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Old 07-14-2018, 02:34 PM
 
1,555 posts, read 2,382,325 times
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Retired to the Springs about two years ago even though my relatives are all on the western slope in Montrose, Paonia and Telluride. Figured small town living might not be for us just yet so we chose Springs. The jury is still out whether we will stay but having come here for many years, it seems like it has gotten kind of rough around the edges since marijuana legalization. Lots more drifters, vagrants and petty crime than I recall. Maybe that's just an effect of more Front Range population in general. A noticeable lack of traffic enforcement so folks drive however they wish. And one thing we were not aware of - wind. In under two years, we have had a spruce blow over and fall on a neighbor's house and had two fences blow over. The frequent hail has been a barrel of fun too. My relatives tell me that the western slope does not get the wind and hail. A recent trip to Montrose has us thinking we may "up and move" there in a year or so as we were pleasantly surprised by the differences on a recent trip.
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Old 07-14-2018, 02:36 PM
 
Location: Prairieville, La
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Originally Posted by otowi View Post
Enjoy your Durango trip - but do understand Durango isn't exactly Western Slope and not representative of it, either. Have fun!
Yep, i know what you mean. True true. Expensive boutiques and the like...
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Old 07-14-2018, 02:54 PM
 
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Originally Posted by orngkat View Post
... A recent trip to Montrose has us thinking we may "up and move" there in a year or so as we were pleasantly surprised by the differences on a recent trip.
Could you say what differences you see in Montrose over past visits?
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Old 07-14-2018, 03:01 PM
 
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Quote:
Originally Posted by orngkat View Post
Retired to the Springs about two years ago even though my relatives are all on the western slope in Montrose, Paonia and Telluride. Figured small town living might not be for us just yet so we chose Springs. The jury is still out whether we will stay but having come here for many years, it seems like it has gotten kind of rough around the edges since marijuana legalization. Lots more drifters, vagrants and petty crime than I recall. Maybe that's just an effect of more Front Range population in general. A noticeable lack of traffic enforcement so folks drive however they wish. And one thing we were not aware of - wind. In under two years, we have had a spruce blow over and fall on a neighbor's house and had two fences blow over. The frequent hail has been a barrel of fun too. My relatives tell me that the western slope does not get the wind and hail. A recent trip to Montrose has us thinking we may "up and move" there in a year or so as we were pleasantly surprised by the differences on a recent trip.
Western slope does indeed get strong wind and hail. I’ve been caught in it a few times over the years, in various places. It just does not happen as often as in the Front Range, and the hail isn’t as big.

The increase in drifters and bums is also not limited to the Front Range. The western slope definitely has seen more of it also.
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Old 07-14-2018, 07:49 PM
 
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Originally Posted by brightdoglover View Post
Could you say what differences you see in Montrose over past visits?
I suppose all the development towards the south end (big box stores etc) is the most noticeable difference. New library, the expanded river park, recreation center are all new since I was there last. I would worry that downtown area might lose its commerce as people migrate to corporate stores but even still restaurants on Main were packed. Seems like the town has much more civic pride than Springs which is important to me. Much less litter and a general tidiness that is missing here. A local told me that they have homeless but they just aren't allowed to take over like here.

Last edited by Mike from back east; 07-14-2018 at 08:36 PM.. Reason: Fixing quoted material.
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Old 07-22-2018, 10:04 PM
 
Location: Prairieville, La
79 posts, read 123,762 times
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Just back from Durango..........aaaaaaannnnddd.......that is now our destination of choice!!

Traffic- nothing to even raise an eyebrow at - relative i guess. Excellent roads system.
Views- Stellar. Gorgeous. Clean
Outdoors experience - hard to beat. We are dog tired: hiking, birding, wild flowering, rock climbing.
People - very warm. Felt the smaller city vibe. pleasant folk.
Touristy - sure, some shops along Main Ave, but not horrendously so. I've been to way worse tourist destinations
Food/Drink - excellent. Loved the couple of super healthy grocery stores we frequented. Good beers.
Health and wellness - that's some healthy people! I gotta shed some pounds. Too much cajun food
Library- excellent. awesome location
High School - looked nice from what we drove around. Good sports facilities.
School board office- quaint building
Houses- looks like the town has the full range of living quarters. Loved some of the cute smaller homes.


I really do like the size of the place and as i get older (and probably grumpier), that'll suit me just fine. I do worry about the front range boom, I have been saddened to see what has happened to the wonderful city of Austin, tx with the sheer massive influx of people.

Durango Joe, i saw where you get your coffee!!
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Old 07-22-2018, 10:58 PM
 
9,868 posts, read 7,590,574 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by SwampyNeedsMountains View Post
Just back from Durango..........aaaaaaannnnddd.......that is now our destination of choice!!

Traffic- nothing to even raise an eyebrow at - relative i guess. Excellent roads system.
Views- Stellar. Gorgeous. Clean
Outdoors experience - hard to beat. We are dog tired: hiking, birding, wild flowering, rock climbing.
People - very warm. Felt the smaller city vibe. pleasant folk.
Touristy - sure, some shops along Main Ave, but not horrendously so. I've been to way worse tourist destinations
Food/Drink - excellent. Loved the couple of super healthy grocery stores we frequented. Good beers.
Health and wellness - that's some healthy people! I gotta shed some pounds. Too much cajun food
Library- excellent. awesome location
High School - looked nice from what we drove around. Good sports facilities.
School board office- quaint building
Houses- looks like the town has the full range of living quarters. Loved some of the cute smaller homes.


I really do like the size of the place and as i get older (and probably grumpier), that'll suit me just fine. I do worry about the front range boom, I have been saddened to see what has happened to the wonderful city of Austin, tx with the sheer massive influx of people.

Durango Joe, i saw where you get your coffee!!
Oh, everything is relative. I won’t bore you with my views on the things you listed, but I find it fascinating that you found the people “very warm.” While waiting for some service in Durango, I heard another customer, someone who had moved there within the previous year, repeatedly stating to another customer how cold and unfriendly the people were. She also kept referring to what a tiny city it was, which I thought hilarious. I guess she had not seen much of the US outside of her previous home.

But keep in mind, merchants are usually friendly to tourists. Excellent idea to rent for the first year or two.
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Old 07-23-2018, 04:25 PM
 
Location: Prairieville, La
79 posts, read 123,762 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by pikabike View Post
Oh, everything is relative. I won’t bore you with my views on the things you listed, but I find it fascinating that you found the people “very warm.” While waiting for some service in Durango, I heard another customer, someone who had moved there within the previous year, repeatedly stating to another customer how cold and unfriendly the people were. She also kept referring to what a tiny city it was, which I thought hilarious. I guess she had not seen much of the US outside of her previous home.

But keep in mind, merchants are usually friendly to tourists. Excellent idea to rent for the first year or two.
C'mon Pike, bore me. I value your insight. Seriously!
ps that woman......so odd!
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Old 07-24-2018, 10:12 AM
 
2,333 posts, read 2,593,841 times
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Just another antidotal data point. I never hear anything negative about the western slope when I am there. I only hear negative things from people on the front range, who probably rarely, if ever, go there. LOL.
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Old 07-24-2018, 10:24 AM
 
9,868 posts, read 7,590,574 times
Reputation: 22118
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Originally Posted by COcheesehead View Post
Just another antidotal data point. I never hear anything negative about the western slope when I am there. I only hear negative things from people on the front range, who probably rarely, if ever, go there. LOL.
Well, I don’t know if everyone considers Durango to be western slope, but the woman I mentioned moved to it from another state. She seemed very proud of having “found” Durango yet did not like the people.

I don’t think Durango people are either warm or cold, just a mix, which it is—soooo many transplants from other states. BTW, I do not live there or ever wanted to.
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