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Located
in southern central Colorado, the Colorado
mountain property in this region may be the state's most
beautiful and unspoiled mountain valley. The Valley is bordered
on the east by the Wet Mountains and on the west by the Sangre
de Cristo Mountains: the longest and straightest mountain
range on earth. The Sangre de Cristo Mountain string of 13,000
and 14,000 foot snow-capped peaks tower over the 7,800-foot
valley floor.
Because
it is off the beaten path, this area of
mountain property maintains it's rural charm, yet it is
within easy reach of several urban areas. From the towns of
Westcliffe and Silver Cliff, the Valley's commercial center,
Denver is three driving hours north, Colorado Springs, with
its beautiful new airport, is 90 minutes to the Northeast,
and Pueblo, Canon City and Salida are each within an hour's
drive.
This is
Colorado
ranch country, and for those seeking beauty and solitude
in the great outdoors it is prime vacation, hiking, biking,
horseback riding and relaxing country. The evidence of this
rural lifestyle is seen in the population density of 4.41
persons per square mile. Forty percent of our county's land
is State and Federally owned and most of the Sangre de Cristo
range is designated a National Wilderness Area. 7.5% of our
population live on farms and ranches. This compares to 1.4%
for the state of Colorado and 1.6% for the entire US. Currently
there are approximately 3,500 people living in Custer County.
The town
of Westcliffe is "old Colorado" in nature and with the vastness
of the surrounding land and ranch properties, it is one of
the last remaining bastions of the true old west!
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Climate
The name
"Wet Mountain Valley" is an interesting one since the area
is semi arid with low humidity and relatively little precipitation.
The climate is ideal, and resembles the climate of northern
New Mexico (only three hours south) rather than the cold associated
with Northern Colorado. With over 320 days of sunshine per
year and with low humidity, the weather is pleasant the vast
majority of the time, even in the winter. In this blessed
region of Southern Colorado, there is seldom an extended period
of gray skies.
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More Scenes from Westcliffe and Custer County
