Questions about Salida

[Amy WJ]

It's always better to fondly remember the places from where we came....they will never be the same and one can never go back. But I will say....today....we travel TO Salida to shop at Murdock's. Great store!

[redwhiteblue]

Originally Posted by jazzlover

Salida may be considered "mild" for a mountain climate at 7,000 ft., but it is not climatically mild in the context that most people think. It is warmer in winter than some mountain locales because of the Chinook winds it receives, but it also means that it is often pretty windy there in winter. Because of its elevation and locale, those Chinook winds do not have as reliable or strong warming effect as they do along the Front Range.

Salida, for a mountain location, is actually pretty dry--high desert describes the area in the immediate Salida environs pretty well. Its growing season is pretty short, as well--around 90-110 days if memory serves. That means the Salida is brown for a good chunk of the year.

Culturally, Salida is pretty much split along the lines old-line conservative families (though some of them are "Union Democrats"), affluent transplant retirees, and liberal transplant trustifarians, hippies, etc. As I and others have noted, Salida is a pretty rotten place to live if one has to rely on the local economy for an income--low salaries and high housing costs being the toxic combination.

Shopping beyond the basic necessities, Wal-mart, and tourist trinket shop experience means going to Pueblo or Colorado Springs, either about a hundred miles away, or to Denver at 140 miles.

Salida used to be a very different place. It had a strong local economy--the limestone quarry at Monarch was running, Climax was running above Leadville (a lot of Salida folks worked there), Koppers had a big railroad tie production plant near town, and the railroad was a substantial local employer. All provided pretty high wage jobs for Salidans, and all of those industries are gone from Salida. Too bad it all changed.

Thank you for the detailed response that really tells me a lot.
I appreciate your insight.

Thanks!

[katie_c_s]

Salida is surrounded by 13ers and 14ers and the Arkansas river flows downtown. It's a beautiful area with a ton of outdoor activities. Monarch Ski Area is a short 25 min drive away. I would say it is more like Colorado Springs than GJ or Montrose, but way smaller and much more scenic. I'm not sure how to compare the amount of trees, but I've always thought Salida to have a lot of big beautiful trees downtown and of course in the mountains there are evergreen forests and lots of aspen groves.

As far as shopping, there is a walmart, safeway, and local shops. You can get groceries and essentials there, but anything else means a trip to the city (either Springs or Denver- which is about a 2 - 2 1/2 hr drive).

The weather is perfect, in my opinion. There is hardly ever snow on the ground because it's so sunny all the time. It is windy and it can get cold, but I feel spoiled having grown up in such a mild climate at 7,000 ft surrounded by mountains and a river.

I was born and raised in Salida but have since lived lots of other places. I love going back and still have a lot of family there. I will probably end of settling down there eventually. My favorite things about it are the scenery and outdoor options. I also love the weather and the quaintness. I'm skewed since I grew up there, but it really is a great town in a lot of ways. I dislike how the environment is not a priority- I have a rant on this forum about Nestle, Christo, and development issues. It's also hard to make a living as others have said. My mom is forced to commute to Buena Vista to work at the prison.

The politics in Salida, in my opinion, are definitely mixed. The farmers, retirees, and business owners tend to be more conservative, while the younger "ski-bums", artsy people, and struggling workers are more liberal. Either way, you should find people you will connect with. The real problem I have is like I said before, protecting the environment is just not a priority for the local government, even though there are some people actively trying to.

Hope that helps and if you have any other questions, feel free to ask...

[sesamekid]

I just did a post on my blog about houses in Salida (lots of pics of Victorians, etc.)

Check it out at House peeping in Salida, Colorado | housecrazy

[delta07]

Originally Posted by sesamekid

I just did a post on my blog about houses in Salida (lots of pics of Victorians, etc.)

Check it out at House peeping in Salida, Colorado | housecrazy

What lovely pictures of the old homes in Salida! Thanks for sharing.