My wife prefers Durango, while I prefer Salida for a retirement location. Both surely have their pluses and minuses, if you live near either place, please share your thoughts.

Thanks in advance.

Have you looked at Gunnison I lived there for 4 summers nice town. Crested Butte is close by also Montrose. Blue Mesa is good fishing. Check it out

Both will get slammed with tourists, Salida more so. CO is not the state I would retire in anymore. I would be looking at MT, WY, AZ, ID.

I don’t think you could go wrong retiring in either Durango or Salida. Both locations are in close proximity to a lotta great country, and not just in Colorado. I spend a lotta time climbing and hiking all over the state, and either of those two locations are areas I could finish it out in.

I spent about a decade in Colorado back in the 70’s and 80’s, ranching and oil field work between Walden, Grand Junction, and Greeley. It was a great state back then, pretty red and not full of crazies. I don’t want any of my tax dollars going to that state and supporting their craziness ever again. It’s a beautiful state but not for me.

Having said that….Durango would be my pick of your two choices. However, the Delores country always intrigued me.

Gawd....what in the fugg for?

You could move a tick further north and it wouldn't be gayer'n aids.

This ^^^^ kinda

Never lived there, but until recently had family there
Montrose woulda been my choice 30 or more years ago

Might think about Paonia or Cedaredge today

Durango used to be a great place. Now, not so much. Local college is full of the worst you can find and the main street is polluted with libtards that believe you are the problem they have been searching for. I love Colorado, have lived here for 53 years. If you are looking to retire here, look at California and decide if that is the future you are happy with. If not, look at Utah, Montana (eastern California) or perhaps New Mexico. If you are happy with the idea of Colorado being California, GFY.

Durango, With out a doubt is the nicer of the two towns, much cleaner and not as uptight Liberal as Salida, Durango and surrounding area is growing fast and costs are also.over all Colorado has turned into a Communist State sad to see. Rio7

or migrant friendly, or anti 2A, or tax hell, or controlled by one city full of liberal twats, or gayer'n aids

Thanks to everyone who has responded, please keep 'em coming.

It will come down to CO or NH/VT because those are the only states where my wife will consider living when she decides to retire.

I like Delores too, but have concerns that with global warming, water could become an issue in the Cortez, Mancos, Delores area.

Salida would be more convenient for me, as I could drive to do the on-site inspections of our rental units in Breckenridge and at Copper Mountain in around 90 minutes each way.

I'd like to locate where there is a ski area within 45 minutes, so that I could ski every day that I wanted to during the season. Gunnison has Crested Butte, Salida has Monarch, Durango has Purgatory, and there are dozens of town in NH/VT that meet that criteria.

I offer this as a frequent CO visitor as opposed to a local. It really depends upon what is important to the two of you. Make a list of what matters most to you and see how each locale measures up. Durango has quite a bit more public land immediately surrounding it. It's a larger town with better medical care options. I can't really quantify it, but Durango has a better vibe to me. More of an old western feel than a hippie feel. Salida wins on access to the major metropolitan areas and the airports. The climates are similar.

I hunt with a bunch of guys born and raised in Durango, 30 years ago I would have retired there but now it has changed so much.

They're right you know. It wasn't always like that though, when we moved here we had a republican as governor.

So if you move to Montana right now, you'll be able to say you got there before they had democrat governors and senators and such.


Oh, wait a minute......

Neither. I have lived here 50 years.
I'd leave in a minute if I wasn't so old and gimped up.
Gov. Polis is doing to Colorado what Biden is doing to the U.S.

That's a shame I truly liked the town of Gunnison and other parts of Colorado.

I have a cousin who lives in Grand Junction. I really like the area and I enjoy my visits there. I know there are small towns in the area and I would look at one of them.

kwg

Jiminy Christmas.


A tick further north is Wyoming.

The guy is worried about how global warming will affect the water situation. I imagine polis is creating the op's version of utopia.

Palisade is where I’ve lived for the last 35 years. I’ve been in Western Colorado for 40 years and grew up in Eastern Colorado. If my Wife would let me I’d head to Meeker. My Wife’s a Palisade Girl and isn’t moving.

Jumpin Jehosophat, Utah is a tick west.

¡Ay, caramba! Mexico is a couple of ticks to the south.

Yeah and Venezuela is in Denver now.

Excellent point.


Great party state.

Gunnison can get real cold in the winter since its low lying. Lowest temps in the nation often. Doesn't bother some. Great fishing in Blue Mesa res. both summer and ice fishing in the winter. Close to both Created Butte and Monarch for skiing. Monarch gets great snow, much like many of the Utah slopes. Lived in Montrose in the 80's, nice ranching town but wouldn't move back due to the invasion of Denver by commies and all of their stupid ideas that the flush on everyone. Has an airport as well if you need to travel. Cimmarons are some beautiful country close to Gunnison, Montrose, Ouray, etc. Telluride is another great skiing slope. Wait for the wolves they just let lose to wipe out the elk/deer herd. Just a matter of time. If I was to move back it would be to Wyoming near the Winds somewhere possibly. Stay as far as you can from the east slope. Its a mess and getting worse by the day with all the illegals.

I bought some KILLER dope in Salida. Right there on hwy 50

Honey-Bunny, 23.3 % THC

Tore up some damn good pizza back in there by the river. Little upstairs hole in the wall pizzeria

I've lived in Durango since 1981. I'm not going anywhere else. Everything I like to do is here------hiking trails, horseback riding, excellent fishing, good big game hunting, kayaking, skiing, boating, symphony, lots of archaeological sites-----local college brings in lots of guest speakers. Enough said.

It’s great location Bob. I attended Fort Lewis for a couple of years 79-81. What a lot of these people don’t realize is that The Continental Divide insulates a lot of us from the Front Range. Sure, we have to live with their politics, but living next to millions of acres of great public land takes the sting out of that.

Durango has a lot of trees so good cover from drones... so thats a plus.

Durango. Lots of great bars and restaurants, plus your only 25min to Purgatory, and 45 from Navajo Reservoir. Fly fishing, big game hunting, camping 4-wheeling, etc. I almost bought a condo right down town across from the Strater, but it wasn’t the best timing. I know kick myself for not pulling the trigger. IMO, it’s the last somewhat reasonable CO mountain town.

Exactly this guy needs to stay the hell out of Wyoming!

I have been there. Some girl played with my junk under the table.

It was the local pit bull rescue and precisely why Paul can't go back.

Dang bruh,

that'd be some powerful schiedt.

Right up there at the top of the Acapulco Gold territory. What was the high like? Buzzy? Laid back? Did you smoke enough to see scheidt?

https://www.allbud.com/marijuana-strains/sativa-dominant-hybrid/acapulco-gold

I'd like to put up a greenhouse for flowers and vegetables, no interest in growing, smoking, or eating anything with THC in it.

Wife has expressed some interest in 478 Kiva Road in Durango. That property abuts the Animas River, so there would never any problem pumping water to irrigate a lawn, garden, or greenhouse. You guys do realize that I'm going to be 69 in a month, so quality healthcare that is both competent and close by is getting more important every year.
=
I like Durango, but it would take longer for me to drive from Durango to Breck/Copper than it currently takes me to fly from Omaha to Denver, ride a van from Denver to Breck, and get the Tribeca off the battery tender and out of the garage. For some reason, it would be cheaper for me to buy tickets for Durango to Vail with a stop over in Denver than it would to buy tickets from Durango to Denver. If I did that, I guess that I could just not use the Denver-Vail and Vail-Denver portion of the ticket. The La Plata County Sheriff seems to be FFL friendly, no problem transferring my FFL to an address in La Plata County, so that's a good thing.

Durango was the only place I ever saw guys pulling huge plastic cases off the airport luggage return. They were in Durango for bow season.

Started my vaca from Durango, 4 corners and did the parks in Utah. Loved it.

You could only pump water if you own irrigation rights, people are pretty serious about water here in the intermountain west. Whiskey is for drinking, water is for fighting over.

Laughing…

Ummm, you don't get water rights by moving in next to the river.

I already talked to someone in the Division 7 water resources office in Durango. No problem pumping from the Animas without getting water rights and the fellow who I spoke with told me that getting water rights would be both easy and close to, if not, automatic. I try to incorporated the 7 Ps of planning when I'm doing new to me stuff.

Take a look at Bayfield just east of Durango. Nice area.

I hope your pockets are deep because both places are very expensive to live in!

Ummm, if you want to check it out, call Jeff Titus, the District 30 Water and Well Commissioner at 970-739-6520. He told me that I could pump water from the Animas for personal use on this specific property without having water rights, but if I wanted to get water rights, I could do so and it would be automatic or nearly automatic. I try to do my homework before posting stuff online, 'cause there is already too much misinformation on the 'net without me adding to it.

Pump water from a river in Colorado without a water right???? Every river is over appropriated. Every downstream water right holder would file opposition to such an action.

Your water right would be junior to everyone before you and never in priority

Having lived in the mountains in Colorado for most of my life and having a business in water, Salida is definitely out. The Arkansas River is mostly owned by Kansas and if your dog drinks from the river, there is a water commissioner watching till your dog returns it to the river. Every time I used the bathroom, I flush twice just so Kansas gets their share.

Two great locations, but for different reasons.

So, you're worried about water issues because of global warming, but ol Jeff says go ahead and just pump water out if the river. Cause none of that water is spoken for by any of those people downstream.

Jeff also owns the local franchise for Keller Williams Real Estate.....

260,

Interesting dilemma and discussion at minimum. You sound healthy and active BUT things can change fast at your age going forward, too! I'd be thinking about things like snow removal, travel safety(ie. two lane roads in the winter, etc!), health care (as you've noted), and overall climate looking 10-15 years into the future which most of us overlook!

I'd consider along the western I70 corridor around Grand Junction or its outskirts depending on how "urban" vs "suburban" vs "rural" you want to be. Vineyards and orchards there (climate). Fishing, hunting, Colorado River, Amtrak east or west, close to SE Utah's Natl. Parks/Moab, close to Uncompaghre Plateau, Montrose/San Juans, local skiing on the "plateau" minutes east, I70 relatively easy/safe drive to Copper Mtn., St. Mary's Regional Hospital, Airport right there with easy connections through Denver... a retiree could do a lot worse in Colorado! I have not been through there in awhile but I would be shocked if the population in the valley is not 150,000-200,000.

Your "water" access comments about the Durango area really surprise me and I am suspect to say the least. Water has become the new "gold" out in the dry West. Rapid development and growth of a limited resource combined with recent droughts have brought this to the forefront and the fights with municipalities/ranchers/farmers/ and .gov are going on and will get worse! Add "corporations" and foreign governments to the list! I am not sure sometimes which will be threatened first... water rights/use/access or our firearms!

As an aside, if you relocate to Colo., you might have to divest yourself of your beloved Savages... despite Colorado's politics it is still Winchester country! They might compromise with a few Remingtons or customs!!!

Sounds like a "midwest" location closer to Colorado is out of a question? North Platte, etc. I sure love pheasants and whitetails, too! IMHO, as I have watched the West really change (other than scenery which is certainly a part of the equation) over the last 30+ years, I think the "non-urban" Midwest will be one of the last areas the Country where one can really still easily pursue a "traditional" American lifestyle (including outdoor activities like hunting and fishing) many have been accustomed to. Understandably, Alaskans and many in the SE will disagree... many factors to consider...

living in the area you better enjoy tourist. We are ass deep in them. They have completely destroyed our little towns and way of life. Add that to the fact Colorado politics have gone more liberal than California thanks to all the newcomers. If I had a choice, I would bail out of my home state.

Some of you guys could use a reading comprehension tutor.

He's only moving where his wife "allows" him to live...

He's worried about global warming and he's friggen 70 years old...

And he's just gonna pump whatever his water needs out of the animas within civilisation where you'd have to fill a water glass at night to get away with it. Based on one phone call in a place where if you think you understand CO water law you haven't read enough, and where 15 water lawyers will give you 22 legal opinions to answer your question.

This guy likely already has the pro wolf bumper sticker on his Subaru Outback. He's moving here to experience the utopia, just without the weed...

living in the area you better enjoy tourist. We are ass deep in them. They have completely destroyed our little towns and way of life. Add that to the fact Colorado politics have gone more liberal than California thanks to all the newcomers. If I had a choice, I would bail out of my home state.

I looked at retiring in Fruita-Palisade or Paonia or even Glenwood. My daughter is in Palisade now and I like visiting there. Gunnison was a favorite for years because of the fishing, and Meeker because of the hunting, fishing, and small town vibe.

What about Buena Vista?

Far worse. Buena Vista made Outdoor Magazines top place to visit a few years ago. Oh my god. Prior to that after 6pm you could shoot a shotgun down main street and not hit a car or person. At 8 pm I drove down Buena Vistas main street and could not find a parking place. Up to 15 people waiting to cross the street. This was not even tourist season. Houses now are going in excess of 1 million dollars. Oldtimers, I know there refuse to leave their houses. Going to the grocery stores is known as combat shopping.

Another good choice. You could just pump water straight out of the Arkansas. If you bought the right house.

Could you flush 3 times? Last year was pretty dry.

G23

You just described Moab to a Tee. 15 years ago when not in tourist season it was a nice town, but not anymore.

You might want to get that in writing...Is there a water right that runs with the property? Otherwise, no way in hell you can do that.

I'll ask the GF to confirm. she does water rights for private property owners on the West Slope. In and out of water court on the reg.

Otherwise, getting "water rights" is going to run you hundreds of thousands of dollars lmao.

Wow, I don't know your source for this information but it completely opposite of all that I know. Just talked to a Colo Water Recourses engineer about the Arkansas drainage and she is expecting to be sued at any time for failing to supply enough for downstream owners.

Give me a shout when you are visiting, I would probably at the very least recognize her.

not to get involved in the water rights discussion, (which is very relevant also)

Durango, hands down.

Close to Purg. Not far from Wolf Creek (1.5 hrs?) Reasonable to T-Ride (2 hrs with clear roads)

small college in town, good public library, plenty of services, lots of Doctors ( they like the life style too)

Easy to get out of the snow. ( to the south and west)

Close to Farmington if you want something machined, welded, or just a good chicken-fried steak.

further from the front range.

Those small CO mountain towns have robust economies that don't need tourism money.

Yeah, I'm being sarcastically mocking.

He'll, you can't even keep all the rainwater that falls on your property in Colorado. But ole Jeff says you can just pump the water out of the river.

LOL, and they thank you (and me) for the dollars spent there, my friend.

Actually, that is not the case. We had lower priced homes, lower property taxes and a sufficient economy to raise our families without them. We lived for decades without them, can do it again. The figures are that less than 10% of local businesses derive any benefit.

Not only can you not keep it, you get taxed on it.

She grew up in Colorado Springs and moved to Grand Junction after graduating physicians assistant school. I don't know if she works at the hospital or one of the clinics. I won't make it out there this year. She will be coming back to Iowa this spring to bury her mother who passed last summer. But, there is next year. Unfortunately, neither she nor her husband fish.
kwg
I will keep you I'm mind at our next visit
kwg

You believe in global warming? You will fit right in there in CO. Good move.
Its not warming thats going to be the issue its going to be demand.

Delores area by far over the other two but I'm not moving from a fairly conservative state to a liberal [bleep] hole if I can ever avoid it. Especially not to retire.

That would depend entirely on what town we're talking about, right? Take a place like Estes Park or Grand Lake. Or even Walden. I remember when the DOW raised the prices of non-resident elk tags to be in line with other western states, lots of the mom and pop restaurants, stores, and motels were up in arms because they thought it would cut down on non-resident hunters and hurt their businesses. And I heard this directly from mom and pop themselves.

I seem to recall the DOW raising tag prices then dropping them back down a couple of years later?

The global warming concerns that I have relate to having been told that the ground water in the Cortez area isn't as good, or reliable, as it is in the area of southern CO between Durango and South Fork. The properties that are potentially of interest to us west of Hesperus don't abut a surface water source, so any irrigation would have to come from a well.

I would expect the Water and Well Commissioner for the area where the property in question is located to know what he's talking about. Who would you suggest that I should go to for that information? I never buy a property without having a competent attorney do all of the title searches and cover all of the bases.

One of the things that I don't like about most of the properties that I've looked at in the Durango area is that the mineral rights aren't owned by the surface property owner, so someone could put a gas/oil well on your property and there is nothing that you could do to prevent it.

I'm still only 68, almost 69, still more than a year away from 70. In 2025 I'll start to draw SSI and sign on to Medicare.

Happy wife, happy life. As long as we live in a rural area with hills, trees, clear running water, and somewhere close by with decent skiing, it isn't that important to me where the rural area is. If my wife finds a town and a house that makes her happy, I'm flexible. We have an inside/outside agreement, she takes care of everything inside the house and I take care of everything outside the house. She buys furniture, carpets, and contracts for anything that she wants done inside the house, while I buy vehicles and either take care of or contract for anything that needs to be done outside the house. 37 years, no serious fights, it works for us.

My global warm concern is only as it potentially relates to ground water in the Cortez, Delores, Mancos area. Having been told that ground water is often hit or miss in that area, climate change could make for more misses in that area. A house without a reliable water source is a house that will be hard to sell, no matter how attractive its other attributes might be. A reliable water source is also an important consideration if you want to have a greenhouse and a nice green lawn.

If you have questions about water resources in CO as they apply to a specific property, who would be a better person to go to for answers to ` those questions then the district water commissioner?

The Subaru that I keep garaged in Breckenridge is a 2010 Tribeca, not an Outback. I don't do bumper stickers, but it does have decals representing the 1st ID, Airborne, Ranger and guide-on reproductions for my 3 infantry company commands on the rear window and a Boston Red Sox rear plate bracket. This is the first Subaru that we've ever owned and I haven't driven it much, less than 1,000 miles and most of that was when I drove it from the dealer in St. Louis to its new home in Summit County via I-70. I'm sure that the wolves will negatively the people who can least afford it, ranchers and herders, and I'm not in favor of valuing wildlife over people and their livelihood.

So, you're concerned about global warming and scarce water supplies, and you're moving to an arid part of the country in a river basin that's over-appropriated, where the federal government has mandated cuts in water usage but the states can't agree on how to do that.

Which one of these things doesn't belong in the picture?

Water is an issue Durango west and your information on well drilling is appropriately “maybe.” It has always been a dry land since Noah anyway. Grew up in far west Dolores county. There are good properties and lovely homes that have a water truck parked out back…. The Mcfee dam did provide municipal and agricultural water improvements back in the 80’s but it’s still dry country.
I still have a brother there and a son in Gunnison. The comments on Gunnison are accurate. Very expensive living and darned cold. Beautiful place though and there is a privately owned Blackhawk in a hanger there.
Good luck on your search sir. Let me know if I could be helpful.
F01

CO, NH, or VT, each has its good points and its not so good points.

If we live in NH or VT, we could just buy a 4 bedroom condo in Breck that I could use when I wanted to ski on snow instead of ice. Whatever we do, the property will be owned by an LLC and we'll just rent it from the LLC so that residency is cloudy.

Things will work out one way or the other, if for no other reason than they always do.

Why do residents insist on ignoring the fact that a large number of the liberal voters in Colorado are home grown, thank you K-12 and your Collages and Universities

colorado landowner since 1986. moved here from Minnesota, then back from Arizona, then back from Idaho.

Durango is one of several texas and california and eastern entry points.
Salida is even more texas entry point...

mining history, tourism future. hunting fishing way past its prime due to crowds and hype..good for seasonal sporting...most places are worse....

what are all the farmers in that area doing to water their bean fields? That area around cortez and mancos has tons of farming. I would also not consider the country excessively dry compared to utah, nevada and wyoming.