Acculine Construction
12560 Country Meadow Lane
Salida, Colorado 81201
Phone: (719) 539-3013
Toll Free: (866) 453-5102
AcculineConstruction.com

Butala Construction
9000 County Rd. 152
Salida, Colorado 81201
Phone: (719) 539-2521
GlacierWhite.com

Creekside Builders offers complete, ground-up, home construction services.

Creekside Builders
315 Cottonwood Circle
Salida, Colorado 81201
Phone: 719-207-1533
CreeksideBuilders.net

Natural Habitats, Inc.
138 N. F
Salida, CO 81201
Phone: (719) 539-4481
NaturalHabitats.biz

Oak Construction
8970 CR 126
Salida, Colorado 81201
Phone: (719) 539-6716
OakConstruction.biz

Magnificent Timberframe post and beam by Acculine Construction.

A & M Contracting, Inc.
229 Hunt Street
Salida, CO 81201
Phone: (719) 539-2384 (719) 221-1585

ADK, Twig CO., LLC
438 W. 1st St.
Salida, CO 81201
Phone: (970) 406-8438
Bussing Construction, Inc.
5483 Long Branch Road
Salida, Colorado 81201
Phone: 719-539-5373

Clifford Construction, LLC
1115 E. Rainbow Blvd. #210
Salida, CO 81201
Phone: 719-530-1532

Cut No Slak Construction
348 G Street
Salida, Colorado 81201
Phone: (719) 539-2620

Diesslin Structures, Inc.
627 Oak
Salida, CO 81201
Phone: (719) 539-0855

Great Western Homes
10016 Hwy 50
Poncha Springs, Colorado 81242
Phone: (719) 539-2664
Toll Free: (800) 488-2664

Fine home construction by Oak Construction of Salida.

K.W. Construction & Restoration
1001 Poplar
Leadville, Colorado 80461
Phone: (719) 486-1615

Knight & Sons Construction CO. Inc.
301 Nichols Ave.
Salida, Colorado 81201
Phone: (719) 539-6524
Toll Free: (866) 887-1183

Maysville Builders
129 1/2 W. 3rd St.
Salida, Colorado 81201
Phone: 719-539-9597

Moltz Construction
8807 County Road 175
Salida, Colorado 81201
Phone: (719) 539-7319

Pinon Development Corp.
115 E. 2nd St..
Salida, Colorado 81201
Phone: 719-539-6699

SCE Construction
320 Charles St.
Buena Vista, Colorado 81211
Phone: (719) 395-6510

Schultz & Associates
536 E. 1st Street
Salida, Colorado 81201
Phone: 719-539-6900

1. Jobs – Salida is a small town and the available jobs, especially “real” jobs, are few.  If you need a real income, you might try to bring it with you (as in tele-commuting).  Or, be prepared to be creative in the job arena – most of us here are.  Remember, smart folks are not defined by their job.

2. Restaurants – there are a couple dozen reasonable-to-great restaurants in and around Salida, but if you live for dining out, that may not be enough.  Bring cookbooks, throw lots of dinner parties.

3. Weather – A bit dull.  If you love shoveling snow, this is not the place for you.  Likewise, you are unlikely to be able to enjoy hurricanes, floods, typhoons, earthquakes, tornadoes, and avalanches in town.  You will have to settle for stiff winds and summer thunderstorms for your weather excitement, though we are still hoping for a rousing earthquake.

4. Malls – Salida has great shopping, but no mall for hangin’ with your homies.  Unless you count Walmart as a mall.

5. Tourists – Salida is a tourist town and values its visitors.  Most of the time they are spread thin, but the crowds can be thick during Salida’s many festivals – all those annoying people having fun.  In winter, the flood of skiers sliding in from a day at Monarch can make many local restaurants untenable for locals for supper during ski season.  Do lunch instead.

6. Real Estate prices and Cost of Living – a bit on the high side.

7. Privacy – in town, sometimes non-existent.  You are living in your neighbor’s pocket, a la Maybury.  This is generally a good thing, but can drive some folks crazy.  If you wish to be anonymous, stay away.

8. The Locals – they are cool, hip and friendly, but might be a bit overpowering for newbies.  You will be expected to greet every third person on the sidewalk, to bicycle to work, to recycle, to help friends and acquaintances with every little thing, to go mountain biking (boating, hiking, skiing) often, and to meet friends for a brew on the spur of the moment – unbearable, really.

9. Traffic lights – Sad as it is, Salida now has three (OMG – 3 !!) stoplights – one downtown and two out on Highway 50.  Long-time locals are still complaining about the last two.

10. Big Chain Businesses – Starbucks, Walmart, McDonald’s, Burger King, Pizza Hut, Dominoes, Hampton Inn.  At least most of them are safely away from the town center out on Highway 50 where we can forget about them.

11.  Roads – You’ll love the way everyone looks at your fancy little sports car  … as it makes these horrendous scraping sounds when you drive through the downtown intersections.  If you want to be a local, sell it before moving here!  Salida’s roads have some surprisingly huge dips to direct water flow and many of the county roads are gravel or even 4WD.  Plan to bicycle or drive a gas efficient SUV.  Between rough roads and winding roads, it can seem to take nearly forever to get from point A to B out here.  Keep repeating : Life is a journey, not a destination.

12.  Night life - Well, you can watch your neighbors sit on their front porch and rock.  Seriously, Salida has a surprisingly wide and varied selection of evening activities, music, shows, clubs and such -but nothing at all like the variety and polish of big city entertainment.  You’ll have to see those pesky neighbors at the same event, too.

If you don't think this is hilarious, you might not like Salida. (Bicycle handlebars and saddle as a pseudo-Texas longhorn hood ornament).

1. Lifestyle – You know how they say “location, location, location” for real estate purchases?  Well, the top reason for living in the Salida area is “Lifestyle, lifestyle, lifestyle.” No more tense high-powered job, 60 hour work weeks, days made shorter by a lengthy commute, or spending a fortune on fancy clothes for work and nights out.  Here you can dress casual, wear comfortable shoes, walk to work, visit your dog during your break, see your family at lunch … and that’s just the working lifestyle!  Even more important is the play lifestyle that permeates life here  – you may soon be arranging your work week to allow play time in the middle of the work day.   And … you won’t be the only one out on the trails.

2. Town size - 7,000 residents, which is just plain perfect.  Big enough to have a real economy and a hospital, small enough that you encounter friends all the time.

3. Weather – They call this the Banana Belt for a reason! 300+ days of sunshine make it easy to plan your day.  Summer rainstorms are short and always a good thing in this dry area.  Winter snowstorms drop little snow in town and it usually melts within a day.  It is easy to get to real snow all around town for skiing, we just don’t have to live in it.  Cool enough that most folks don’t have an air-conditioner, warm enough that you can survive without trauma if the furnace goes out.

4. Social Scene - Salida’s charming historic downtown area has a number of favorite places for locals to meet.  Bongo Billy’s Cafe has super coffee and baked goods for the early birds, and a steady stream of great musicians and evening beverages to go with them – you’ll love their balmy deck on the shore of the river.  The Boathouse Catina offers a uniquely European experience in summer – open windows overhanging the river that encourage avian visitors while you dine.  Benson’s Pub is a warm favorite in winter, and a place to hang out in the side garden in summer.  The historic Steam Plant has an impressive and continuous offering of music, shows and presentations.  We’ll let you discover the other fun locales and activities on your own.  And – until you’ve experienced the joys of walking or biking to and from your evening social events, you haven’t lived.  Who needs a stinking car?!

5. F Street Bridge – This bridge across the river in the middle of downtown Salida symbolizes much that is great about life here.  Running club meets there for runs – - people lean over the gracious old walls to watch the play-boaters in the river below – - dogs walking their owners know that the other side of the bridge spells freedom – - the view of fall colors up-river is stupendous – - mountain bikers know that it is barely a spin of the pedals from the bridge to the excellent trails beyond – - following the path under the bridge can be fun and exciting during spring high water.  It is within walking or bicycling distance for almost all of the town residents.  Most of the festivals happen in Riverside park next to the bridge and some events take place ON or UNDER the bridge.   Watching one of the humor-crafts in FIBARK’s hooligan race pile into the bridge support is something you won’t soon forget!

6. Art Galleries – Salida is known throughout the west as a great art town.   It is fortunate to have attracted unique and skilled artists, many nationally acclaimed, who create artworks in many forms, including hand-thrown pottery, art glass, mixed media sculpture, paintings from miniatures to mural size and in a variety of mediums, wood art, textile art, jewelry and more.  We especially love the Monster Shop (Bungled Jungle)!  The Monsters are best met in person, as are the charming shop owners, but until you can get here to do so … visit them long distance at www.bungledjungle.com.

7. Arkansas River – This is the centerpiece of our little town, and is the site of much activity.  It has excellent whitewater rafting, a boating play area set up right downtown, and is a superb trout stream.  Every year it is the site of the FIBArk festival (First in Boating on the Arkansas) which draws top-level competitors from around the country.  Slower sections are fun for family boating, wading, swimming, and all the local water dogs.

8. Salida Mountain Trail system – For the locals, this is the real GEM of Salida.  This extensive trail system is located right across the river, an easy jog or bike from most homes.  The trail system consists of many miles of great single track dirt trails (easy to hard) to mountain bike, run, hike, or walk your dog.  The best part of this trail system is that it is the result of many hours of volunteer labor put in by the very townfolk using it, a local-built trail.  Once you’ve rolled rocks, swung a pick, and wielded a rake with a group of your friends, the trail becomes a source of pride.

9.  Bikes – Salida is small enough that you can ride a bike from your home to virtually anywhere in town in 10 minutes.  Our group of friends makes it a practice to bike to work, on errands, and to almost every social event.  The sidewalks downtown always have an impressive parked-array of humorously customized town bikes.  Can you imagine using your car ONLY on weekends?! Salida also has a vibrant recreational bicycling community of which Shawn Gillis and his shop, Absolute Bikes, are the keystones.  From Salida, there is easy access to hundreds of miles of mountain biking routes, some good road bicycling, and lots of races and fun events such as the Cruiser Criterium.

10.  Mountains -  Salida is virtually surrounded by mountains.  The view is great in all directions!  Our local Sawatch Mountain range has 15 peaks over 14,000′ (out of Colorado’s 52 14ers), and there are more 14ers not much farther away.  Town is at 7,000′ and the mountains to the west reach well above 14,000′ – this tremendous difference in elevation makes for gorgeous alpenglow in the winter, and feeds the local habit of checking the mountains for fresh snow – all 12 months of the year.  The continental divide is an easy 20 minute drive away.  In the hills and mountains around Salida there are nearly endless opportunities for climbing, hiking, fishing, mountain biking, skiing and more.  The mountains also host such diverse activities as the Leadville 100 running race, the Vapor Trail mountain bike race, Burro races, Ski-joring and many other oddities.

11.  Professional Opportunity – A small town may not seem to be a hotbed of professional opportunity, but Salida sure has been just that for a number of enterprising folks.  The need to be creative to have an income here means many have started their own business.  This wonderful happenstance gives Salida locals a marvelous array of shops and services, most of them run by someone who has devoted their heart and creative energies to the enterprise.  For example, the Mixing Bowl is a just plain superb cookware store and also serves as an employment opportunity for the developmentally-challenged persons in the community.

12.  History – Downtown Salida is a designated Historic District.  This means that the downtown buildings are full of charm, character, and historic detailing.  We all love the multi-colored Victorian paint jobs!  Lots of the homes throughout town are also lovely old structures, even the cute little “shotgun shacks” in what used to be the wrong side of town.  All around town, near and far, are signs of the ranching and mining heritage that still shapes the area today.  The Salida Smokestack towers 365 feet over the western edge of town and is now a protected landmark.  The “ghost” town of Turret is just above Salida to the north.  Many other ghost towns, mining camps, old cemeteries, mines, and other locales crowd the mountains and hills around town.

If you think this is hilarious, you will fit right in.

For detailed statistics and assessments of the economy, housing and businesses development, please download and review any of these PDF reports about Salida and Chaffee County that interest you.

A SocioEconomic Profile of Chaffee County Colorado by the Sonoran Institute, using the Economic Profile System (EPS). Published on March 13, 2006.

Chaffee County Housing Needs Assessment. Prepared for Chaffee County Board of Commissioners, Town of Buena Vista, City of Poncha Springs, City of Salida by Economic & Planning Systems, Inc. January 25, 2007.

Chaffee County Consumer Survey. A joint project of Chaffee County Economic Development Office and Chaffee County Vision 2020. Funded by: Upper Arkansas Enterprise Zone and the Chaffee County Board of Commissioners. Published in 2006.

Chaffee County – CAP: Community Action Plan “DRAFT” Report. Community Assessment: April 5-7, 2006. Topics Covered: Buena Vista Business Development, Salida Business Development, County Business Development, Buena Vista Family Support & Quality of Life , Salida Family Support & Quality of Life, County Family Support & Quality of Life.

Chaffee-County-Final-SWOT-Analysis, Final SWOT Analysis Assessment Report. April 27, 2006.  SWOT = “Strength, Weaknesses, Opportunities and threats”, a standard assessment report framework.

You will find the people friendly and welcoming to newcomers.

Assembly of God Church
5300 E. Hwy. 50
Salida, CO 81201
(719) 539-6826

Upper Room Church of God
1140 I Street
Salida, CO 81201
(719) 539-0207
www.SalidaUpperRoom.org

The Church of the Ascension – Episcopal Church
349 E St
Salida, CO 81201
(719) 539-4562
www.AscensionEpiscopalSalida.org

Cross Roads Baptist Church
Northeast Corner of Hwy. 50 and 285
Poncha Springs, CO 81242
(719) 539-3822
www.CrossRoadsPonchaSprings.org

First Baptist Church
419 D Street
Salida, CO 81201
(719) 539-2693

First Christian Church – Disciples of Christ
302 East 4th St.
Salida, CO 81201
(719) 539-3716

First Lutheran Church
1247 F Street
Salida, CO 81201
(719) 539-4311 (Church)
shell.amigo.net/~firstlutheran

First Presbyterian Church
7 Poncha Blvd
Salida, CO 81201
(719) 539-6422
www.salidapresbyterian.org

Poncha Springs Church of Christ
207 Ouray
Poncha Springs, CO 81242
(719) 539-6242

Salida Vineyard Christian Fellowship
1201 E. Hwy. 50
Salida, CO 81201
(719) 539-3359

St. Joseph’s Catholic Church
320 E. 5th Street
Salida, CO 81201
(719) 539-6419
www.saintjosephchurchandcenter.org

Temple Baptist Church
509 F Street
Salida, CO 81201
(719) 539-2412

United Methodist Church
228 E. 4th Street
Salida, CO 81201
(719) 539-2755 (Church)

Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints
1140 Poncha Blvd
Salida, CO 81201
(719) 539-4987

Church of Christ
Dodge & Teller
Salida, CO 81201
(719) 539-6703

First United Methodist Church of Salida
PO Box 945
Salida, CO 81201
(719) 539-2755

Mountain Valley Church
8754 US Highway 50
Howard, CO 81233
(719) 942-3839

• Salida – $177,504
• Colorado – $233,900

Housing density – 1240 houses/condos per square mile
Mean residence prices in 2007

• All housing units – $189,013
• Detached houses – $208,873
• Townhouses or other attached units – $215,991
• In 2-unit structures – $187,775
• In 3-to-4-unit structures – $484,941
• In 5-or-more-unit structures – $187,825
• Mobile homes – $44,989
• Occupied boats, RVs, vans, etc. – $14,423

Median real estate property taxes paid for housing units in 2000:

• Salida – 0.5 %   ($585)
• Colorado – 0.7 %   ($1,132)

Houses – 2,751 – (2,480 occupied: 1,582 owner occupied, 898 renter occupied)

Salida Rental Data

36% of residences are rented in Salida

Median contract rent in Salida for  2007 – $459

Median rent asked for vacant for-rent units in Salida for 2007 – $493

Median gross rent in Salida for 2007 – $546

Mortgage and Home Finance Statistics

Housing units in Salida with a mortgage – 671
Housing units in Salida with a second mortgage – 68
Housing units in Salida with a home equity loan – 76
Housing units in Salida with a both second mortgage and home equity loan – 0
Housing units in Salida without a mortgage – 584

For more profile data, visit City Data.

Estimated median household income in 2007 : $32,133

(it was $28,790 in 2000)

• Salida – $32,133
• Colorado – $55,212

Residents with income below the poverty level in 2007

• Salida – 14.8 %
• Colorado – 9.3 %

Residents with income below 50% of the poverty level in 2007:

• Salida – 5.3 %
• Colorado – 4.1 %

Household income for Salida Colorado

• Less  than $10,000 – 15%
• $10000  to  $14,999 – 9%
• $15000  to  $19,999 – 8%
• $20000  to  $24,999 – 11%
• $25000  to  $29,999 – 9%
• $30000  to  $34,999 – 8%
• $35000  to  $39,999 – 8%
• $40000  to  $44,999 – 8%
• $45000  to  $49,999 – 4%
• $50000  to  $59,999 – 4%
• $60000  to  $74,999 – 7%
• $75000  to  $99,999 – 5%
• $100000  to  $124,999 – 2%
• $125000  to  $149,999 – 1%
• $150000  to  $199,999 – 1%
• $200000 or  more – 1%

Historic downtown Salida has many unique and interesting businesses.

Employment in Salida, Colorado.

Most common industries for males :

• Construction – 15%
• Public administration – 9%
• Accommodation and food services – 8%
• Educational services – 6%
• Motor vehicle and parts dealers – 5%
• Health care – 5%
• Real estate and rental and leasing – 4%

Most common industries for females :

• Accommodation and food services – 14%
• Health care – 14%
• Finance and insurance – 9%
• Social assistance – 7%
• Educational services – 6%
• Public administration – 6%
• Administrative and support and waste management services – 5%

For more details, visit City Data

In addition to the regular public schools, there are Daycare Centers, Preschools, A Boys and Girls club, Head Start programs, Church schools, and even a Montessori school.

Salida Colorado School District R-32-J

John Rouse, Superintendent of Schools

Salida Colorado School District R-32-J
310 E 9th Street
Salida, CO 81201
phone: 719-530-5200
FAX: 719-539-6220
Salida Colorado School District website

Salida High School

Salida High School – 375 Students, grades 9-12
Tami Thompson, Principal

Salida High School
905 D Street
Salida, Colorado 81201
Phone 719-530-5400
FAX: 719-539-2407
Salida High School  website

Salida Colorado Middle School

Salida Middle School – 401 students, grades 5-8
Rose Ley, Principal

Salida Middle School
520 Milford St.
Salida, CO 81201
Phone: 719-530-5300
FAX: 719-530-5364
Salida Colorado Middle School website

Salida Colorado Longfellow Elementary School

Longfellow Elementary School – 395 students, grades K-4
Dan Estell, Principal

Longfellow Elementary School
350 W. 8th St.
Salida, CO 81201
Phone: 719-530-5260
FAX: 719-539-5072
Salida Elementary School website

Salida Colorado Education Levels

Education level of the Salida population aged 25 years and over :

• High school or higher : 86.5%
• Bachelor’s degree or higher : 21.2%
• Graduate or professional degree : 6.3%

For a more detailed look at Salida Statistics, visit City Data.

Population change since 2000 : -3.1% (decrease)
Population density : 2,408 people per square mile

Population Gender

• Males -  2,596      (48.6%)
• Females -  2,747      (51.4%)

Median Age

• Males – 40.30 years
• Females – 43.60 years

Races in Salida:

• White Non-Hispanic  (86.4%)
• Hispanic  (10.8%)
• Other races  (3.3%)
• American Indian (2.3%)
• Two or more races  (2.2%)

(Total can be greater than 100% because respondents may check more than one category.)

Biggest intersection in downtown Salida, Colorado : First and F Streets.

Salida Colorado 2000 Census Demographic Profile Highlights

Read the official report from the US Census Bureau.

Also see the Colorado State Demography Office.