Small towns with big charm close enough to bigger city for major services (Denver: ski resort, to buy)

[family first]

Folks, need some help looking at possible relocation. I'm hoping I can get some help at starting to focus on possible move in the next year. Can you give me some smaller cities or actually towns that would make it on a list to check out. We are used to living in small towns and want to stay out of bigger cities and the hustle and bustle except when we need them for medical or shopping etc... We would prefer more trees than dessert, and either side of the Rockies. Something with a quaint main street, more "mom and pop" businesses rather than "corporate" stores, and something not outrageously priced that the average family could afford. We have lived in snow country before, but dont want to be burried in it if possible.

If there is such a place that you know of or have visited in your travels, could you please share. Thank you for any ideas. Having a good high school in the area is a must for our kids.

Thank you.

[wamer27]

Random guesses, Nederland, Conifer, Bailey, Woodland Park? Depends on what you consider outrageous priced…

[2bindenver]

I’d consider Grand Junction.

[pikabike]

Towns meeting all those criteria are very expensive to buy in.

If you can settle for living on the fringe of suburbia, that might be something to consider. The way that the west developed is very unlike that of the east. Big cities and either a corridor between them or a ring around them is where the amenities are. And those tend not to be actual towns in their own right.

I lived in Golden for many years and loved what it was early on. It was sort of a company town (Coors, Rocky Flats, School of Mines, US govmt offices in or near). Later it got absorbed into the metro blob of Denver and Boulder.

My last years in the area were in an exurb/sorta rural part of the metro area. But it was 10 miles from the closest stores and a difficult place due to combination of heavy snowfall (usually double or triple Denver’s amount), extremely steep and winding roads, and extreme wildfire risk. Also not a good place for anybody with kids raised to want the usual amenities.

[Mike from back east]

Originally Posted by 2bindenver

I’d consider Grand Junction.

Ditto. We have several threads on the city and an excellent photo tour.

[bluescreen73]

Originally Posted by Mike from back east

Ditto. We have several threads on the city and an excellent photo tour.

Devil's advocate. The OP said they don't want a desert feel. There are trees in Grand Junction proper, but the natural (unirrigated) setting of the Grand Valley is thisclose to being a desert. Junction averages less than 10" of liquid precip per year. The only thing preventing it from being a truly arid climate is the evapotranspiration rate.

https://goo.gl/maps/dfQUwCsvrDxbGQdJA

https://goo.gl/maps/qqfmUzP6PqhttrRd9

[Mike from back east]

That first photo reminds me of Colorado Springs.
The second one is cherry picked outside of town.
It is dry on both sides of the Rockies, any difference is one of degrees, not stark all or none.
I've been over to GJ a few times, it has plenty to recommend it and may provide a better value.
I'd take GJ hands down over those dreary farm towns on the eastern plains of the state.

[bluescreen73]

Originally Posted by Mike from back east

That first photo reminds me of Colorado Springs.
The second one is cherry picked outside of town.
It is dry on both sides of the Rockies, any difference is one of degrees, not stark all or none.
I've been over to GJ a few times, it has plenty to recommend it and may provide a better value.
I'd take GJ hands down over those dreary farm towns on the eastern plains of the state.

I agree. Just pointing out that it dries up quickly once you get away from the irrigation. The area between I-70 and the Bookcliffs is what Grand Junction and Palisade would look like naturally.

The towns on the Northeastern Plains (Brush, Fort Morgan, Sterling, and Julesburg) are much the same. Lots of irrigation canals and cottonwood trees everywhere in town, but drive a couple miles outside the city limits away from the river and it browns up in a hurry.

[hikernut]

Originally Posted by family first

Can you give me some smaller cities or actually towns that would make it on a list to check out. We are used to living in small towns and want to stay out of bigger cities and the hustle and bustle except when we need them for medical or shopping etc... We would prefer more trees than dessert, and either side of the Rockies. Something with a quaint main street, more "mom and pop" businesses rather than "corporate" stores, and something not outrageously priced that the average family could afford. We have lived in snow country before, but dont want to be burried in it if possible.

You generally have to live in the mountains to get trees. Trees need moisture, and a lot of that comes in the form of snow. That's just the way it works. All of it's priced pretty high IMO, but prices are less outrageous if you avoid the ski resort towns. I would look at Salida, Buena Vista, Ridgway. These areas have nice views, but are not "in the trees".

I wouldn't want to live in a forested area anyway. Wildfire risk is quite high, and I expect a lot of these areas will get burned out in the next couple of decades.

[NW Crow]

Did you look into Woodland Park when brought up previous times? What did you like / not like to guide better suggestions? Not going to find by itself mountain town closer to big city than that. Or maybe Divide if you want smaller / drier.

Smaller town, similar arrangement, Laporte / Bellvue west of Fort Collins. Long time outpost.

Idaho Springs or Georgetown might work if not too touristy for you.

Bailey was a good suggestion... if not too far out.

Possibly Colorado City.

Florence might work for some.

Hotchkiss. Cedaredge. Crawford.

Maybe Dolores if Cortez or Durango are enough for city services.


Douglas or Wheatland WY. Or Buffalo WY. Wyoming spends heavy on K-12. Columbus MT. Townsend or Whitehall MT. Emmett ID. Union OR, mild winter. Eagle Point OR. Newport WA. Wallace ID. Belle Fourche SD.