Leadville vs. Fairplay vs. Idaho Springs-->Summit County

[gonzo_ishmael]

Originally Posted by MountainEarth

I know you posted another thread about Woodland Park, which is where my wife (who is a teacher) and I live. And one of the reasons we live here is because we wanted to be in the mountains, but didn't want to have to work 3 jobs each or drive treacherous commutes or rent for the rest of our lives to make it happen.

Yes, I did, but to be honest, the comments in that thread scared me off. The heavy Christian fundamentalist presence worries me. Some people said it isn't a big deal, but conflicting information like that is scary when you're in my position — a tenured teacher already established in a good district. It's a lot to risk. Of course, the mountain lifestyle is what we are after, which is why I think the right opportunity would be worth the risk.

What is your honest take on WP? You can always DM me so we don't steer this thread off track.

[Arrby]

Originally Posted by gonzo_ishmael

Yes, I did, but to be honest, the comments in that thread scared me off. The heavy Christian fundamentalist presence worries me.

You are right not to come. We have enough intolerance already.

[NW Crow]

Another option would be looking at Heeney in northwest corner of Summit County or anywhere along northern part of Blue River. No pass to climb on the commute.

[NW Crow]

Another option would be looking at Heeney in northwest corner of Summit County or anywhere along northern part of Blue River. No pass to climb on the commute. But you are commuting to everything except home or nature. Pretty, quiet. Probably somewhat less expensive than south part of county but I haven't checked recently.

[StarrySkiesAbove]

My grandparents had a cabin in Heeney when I was a kid. It's a pretty spot for sure but it is isolated like NW Crow mentioned. It's a small fishing village on Green Mountain Reservoir and a lot of the homes are seasonal. The population is under 100 and I don't think those are all full time residents. It's been about two years since I went by there so it may have grown some but probably not much. I think the same bait shop is still there, Master Bait and Tackle . It could be pretty lonely full time living for younger kids.

[TCHP]

Perhaps return your focus to the Front Range in general and Colorado Springs in particular. Homes in Crystal park, Cedar Heights, Green Mtn Falls, Chipeta Park, or even the Broadmoor Bluffs areas are going to put you in a mountain environment while being 15-30 minutes from work in Colorado Springs or Woodland Park and the dozens of school districts in El Paso County.

I spent a lot of summers in Fairplay and Leadville as a kid, my Grand parents owned a gas station in Fairplay so I would stay there months at a time, but its hard to fathom living in either of them with my school age children now. Despite the population going up a couple hundred people since then, I don't think services there have improved at all over the last 40 years. They finally have interest from Drs for staffing their clinic since they are offering a yearly lease of $1 for the clinic.

Although we love to visit Leadville, I have no idea how good or bad their schools may be. It could very well be a diamond in the rough as the town is transitioning from mining to tourism. Values are going up, they do have schools, medical, and shopping that are growing, and with Co Mtn College and Ski Cooper, are growing past their mining legacy. They also are getting heavily involved in summer sports with biking and running and have a pretty major event every summer that fills up all the hotels.

[attentionspanltd]

Airbnb, VRBO, etc. have decimated Summit's already tight housing market. It's a lot more lucrative for a landlord to rent their place for $1200 a week than $1600 a month. The County's subsidized, deed-restricted homes still cost about half a million dollars, and they have the nerve to call it "affordable housing" (actually, I think "attainable housing" is the new buzzword). Even then, those only come on the market once in a blue moon. We are already seeing the consequences of the housing shortage - businesses all over the County are chronically understaffed; eventually things like the quality of our school system will tank because people like yourself can't afford to live here.

I work in Frisco, and a lot of the people I know are moving up to the Kremmling area (Grand County, North of Heeney). Definitely smaller than Leadville, bigger than Fairplay, probably about the same size as Idaho Springs. Commute would typically be about an hour, straight down Highway 9, then a quick 2 miles on I-70. The weather is slightly better in the Winter, and no mountain passes to drive through. You'd probably want to pick up groceries in Frisco or Silverthorne on the way home though - the only stores of any real consequence are Family Dollar and a what amounts to a glorified convenience store on the edge of town. Cheaper housing is the big draw - not sure what the rental market is like, but home prices are about half of what they are in Summit.