Where Millennial Pioneers Find a Home in Colorado

You’ve read about the Wild West, the hearty folk that built the ranches, towns and forts in the wilderness of the southwest where they battled native tribes, fished for their supper and drove cattle across the high plain deserts.
Long gone are the days of native’s attacking the outposts and soldiers building forts from mud bricks, but fishing is still a popular activity for all ages. As the “old folks” who started some of the towns in the vast reaches of America are resettling into assisted living situations in larger towns, their efforts are being renewed and outdone by the Millennials of this era.

You might wonder why it is that this type of land for sale in Colorado appeals to Millennials more than to the Gen X’ers. For one thing, they refuse to live in a predetermined rut and for another, they apply the needs of going green.

If you are the kind who loves fishing, hiking, backpacking, horseback riding and the variety of challenges that living in an area where being a problem solver is essential, you might find Costilla County’s remote land (snuggled between the Sangre de Cristo and San Luis mountain ranges) the perfect place to be the entrepreneur that you are.

Costilla County is the oldest settled area of Colorado dating back to a deeded record in 1540 during the era of Coronado. Originally, the area was settled by Spanish ranchers and soldiers. From that time to this, the Hispanic heritage has been passed down – even if sometimes slightly mutilated – to the residents of the county today with festivals and fiestas that put on display the pride of grit born people.

Unlike the Gauchos who put down roots with the nearest large community so far away it may as well have been on another planet, those who choose to recapture the bonds of the American dream only have to jump in their car (or truck) and drive 5 minutes to the town of San Luis, 20 minutes to Alamosa or find yourself in Pueblo and, if you go due south, in Taos, New Mexico in about an hour.

Rural acreage in Colorado is the ideal place to use a combination of solar and wind energy. Between the two, you will be able to supply all your electrical needs. A wireless internet connection will be necessary for the next several years – unless one of your entrepreneurial cohorts starts a cable company. You will need to put in a well for reliable water but that really doesn’t take that long as long as you use a professional company. And, don’t forget to install a septic system.

Yes, you will need to take a year or so to build your home and get everything ready to move in. But, it doesn’t have to be done all at once and in the end, you’ll be in position to make your community exactly what you want it to be. It’s not everyone in this country that has the opportunity to build a community from scratch. It is possible again today because of all the technological advances that have taken place in the last two decades.

Unlike other areas where you can buy undeveloped land, Colorado is the center of the western states. Drive about 2.5 hours from your front door, you’re in Colorado Springs. Head to the west for another hour and you’ll be greeted by the mountains around Breckenridge and Vail. Head north from there and find all the excitement of Steamboat Springs. If you drive straight out of Colorado Springs going north on the interstate and you’ll be in Cheyenne, Wyoming in another 2 hours. Catch the Santa Fe Gem Show by driving south for 2.5 hours or, as pointed out earlier, a quick 20 minutes to Taos. Location is a great advantage when considering to buy cheap Colorado land.

Just because the land you own starts out rural doesn’t mean that you are isolated from a huge variety of activities of all kinds. How about going sandboarding or sand sledding? Never done that? Don’t own a board? Not to worry! At the Great Sand Dunes National Park – just outside your back door – you can rent one and get a couple of lessons on line before you slide across the sand. If you or your partner is a disabled vet, you can still enjoy most of Colorado’s parks and campgrounds including the Great Sand Dunes!

One thing that you may be surprised by is that there are plenty of watersports in the high plains, too. Often, people think it’s just desert. But, between those peaks are mountain streams that are perfect for fly fishing, skim boarding and rafting.

The only thing to hold you back now is you!