Colorado - Will it be my next home?

[Canine*Castle]

Originally Posted by Cathy4017

I hear you on the mountains, and I miss seeing the Sacramentos all over town, but I don't miss that heat. I can see the La Plata mts from my subdivision, and the San Juans are visible from some parts of town.

If you want green, you are going to have to put up with humidity. I don't know what your definition of high humidity is, but I don't like anything over 35% unless it's raining!

I spent a week in Charlottesville, VA, and the humidity was like a heavy blanket. Give me West Texas, NM or SW CO any day.

Anyway, good luck, and let me know where you end up, OK?

Right now the humidity is 38% which makes for a 64 dew point. The temperature is 94, but it feels like 96 so that's not too bad for Texas standards anyway.

I agree that VA is somewhat humid but at higher elevations, it isn't too bad. At least there are seasons and summer doesn't last forever. I'm looking at a little town called New Castle in Craig County or possibly Floyd in Floyd County. I've still not given up on the west and Idaho is still the spot on the top of my list. I surely will let you know where I end up but no matter what, it will be in no less than 3 years from now, perhaps more. I wish it could be tomorrow. This drought and heat wave we're having is really getting on my very last nerve but I don't think there has ever been a summer in central Texas that hasn't driven me nuts.

[ColoNative]

Originally Posted by Canine*Castle

I'm looking at a little town called New Castle in Craig County or possibly Floyd in Floyd County.

New Castle is in Garfield County, and yes, extremely nice. It's actually the first town on I-70 in the Rockies coming from the west (all those other 'mountains' to the west aren't actually mountains, they're the edge of plateaus). It's in a pretty, narrow green valley of the Colorado. The rock is reddish. There are trees in town, but not a lot on the landscape around town, scrub brush mostly New Castle is small, right off I-70 and close to Glenwood, but it manages to keep it's small town charm. Heck, even Glenwood manages to keep it's charm despite the tourists. I really love that area. I grew up about 40 miles from there in Parachute.

To the west/sw, Rifle and Parachute...meh. Gas industry uglied them up pretty good. The thunder storms in that area are fairly spectacular. Loud, and the lightning will stretch from one end of the sky to the other. We used to sit outside and watch it off in the distance. Some hail on that side of the Rockies, but not like the Front Range at all. Mostly just rain (and snow in the winter). I don't remember the average rainfall for the area, more than Grand Junction which was about 10" precip a year. Still pretty dry, but being from CA you'd get used to that pretty quick. Rifle Reservoir is nearby. The back end of that is nice for day hikes, see the Rifle Falls. There used to be ice caves up that way too, but last time I was up there the ice was all melted. Maybe it's back?

Up near Craig (Moffat County) you can find some nice valleys too. My family when they first moved to CO settled in Pagoda in the Williams Fork valley. I've only been there once, May of last year, but it was again real pretty. You'd be close to Craig for shopping. No shopping in Pagoda lol, it's all farms. Prices in the valley should also be reasonable. I don't know about the river flooding, maybe someone from NW Colorado would know, it could be a possibility with heavy rain or snowmelt. Oh, I just looked at the Google street view, not many trees. Around the farms there are. I just think it's pretty cause I grew up in that landscape Yeah, not many trees in the Craig area at all. Most trees in that part of the state are planted in towns.

[ColoNative]

Oh, and check out Collbran on Grand Mesa. I think it fits your criteria pretty well. Ave precipitation is about 15 in, snowfall is about 65 in. I used to go up there in the winter to work and it was never that bad. Average home sale price as of Apr 2010 was 177,000. As an average, that's not too bad.

The population is 388, but that swells a bit in hunting season

LOTS of trees. Look into it.

[j96g]

Colorado thunderstorms are not as severe as Texas was. And you only get those severe storms about 2-3 months on the year. One thing I did notice moving from South Texas was up here there is more lightning and hail, though haven't really seen big hail. Summer "can" get hot, but coming from Texas it shouldn't bother you. Texas was hot 24/7 for 5-6 months. Here if it does get hot, it won't last too long and it always cools down at night. Even when it was 80 at 10 pm (usually doesn't happen much, by 10 it's usually upper 60s to mid 70s in summer), it felt nice because of the lower humidity. Back in Texas outside at night felt like a parking lot full of cars that just turned off and the engine is letting out that heat. Precip is less than back in South Texas, but the weather is soo nice most days, you don't want rain to ruin that. I know I only wanted rain to cool me off back in Texas. Plus any rain you get is welcome here, but I doubt you'd complain much about the lack of rain.

[Canine*Castle]

Originally Posted by ColoNative

New Castle is in Garfield County, and yes, extremely nice. It's actually the first town on I-70 in the Rockies coming from the west (all those other 'mountains' to the west aren't actually mountains, they're the edge of plateaus). It's in a pretty, narrow green valley of the Colorado. The rock is reddish. There are trees in town, but not a lot on the landscape around town, scrub brush mostly New Castle is small, right off I-70 and close to Glenwood, but it manages to keep it's small town charm. Heck, even Glenwood manages to keep it's charm despite the tourists. I really love that area. I grew up about 40 miles from there in Parachute.

To the west/sw, Rifle and Parachute...meh. Gas industry uglied them up pretty good. The thunder storms in that area are fairly spectacular. Loud, and the lightning will stretch from one end of the sky to the other. We used to sit outside and watch it off in the distance. Some hail on that side of the Rockies, but not like the Front Range at all. Mostly just rain (and snow in the winter). I don't remember the average rainfall for the area, more than Grand Junction which was about 10" precip a year. Still pretty dry, but being from CA you'd get used to that pretty quick. Rifle Reservoir is nearby. The back end of that is nice for day hikes, see the Rifle Falls. There used to be ice caves up that way too, but last time I was up there the ice was all melted. Maybe it's back?

Up near Craig (Moffat County) you can find some nice valleys too. My family when they first moved to CO settled in Pagoda in the Williams Fork valley. I've only been there once, May of last year, but it was again real pretty. You'd be close to Craig for shopping. No shopping in Pagoda lol, it's all farms. Prices in the valley should also be reasonable. I don't know about the river flooding, maybe someone from NW Colorado would know, it could be a possibility with heavy rain or snowmelt. Oh, I just looked at the Google street view, not many trees. Around the farms there are. I just think it's pretty cause I grew up in that landscape Yeah, not many trees in the Craig area at all. Most trees in that part of the state are planted in towns.

I was talking about two counties in Virginia and New Castle is in Craig, but I will check out to what you're referring in Colorado. I keep going back to a possible relocation in Virginia although deep down, I think west might be best although I do need rain, enough to keep a place relatively green anyway. Thanks for all the great information.

[Canine*Castle]

Originally Posted by j96g

Colorado thunderstorms are not as severe as Texas was. And you only get those severe storms about 2-3 months on the year. One thing I did notice moving from South Texas was up here there is more lightning and hail, though haven't really seen big hail. Summer "can" get hot, but coming from Texas it shouldn't bother you. Texas was hot 24/7 for 5-6 months. Here if it does get hot, it won't last too long and it always cools down at night. Even when it was 80 at 10 pm (usually doesn't happen much, by 10 it's usually upper 60s to mid 70s in summer), it felt nice because of the lower humidity. Back in Texas outside at night felt like a parking lot full of cars that just turned off and the engine is letting out that heat. Precip is less than back in South Texas, but the weather is soo nice most days, you don't want rain to ruin that. I know I only wanted rain to cool me off back in Texas. Plus any rain you get is welcome here, but I doubt you'd complain much about the lack of rain.

I know. Texas summers are something else and I don't like them. This heat is really deadly and the lack of rain this year is terrible. Also, heat is fine unless it is endless like here. I just want seasons, about three months of each as it should be, of course. I believe where I am in Texas, there is much more hail and severe storms than in south Texas. DFW is pretty much, so they say, the hail capital of the country.

[wanneroo]

Originally Posted by Canine*Castle

I was talking about two counties in Virginia and New Castle is in Craig, but I will check out to what you're referring in Colorado. I keep going back to a possible relocation in Virginia although deep down, I think west might be best although I do need rain, enough to keep a place relatively green anyway. Thanks for all the great information.

If you want green a lot of places in the west and especially Colorado are not going to meet that requirement at a reasonable cost. Even the higher elevations brown out in late summer. Colorado is a high desert climate for the most part. If you don't like dry, brown and desert, Colorado isn't for you.

[Canine*Castle]

Originally Posted by wanneroo

If you want green a lot of places in the west and especially Colorado are not going to meet that requirement at a reasonable cost. Even the higher elevations brown out in late summer. Colorado is a high desert climate for the most part. If you don't like dry, brown and desert, Colorado isn't for you.

You may be right! Thanks!!

[80skeys]

Originally Posted by Canine*Castle

You may be right! Thanks!!

It's true. Colorado is definitely not the place for someone who wants greenery.