robsjourney.com: Living in Paonia

Drove to Paonia, CO (http://www.townofpaonia.com) today. Bought a cup of Jasmine tea at Nelle's, walked around town, bought a loaf of fresh bread and a bran muffin at the Flying Fork Cafe and Bakery (http://www.flyingforkcafe.com) and met with a realtor. Nice little town but I probably can't afford it; its been discovered by the hipsters and Californians:) No offense intended to Californians but they seem to have more money than the rest of us when they sell their California houses - more power to them! Good building sites near town are rare but from what the realtor showed me, they sell for $60-$100k per irrigated acre depending on how close and flat they are as well as their views of surrounding Mesas and water rights.

Hotchkiss (http://www.hotchkisschamber.com) be more in line with my bank account; realtor says it is about 20% less than Paonia. So I drove to Hotchkiss (about 9 miles southwest of Paonia). Hotchkiss is further from the mountains and about 300 feet lower in elevation (approx. 5300' vs. 5600'). Hotchkiss has a small City Market but downtown seemed less vibrant than Paonia's. I liked both towns but need to spend more time in each to determine whether they are right for me. When one is on the outside like I am, it is my belief that one will pay a premium for real estate. One needs to be on the inside (living in the town) to know what land is really worth and to take advantage of opportunities when they present.

Crawford is another town I passed through; about 11 miles southeast of Hotchkiss and about 1000' higher in elevation. Crawford is the smallest of the 3 towns I visited today and at first glance, my least favorite, primarily because of the very small (around 500) population. I plan to camp at Crawford State Park tomorrow night and visit each town again.

Downtown Paonia.