Buena Vista

Buena Vista is one of the hidden gems of Colorado. The 2,616 residents of this small town have some of the best views in the state and there is an incredible variety of things to do here. The town lies along the Arkansas river, which adds to the attraction of this town. For only having 2,616 residents there is a really good variety of restaurants and Buena Vista has it's own little shopping center as well.

Retail is the largest industry, followed by construction. The median household income in Buena Vista is $39,167, which is lower than the state's average, although the median priced home is much lower at $176,750. The homes in town are all average single family homes, but in the outer lying areas you can find some larger, much more expensive homes on some acreage.

Overall I think Buena Vista would be a great little mountain town to live in. The schools are very good and the views around are so pretty.

Buena Vista is one of my favorite towns in Colorado and in my mind marks the north/south boundary of the state. The Collegiate Peaks are gorgeous and hold the highest peak in Colorado (Mt. Elbert), there are many amazing forest roads that lead west into the big peaks and east along the Arkansas River valley and remote mountains on the other side of the river. The exploration for hiking, jeep trailing, fly fishing, rockhounding, and of course kayaking/whitewater rafting are endless around Chaffee County.

The town sits at about 8,000 feet elevation so the snow hits the valley in the winter but the sun really warms the area year around. The summers in Buena Vista are so green and pretty and temperatures still get pretty hot even at that elevation. There are abundant deer, elk, antelope and bighorn sheep attracting a lot of hunters from the Front Range or even out of state. Year round there are tourists in Buena Vista.

Buena Vista has grocery stores, great restaurants and two commercial hot spring areas. The town has been growing but it still has a small town feeling and land and property are available if you hunt them down. There are mountain cabins tucked way up on forest roads, new ultra modern buildings for office space or residential in town and also some older but really nice big properties right near town. The parks are pretty and seemingly everywhere and Buena Vista makes a nice place for families, professionals, entrepreneurs and mountain folk to call home. The vibe is friendly and gives you the feeling that people really get down to business. The name Buena Vista means "beautiful view" in Spanish and this is no joke, the views of the high peaks and in winter or any season can not hardly be matched.