Pagosa Springs vs. Salida?

[gc57]

I am revisiting this post now after living in Pagosa for 3 years back when this was posted, moved back to Calif., because of family and financial problems. I like Pagosa and now they have a Walmart. I have spent a night in Salida before and though it was a nice town. So, once again, as we see some of the things have happened to the area and economy, I amopen for discussion again. Join in please.

[whoisjongalt]

Very informative post! I'm planning to check out Salida and possibly Pagosa Springs soon. I want to get out of Denver metro but still be within 4 - 5 hours max. So far I've checked out Canon City/Florence/Penrose (love it but would prefer more alpine geography), Beulah (loved it too but didn't love the fact that the only city nearby is Pueblo), Winter Park/Grand Lake (perfect except for the real estate prices), Manitou (very nice but a little too densely populated and "blue" for me). I'm thinking maybe Woodland Park/Divide/Florissant or Cripple Creek would be a good fit. It seems like Salida has already been "discovered" based on house prices comparable to Denver but it's still a possibility. I'm totally unfamiliar with Southern Colorado but the area around La Veta looks interesting too. Any other suggestions?

[Dreaming of Hawaii]

What else are you looking for besides distance to Denver metro? Shopping, medical, airport, schools, etc.

Do you need Denver metro, or could it be Colorado Springs metro or Grand Junction metro?

[2nd trick op]

Salida is a former railroad town, dating to a time when a portion of transcontinental traffic went west from Pueblo via Tennessee Pass (near Leadville); the more-direct Moffatt Tunnel route wasn't completed until 1934. Salida was also the setting-off point for a 1000-mile network of narrow-gague trains which served most of Southwestern Colorado in the days before all-weather highways. Save for a few tourist attractions, all of this was gone by 1970.

Minturn, on the other side of the pass (US Route 24), has a similar history, but it has been somewhat "gentrified" by the development of ski areas and other resorts; it's also much closer to Interstate 70 and a direct route to Denver.

[whoisjongalt]

Originally Posted by Dreaming of Hawaii

What else are you looking for besides distance to Denver metro? Shopping, medical, airport, schools, etc.

Do you need Denver metro, or could it be Colorado Springs metro or Grand Junction metro?

I plan to be in Boulder / Denver part-time and the mountains part-time so I need to be within a reasonable distance. Grand Junction is too far and doesn't have the geography I like. I don't really care about big stores, schools, airports, etc. I would prefer to be near some kind of "town" that at least has some restaurants and small stores like they have in Florence or Woodland Park or Leadville as opposed to being completely isolated. I'm also considering southern Wyoming around Saratoga or Elk Mountain.

[jsherman9901]

Originally Posted by whoisjongalt

I plan to be in Boulder / Denver part-time and the mountains part-time so I need to be within a reasonable distance. Grand Junction is too far and doesn't have the geography I like. I don't really care about big stores, schools, airports, etc. I would prefer to be near some kind of "town" that at least has some restaurants and small stores like they have in Florence or Woodland Park or Leadville as opposed to being completely isolated. I'm also considering southern Wyoming around Saratoga or Elk Mountain.

I don't remember you mentioning Westcliffe. It's at 8000', definitely alpine country. It's a little on the small-ish side but it's very beautiful and has at least a few amenities (supermarket, Ace hardware store, a number of restaurants and coffee shops, plus several art galleries). It's a little under 3 hours from Denver. Last time I checked, there were a number of homes for sale either in town or just a little outside of town. It's not cheap, but I don't think it's quite as pricey as Salida.

[TCHP]

Potential problem with any town south of Pueblo is that the nearest city is going to be Pueblo. Unless 3 hrs to Albuquerque or up to 2 hrs to Colo Spgs is acceptable.