|
Westcliffe,
Colorado is a special place for vacation and full time mountain
homes. It is probably some of the most beautiful Colorado real estate
that is still relatively unspoiled and yet reasonably priced. There
is no population explosion here. This mountain
real estate in southern Colorado is very rural. This means we
have no Wal-Mart, Dalton Books or other similar chains. We have
3 gas stations, 2 grocery stores, a handful of retail stores on
Main Street, a Community Library, a Performing Arts Center and 14
churches at last count. We have 3500 people in our whole county
and forty percent of the county is National Forest or government
land with a beautiful backdrop of the Sangre de Cristo Mountains.
Colorado
mountain living is not for everyone. For some people it is just
too much country and not enough conveniences. For these few buyers
the astounding beauty causes them to buy but the remoteness eventually
causes them to leave. We drive an hour or more to shop in the major
markets if we can't find the item here - and we become very good
at mail ordering. Just a few years ago there were predominately
retired or semi-retired buyers looking for mountain
retirement property in our Valley. Now the Internet has opened
up our community to a younger segment of homebuyers. We are seeing
parents who want to raise their children in a more wholesome environment
and the Internet allows them to move out of the metropolitan areas.
Our four-day
school week is also an attraction to many families, as well as,
to quality schoolteachers. Our Southern Colorado Valley also attracts
individuals who enjoy the outdoors, or outdoor activities, whether
they are looking to buy Colorado
horse property,
ranches or mountain
land for hiking, painting or photographing our beautiful scenery.
We have that small town atmosphere because we are just that. Our
residents invent a lot of their own entertainment from Moon Walks,
Birthday Hikes up into the mountains (replete with Champagne) and
just plain old potluck suppers.
Our summers
stay pretty busy. From Memorial Day to Labor Day our weekends are
packed with activities. Our Rodeo is always the third weekend in
July. The Jazz Fest is the second weekend in August and the San
Isabel Art Auction is in September. We have weekend craft fairs,
Western Days and sometimes a staged shoot out down Main Street from
the Old Actors Guild. If you have a mountain home or ranch here,
all these events and more will keep your summers busy. We breathe
a sigh of relief when fall weather finally comes, for we can settle
down and enjoy the quiet life, which was a big attraction for many
of us in moving here.
|