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I would also suggest looking into Los Alamos, NM or other National Lab locations (Nice destinations, nice intellectual, healthy (active) communities, but often NOT liberal (tho OPEN MINDED / inquisitive / informed )
I was LHS grad early 70's... and survived in CO ALMOST until 1980 (until chased out by people and property taxes... lost the family ranch to the tax assessor... it is now a Mtn Bike / hiking county park (NO more direct tax revenue, but not more Cow Pies either )
My current county (not Colorado) also has it's eye on my property and has acquired neighbor places via 'living estate', When they die.. the neighbor's property will go back under county management. I can stay, as long as I can afford to pay the current tax rate ($46/ day (up from $3/day). They bulldozed one neighbor house after acquiring property for $3m. (returning the land to 'nature')
Then... I will have to 'Bail' again (3rd time taxes reaped my farm property)
Takes many yrs to build a farm... soils, orchards, water systems, conservation, buildings, fences...
Colorado was nice while it lasted...
I now have 300 days of drizzle (actually only 280/ yr), so I travel a lot, including Colorado (nicer to visit than to live (IMHO / based on this chapter of life). )
Sounds like you are in the WA./OR. area now- I was stationed at McChord when I went into the USAF in 1979 and LOVE the area! Would not mind retiring in that area.
I did not mind the wet weather (Tacoma) for 8 months of the year- those 4 months of summer more than made up for it. Rode my motorcycle pretty much year-round and the towns around the sound are beautiful (Gig Harbor etc...).
No income tax but I have heard that is made up by property taxes- similar to Texas and other areas w/ no income tax.
CO. WAS awesome, esp. in the 70's/80's before the hordes started to arrive. To the newcomers it is "Better than where we came from"- for long-time residents or folks born here not so much (!)
Last edited by Mike from back east; 05-30-2019 at 01:27 PM..
Reason: Typo: Hordes not hoards.
I have some similar preferences as yours and you will not find it here. Pueblo is probably the warmest and most affordable with your price range. It may be okay after it gentrifies, but personally, I would not want to live there. As someone else mentioned, Colorado doesn't really have 4 seasons. Winter is pretty much mid October-mid-May. We just had a snow day last week and the highs earlier in the week were only in the 30-40s. You really have to love winter to be happy here! Summer's are amazing--but very short, hot and no humidity. And some summers have daily thunderstorms so it can feel like you're trapped indoors pretty much year-round. It is kind of depressing and I definitely miss the east coast sometimes with its actual seasons. Aside from marijuana, there isn't that much of an interest in natural living and farming. The soil here sucks so there isn't a huge farm culture. Most of the produce grown here is grown in Palisade. You may like Crestone actually. It is kind of an isolated hippie town.
We've been living in "hot and humid" Florida (northeastern part) for the last ten years and are looking very forward to moving back to Colorado. Yes, I said "back". We know there is winter there, but that season just goes with living in that part of the country, just like hurricane season goes with living here, on the Gulf Coast or East Coast. IOW, we should've never left the Front Range in the first place!
As far as your "wants" go, the other replies are correct...….a few you'll find in Colorado, but most not. The Front Range has a winter and can definitely get snow and some pretty cold temps. But, that just goes with the area. Summers can be/are hot, but (thank God), low humidity.
Good Luck, and...…...really hope you find someplace you'll like.
I don’t care to judge you, nor do I know your situation, but I’ve met several people on disability or unemployed, on medical marijuana who moved here to Colorado for some reason thinking life would be much better here. It didn’t work out for them.
I don’t care to judge you, nor do I know your situation, but I’ve met several people on disability or unemployed, on medical marijuana who moved here to Colorado for some reason thinking life would be much better here. It didn’t work out for them.
One thing for sure, Colorado, like Florida, definitely isn’t for everyone.
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