La Veta

La Veta is a small town in southern Colorado and the name literally means 'the mineral vein' in Spanish. This area was first settled by the white man in the mid 1800s and was placed on a trail that had been used by both Comanche and Ute Indians. A fort was originally built here to supply Denver mining camps with supplies. In 1876 the train came through and a little wooden schoolhouse was also built for the children who lived near the town.

There are now about 800 residents and driving through town you can see nice little homes along the tree lined streets. There are even some older adobe looking homes which are neat to see. The town is very green and there are some great views in the distance. of the beautiful mountains.

La Veta has an incredibly low crime rate and in 2009 not one crime was reported. Even for a small town where people tend to know one another, this is unusual.

As La Veta is off the beaten path, there aren't a lot of shopping or dining options in town. The nearest large city is Pueblo which is about an hour away. This nice little town would be a great place to retire or for those who like a small town atmosphere.

La Veta is a great little southern Colorado town, interesting history part of the indian and hispanic history that makes Colorado and the west so great to live in. If you have not been to La Veta check it out, it is not that far away from Pueblo and onyl 3 hours from the Denve metro area. There is some amazing hunting and properties in the Cuchara Valley.

La Veta is a small town of about 1000 people just east of La Veta Pass --the pass cuts across the southern part of Colorado's Sangre de Cristo range climbing up before dropping down in to the San Luis Valley.

The town of La Veta is in a prime spot for wildlife and beautiful views and land--the Ute and Comanche before them thought the same and both peoples used the area as a major trading and migration trail before the white folk infiltrated.

As you cruise along HW 160 towards the pass the little town in to the south and not directly along the highway, the Spanish Peaks dominate to the south as well and the area is truly a special place. There are great hiking trails and camping along the forest access roads of the area and up into the Sangre de Cristos there is a lot of wilderness to explore as well.

The town of Walsenburg along I-25 to the east of La Veta is not too far and is a source of groceries and some specialty items, I imagine that La Veta residents make their way to Pueblo just to the north along the interstate for shopping expeditions periodically. Across the pass you eventually hit Alamosa but that is probably a longer drive, but on the San Luis side there is the Great Sand Dunes and Valley View Hotsprings for those more trippy souls.

I would definitely consider looking to by land and a home in the La Veta area, like I mentioned the areas beauty is hard to beat. If you like a southwest mountain feel and can handle some isolation the taxes and costs of living are more reasonable than northern Colorado.

There are a lot of classic Rocky Mountain cabins in and around the hills of La Veta, some of the communities have little cabins with creeks running through them for less than 100,000. I say one cabin rental for $237/month! If you can work form home this could be a dream spot for a young couple looking to escape the city. There are also big fancy properties that are priced up there in the quarter to half million range, but you get the bang for your buck with taxes, land size and quality and the size of your home in this area.