Rural/small towns within commute distance to Ft Carson? (Pueblo: to rent, mobile home)

[NOTAM]

Please recommend rural small country type towns within reasonable commute to Ft Carson. Will not live in suburbia. Would be looking to rent, eventually buy, a small mobile home or house. Have lapdogs, no livestock.

[otowi]

Areas of Fountain would fit the bill, very close to Ft. Carson. Farther possibles are Ellicott, Hanover (Hanover is VERY rural - not a single store etc.), Woodland Park, Areas of Pueblo West, Penrose, and Florence are also possibles.

Of all those above mentioned without further input than what you said above, I would put the best fit as Penrose. However, there is essentially one reasonable route without adding an hour to your drive each way, and occasionally in winter it is problematic. Generally not a problem, though.

[NOTAM]

thanks so much. you have been very helpful! can you give me an idea of driving distance from each of those towns-Fountain, Ellicott and Hanover?

Originally Posted by otowi

Areas of Fountain would fit the bill, very close to Ft. Carson. Farther possibles are Ellicott, Hanover (Hanover is VERY rural - not a single store etc.), Woodland Park, Areas of Pueblo West, Penrose, and Florence are also possibles.

Of all those above mentioned without further input than what you said above, I would put the best fit as Penrose. However, there is essentially one reasonable route without adding an hour to your drive each way, and occasionally in winter it is problematic. Generally not a problem, though.

[lurtsman]

Define reasonable and you'll get more people who can answer.

[otowi]

Fountain is immediately out of the gate of Fort Carson. So driving distance is only a few miles depending on where exactly you set up in Fountain. So 5-15 minutes. Hanover is further east and south of Fountain - about 25-35 minutes. Penrose is about 25-30 minutes but on the southwest side of Ft. Carson instead of southeast like Hanover. Ellicott is more like 45 minutes, Woodland Park like 40, Florence is more like 45. That all assumes normal commuting conditions.

[NOTAM]

From what I have read, it seems Florence, at least from my research, seems like suburbia, with some big box stores, so definitely NOT what I am looking for. I would want a town that lacks cookie cutter homes, subdivisions. Something rural, where you have lots of open space, ranching/agricultural type of town. A town in which the residents are not mostly military, but locals. Is there such a place within commuting distance to Ft Carson?

[beezle1]

Penrose.

[otowi]

Penrose or Hanover.

[jillnjim]

I don't think Florence has any large-scale developments. Btwn Penrose and Florence, I prefer the latter. Nice little kitschy downtown. No Home Depot, Wally World, etc. Canon City is conveniently to the west, with most needs met, w/out needing to go into the Springs.

//www.city-data.com/city/Florence-Colorado.html

[otowi]

Yeah Florence is pretty small-town. I think it might have a Family Dollar and a few fast food places and a very small Safeway grocery store if I remember right. It has a very nice homey feel to it, imho. Penrose has nothing at all or almost nothing in terms of 'town' aspects like a main street or else I've just never been to it. But it is known for its apple orchards locally. Fountain has all 3 aspects in different locations - parts of it are suburb-like - Walmart etc., - and other parts are small-town main street-like, and other parts are rural ranches/farms. Hanover has nothing but a school and a fire station. No farms, only ranches lots of cholla cactus and prairie dogs in parts. Ellicott is typical eastern Colorado prairie town - a stop or two on the main highway to somewhere else. Woodland Park is bigger and is a mountain town which has a completely different feel. Smaller than it but still mountain town are Cascade, Green Mountain Falls, and Chipita Park. None of those have any box stores - they're all tiny. I particularly like Green Mountain Falls, personally.