Westcliffe, Colorado in Custer County is a special place of vacation mountain property and full time mountain homes. It is probably some of the most beautiful Colorado property that is still relatively unspoiled and yet reasonably priced. There is no population explosion here. This mountain real estate in south central 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.

Colorado mountain real estate 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 homes or land 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 Valley also attracts individuals who enjoy the outdoors, or outdoor activities, whether they are looking for Colorado horse property, horse 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 vacation mountain home 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.