moving to colorado
 

I am considering relocating to Colorado and am looking for recommendations. I would like to live near a large body of water (lake or river...I don't care) and have a few acres. Preferably I would like to be away from the big cities. I am not wealthy but am a CPA and would have to find work when I moved but would have a few months to play with (so I couldnt live somewhere with NO jobs...). Any recommendations?

You might try this relocation forum:

http://www.city-data.com/forum/colorado/

Where are you living now? First, I think you need to spend some time in Colorado so that you understand our geography. We have very few nature lakes. The few big bodies of water are all dams with limited housing, in many cases no housing. Only three major rivers -- Colorado, Arkansas, and Platte and all relatively small since we are the headwaters for these rivers. And you can avoid the big cities because we don't have many of those either. For the most part, just the Denver metro area.

Going need more info before any more recommendations.

You might consider the Fort Collins or Loveland area. It is about an hour north of Denver up against the foothills of the Rockies. There are a few small rivers around here as well as lakes big enough for boating such as Carter Lake and Horsetooth Reservoir. Fort Collins is a university town of about 120,000 people, has all the amenities, but not too congested. There is some hi tech in the area and the economy in general is good. There are larger tract homes available in the surrounding countryside and neighboring towns. Good luck.

You will be disappointed in the "large body of water" but after getting over that, I think you would enjoy living up Boulder Canyon, possibly near Nederland, which is about a half-hour out of Boulder. You could find your clients in Boulder, and work from home. To get from Boulder to Nederland, you follow Boulder Creek all the way up. Once in Nederland, you could live with a view of Barker Reservior.
Just one idea.

Thanks for all the great information. Currently I am living about 30 minutes outside of Nashville. I've spoken to many people who have lived in Colorado and they all seem to have loved it. I've only ever driven thru and never spent any real time there but am looking to make a move within the next 12 months. I am definately interested in an open area. I prefer to have a commute to work and have a home that is peaceful. Again - thank you all for the info. I will definately be researching the places you all recommended.

Suggest you look into property in Grand County - Grand Lake, Shadow Mountain Lake, and Granby Reservoir area all located there - close to the west entrance to Rocky Mountain National Park. Also Dylan Lake in Summit County. If you need to be near Denver for work, check out the Chatfield Reservoir area.

Welcome to Colorado!

Blue Mesa Reservoir is pretty big. It's definitely away from a big city, but close to the college town of Gunnison, and an hour or so from Montrose. If you have time to play with, go take a couple weeks and check it out!