Are there any affordable fishing towns in Colorado anymore?

[mporter012]

I was in Denver recently and my buddy was telling me what he paid for his house in Englewood and I about **** my pants. Then I started doing some research and realised that Colorado seems to be pricing itself out of itself, which is typically the sign of a bubble. My buddy paid $350k for a tiny place next to a strip mall. I'm thinking, "you moved to Colorado for this?" So I did a little research on real estate prices in places further W. in Colorado (Glenwood Springs, Durango, etc) and the cost of living in those places seems equally nuts.

In my research it seems like there are lots of people who came out to Colorado in the 90's who are leaving (If they didn't get rich off all the newcomers).

Is there anywhere left in Colorado for everyday joes to come out and raise a family and have a normal life, and say, maybe get some good days on the water and go home to a decent 3 bedroom?

 

[gunnison_country]

Gunnison is a tremendous trout town and while prices are seriously on the rise, if a guy moves quick he can get into a home here for a decent price. It will still be more expensive than it should be, but to live in the marquee fly fishing valley in the state is definitely worth paying what it will take to live there.

 

[mcnerney]

I agree, the housing prices are going nuts! My son's in-laws live in Carbondale, CO and the cost of living in that whole area is just crazy, plus its just too darned crowed for my tastes.
After we had that record setting snow last winter my wife mentioned that she has had it with all this snow and wanted to moved to Denver. I told her fine, she would be going alone, there is no way that I want to live in that rat race, besides that there isn't anyway we could afford housing down there.

Doug makes a good suggestion, worth serious consideration!

 

[ivory arrow]

Pueblo. If you talk to people here they act like it is Compton. It’s really not bad at all compared to many major cities. It’s still on the front range, and the Arkansas flows through it.

True enough it is sort of a dreary place. Sort of dry flat desert scrub land. The steel industry collapsed in the 80s and there are many beautiful houses in town that just need a little love. That also makes the town feel a little run down. Pueblo West is like lots of America. Just lots available and anyone can buy one and build on it. Seems like that’s all that there is in that town. Just acre lots with a 3 bedroom set on it. Has that dreary endless suburban sprawl feel to it. But so does about 90% of the middle class housing between The Springs and Denver.

One mans trash is another mans treasure. I rent in Colorado Springs and I like it more here for a variety of reasons, but I could live in Pueblo happily.


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[flyminded]

Any reason why Colorado ....take a look at Ketchum or Hailey in Idaho.

Yeah there are some mega expensive homes there and there about, but when I was there a couple of summers ago there was also a market of reasonable priced real estate.

All kind of depends on what you want or can do for employment and what the going rate for said work is.

 

[Ard]

You need to look into vintage sub divisions where there are old style Bi Level and Split Level style homes built in the mid 1970's through the late 80's. I lived in a neighborhood in CO. Springs where the house cost was 97 K in 2004 which was for a 1200 square foot brick ranch with single car garage. My sister just sold her Split Level 1200 with single garage on .5 acre in the same neighborhood last year (2017) for 126 K so prices have went up some.

If you want to live in a 3000 square foot or larger home or live directly inside a Metro area it's going to cost a bunch. Things have been expensive for years in every state I've lived in. Here in Alaska it's crazy.

 

[mporter012]

I agree, the housing prices are going nuts!
Doug makes a good suggestion, worth serious consideration!

Yea, it's ridiculous. I think it took us something like 2 hours to get to the airport from Englewood at rush hour. May as well live in the Big Apple and get a broader cultural experience if you're gonna deal with that!

Gunnison is supposed to be the honey hole!

 

[mporter012]

Here in Alaska it's crazy.

Isn't part of Alaska's prices due to it's isolation? I'm surprised housing is expensive there.

 

[scotty macfly]

Where I live, Mead CO., they just keep building new houses. My wife & I went to just look at some model homes just to do something, and the quality of these houses do not match the prices. We now plan to stay in our house a very long time.

People move to this state everyday, and I heard it was like 1500 a day.
Too many people, not enough jobs. Especially when the jobs keep getting outsourced.

Now, Canon City CO. has the lowest taxes in the state because of the Royal Gorge Bridge. The city gets money from it driving the taxes down. And the Arkansas River runs right through it.

If I am able to retire in 20 years, I'm going back to Canon City.

But you all are correct. Colorado is crowded & expensive.

Just had a thought. Canon City's taxes are lower due to the RGB. With the billion in revenues the state is getting from pot sales, maybe they can lower taxes across the state? Oh, what am I saying, the state is ran by greed.

 

[mporter012]

Where I live, Mead CO., they just keep building new houses. My wife & I went to just look at some model homes just to do something, and the quality of these houses do not match the prices. We now plan to stay in our house a very long time.

People move to this state everyday, and I heard it was like 1500 a day.
Too many people, not enough jobs. Especially when the jobs keep getting outsourced.

Now, Canon City CO. has the lowest taxes in the state because of the Royal Gorge Bridge. The city gets money from it driving the taxes down. And the Arkansas River runs right through it.

If I am able to retire in 20 years, I'm going back to Canon City.

But you all are correct. Colorado is crowded & expensive.

Just had a thought. Canon City's taxes are lower due to the RGB. With the billion in revenues the state is getting from pot sales, maybe they can lower taxes across the state? Oh, what am I saying, the state is ran by greed.

I think Colorado is gonna be one of these case studies economists will love to point to in 30 years and be like, "we told you not to do this..."

 

[karstopo]

What about Aspen or Vail?

Pagosa Springs didn’t seem too bad not too long ago but maybe that’s changed.

What’s Delta or Montrose like? They seem a little lower in elevation and a bit off the beaten track. Good produce comes from there.

 

[mcnerney]

What about Aspen or Vail?

Pagosa Springs didn’t seem too bad not too long ago but maybe that’s changed.

What’s Delta or Montrose like? They seem a little lower in elevation and a bit off the beaten track. Good produce comes from there.

Karstopo: That suggestion of Aspen or Vail was a good laugh! The common saying about Aspen is the billionaires have run out the millionaires, probably true for Vail, definitely a high dollar place to live.
Last year when I was fishing at Pleasure Park, located between Delta and Hotchkiss, my buddy Muzzy who was guiding down there told me that, that county was the poorest in Colorado and the housing prices were very reasonable. I'm not sure if that is true or not, but it looked like it might be. Montrose on the other hand looks like an awesome place to live.

 

[triggw]

Gunnison is a tremendous trout town and while prices are seriously on the rise, if a guy moves quick he can get into a home here for a decent price. It will still be more expensive than it should be, but to live in the marquee fly fishing valley in the state is definitely worth paying what it will take to live there.

Also the coldest spot in the state.

 

[del gue]

Back when 'Centennial' was made into a mini-series, about 1977, I figured one day I'd retire to Colorado. Then the idiots from California took over the state, and I don't like their politics and political agendas. I expect they have driven up prices, too. Colorado itself is beautiful beyond belief, truly, it is.

But now it looks like it will be Montana, or maybe Wyoming or Idaho or Utah. But I love Montana! Fly into Great Falls most years for vacation, then go north to Glacier for a week and then south to Yellowstone for a week. I want to get away from traffic, and crime, and heat, and humidity, and hurricanes, and alligators, and sirens. I want to live in a small town. I'm gonna eyeball Dillon, MT, and Salmon, ID, this year, when I go out on vaca. I expect to retire in 2020, or maybe next year, depending on how I'm holding up. If my arthritis won't abide Montana, then maybe Utah, which has both mountains and red-rock country, and is also very beautiful.

 

[mcnerney]

Back when 'Centennial' was made into a mini-series, about 1977, I figured one day I'd retire to Colorado. Then the idiots from California took over the state, and I don't like their politics and political agendas. I expect they have driven up prices, too. Colorado itself if beautiful beyond belief, truly, it is.

Amen to that!

 

[gunnison_country]

Also the coldest spot in the state.

Thank goodness Gunnison is among the coldest places in the state...it's what keeps Gunny from being like the Roaring Fork Valley.

 

[el jefe]

Thank goodness Gunnison is among the coldest places in the state...it's what keeps Gunny from being like the Roaring Fork Valley.

Alamosa is pretty darn cold!! But the fishing isn't as good. I'm going through Alamosa in two weeks, on my way to...Gunnison. Actually staying in Alamosa on the way up, something about patronizing the SLV Brewing Company. Who knows? These things are never my idea.

Going to be hitting all the hot...er, cold...spots in Colorado that weekend.

To the original question, there are some affordable fishing towns left in Colorado...but we don't where they are.

 

[midge1]

What about Aspen or Vail?

Pagosa Springs didn’t seem too bad not too long ago but maybe that’s changed.

What’s Delta or Montrose like? They seem a little lower in elevation and a bit off the beaten track. Good produce comes from there.

Aspen or Vail??? Excuse me while take a minute to clean up the coffee I spit out all over my desk after reading that.

 

[el jefe]

What about Aspen or Vail?

Pagosa Springs didn’t seem too bad not too long ago but maybe that’s changed.

What’s Delta or Montrose like? They seem a little lower in elevation and a bit off the beaten track. Good produce comes from there.

Vail is a truck stop, and there are much prettier ski/fishing towns in Colorado than Aspen. Aspen has the cachet of the rich. But I get your joke, which was solid!!

 

[comeonavs]

Yeah its getting silly, I sold a house in Firestone for 375k Sep 2015. It just sold again for 455k a few months back. Granted the new owners put 20k in to it or so I would guess. Where I live in Broomfield (Anthem) it has really gotten stupid. The 2300 sq ft single story home I live in now has a base price of 620K so a lot premium and a few upgrades you are pushing 700k real fast.

I bought mine a few years back and it wasn't cheap but it wasn't that crazy. Ive owned my own home for 20 years so made a few bucks along the way but for a younger family I dont understand how they all line up for $3,500 mortgage payments apparently.