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My wife and I went from Ft. Collins to L.A. when I worked for Suzuki M/C division--and then to Ouray in '89. My in-laws have lived there for 30 years and run two hotels in town. At the time it seemed like the place to decompress form S. California and look for a business to buy. We ultimately left and landed in Littleton. Several things come to mind on Ouray that may also apply to most Colorado rural communities that are in the resort geographies. Not in order, but the negatives for us;
Long winters. Ouray sun comes up very late and sets very early due to the box canyon location.
Lots of "blow thru" residents who try to squeeze out a living just to be close to climbing/skiing--there is a high flake factor that extends to the schools. Ouray has one of the highest divorce rates and school drug problems I have ever seen. It just did not work for us as our first daughter was at school age. Even the local county sheriff's office lost two key deputies to a meth lab scandal!
We still go to visit. The mountain biking/back-country skiing is great-the hot springs really add to both Winter @ Summer visits. Personally I would look at a larger community and just get there when you need to play. In Colorado the commutes are half the fun.
Good Luck,
Tom G.
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