Picturesque retirement towns along the Front Range. (Denver, Colorado Springs: low crime, house)

[Dean Trails]

Moving to Colorado soon the enjoy the clean mountain air and the slower life.

Any small towns that can be recommended by the local folk?

A good walkable town would be appreciated with good services and low crime.

[Dreaming of Hawaii]

The Front Range is not in the mountains. How close do you need to be to medical services, etc. ?

[davebarnes]

Golden ?
Manitou Springs ?

[otowi]

Walkable is often not that much of a thing in Colorado and Mountain West states in general. Front Range small towns are likely not to be particularly slow-paced - lots of tourist activity or commuter activity, etc. Clean mountain air depends on the wildfires. Small towns with good services tend to be a bit hard to find unless they're close to big towns, which cuts down on the slow and the picturesque. You will have to weigh what you want and come visit.

Manitou Springs may be fairly walkable if you're fit but is very busy with tourists and hikers for parts of the year. Sedalia may have some of what you want. Florence and Canon City may also be worth a look. There are probably a few further north as well but more expensive for sure.

[COcheesehead]

Maybe check out the western slope too, the other side of the divide.
Palisade
Paonia
Montrose
Grand Junction
Rifle
Fruita
Ouray


All of these likely have what you want.

https://www.cpr.org/show-segment/rem...me-sweet-home/

[NW Crow]

As always, setting a rough preferred size range on "small town" is helpful for searching or suggestions. Under 2k, 2k, 5k, 10k, 25k, over 25k... Distance to "city" and how big also important.

"Picturesque"... does that require mountain views? Of mountains 5 miles away? 20 or more? Front range views may qualify as enough for some, not others.

Snow tolerance? Under 50 inches per year, 50-100, over 100?

Price range for your house, majority of neighbors?

Is Lyons at all like what you want?

Looking at full state (for you or others), Frisco? Fairplay? Buena Vista? Pagosa Springs? Windsor? Eagle? Edwards? La Veta? Colorado City? New Castle? Fruita? Crested Butte? Del Norte? Westcliffe? Steamboat Springs? Norwood? Georgetown? Franktown? Even Castle Rock or Durango? There are lots of smallish places. Some for different tastes.

[StealthRabbit]

Estes park for picturesque vistas, decent medical & services, within the mtns and front range. EP has morphed to a very desirable community for active retirees. But... It can be cold, windy, and unpredictable weather. (As expected), and also now quite expensive. Long time friends from EP, claim they never enjoyed EP so much as they do now... Living in Loveland and driving to 30 miles EP when the weather is nice. Loveland is very walkable, bikeable, close to nice trails, nice parks, art community, access to medical, colleges, Boulder, Denver (airport), and retirement centric services. But is on the prairie / foothills.

I do concur that having a beautiful view during retirement is a real treasure.
If you want mountains daily, it is definitely important to live within the mtns.

Lower population, services, and prices in the southern front range. Might look around Canon City and Westcliffe.

Don't buy a Mtn house nestled in a valley, or in the shade, or north side of mtn .
Think sun and wind exposure, and wildfire mitigation and escape.

[Mike from back east]

There's a lot to like about the Alamosa <--> La Veta area.

[wamer27]

Nederland, Estes Park?

[Dean Trails]

Good comments so far. To be more specific we desire to stay on the eastern side as the medical is more extensive and we want to be within easy driving distance of the Denver Hub.

As to size, Longmont is a good or thereabouts as we are flexible

As to climate, we would like snow that comes and melts off in a week or so. 6 foot deep and over snow fall is a negative.

Price range of properties is very flexible. We might build or get a nice good size home to ramble around in.

Water can be a concern as we would like trees and a garden in the summer.

The only town we know well is Colorado Springs but my wife says it seems to have too much traffic.

I am researching the towns y'all have mentioned.