have the lowest infrastructure costs and highest returns.
Also, it may just be my tastes, but land out here is far more pleasant to possess than a lot of land in some Western states. Rattlesnakes and other dangerous creatures are commonly seen, while in northern Minnesota the only thing you really have to worry about are bears (who are actually for the most part peaceful). Rolling hills and a combination of field and forest are far more aesthetically attractive than plain desert.
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What variety of maple? What type of soils are in that part of Colorado?
