Where to live in Colorado... or anywhere else? (Pueblo, Trinidad: house, closing)

[wilberry]

" Everybody on this forum except for two or three of us hates the town because it has a lot of brown people. "

Yes but it has a lot short people and being short myself I find it very Homogeneous , can I say that in this context ?

[Phil P]

Originally Posted by exp01020

I'm a 50-something, semi-retired person looking for a tax-friendly, outdoorsy place to settle. I may work part-time or via internet to continue to stash cash into an IRA, but otherwise, I'm not concerned about a high-paying job.

My budget can be flexible, but generally I'd like to spend no more than about $50K per year max, including taxes and health insurance. I'm not a shopper, but I am a hiker/outdoors-person, and I'd like to find a like-minded community. I prefer living as close to nature as possible, but I also like to be able to walk to the grocery store, so I realize I may have to make trade-offs...

I hike, cross-country ski and nature-watch, but it'd also be nice to be able to take classes (writing, history, etc.) so a nearby college would also be nice to have as an option. I'd rent first and would consider buying a place later.

Any ideas?

I don't know if mountains or dry weather is critical, but what about northern MN or WI or MI? People there are more outdoorsy IMO than CO people, as in they actually spend more time outdoors, but doing things like X country skiing, snowmobiling, gardening, fishing, building a cabin, metal detecting, and less extreme adventure sports. There's a LOT of outdoors stuff up there, as long as those types of activities are your type.

What about somewhere like Brainerd MN or Eau Claire WI or Wausau WI?

[exp01020]

I'm open to about anyplace outdoorsy, Phil, but I do like hiking and elevation gain and loss help me stay in better shape (better than being in a gym.) I'll definitely keep those places in mind though.

[TCHP]

Originally Posted by wilberry

" Everybody on this forum except for two or three of us hates the town because it has a lot of brown people. "

Yes but it has a lot short people and being short myself I find it very Homogeneous , can I say that in this context ?

Nah, not everyone. I like Pueblo. I'd love to live in one of their historic neighborhoods, but there are several attributes of life in Pueblo that just don't align with my life.

[Phil P]

Originally Posted by exp01020

I'm open to about anyplace outdoorsy, Phil, but I do like hiking and elevation gain and loss help me stay in better shape (better than being in a gym.) I'll definitely keep those places in mind though.

Interesting! Didn't even think about that. I do know X country skiing is big up there though and you can get just as much of a workout from that as you can hiking a 14er if you push yourself.

It`s worth a look though, just so you have some comparisons.

[Hschlick84]

Check out Prescott and PV in Yavapai county AZ. It is partially a retirement community and population is roughly 40k. Tons of outdoor activities to do.

[NW Crow]

Cody WY is another option in your preferred town size slot.

Livingston MT too.

[DOUBLE H]

Originally Posted by McGowdog

Rye.

It ain't necessarily cheap but very nice and close enough to a 105k town with a couple of hospitals. That town, 32 miles up the road from Rye is Pueblo. Everybody on this forum except for two or three of us hates the town because it has a lot of brown people.

That's why I don't post in this subforum much anymore. I go where it's more cordial, like the P&OC subforum.

Search out some of my Rye and Colorado City threads if you get time. I think you'll find me to not be a total homer, unless I'm defending the turf.

Make that four of us!

I drove down for a job interview that didn't pan out south of the Pueblo area. This was 1992. In April 1982 I worked on a 7 month pipeline project that started off the top of Sheep Mountain, fifteen miles west of Gardner. It ended up just east of the New Mexico/Texas border. I walked that whole stretch over 7 months time.

I was familiar with Colorado City/Rye/San Isabel area, camped out in the Greenhorn mountains a few times. Back when I had good knees, I hiked up to Kite Lake and Lake In The Clouds in the Sangre De Cristos, snagged some nice trout out of there, MANY moons ago.

I gave serious thought about Rye in the late 1980's as back then Colorado's economy graded out as B, as in bad. But the giveaway deals were in Mesa County so that's where I bought a place. If Columbia House would have taken me I'd have moved to any of those three towns in a flash. Rye is a pretty as a postcard type of town IMO. And like McGowdog mentioned above, you have Pueblo a half hour drive away for the hospitals, Targets, Walmarts, shopping malls etc., etc.

Rye is very doable for me-still is in fact!

[McGowdog]

Thanks HH.

Good thing you didn't go with Columbia House because three of my friends and my dad found out that dying industry would shut its doors one day, move what was left back to Indiana, and send hundreds of workers from Pueblo to Walsenburg packing too.

I got my first scholarship from that building when it was called DoRay Lamp Company from the 70s and early 80s.

To this day, I'd say Rye is a great place to live, play, raise kids etc. if you have money or can find decent work and don't mind a 30 minute commute.

I did the opposite thing, lived in Pueblo West and drove 45 minutes to work in Colorado City every morning to work with my parents at a company my older brother owned. My mom dad and I got layed off in 2009.

[Moonbeamer]

Grand Junction