From a mountaineering/access to peaks perspective, what is the best place to live in Colorado?

[SkaredShtles]

Limon.

[Scott P]

I didn't know you can do that remotely. What type of engineer are you?

I don't do it remotely. I work on projects out here.

Civil.

[climbingcue]

I noticed that homes in western Colorado or anywhere near a ski area are extremely expensive. Does everyone literally come out from the front range whenever they want to get to the western portions of Colorado? How can someone afford to live in these towns? What career field do you have to be in?

I am in the mountains, but 50 miles away from the closest ski area. The houses have gone up $80k-$160 in the four years I have been here (and that in on houses that were in the $250k range. The pay sucks and the housing costs keep going up. Not sure how much longer I will be able to last before I am priced out of the state. I am holding on as long as I can, have more peaks to do. As far as good paying jobs in the mountains, I recommend Nurse, CT tech (radiology), or Lab tech. You need all those jobs where ever there is a hospital and those are the better paying hourly jobs.

Good luck,
Bill

[OldTrad]

Does everyone literally come out from the front range whenever they want to get to the western portions of Colorado? How can someone afford to live in these towns? What career field do you have to be in?

Re: does everyone come out from front range, what career, etc
Most do, for sure. Jobs + housing both “relatively” plentiful. Plenty of people rent. I worked in engineering (tech) for a long time, and know quite a few people who work remotely in CO now. Most are in engineering/tech/biotech/comms type jobs that can be done remotely these days. I worked remotely in CO for about 7 years, but decided the convenience of the front range outweighed the freedom and space we had living in the mountains. We started a family and that contributed to the decision to get out of the mountains and move to the front range too.

I do understand the challenge of getting decent work lined up, however. With an undergrad degree in engineering from CU Boulder I was unable to find work initially so I left the state. It took getting an advanced degree in engineering and some tech experience in Silicon Valley to get me over that hump, at which point CO supplied me with descent work for many years. Obviously, getting situated here required a long term, concerted effort, but it was worth the effort.

[ltlFish99]

I am in Montrose which us a good location especially considering which 14ers I have left to hike.
My rent is a little high, but I have a 10 acre empty field behind my house.
This provides an unobstructed view of the sneffles range from my back yard.
And the rent is lower than rents were in my old neighborhood outside of Denver 10 years ago.
I keep thinking it would be great to live in a ski town for a year or 2, then I try to find reasonable housing and that ends that.

[RETEP 1]

I’m just gonna throw a vote out there for construction. Sure you have to work hard and it’s not one of the more desirable career paths, but construction is booming all over Colorado. I live in Denver and make an honest living but I have peers in various mountain towns that do well there also. No education required nor is it really all that helpful. 5-10 years in any trade and you probably have enough knowledge to start your own business and live wherever you want.

[planet54]

I’m just gonna throw a vote out there for construction. Sure you have to work hard and it’s not one of the more desirable career paths, but construction is booming all over Colorado. I live in Denver and make an honest living but I have peers in various mountain towns that do well there also. No education required nor is it really all that helpful. 5-10 years in any trade and you probably have enough knowledge to start your own business and live wherever you want.

I will second that. I left the Front Range for the mountains 44 years ago, best thing I ever did. Learned how to build homes and eventually built my own home doing most of the work myself. All of that sweat equity I put in years ago continues to pay off as home prices rise. I will have to say that finding a lot to build on now is pretty tough . If you want to live and stay in the mountains you need to tune yourself up for the types of jobs and careers that are available. I couldn't sit at a desk all day no way no how.

[Chicago Transplant]

Live in Edwards, work in Avon - so Beaver Creek/Vail. Housing is definitely high here, most people need roommates even with a good salary. I'm on the design side of the construction industry, architecture.

New construction rentals in Avon are going from $1300 for a studio and $2200 for a 2BR, and a recently built rental apartment complex in Edwards only has 2 available, both 1BRs, and they are $1725. Some people have better luck with renting a private condo with roommates, or a lock-off (but then your landlord is attached to your house). Buying is tough now too, I bought my condo in 2014 but probably couldn't afford it if I had to buy it today. Down valley is cheaper, or at least you can afford more house for the money, but the commute is over 40 miles RT a day!

People turn down jobs up here because they can't find a place to live, some companies want you to show you have place to stay before they will even hire you. Construction trade could be good, a lot of the GC's here bring in people from Front Range or Junction, so more local trades is not a bad thing. Healthcare is big, especially orthopedics and related physical therapy for sports injuries. Resort support work is seasonal and transient, I don't think many of those jobs are sustainable long term here because they pay so low.

[pvnisher]

What type of engineer are you?

Civil.

Some engineers, convinced of their own self evident superiority, were debating what type of engineer God would be.

The electrical said God would clearly be a EE due to the incredible electrical system which controls the entire body and mind.

The mechanical said God would be a ME for the delicate and intricate structures and movements.

They all started to laugh when the aerospace engineer started to speak, curious how that would be applicable.
But the AE said God was surely a civil engineer, because "they're the only ones I know who would run a toxic waste line through a recreational area! "

[Vincopotamus]

Down valley is cheaper, or at least you can afford more house for the money, but the commute is over 40 miles RT a day!

Not to play gatekeeper, but come on, a 40 mile RT commute seems pretty mellow for most of the Western Slope outside the bigger cities! I'm thinking of Durango, which isn't mega-resort town pricey, but many people work in town but live in the more affordable bedroom communities of Bayfield (20 miles away), Mancos (28 miles away) and even Farmington (50 miles away).

Edit: Don't know how I didn't think of the even better example, the Roaring Fork Valley, with people now commuting to Aspen all the way from New Castle and beyond.

I agree that driving that far is a bummer - I used to live in GJ and had an affordable home that was a 9-mile bike ride to work.

[Scott P]

People turn down jobs up here because they can't find a place to live, some companies want you to show you have place to stay before they will even hire you.

Down valley is cheaper, or at least you can afford more house for the money, but the commute is over 40 miles RT a day!

I applied for a job in the area (Edwards) a few years ago and they offered a company car with a company paid gas card so people could commute and still live in a place like Dotsero or Gypsum (which at the time at least had affordable houses). It seems that at least some companies in the area do this.

[Chicago Transplant]

Down valley is cheaper, or at least you can afford more house for the money, but the commute is over 40 miles RT a day!

Not to play gatekeeper, but come on, a 40 mile RT commute seems pretty mellow for most of the Western Slope outside the bigger cities! I'm thinking of Durango, which isn't mega-resort town pricey, but many people work in town but live in the more affordable bedroom communities of Bayfield (20 miles away), Mancos (28 miles away) and even Farmington (50 miles away).

Edit: Don't know how I didn't think of the even better example, the Roaring Fork Valley, with people now commuting to Aspen all the way from New Castle and beyond.

I agree that driving that far is a bummer - I used to live in GJ and had an affordable home that was a 9-mile bike ride to work.

40 RT would be Eagle exit to Avon exit, Gypsum exit to Vail exit is 72 RT. Roaring Fork is definitely worse, plenty of people commuting from Rifle and Parachute, even to Glenwood that's a lot. I can't imagine driving that to Aspen.