Buying a house in Colorado: tips for home buyers
If you are considering buying a house in Colorado, the state benefits from one of the lowest property tax rates in the country. Its 0.51% levy makes it the third lowest rate in the USA compared to 1.16% nationally. There are no other restrictions on property transactions and overseas residents are able to buy in the state.
Living in Colorado
While best known for its mountains and ski resorts, Colorado boasts a magnificent geographic diversity that makes it an attractive state to live. To the east of the state, the Eastern Plains are home to Colorado’s large agriculture and livestock industries, while in the west of the state, the Western Slope is known for its orchards and wineries. Beyond the great outdoors, Colorado is home to several popular cities, including its state capital Denver, which has a thriving business economy, and Boulder, whose contemporary cultural scene is growing in popularity.
Education
The state benefits from a high-performing and well-funded K-12 education system. More than half of its 475 high schools were honoured in a 2019 nationwide high school survey. Most of the state’s colleges are located centrally in the state in Colorado Springs, Boulder, Fort Collins and Denver. Its larger universities are best known for engineering and applied sciences but its smaller institutions offer a range of other specialisms. The United States Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs is one of America’s five military academies.
Activities
The Rocky Mountains help make Colorado a skiing haven with its 28 resorts, including Aspen, the Arapahoe Basin, Vail and Breckenridge. Outside the major ski centres, towns such as Ouray, dubbed the Switzerland of America, offer backcountry skiing, snowshoeing and snowmobiling. Beyond the hills and powder white snow, southern Colorado is home to the Great Sand Dunes National Park, which has the tallest dunes in North America, and many geothermal springs, including the world’s deepest at Pagosa Springs.
Culture
Colorado has vibrant cultural and arts scenes spread throughout the state. Denver is home to various architecturally inspiring sites, such as the Denver Art Museum and History of Colorado Centre, but the state’s smaller urban areas, such as Colorado Springs, Georgetown and Loveland, also offer well-regarded museums that explore the state’s gold mining heritage and impressive galleries. The state also boasts several sites of historical significance, including the Fort Garland Museum in the south and the Molly Brown House Museum in Denver, which belonged to Titanic survivor Margaret Brown.
Accessibility
Road: I-25 runs north to south through the middle of the state, providing access to I-70 in Denver, which traverses Colorado east to west. I-76 starts in Denver, heading north-east to join I-80 just beyond the state border.
Rail: TheRide transit system serves the Denver metropolitan area including Denver International Airport. Amtrak’s California Zephyr service, which runs from Chicago, Illinois, to San Francisco, California, stops at six destinations in Colorado, including Denver, Grand Junction and Glenwood Springs.
Air: The state’s sole international airport is Denver International Airport. The state also has several regional airports, including Grand Junction Regional Airport and Colorado Springs Airport.