10 Best Colorado Towns To Retire To (Pueblo, Durango: real estate, living, prices)

[davebarnes]

"The median income for a household in [Fort Morgan] was $33,128, and for a family was $36,134."
This is poor.

[jwiley]

Originally Posted by NW Crow

This article raised some concerns about costs to town related to project and secrecy.
https://heavy.com/entertainment/hgtv...-morgan-drama/

A promo for the show said the town had no idea the project was coming. Later they call it a makeover but the show was titled "takeover". Not wise imo but see what the shows do when air. Not sure 18 renovations are really a takeover or town makeover when I heard what some of them are but they can only do much. Town will have to take it from there.

Promo had some diversity in pictures and speech but not til the very end.

A city video from a few years before was pretty well done except for being 100% whites over 50 in pictures and speech.


While looking up these links, I saw the newspaper report 3 attempted teen abductions from a single day.

An article said the project aimed to increase "charm" and lure people off the highway. That might help but obviously more is needed than that.

The city video included statement such as: "you know everybody and everybody knows you", "people help people" and "we're like a big family". While there surely is some truth in that, I doubt it is that simple now (or in past). They're a pretty big town now moving into small city in some ways and in some eyes.

The city is pretty diverse considering all the Somali refugees and Hispanics that have been settled there over the last 10 years.

Hell the fact of the matter is that Fort Morgan is not and has not been in bad shape. I travel a lot through rural areas and there are far worse towns in south eastern Colorado, New Mexico, and Missouri than Fort Morgan. Outside of Akron, Fort Morgan is arguably the nicest town in Eastern Colorado and much cleaner and nicer than Sterling and Burlington.

While there is the typical small town cliques and unwelcoming to strangers, the problem is ultimately there are limited decent jobs in the area which limits the potential of the area.

The economy is heavily based on oil field and agriculture, agriculture has taken a down turn, and oil has been decimated under our state government. With more and more automation hitting ag, those old jobs are not likely to come back as more can be done with less people every year. To top it off it is a full hour to Denver on a good day and an hour to Greeley, just too far for most people to commute. Until they draw some kind of employment than Fort Morgan is just going to stay basically as it is. Local residents do not want more retail and service type of jobs coming in, they want real employment.

Most people who move to Fort Morgan either are from the general area and are retiring, working poor type of service people, or to work at the food processing plant there. It has been that way for a long time, and until they bring in a worthwhile employer it is likely to stay that way. Fixing up a handful of buildings and an old park is not going to change much.

[jwiley]

Originally Posted by sacreole

What about Grand Junction? I’ve heard a number of positive things about it.

Grand Junction is a beautiful area with a lot of outdoor activities and solid employment base, the schools were great with my kids, and we found many welcoming people. I lived out there a year and would happily return if I could. The issue is that there is a shortage of medical. Many doctors will not take anymore Medicare/medicaid patients and have waiting lists. Specialists often mean a trip to the front range or to Salt Lake City both of which are 4+ hours away. My wife and daughter are both disabled and both require specialists, so after a year of monthly trips to the front range we had to come back to the eastern side of the state.

[jwiley]

Originally Posted by davebarnes

"The median income for a household in [Fort Morgan] was $33,128, and for a family was $36,134."
This is poor.

That is what you get when your economy is based on retail, low skill jobs at the slaughter house, and taking care of the elderly.

The people with money in Fort Morgan are the people who retired and moved there.

[McGowdog]

Originally Posted by Tabbychic

If I knew how to type that, I would have. My Mom and Dad were both born there and buried there, I am well aware of how it's spelled.

Good for you. They get all hoity toidy because they ćãñ hold their finger down.

[jsherman9901]

Originally Posted by McGowdog

Good for you. They get all hoity toidy because they ćãñ hold their finger down.

Funny thing is, the tilde wasn't even officially added to the town's name until the 1990s.

[McGowdog]

Originally Posted by jsherman9901

Funny thing is, the tilde wasn't even officially added to the town's name until the 1990s.

He started it.

[McGowdog]

Canyon City.

[COcheesehead]

Can young City

[Mike from back east]

Originally Posted by COcheesehead

Can young City

Which is home of that beloved Mexican bartender, Juan Long Por