What is the scene in Colorado?

Bad idea sorry first the national forest is fed land get caught smoking there and you be doing some prison time or very heavy fined . I would guess being able to buy legal weed is a factor? Have you researched the prices? different towns will have different prices now avg low price here is $2 dollars a gram with one store selling it at $1 dollar a gram mind you some store prices in this area still can reach $20 dollars a gram. use leafly type in zip code and look around .

 

I would look else where to camp Hot Springs maybe?

 

First, yes they can and will fuck with you on Federal land. It might surprise you but our state has been flooded with people coming here to legally get high since legalization and the cops have heard every story and found every stash spot you could think of at least 100 times. Why would you put forth the energy and effort to come to a legal state just to break the law? It would be just as easy to do illegal shit where you are now and probably much cheaper.

Second, please understand why we have such strict fire laws here in Colorado. We are in a horrible drought and have something like nine fires going right now. . If you are going in the forest then please follow fire restrictions like not smoking in wooded areas and only using allowed fire and cooking equipment. .

As far as the Springs, it definitely isn't the place to be for mj in Colorado. El Paso county and the city both do not allow any recreational sales. The only stores that do are in Manitou Springs, which by the way is an awesome and weird little town that everyone should visit. As you might guess however, the lack of competition effects their pricing. Otherwise you will be driving to Denver or Pueblo which is a pain in the ass on I25 and kinda of sucks unless you just need a way to kill time.

As far as jobs, crappy entry level stuff can be found anywhere. Fast food and retail places are almost always hiring, even in our county which has a horrible job market. If you want the cheapest way to live here and not have to camp year around, find a cheap fixer upper mobile home in a park that has decent lot rent. You can find older mobile homes for a couple of thousand and up. Fix one up and then all you have is lot rent, which is considerably cheaper than renting an apartment or house. One of my customers at work owns a park and was giving away trailers if people would fix them up and stay for 1 year before selling them.

While you are here check out some of the smaller mountain towns. Salida, Woodland Park, Buena Vista, and so many more are all awesome little communities which capture the essence of Colorado that has long left the front range cities.

 

Good advice, all. I'll never understand why anyone smokes these days, much less in a drought-stricken forest. Vaping is so much better, easier, etc, etc. Colorado is a great place to live, but you can have Denver and the Springs. They are both just typically modern-urbanized, crowded shitholes as far I am concerned.

 

I still smoke, but make sure I do so in areas where there is little chance of starting a fire. Things just go bad so fast here that it is worth it to pay extra attention to what you are doing.

I don't have anything against the Springs or Denver but in my opinion the only advantages to living there are legal weed and proximity to the mountains. Otherwise they are the type of cities that you can find in just about any state and probably do so much cheaper. Like many other mid to large sized cities across the country they have failed to keep up on housing and infrastructure which makes living there more of a pain in the ass. I wont lie, when I drive in to the Springs, I enjoy all the shopping, dining, and activity options at first. However after about 30 minutes I am ready to get the fuck out of there and back to Fremont County. Denver, I just don't go there unless I have to do so. The only reason I normally do that is because it is so much cheaper to fly out of there than it is the Springs or Pueblo. I bought my car there as well just because the larger market makes for more competition and better value.

However, rural living in Colorado isn't for everyone. People come here with an idealistic vision of living in the mountains but then retreat to the front range when they realize exactly what living in the mountains really means. Some people just aren't prepared for the reality that they may have to drive two to four hours just to buy groceries or receive decent healthcare. We are kind of stuck in the middle in Fremont County. Not many amenities but close enough to drive to the Springs or Pueblo if needed. Our area is getting flooded now though with people abandoning the front range, new transplants, and property investors taking advantage of the crazy housing prices. I plan on moving to the mountains soon, and hopefully far enough in that it will be years before the areas get over populated. I have also been looking at the western slope, but haven't visited yet to see what the cities are like.

 

There are many bedroom communities still popping up all around the suburbs within easy communing distance. They make a nice compromise if you can afford it, but alot of people are pretty much priced out of the market and it's getting worse. Living in the mountains is totally out of the question for most people, as well. Even some of the bigger mountain communities close to the cities like Estes and Woodland Park can be tough in winter. It starts sooner, lasts longer and the snow can get pretty deep. A real estate agent I know said the foothills properties around Golden and Lyons are perpetual money-makers because they routinely come up for sale over and over again every spring after the new owner realizes mother nature is not their friend.

 

El Paso county ..Colorado Springs is expanding quite rapidly ...especially the east side of the Powers Blvd corridor and Marksheffel rd up to Woodman

24 and 94 are good highways for growth out east

lots of jobs if you're looking.

 

Manitou definitely is not a place for the low income to live. It was once a small hippy community but when the word got out it became the place to go for wealthy suburbanites that think they are hippies. Prices there are crazy for the most part. Great place to visit though, and if you get the chance the Coffin Races are a blast.

By twenty minutes away I am guessing you are referring to Cripple Creek. Awesome little town, and land can be found relatively cheap because unless you work for a casino or a mining operation there is no other reason to live in the area. I love it there but there just isn't anything much going on day to day. That being said if you get the chance check out Donkey Derby Days or the Ice Festival. Both are fun, particularly when highly medicated (pun intended).

As far as road blocks, I have never seen any here in Southern Colorado. We drive through the San Isabelle forest frequently for work and haven't been stopped yet. Although there aren't near as many tourist in the area and if they do set up road blocks it would make more sense to focus attention elsewhere.

Don't be discouraged. It took me three years of planning and hunting before I moved here and I do not regret it for a minute.

 

The casinos in Cripple Creek are nice but not "grand" casinos. Nothing wrong with them but they are much more low key than the ones I visited in Biloxi.

I grew up in Birmingham, AL and spent quite a bit of time in Atlanta. To me it is kind of like Denver. Nice place to visit but I have no desire to live there. Denver has plenty of events though to fill any of those types of activities. Red Rocks is hands down one of the most amazing musical venues in country.