Small towns with big charm close enough to bigger city for major services

[davebarnes]

Originally Posted by duster1979

Unfortunately, I'm not sure if Colorado is that state.

Well,
1. Colorado's income tax is a flat 4.5%. You may/may not consider that reasonable.
2. Colorado exempts the first $20K of pension/SS income from income taxes. You may/may not consider that reasonable.
3. Property taxes—in most/many locales—are around 0.5%. You may/may not consider that reasonable.

[duster1979]

Originally Posted by davebarnes

Well,
1. Colorado's income tax is a flat 4.5%. You may/may not consider that reasonable.
2. Colorado exempts the first $20K of pension/SS income from income taxes. You may/may not consider that reasonable.
3. Property taxes—in most/many locales—are around 0.5%. You may/may not consider that reasonable.

Check the context of what I quoted.

Originally Posted by family first

Looking for a friendlier state that won't be taxing the heck out of people's incomes or eventually retirement incomes.

"Won't be" suggests something that might happen in the future. Colorado taxes aren't unreasonable at the moment - although inflated property assessments make that .5% figure a lot higher than higher percentages in states with generally lower property values - but I honestly don't see them staying that way.

[bridgerider]

Denver native here, born and raised. Moved to the east coast a few decades ago and often fantasize about moving back. Now that I've had the experiences of living in both big cities and smaller towns, I'll take the smaller town any day. Prior to the pandemic, I was a frequent visitor to my home state and appreciated it more and more each time I came back. But now I know I could never justify the expense of living in Denver, nor would I want to. But the Bailey/Evergreen areas and the areas northwest of Ft. Collins could certainly have me keeping a move back still on the table, and are worth the OP's time to check out.

family first, I think you're coming from CA, correct? I can only speak from my own experience, but I find the small town vibe you mentioned in your OP to be a lot more prevalent on the eastern half of the country. Not to say it's unheard of in the western states, just that the vibe of the small towns in the east hit all your points easily.

If you ever decide to make a road trip for points beyond the Colorado frontier, check out a few states east of the Mississippi River. Along the way, stop in Brooklyn, Iowa for a true small town experience.

[COCountrygal]

Hi,
I lived in Evergreen for 3 years; lots of hiking options; many small, local businesses there including some excellent restaurants; artsy, and has a strong non-profit focus. Excellent library and I loved the local doctors (in fact I still go to a sports doctor there even though I now live 2 hours away -- she is that good!)

Close enough to Denver (45 minutes depending on where you are headed) but still feels worlds' away...

Possible issues:
Driving I-70 in the winter can be tough. I would take a bus to work as there are several park and ride lots. Bus system was excellent although it could run late in the winter for the obvious reasons

It has a reputation for being pricey but you can find reasonable rents and homes. I do suggest renting wherever you move to see if you connect to the area.

I hope that helps.

[family first]

Correct, we would be leaving the golden state which has been becoming less golden for several years now. Really enjoy the "small town" atmosphere as people seem to be more involved with each other...a sense of community.

[davebarnes]

Originally Posted by family first

Really enjoy the "small town" atmosphere as people seem to be more involved with each other...a sense of community.

I live in the big city of Denver, but have a real sense of community.
Our micro neighborhood of 20+ dwelling units is quite close.
There is NextDoor.
We have a strong neighborhood association: BRUN.
Our city councilcritters—current and past—have been very responsive.

[COcheesehead]

Originally Posted by family first

Correct, we would be leaving the golden state which has been becoming less golden for several years now. Really enjoy the "small town" atmosphere as people seem to be more involved with each other...a sense of community.

We moved to Grand Junction from Denver. After being here for awhile the biggest thing we noticed is while big cities may have lots of amenities, smaller towns have lots of relationships. Actual face to face, non digital, relationships.

[2bindenver]

I like Louisville near Boulder, close enough to Denver…

[Techy02]

Unfortunately a lot of people are looking for exactly what you (OP) described. So those places are expensive and growing. Might need to look for places that kinda meet your list or sacrifice a few things. 1st being affordability.

[CzarnyElf]

Palisade comes to mind.It didn’t feel desert like when I lived there because of all the peach trees and parks.It is expensive though.Glenwood Springs is another one but also pretty expensive.You can always sacrifice and get a smaller house or a fixer upper.