Having lived in the North Fork valley for a little over two decades, working in the real estate industry for most of that time, I’ve come to realize how much this area we call home isn’t like “the outside world.” There are things here that are easy to take for granted, like the dark night skies filled with stars, the absence of stop lights, and abundant public lands to enjoy. It’s also easy to forget about some of the amenities that bigger towns have to offer, like a wide variety of dining options, big-box stores, and nightlife entertainment.
Being a local Realtor isn’t just about helping people buy and sell property, but often includes being something of an ambassador / tour guide for people looking for the right place to relocate. Among the most frequent inquiries are questions about our local schools, the hospital and healthcare system, and social / governmental structures like police, fire, utility systems – especially the internet availability and speed. The areas with Elevate fiber are particularly attractive to the growing number of tele-workers who are moving here.
Water is another topic that frequently comes up. It doesn’t take much research to find news articles about the problems that Paonia has with its water system, and a lot of folks have a hard time getting their heads around how the “dole” system on Fruitland Mesa works. Having a good understanding of the various ditches and their relative seniority / length of irrigation season is also necessary when would-be homesteaders start asking about long-term sustainability in a drying climate. As we near the end of the second year of the “great reshuffling” where people are re-evaluating how and where they live, its effects on the local real estate market are pronounced. The inventory of homes available for purchase is at an all time low, prices are at an all time high, and vacant lots to build on are as scarce as ever. Like so many other places these combine to create real housing affordability problems.
Someone asked, “If you have an average job in town, can you afford an average house in town?” I think the answer is no, and even finding a home to rent affordably has become increasingly difficult. There aren’t easy solutions to these problems and I guess that we’re lucky that it’s not as bad here as it is in the Roaring Fork Valley or Crested Butte / Gunnison where the ski / tourism industry coupled with the short-term rental market make the situation substantially worse. So, when people ask me what it’s like to live in the North Fork, I can’t say it’s perfect– but it’s darn sure better than a lot of other places.