inexpensive small town in CO

[kconte22]

Relocating to CO from MA. Was just curious if anyone can list a few inexpensive small towns in CO where I can have a small farm. 2 cows, some ducks. Nothing huge at all. my husband is from the south so we are trying to find that small town feeling in CO that is affordable. mild winters would be nice too

[kconte22]

I need some honest opinions from folks that live in CO. I was raised in MA my husband was raised in TN. We are residing in MA at the moment but are relocating asap. We were looking to raise a small farm with a few ducks and cows in a nice secluded peaceful area. We don't mind neighbors but would prefer privacy. Privacy is the key and that is what MA lacks. We were looking into CO even considered a trip to visit in a few weeks. Then we found out that cost of living in CO is a lot more expensive then anything down south. We are worried that our little family will run out of savings within months of moving to CO where it can takes years if we were down south. We don't want to pack up our family only to run out of money and struggle because we made a bad decision.

[Rainbow Demon]

Inevitably the question will arise "What do you consider inexpensive or affordable?"

Retiring? Do one/both of you need to find jobs/generate an income?

Mild winters? It's a year-to-year thing in CO as far as "how cold" it will get...but it's a stretch to say anywhere in this state is "mild" in Winter. Elevation plays a huge part in temps....Summer and Winter. Topography plays yet another large part.
The variation is what (IMO) makes it all so interesting.

Lots of small towns out there where you can "farm"....just be sure there's water (aka..water rights) to cover the uses you expect to engage in.

good luck

[Rainbow Demon]

The "South" will inevitably be a cheaper place than CO to live. (anywhere in the Midwest as well)

[sunsprit]

IMO, you need to visit the areas of rural Colorado that meet your definition of a "small town".

"inexpensive" may be at odds with the amenities and real costs of living that you want/need.

Even a "small farm" in many areas can be prohibitively expensive, especially if you want water rights and reliable functional water. Most of rural Colorado is totally unlike the riparian areas of MA; the total rainfall per year may be only a fraction of what you have there.

If you're thinking that you will pasture graze your 2 cows all year long, you may be in for a surprise regarding the number of acres of dryland it will take to support them. Most areas of Colorado will need supplemental feeding during the winter months, too. You may also find that your pasture can only support your cows for a few months per year.

"mild winters" is not part of the Colorado landscape. It's a relative term across Colorado, but consider the altitude here and the wide open spaces where the winds blow through and the cold temp fronts can be frequent. The plains areas can have brutal winters even if they're not receiving a lot of snowfall.

[jim9251]

Olathe

[jim9251]

6 years ago I moved to Colorado from northwest Arkansas. Sticker shock. Car insurance tripled, car tags doubled. Housing prices are insane. And there's a permissive drug culture. There's an old saying, "know how to make a million dollars in Colorado? Bring 2 million."

Colorado is a big state, there's more to it than Denver so look around. The good thing is, there's NO humidity, tornadoes, ice storms or bugs where I live. Check out Montrose, Delta or Mesa counties.

Come visit, good luck to you.

[Sunderpig2]

Going back to the original question, it has a lot to do with small scale farming and low-cost living. Other areas of work won't have as particular of requirements. I have to disagree about the tornados. Many areas of the state (especially the eastern side) can and do get hit with tornadoes. But...affordability still sounds like one of the keys issues.

One point that hasn't been made is the flexibility of land usage. In the south, a person can oftentimes use their land with lots of leeway, which can be either good or bad depending on the situation. In CO, I've noticed a lot of rules, regulations, and restrictions on how the land can legally be used, or what is allowable. This is a positive to many, but it might be an important factor to consider in this case.

Again, back to the original post, it's smarter to post your question in the nationwise/US portion of the site, and/or the more specific sections that relate to your "vision" (see below). For the CO subforum, you'll often get views from people who have lived in CO so long that they don't see what visitors or "re-locators" from other parts of the country will see, and be surprised by.

For this post, it seems like the south or east (Virginia?) would make more sense than the dry, expensive Centennial State.

//www.city-data.com/forum/#u-s-forums

//www.city-data.com/forum/rural-small-town-living/

//www.city-data.com/forum/self-...-preparedness/

Also "Green Living" subforum

[brown_dog_us]

We live in Colorado, but are originally from Atlanta. Colorado is a great place and I prefer it to the South because of the laid back lifestyle, mountains, and weather. The only draw back I see is the cost of living here. What type of work do you and your spouse do? That will drive the decision. If you are on the low end of the income spectrum there is no way you can afford a small farm in Colorado. Most likely it will be a small apartment and very little extra money.

[StealthRabbit]

Originally Posted by kconte22

I need some honest opinions from folks that live in CO.,,, We were looking .. small farm with a few ducks and cows in a nice secluded peaceful area. ... prefer privacy. Privacy is the key ... cost of living in CO is a lot more expensive then anything down south. ... don't want to pack up our family only to run out of money and struggle because we made a bad decision.

Consider Maine, WV, VA, or TN - search threads for user "Submariner", He is very helpful to those looking for low cost hobby / subsistence farming.

CO is pretty costly, barren / long ways from where you are, will have many challenges (including high costs and increasing regulations contrary to farming / privacy).

I lived 28 yrs in CO (near Berthoud). It is a great place. Not terribly cheap, but still a bit rural (and getting more urban as front range continues to blossom / (over) populate).

Privacy is not as possible in arid areas (Colorado) as in (eastern USA and PNW USA) (no trees / few hills / creeks to mask neighbors). Very small towns / vast rural eastern CO is a harsh environment, and would require a lot of money to get started (Buy an existing farm, small acreage harder to come by and to have enough land for livestock).

Most of CO will be much higher CoL than SE USA. (Land prices are driver, food also (imported))


If this is important... "MA is pro cannabis"

OR or WA are very liberal / private / moderate climate... and a LONG ways away. CoL is acceptable in rural ares, but housing will be considerably higher than eastern USA (Land costs are high on left coast). Year-round gardening is possible on the we_t side of Cascade Mtns. (small parcel (~5-10acres) will support livestock >30" rain / yr). I have been able to get liveable places on acreage for ~ $100k. (same thing in TN / SE USA would be $50 - $70k (Probably similar in rural ME)).

To make your money LAST...
1) Don't do a long distance move. $xx,xxx
2) Find a low cost area (east of MS river) Low land / housing prices (might need a state with a good Healthcare exchange)
3) Low tax state (TN?)
4) Plenty of available rain / feed for livestock and gardening
5) Moderate climate (heating / cooling costs)
6) Find existing place that you can utilize / repair (Building new farm is prohibitively expensive). Wood land is good for reclaiming if good drainage and sun.(and less expensive) BE SURE to get a place that has good sun / airflow / soils (County extension can help with all of that.)
7) Be frugal and wise in spending. (transportation / utilities / food / insurance / healthcare / edu ...)

For your budget / desires ... Colorado just doesn't seem to meet these ^^^