Why Walsenburg so bad (Denver, Pueblo: transplants, crime rates, how much)

[Texabs41]

Why Walsenburg so bad? Not much places around?
My wife and i plan to move somewhere with our livestock. Horses, cows, chicken, and goats. We know the grass will need fertilizer and reap and sow and we animal feed our livestock. We don't mind remote or off grid living. Water is our primary focus; well will not be enough? What make Colorado so bad or least Waldenburg?

[2nd trick op]

From the OP's choice of words, it would appear that (s)he's a relative newcomer, and uses English as a second language.

OP, have you done enough research to recognize what Colorado is really like?; there's beautiful mountain scenery in the western half of the state, but only dull prairie east of the Front Range of the mountains. Denver is pleasant enough, but not really that much different from any major American city. And Pueblo and Trinidad, the slightly-larger communities closest to Walsenburg, contain some of the grittiest parts of the state.

You are presenting the image of someone who wants to be a "country gentleman farmer/rancher"; the pages of C-D are full of stories of people who tried this, and found the reality to be both disappointing, and expensive. I speak as someone who grew up on a family farm -- albeit a dairy farm "back East".

[Texabs41]

English is my mother tongue. Just on cellphone putting on post and not proof reading makes mistakes. So I'm human. I been to Colorado many times. Just not Walsenburg.After reading the "Walsenburg vs Alamosa" feed and so much negative about Walsenburg, just trying to understand why it's not a good place?
We are country folks. We aint care much for city life
We like open area to ride horses and explore on horseback

[NW Crow]

I am not always be certain about who a poster is based on a single post.

Walsenburg is a town of about 3,000 in a county of 6500. Both losing population for 15-20 years. The town is 60% hispanic. The outlying county must be mostly white. High reported crime rates in town, appears much lower in surrounding county. Average age in city, a little above national average. County much much older. County income 30% less than national average, city 50% below avg. Property cheap in town, higher in county. State and national voting leans Democratic.

Water situation? Probably varies. Talk to lots of government officials and locals in detail. Don't skimp on this.

There are grocery stores but check on what else is and isn't in town.

Walsenburg might pick up in 10-20 years due to lower housing / land prices and continued overall state growth. Or not.

Somewhat surprisingly heavy on snow. https://wrcc.dri.edu/cgi-bin/cliMAIN.pl?co8781

There are some other threads on Walsenburg. Use search tool at top / right of page to search titles or content of posts in general or for specific topics.

[Texabs41]

Thanks for helpful hints. I'm talking to county office for information and searching here and online. But it not the same when u visit or look online. They make it all positive and hide the negative. That's why I make feed here to get people who live in Colorado and/or know Walsenburg true opinions.
We aint do politics so naw worries there. We aint racist either. We like simple life. Friends? Come and let's chat and have a drink. Politics, drama, etc, stay off my lawn.

[beezle1]

Can you make a short trip to Walsenburg to check it out? Hard to make a decision without seeing a place first?

[NW Crow]

Sounds like Walsenburg could work for you.

There are some medical resources. Small town level but some.

Too small for many "good jobs".

[TCHP]

As a newcomer purchasing land in CO, you are last in line for water, unless you purchase land with underground rights or ditch access that has some guarantee. Since you are referring to raising livestock, your requirements will be significantly different than a regular household user. This is the first and most common failing for recent transplants, especially those in the southern most portions of the state where some ranches have been in families since the Spanish land grants.

Many of these counties are also zoned, so be cautious with thinking you can go off grid and build whatever you want. There will be minimum requirements for housing and sanitation that many places are not flexible with.

Walsenburg its self is okay. Definetly small town. Its best days are behind it. The state even closed the prison that was located there. But, they are still surviving and trying to notch out a place in the modern world. They have a fairly decent (for a small town)medical center/ veterans home and a state park with a golf course. There are some pretty decent sized and modern homes up in the valleys around the Spanish Peaks.

[Texabs41]

Thanks for all feed backs so far. We looking in the area about 16-20 mile radius on outside of Walsenburg. 1 to the north, so it be outta city limits. Prison, aint so sure I'm big living near 1. Thanks for bring to my attention.

[Dreaming of Hawaii]

OP, I have no idea how much water you need for your livestock, but water is THE most important thing you need to know. Hopefully you've read through the threads here about settling in the San Luis Valley. I would assume a lot of those issues would be fairly similar to the area around Walsenburg.

You need to find out who manages the water in your area. Here in Chaffee County, we get water for our subdivision through the Upper Arkansas Water Conservancy District, and they regulate how much water we can have and what we can use it for. I would think the Huerfano County government would be able to give you some idea on who to contact about water.