Littleton, CO

I went into Littleton, Colorado with high hopes. I so badly wanted to say "the Littles from Littleton." Plus, my really good friend's sister lives there, which seemed like a promising omen. Littleton lies about 30 minutes south of Denver, and is relatively close to the foothills of the Rocky Mountains. It's touted as a family-friendly option for those who need to be near the Denver area.

Cameron and I spent a day there on our own working and meandering. We started in downtown, having a light lunch and bubble tea at iN-TEA, then moved over to the Edward A. Bemis Public Library. After I finished my work obligations, I walked through Gallup and Ketring Parks, passed the Littleton Museum (closed on Mondays), and read by the Gallup Reservoir. We finished the evening with a great meal (and beer) at Breckenridge Brewery's Farm House and a short trail walk along the South Platte River. 

Although Cameron couldn't join, I returned to Littleton a few days later with said friend's sister, Rachel. She showed me the (free) Hudson Gardens and then took me on a driving tour of Littleton's neighborhoods. It was really nice to have the inside scoop on the practicalities of living in Littleton and the low-down on why someone might choose a particular part of town to live in.

The Good

• Cute downtown with a nice mix of restaurants and shops.
• Light rail stop downtown with lots of free park-and-ride parking, allowing easy public transportation access in to Denver.
• Good number of parks and nature walk areas. The river trail goes for 16+ miles and goes all the way to Denver.
• Views of nearby mountains.
• Good community and family-friendly (per Rachel).

The Bad

• When driving, Littleton does not feel distinct from Denver and it's other rolling suburbs.
• Traffic between Littleton and Denver.
• The downtown's main road feels like a blip along a commuter street.
• Unless you live downtown, the neighborhoods are pretty bland looking. Most are just fenced off blocks of properties with no binding factor, other than a nearby strip mall. 
• Public transportation is very limited outside of downtown (per Rachel); everyone is very car-dependent.

The Verdict

Nah. I want a community that is stand-alone and cute all over. In some ways, I felt like Littleton was designed to be a rich, white, commuter community from the get-go, and was specifically built to meet families' wish lists, rather than growing organically. Had the downtown vibes extended into the neighborhoods I probably could have stayed interested, but I found the neighborhood layouts and car-dependent living to be very unappealing.

The Hudson Gardens were by far my favorite place in Littleton. The space was rather large and clearly an ideal venue for weddings.

iN-TEA was also a nice treat. You can see on their wall that they were prepared to supply virtually any tea variety and flavor you could think of.

Perhaps if we had just seen downtown, I might have been more keen to keep Littleton as a contender. I really appreciated this map showing the walking radius from the downtown park-and-ride.

Littleton was clearly family-focused. Nearby the library there was a park with a "story walk;" the path led you down a page-by-page tour of a nice little garden and pond.

Gallup Reservoir attracted lots of folks and birdlife.

Breckenridge Brewery had some of the best pub food I've eaten. Plus I really liked their peach beer.

The river was another main attraction, although I imaging it gets rather busy in the summer. There were signs at regular intervals along the nearby trail guiding visitors on where to put in and take out their inner tubes. 

I expect there are plenty of people who chose to bike into Denver, rather than suffer through a driving commute.

Crested Butte, CO

Population-wise, Crested Butte, Colorado is the smallest location on our list—only 1282 people as of early 2021. My family has a history with CB: my dad used to own a house there (it was Pepto Bismol-pink and apparently had an outrageously expensive heating bill), and since my sister moved to Gunnison, she's spent every winter skiing there on a season pass. She even worked as a waitress at one of the mountain's restaurants for a season. Most recently, we were in CB for Cara's wedding, at the Crested Butte Mountain Wedding Garden.

Naturally, Cameron and I had visited CB before while visiting my sister. We've skied the mountain, done some hikes/runs, and had previously dined at both pizza restaurants in town. This was our first time visiting during the fall, which happens to be the prettiest time of year due to the changing trees and pleasant temperatures. This time, although we still enjoyed walking up and down the bustling Elk Avenue and doing a short hike on the mountain, we meandered beyond the downtown hub to suss out the day-to-day living situation.  

The Good

• Cute/aesthetically attractive.
• Vibrant downtown.
• Good restaurants.
• Close to Cara.
• Very close to skiing.

The Bad

• Too touristy; the bustling downtown would feel claustrophobic if interacting with it on a regular basis & during peak season it would be hard to find a table at a restaurant.
• The grocery shopping options are very limited. There is a Clarks, but it looks more like an oversized convenience store.
• The town is isolated; if you need anything other than the day-to-day necessities, you're driving at least 30 minutes.
• Long cold winters and muddy springs, making hiking/biking season pretty short (per the very friendly retiree working at the visitor's center).
• Dry climate (Cameron really doesn't seem to like the Southwest air).
• Very expensive. We'd have to spend over $1,000,000 to get a home remotely close to what we want.
• Too bougie, even for our snooty standards. 

The Verdict

No. I think I would lose my mind being isolated in this tiny mountain town surrounded by the uber-rich.

Driving from Gunnison to Crested Butte is kind of bland – just rolling brown hills – until you reach this bluff; it's the first indicator that you're entering Crested Butte.

The downtown is cute, but almost fake-cute. Like the town founders and architects decided on a specific aesthetic before building.

The houses, though, are adorable! At least the small ones that haven't been taken over by mini mansions. 

There it is, the crested butte that gives the town its name. Bonus: there is a river that runs through town and lots of field space (although that might be turned over to future developments).

Crested Butte does have beautiful landscapes.

Unfortunately, it felt like the landscapes were being overwhelmed by new construction.

Walking around the ski area was nice, but according to the man working at the visitors center, it's pretty muddy for many months after the ski season ends.

Los Alamos, NM

Los Alamos is the sole contender in New Mexico. In some ways it would be perfect. It's the 4.5 hr halfway point between my parents in Las Cruces, NM, and my sister, in Gunnison, CO, plus it's an easy flight from nearby Albuquerque to Seattle. Home to the Los Alamos National Labs, and site of the Manhattan Project, I had grand visions of fitting in with a group of smart, international scientists while living in a house with a vista that Georgia O'Keefe might have painted.

To test out one of the main benefits of Los Alamos, we spent two nights their on our way up from Las Cruces to Gunnison. Based on recommendations from a friend, we started our day off with bagels from Ruby K's, then moved next-door to work from the Starbucks for a few hours. When it was time for a break, we stopped in the visitor's center, walked around the historical parks, visited the art center, and had lunch at Viola's before moving over to the library to finish out the work day. 

While Cameron worked, I drove around the three mesas that make up the main Los Alamos neighborhoods, assessed the hiking options, decided on my dream house, and scoped out the grocery options. My day finished up with a beer from Boese Bros Brewpub. 

The Good

• Friendly, but not aggressively so.
• Stunning northern New Mexican beauty. The drive between Los Alamos and Santa Fe is particularly lovely.
• Lots of hiking trails between the mesas.
• Lots of parks and history/cultural highlights.
• Diverse population. It may have been the most engaging Starbucks I've ever been into: there were university students working on a project, young workers who seemed like they could be my future friends, retirees taking their grandkids out for a stroll...
• Proximity to my family.
• Surrounded by lots of outdoor activity options (hiking, fishing, national monuments).

The Bad

• The downtown isn't cute; I wouldn't want to spend an afternoon walking around there.
• The climate is too dry and deserty for Cameron.
• There are virtually no homes for sale (per the woman a the visitor's center and review of Redfin and Zillow). The one home that was for sale happened to be perfect...if we were willing to pay $750k for it.
• There is no shopping (not even grocery shopping) except for downtown, so living in one of the non-downtown neighborhoods means getting in the car.
• Could feel isolating, since it's a 20 minute drive anywhere if you want to leave town.

The Verdict

Probably not. Although I think we would be perfectly happy in Los Alamos, it's not my dream town. It probably has the community I am looking for, but the actual layout of the town doesn't match my ideal lifestyle.

Our first stint working from a Starbucks.

The visitors center was really helpful, and they had some good maps of the town and surrounding areas available.

When walking around, I came across multiple educational and historical sites.

I meandered into the Los Alamos History Museum (free) and saw a real Nobel Prize.

Just about anywhere you live, you get great high desert views.

Hiking along a mesa. This trailhead was less than a block away from my dream house.