Thinking of moving to Trinidad, Colorado (Denver, Pueblo: sales, rental, assessors)

[ihatelaundry246]

I'm thinking of moving to Trinidad, Colorado and would like to learn more about the area from folks who live there. I currently live in a small town in southern Nevada, and have decided that I need to move somewhere colder where houses don't cost an arm, leg, and torso (Thanks CA/NY). Plus it would be nice to be able to go outside in the summer and not turn into beef jerky. I work from home, but also have a teaching license so work/income is not an issue. Online the city looks like it's run-down but in the process of reinventing itself. The old brick buildings look phenomenal and the area surrounding the town amazing. I love the outdoors so this in itself is very appealing. What I would like to know is what life is like now that Trinidad is morphing into a pot tourism mecca (read somewhere ya'll have 20 cannabis stores???). What is the community like - is it welcoming to newbies? Just any information on life in Trinidad would be much welcome!

[otowi]

I think there may not be anyone actually living in Trinidad following this forum regularly. How cold are you wanting? What attracted you to Trinidad? What kind of culture do you want?

[Robert5]

I have not been to Trinidad for 8 years. Prior to that I owned a rental there for 3 years. I am highly skeptical Pot tourism has changed the area significantly. Sure people are probably driving to Trinidad from NM to buy pot, but they are driving right back now since NM decriminalized pot possession in 2019. I bet it is essentially the same as it was 8 years ago. . Few jobs, not much to do, but very inexpensive housing wise.

[Therblig]

Originally Posted by Robert5

I have not been to Trinidad for 8 years. Prior to that I owned a rental there for 3 years. I am highly skeptical Pot tourism has changed the area significantly. Sure people are probably driving to Trinidad from NM to buy pot, but they are driving right back now since NM decriminalized pot possession in 2019. I bet it is essentially the same as it was 8 years ago. . Few jobs, not much to do, but very inexpensive housing wise.

Sounds like most of the smaller, outlying towns in CO.


If you kinda want to live cheap and nowhere and have a skill that will land a job (teacher is good)... there seem to be a dozen towns east of the Front Range arc that are much the same.

[ihatelaundry246]

Thanks for the responses!

[bluescreen73]

I like Trinidad, but it's not without its flaws. The area is pretty heavily dependent on the energy sector (natural gas these days). The city's not growing, and if the 2018 population estimate is true, people are packing up and leaving town again.

Unless you're in a resort town, being a teacher in one of Colorado's rural communities is not easy. The pay is generally lousy, there are a lot of kids under the poverty line, and educational outcomes are pretty poor.

Do some research on how the Gallagher Amendment and the Taxpayer's Bill of Rights have decimated the tax bases in large swaths of rural Colorado. In a nutshell, Gallagher stipulates that only 45% of the state's property tax revenue can come from residential property. As values have risen along the Front Range, assessors across the state have been forced to lower their tax rates to stay in compliance with Gallagher. Before TABOR came along, the local municipalities would simply raise their non-residential tax rates to keep their tax base from imploding. With TABOR, though, the government can't raise tax rates without putting it to a vote.

The end result - rural towns where growth is slow or non-existent are being slowly starved to death. Paid firefighting forces are being eliminated in favor of volunteer ones across the rural parts of the state because there's no money to pay firefighters. My hometown has seen one elementary school close, the city library has cut hours, and there was talk about eliminating the city pool completely because there isn't enough money in the budget to run everything.

On the upside, COPWD recently announced that they're creating the state's newest state park on the flanks of Fisher's Peak. With any luck that will mean hikers can get to the top of the mountain without having to bushwhack their way to the summit via Lake Dorothey State Park in New Mexico.

[bovinedivine]

I don't live in Trinidad, but live 50 miles southeast in remote, rural, cattle ranch country. I'm not quite sure that what has been said here is entirely accurate. Here's what I know: I believe the town has 35 or more dispensaries, and the MJ business has definitely impacted the community in ways both positive and negative. It is generally understood that when states like NM/OK/TX get into the recreational game, Trinidad could experience a major bust. However, it appears that the town mothers and fathers are realistic, and so have turned their attention to developing Trinidad as a tourist destination based on art, history and the new state park being developed.

The A.R. Mitchell Museum of Western Art and the Artocade are growing and gaining traction with visitors from within and outside the region. After disappearing for a few years, the Trinidaddio Bluesfest is back. Trinidad State College has been a mainstay of the town for a very long time, and has a highly respected gunsmithing program. A high concentration of historic buildings had fallen into neglect by non-local owners, and are now being rehabilitated. A major element is the development of live/work spaces for artists on the historic Main Street; it is also anticipated that the forthcoming State Park will bring campers, mountain bikers, and other recreational enthusiasts to town, which means that shops and services will be needed to support this new demographic. Over 11 years or so, I have seen Trinidad struggle to become a more viable and desirable community. New people come in with lots of great ideas, but plans don't always come to fruition. The money available to the town through the MJ market just might give Trinidad the leg-up that can take them somewhere new and sustainable.

I have been told that the housing situation is tight, that even Boulder people are being priced out and are heading south. "The billionaires are now pushing out the millionaires," someone said. People who can't afford Denver can hardly afford CO Springs now, so they head to Pueblo or eventually, Trinidad. I'll admit Trinidad is not my favorite place, but if someone is looking for a town of +/- population 9,000/10,000, with easy access to nature, fishing, hunting, the arts, and points south including Santa Fe, Taos, etc., it might be worth a visit. But know that Trinidad started out as a hardscrabble mining community and there are some old, cultural attitudes that run deep.

A lot of places in Colorado have already filled up with people and breweries and galleries and festivals: could be that with the right mix of residents and businesspeople and creativity, Trinidad just might surprise a lot of us before too long.

[7Sunset7]

Thanks bovinedivine for that upbeat forecast of Trinidad...lets all remember that all of our cities and rural towns are in trouble economically...indeed our country. I am thinking about Trinidad as a good spot to just enjoy for its natural beauty, close proximity to Texas, northern Colorado and beautious New Mexico. Granted, I am a retiree but come from rich healthcare background and love the arts. I am looking to contribute to the upward swing of this lush mountainous area. The longtimers are quirky as they should be, they want to protect their heritage, can"t blame them for that. I love the fact that the area is racially balanced for I am a senior of color. Gonna love living there...I know.

[Robert5]

Originally Posted by bovinedivine

I don't live in Trinidad, but live 50 miles southeast in remote, rural, cattle ranch country. I'm not quite sure that what has been said here is entirely accurate. Here's what I know: I believe the town has 35 or more dispensaries, and the MJ business has definitely impacted the community in ways both positive and negative. It is generally understood that when states like NM/OK/TX get into the recreational game, Trinidad could experience a major bust.

They don't have legal recreational Pot sales in Prowers County? That would seem to me to be the more logical place for people from OK and TX to go. Very odd if they don't, missing out on a large amount of tax dollars.

[TCHP]

Plus, we've seen that as other states legalize, it does not necessarily create an exodus of sales from CO because we are still a destination location that people want to come here in addition to or in spite of legal weed.