Where Should Me And My Wife Move To In Colorado?

[StealthRabbit]

Originally Posted by Dreaming of Hawaii

... Buena Vista or Salida ...

I would say those are a great recommendation, (and highly likely to weed out 'the wife') or 'break-her' into staying.

[Rainbow Demon]

Salida/BV/Glenwood....all good recs for decent sized mountain towns with enough folks to have their own economies/jobs/ things to do....and all are slightly warmer than the Ski towns...yet skiing is close-by.

We are amazed at the temps in Salida in winter. So much so we are moving to that general area this spring for a lifestyle change. (not looking for work, Been there, done that)

Best of luck to the OP/anyone else making a move.

[live2tell]

Those places look great, thanks guys. We will definitely do more research on those. In the meantime, what would you guys say about Idaho Springs?

[Idunn]

My impression of Idaho Springs is of an old mining town of decided architectural character, largely ruined by the intrusion of I-70 through its narrow valley. If one can overlook that, then it may have certain possibilities.

Location-wise it puts one in the mountains, far enough to be removed from all that is Denver, yet not that far from it. Then in the other direction, one has a good advance in being all the closer to Summit County and the ski areas there (or Loveland, on the near side of the tunnel). If in this the towns of Empire, Georgetown or Silver Plume would offer all the more ready access. At an elevation of 7,526 feet Idaho Springs will receive a certain amount of snow in the winter, but one would need to be in Silver Plume or above to perhaps get tired of the snow.

I cannot speak to the ambience of Idaho Springs, other than to note that it is a relatively small mountain town with those inherent drawbacks as well attractions. One had best be satisfied with the school district, the shopping and all else because it is where you'll be spending most of your time. In shopping, for instance, Denver is close enough to be feasible when in the mood or need, but far enough removed that one will probably not want to run down there all the time. And if wishing to do so, then better off in the city. On the plus side one should enjoy a slower pace in lifestyle, getting to know the locals and so on.

Then back to I-70. One will discover in person that the current bottleneck of I-70 and CDOT's focus lies between the tunnel just east of Idaho Springs that is presently being expanded to three lanes in either direction, and basically the I-40 junction near Empire. This very expensive enhancement of I-70 paid for by Colorado citizens will allow an extra pay lane for the benefit of the wealthy and the coffers of politicians. What it means for Idaho Springs in the near term is a lot of construction, with continuing all the more traffic. One might consider that tunnel and that CDOT will probably not be satisfied until I-70 is a six lane interstate from Denver to Frisco.

Otherwise, the mountain corridor between Denver and Vail is one of the most beautiful in the state. With the towns along it, including Idaho Springs, offering the lifestyle one might wish. If keep in mind location matters and the experience in each will be different. Evergreen, removed slightly from I-70 to the south, is not Idaho Springs, as it not exactly the same as Georgetown, or any of them with the benefits or possible drawbacks of a Silverthorne.

[StealthRabbit]

Originally Posted by live2tell

...what would you guys say about Idaho Springs?

you like dealing with Denver / Front Range traffic?

80% of the Mtn access from Castle Rock people to Ft Collins residents (including metro Denver and Boulder flow through Id Spr. I would avoid it (unless you can set up a toll booth!)

If you can afford / can employ-ably live in the Mtns, (and you WANT to live in the mtns) why on earth would you live in Denver?. (I consider ID Springs / Evergreen a suburb of Denver (which they are... most people commute in to town / Denver / nearby to work))

[live2tell]

Okay, thanks guys. Gonna look some more into Glenwood Springs/BV/Salida

[delta07]

Originally Posted by live2tell

Those places look great, thanks guys. We will definitely do more research on those. In the meantime, what would you guys say about Idaho Springs?

I absolutely love the Arkansas Valley (Buena Vista/Salida) and weather wise, it's much more mild for a mountain environment than many other locations in Colorado (of course, it's all relative). However, if you need work, this may be your biggest challenge. They are both pretty small towns and don't have huge economic base. You may be able to find a job in the service or retails industries, but they probably won't pay more than minimum wage. You'll be hard pressed to live off that comfortably in a mountain town.

Idunn did a great job summing up Idaho Springs. Personally, I wouldn't want to live there because between I-70 and the narrow valley, it just wouldn't be ideal for me. It always seems dirty with the air quality suffering due to that. There is also not nearly as much sunlight because of the narrow valley, so it's much colder than I prefer. But, it could potentially be commutable to Denver (although I wouldn't want to do it at all) and it's closer to the slopes. So, there is definitely a younger population that resides there to do the ski bum thing for a few years.