Colorado Front Range vs. Western Slope for Retirement (Denver, Pueblo: for sale, renter)

[COcheesehead]

Originally Posted by zenith32

As stated in the same post you originally referenced, I lived in Longmont for 24 years (moved there in 1996 after spending a year in Arvada), went to UNC in Greeley from 2010 to 2012, and moved out in 2019 for reasons I also mentioned in that same post. I have spent quite a bit of time all over the state, including Grand Junction and other Western Slope locations. In fact I actually still have my CO license due to problems with getting mine transferred (thanks in no small part to COVID and local ID requirements changing thanks to Real ID laws being implemented). So in short, I do in fact have quite a bit of experience with Colorado and its many municipalities and I'll thank you to not presume to know that I don't.

The one thing I often hear from my friends who live(d) in Grand Junction is that they often felt it necessary to make the long drive to Denver to do anything fun (or sometimes even medically or even legally necessary) that didn't involve outdoor activities and that flying in general was rarely an option for them (either due to necessary and undesirable layovers or due to cost). If you managed to make it work, then congratulations. That doesn't invalidate my own experiences or my own contributions to this thread nor does this continued belligerence and insistence on your end to make Grand Junction out to be some kind of haven just because of the type of airport it has have anything to do with addressing the other concerns the OP has, especially since I already conceded that my original understanding about that one specific detail was incorrect.

You present a problem that occurs on here often. Having experience, which may be a drive by, and living in an area are two different things.
I doubt your take on your friends experience in GJ. No one that lives here speaks highly of Denver. A lot of folks that live here feel thankful they no longer live on the Front Range. Few would ever drive to Denver for fun. That is just not the vibe here. Just the opposite. Most enjoy what we have and appreciate it.
Personally I have found medical services here better. As an example I just got a crown 3D printed while I waited in the dentist’s chair. That wasn’t even an option in Denver.
Don’t BS me bro.

[zenith32]

Originally Posted by COcheesehead

You present a problem that occurs on here often. Having experience, which may be a drive by, and living in an area are two different things.
I doubt your take on your friends experience in GJ. No one that lives here speaks highly of Denver. A lot of folks that live here feel thankful they no longer live on the Front Range. Few would ever drive to Denver for fun. That is just not the vibe here. Just the opposite. Most enjoy what we have and appreciate it.
Personally I have found medical services here better. As an example I just got a crown 3D printed while I waited in the dentist’s chair. That wasn’t even an option in Denver.
Don’t BS me bro.

I'm not BS'ing you one bit. I have been absolutely nothing but honest this entire time. Clearly you and I have just had vastly different experiences. I spent 6 years with a roommate, a fairly close friend, who spent quite a few years in Grand Junction. Dude couldn't wait to get out because he constantly felt isolated and jumped at the chance I offered him space with me in Longmont where he had relatively close access to things like big entertainment venues and a better job market.


I know there are plenty of people who love Grand Junction and that's fine. Clearly you are one of them. So again, congrats on being able to make it work. Most of the people I personally knew who lived in that area were, at best, content but would often admit that the place is isolated and they wish they had more to do locally (thus forcing them to make the drive to Denver or sometimes even Salt Lake City).


That being said, most of this took place between 2011 and 2019 and most of the people I know were (at the time) all in their twenties. I can imagine that things have probably changed in the last two or three years, especially with the apparently unending drama along I-70 that makes it much more of a headache to drive than it should (information courtesy of a long-haul trucker I know who lives in Denver who's regular route runs from Denver to San Diego to Salt Lake City).


You've managed to make it work out there. That's all fine and dandy. What's important here is whether or not a place like GJ would appeal to the OP which is something I have repeatedly and respectfully tried to drive this thread back to. If you want to continue this conversation, feel free to DM me and we can talk there. Otherwise, we should drop it and go back to the main point of this thread.

[davebarnes]

Originally Posted by CthePlanner

We figure we'll be able to afford a house in the range of 300-400k.. Would like a decent lot for vegetable and flower gardening

You can probably afford a more expensive house.
Colorado property taxes are much lower than Illinois.
You need to do a TCO comparison.

Based upon your 2016 post, you are delusional about gardening in Colorado.

[CthePlanner]

Thank you all for the quick responses. Being fairly new to city-data and not knowing all the ins and outs of navigating and posting, I wasn't sure what to expect when I submitted this post.

This response is to all who replied so far. I'll reply to others individually based on what was mentioned.

Snow. I said I'd "love" to never have to shovel again. But this is CO, so I expect to do some of that. But don't want to face the kind of snow we get in the Chicago area, heavy, wet, deep, and lasts for days and weeks, on top of brutal cold. Based on your responses, I now have some evidence to challenge my brother's claim that it typically melts in a day or two and shoveling isn't needed. But my general research shows some areas of CO get less snow than one would think.

Temperature/Climate. We are considering CO because our research to date says it gets all four seasons, winters are not comparable to Chicago's, snow is not as bad in many areas (front range and western slope), and air is dry. We do not want extreme heat AND humidity. That counts out the gulf coast, the eastern Atlantic states, the middle southern states like TN (we were there for a week in September and Nashville was 92 and 80 percent humidity; can't imagine what it was like in July and August), and the Great Lakes area.

Housing Costs. I've seen houses in our price range in Colorado Springs, Loveland, and Canon City. I'm sure other areas will have something, as well. That's why our research is underway. To uncover other areas in CO that tick off as many of our boxes as possible.

Airport. As long as we can get to an airport serving LA and Chicago, preferable within a 2 hour drive, we're good. Denver, CO Springs, and Grand Junction seem to fit the bill.

We realize nirvana is out reach for us. For us, that would be San Diego. But between California's many issues and its cost of living, we need to find the next best thing.

We'll be doing a two week trip in late March, starting in Denver. The goal is to check out a few top areas so we can narrow down the choices. After that, we may have to consider other areas, some that have been mentioned here.

Thanks again.

[bluescreen73]

Originally Posted by CthePlanner

We'll be doing a two week trip in late March, starting in Denver. The goal is to check out a few top areas so we can narrow down the choices. After that, we may have to consider other areas, some that have been mentioned here.

Thanks again.

Be careful coming in March. It's generally our snowiest month.

Also, if you're planning to drive between Denver and Grand Junction on I-70, make sure your car (rental or personal) is compliant with the state's traction law. I'd hate to have one of your first experiences with Colorado end up in a $150-$650 ticket. https://www.codot.gov/travel/winter-driving/tractionlaw

[davebarnes]

Originally Posted by CthePlanner

. I've seen houses in our price range in ... Loveland....

Really?
I just searched on Zillow and found one. And, it is not good.
https://www.zillow.com/homedetails/1...13885435_zpid/

I think you should be looking in southern Indiana.

[CthePlanner]

Originally Posted by davebarnes

Really?
I just searched on Zillow and found one. And, it is not good.
https://www.zillow.com/homedetails/1...13885435_zpid/

I think you should be looking in southern Indiana.

Just looked at realtor.com and there are at least 6. We're not necessarily looking for a brand new, extra large house. Just nice and in decent shape.

[davebarnes]

Originally Posted by CthePlanner

Just looked at realtor.com and there are at least 6. We're not necessarily looking for a brand new, extra large house. Just nice and in decent shape.

Try again. One in Loveland.
I just used Realtor.com with $300K-$400K as the range.
Prove me wrong.

[LHS79]

Originally Posted by CthePlanner

.... We are considering CO because our research to date says it gets all four seasons...

Not really 4 seasons in CO., Spring and Fall are usually over in a few weeks or a month most years.

Last year in Fall we had one day when it was 90 degrees or so- next day had a freeze and a few inches of snow on the ground.

And if you have heard we get "300 Days of sun!" that has also been proven false (the railroads came up with that as a marketing slogan many years ago).

[hikernut]

I’ll suggest also looking at Bernalillo and Rio Rancho, in New Mexico. You get a similar dry, high altitude climate, and housing is cheaper certainly than on Colorado’s Front Range. Not sure how they compare to Grand Junction, though.