It's Not Denver...which is good.
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8/13/2017
I have lived in CO for 45 years, mostly along the front range. When my husband retired we looked around CO for a new place to live, away from all the negatives in the Denver area. Most of CO in the mountains is very expensive (Vail, Aspen, Glenwood, Steamboat, Crested Butte, Telluride, etc). Hardly anyone but millionaires can live in ski towns. HOWEVER, charming Pagosa Springs is 30 miles from Wolf Creek Ski Area, which usually has the most snow in the state, while down in Pagosa we may have 25% of that much snow. There are predictions of huge growth in the next 20 years.
EMPLOYMENT: There are many service jobs, think restaurants, the Wyndham, hotels, landscaping, construction. Best jobs are probably government and schools. I doubt many people make much money here.
There are many retired people here. There are some younger people and families. Those with kids complain how there isn't much to do in the winter.
REAL ESTATE: 70% of the homes are second homes, vacation homes/rental homes. Most of those people are from TX and OK.
At least you can still find a home here for $250k, don't try that in those other ski towns! It's not hard to find a home with a beautiful view, you can also find some property over an acre.
RECREATION: This is a beautiful area surrounded by the San Juan National Forest. This is a place where you do lots of outdoor recreation, then hang out at home in the evening. We like mountain biking, road biking, hiking, golf (there is a course with new owners, but course needs help and is overpriced), tennis (sadly the pro just passed away that gave drills at the courts), there's also off roading, fishing, rafting, kayaking and in July the San Juan River is usually low enough for tubing which is fun. Winter there's xc skiing and downhill skiing, and snowmobiling.
What's missing is a rec center! One got voted down a few years ago. If you live in the Pagosa Lakes development, you can pay and use their rec center. There is a CrossFit and a 24/7 fitness center.
HOT SPRINGS: Pagosa has 3 commercial hot springs, The Springs is the nicest, it's right on the river. You can also find a few hot springs along the river. There are a few other springs in the area.
DINING: We do miss some of our favorite restaurants from the Denver area. There are about 5 fast food restaurants, 3 micro brew pubs, lots of Mexican Restaurants and a few other restaurants that are good.
SHOPPING: PS got a Wal Mart about 2 years ago after lots of fighting, and I'm really glad it's here! There are a few boutiques, a few resale shops, a couple hardware stores. For more serious shopping we head to Durango (like for TJMaxx, Home Depot). If you can't find it in Durango, you can head 40 minutes south of there to Farmington, NM, where they have a mall, chain stores and restaurants.
ENTERTAINMENT: There's 1 small movie theatre in town, and an arts center that has a reputable performing arts program. I'm finding other things to do like volunteering.
MEDICAL: There is a small hospital and med center with a brand new wing added. I've been happy with most of the care there, however, for more serious medical most people head to Durango.
THE PEOPLE: There is a mix of year round locals which I think are all very nice people. Summer is very busy with so many tourists. Seems like they are the ones that speed through town.
AIRPORT: You can fly out of Durango's airport, but it will cost you quite a bit. There is a small airport in PS if you have a private plane.
CLIMATE: We are surrounded by the SJNForest which get lots of snow. The snow we get here is often about what we got in Castle Rock, CO by Denver. Figure 50-100" a year. If you get sick of winter you can south to NM or AZ.
LOCATION: We love that we can head north to mountains, south to the desert, west to UT . There are also lots of archaeological sites that I am waiting to explore. You can also head about 1 1/2 west to the Cortez area and it is usually warmer and drier.
Lucinda | Pagosa Springs, CO