Mountain Views, Minimal Snow: Colorado’s Easiest Places to Live

Look, not everyone moves to Colorado dreaming of digging their car out of a five–foot snow drift.

Some of us just want sunshine, a view of mountains, and the occasional polite dusting that melts by lunch.

If that’s you, here are a few of our favorite Colorado towns where winter shows up, waves politely, and then goes to bother someone in Summit County.

Welcome to Grand Junction: Colorado Lite

Grand Junction is basically Colorado on “easy mode.”

You still get mountain view, red rock canyons, orchards, and wineries, but you average around 16 inches of snow a year.

When it does snow, half the town just shrugs and waits 24 hours for it to melt. You can literally look east at Powderhorn getting dumped on while you’re in town, deciding whether a light jacket is overkill.

It’s Colorado’s version of having your cake and not needing tire chains to go get it.

Cañon City: Banana Belt and Proud of It

Cañon City literally calls itself the “Climate Capital of Colorado,” which is a bold move in a state full of people who think -10°F is “refreshing.” It backs it up with relatively mild winters and about 33 inches of snow a year. That's not a ton by any means, but pretty tame by Colorado standards.

You’re right next to Royal Gorge, and all the dramatic scenery people imagine when they think “Colorado.” Your actual day-to-day winter looks more like “jacket, maybe gloves, shovel once in a while.”
Read More: Real Colorado Moments That Will Make You Stop and Stare

Montrose: Mountains in the Distance, Not on Your Driveway

Montrose is the trickster of the group. You look around and see massive snow-covered peaks, Black Canyon of the Gunnison, and enough rugged scenery to film three westerns. Yet the town itself averages about 34 inches of snow a year.

You get the view, the access to skiing and snow play, and fewer mornings when you’re late to work because your car became a snow sculpture overnight.

Move to Colorado for the Mountain View and Not the Mountain Weather

You’re not stuck choosing between Florida and a mountain town that loses its cars until April. Grand Junction, Pueblo, Cañon City, La Junta, Montrose, and a few other plains and Western Slope spots prove you can live in the Centennial State and keep your snowblower budget at zero.

You’ll still have to pretend to sympathize when your friend in Breckenridge sends “LOL another 18 inches last night” photos, but that’s a small price to pay for seeing your sidewalk all winter.