Alamosa Question (Denver, Colorado Springs, Pueblo: sales, rentals, homes)

[racham84]

I've been applying to jobs at various colleges and universities in Colorado and was looking for info on Alamosa. I'm not too picky when it comes to towns and cities to live in (I just love the outdoors) but my fiancee would be moving with me. She currently works in sales and marketing at a resort and we'd like to move to a place where she could find work in the hospitality industry.

We're both in our early 30s and do not plan to have kids, but we'd still like to live in a decent area with at least some things going on. Any info would be much appreciated.

[Dreaming of Hawaii]

You can get a really good idea of the demographics of Alamosa right here on City Data. For example, the median household income is about $29,000 whereas the median household income for the state is $55,000.

Allso, there have been some discussions about what Alamosa is like, so try a forum Search.

[otterprods]

Originally Posted by racham84

I've been applying to jobs at various colleges and universities in Colorado and was looking for info on Alamosa. I'm not too picky when it comes to towns and cities to live in (I just love the outdoors) but my fiancee would be moving with me. She currently works in sales and marketing at a resort and we'd like to move to a place where she could find work in the hospitality industry. We're both in our early 30s and do not plan to have kids, but we'd still like to live in a decent area with at least some things going on. Any info would be much appreciated.

Alamosa is an old town, a lot of lower income working class folks and some very affordable homes and property for Colorado. The town itself has your typical farmers markets, little street fairs and other seasonal events. But it's far from a tourist destination itself. However, it is located within a 30-60 minute drive of some of the most beautiful parts of the state. Of course there's Great Sand Dunes and Zapata Falls, both really well known and worth visiting from time to time. But the better parts are to the East, West and South from Alamosa. The Rio Grande National Forest, South San Juan Mtns, Sangre de Cristo Range, Chochetopa Hills and many places in between are some of the most scenic and rugged areas around. Also Wolf Creek offers doe of the best powder skiing in the state many years because they get so much snow out there.

The drawbacks? Cold, windy and relatively barren in and around town. The San Luis Valley (which Alamosa is in) is one of the coldest places in the state. I'm talking bitterly cold and windy for most of fall, winter and spring. And in the summer when it's "nice" it's still often ridiculously windy with scarcely a tree around to block it. And if you feel like you need to be in a larger city and Pueblo or Durango won't cut it, you're taking four hours to Springs from there and five to Denver.

You should also know that the area has a large hispanic population, mostly farm/ranch workers and tradesmen, which may be a pro or a con or neither for you, but it's something to know.

So that's the scoop on Alamosa. I like it there and I have a friend who grew up there and has property so we like to go down and camp there because it's really close to great hunting, fishing and many other outdoor activities. But living there year round is not for the faint of heart and would be a shock to someone expecting 'quaint mountain town' close to a National Park, skiing and lots of wilderness.

[Mike from back east]

Alamosa sits in the bowl that is the San Luis Valley (SLV) and it's been bitter cold there lately, as in the -20F range. Farming area. Pretty. Stark.

Colorado Springs would be more to your liking. Sizable hospitality industry here, including the 5-star Broadmoor Resort.

Several colleges here too:
- Colorado College (CC), a private college with a fine reputation.
- Univ of Colorado at Colo Spgs (UCCS), a growing public college.
- Pikes Peak Community College (PPCC) with several campuses.

Tons of outdoor stuff. We're at the foot of Pikes Peak (14,115 Ft) and Hwy 24 takes you up to the High Country.

Look at ppar.com for rentals or homes to buy.

[beezle1]

Durango has Fort Lewis College and tons of places to work in the hospitality industry, and LOTS of outdoor things nearby, but I think living there could be a bit pricey.

[bongo]

+Durango is an outdoor enthusiast's dream!

[otterprods]

Durango is nice and has a lot to offer, but it brings in crowds of pretentious outdoor enthusiasts and over-eager college kids as a result. It's not nearly as obnoxious as your typical Mtn resort town, but it still doesn't feel like real people living real lives anywhere along Hwy 550. Of course, it's a pretty normal town elsewhere off the main drag, but it's still more expensive than it needs to be due to its "desirable" location and hip atmosphere.

The nice thing about Alamosa is that it's a very real, down to earth town. People don't go there just to look cool and live their dream… they live there because they work there and have families and homes there. It also has a great access to the true essence of CO's high country, but there is that drawback of truly bitter cold wind and winter temps that would probably be too much for me to bear for more than a winter or two.

[jazzlover]

Ottterpod,

I'm having trouble figuring you out. On another thread you bash me for decrying how Colorado has changed in so many ways for the worse, then you post here that Alamosa is a desirable place because it hasn't been ruined by the "beautiful people." You may consider me bitter or obnoxious, but I am consistent. One of things that I do really like about the San Luis Vallley is that it is one of the few chunks of "real Colorado" that is left. Evidently, you feel the same way.

As for those bitter cold temperatures and weather in the SLV, I just spent a chunk of time there in the last few days--not inside being warm and comfy, but out working in it. And the really cold stuff hasn't even hit yet--that looks to come over the weekend. Not to be flippant about such things, but while most posters on the forum are busy "talking the talk" I'm out "walking the walk." And I'm not some spring chicken, either. I've been out braving the worst weather that the Rocky Mountains can offer off-and-on for a half-century. I just got back in from unloading a truck for about 45 minutes in a "warm and balmy" 5° temperature.

[CosmicWizard]

jazzlover wrote: I just got back in from unloading a truck for about 45 minutes in a "warm and balmy" 5° temperature.

Brings back an unpleasant memory of working one winter at an outdoor lumber mill near McBride BC located in the Rocky Mountain Trench. Many days the temp never got UP to zero, and it was often windy to boot. The term, Rocky Mountain Trench is merely a high fallutin name for wind tunnel.

[bongo]

When I lived in Alamosa for grad school back in the olden days, my oil froze & burst in my VW, so I learned the hard way about the need to winterize a vehicle

My concern would be for your wife-to-be's job experience in the resort industry & her ability to find a job in Alamosa.

I also have lived outside Durango & never found it particularly pretentious.