Here’s a small excerpt from the Colorado Home School Statute..

“It is the primary right and obligation of the parent to choose the proper education and training for children under his care and supervision. It is recognized that home-based education is a legitimate alternative to classroom attendance for the instruction of children and that any regulation of non-public home-based educational programs should be sufficiently flexible to accommodate a variety of circumstances. The General Assembly further declares that non-public home-based educational programs shall be subject only to minimum state controls which are currently applicable to other forms of non-public education.”

“Parents must give notice 14 days before starting home schooling and annually thereafter. The parents have the choice to file the notice in any school district in the state. A parent who intends to establish a nonpublic home-based educational program is not required to establish nor to provide written notification of this program to a school district within the state until the parent’s child is seven years of age, nor is the parent required to continue the program or provide the notification after the child is sixteen years of age.

For complete details check out the Colorado Education State Website for the requirements and laws pertaining to Homeschooling. You can also check out the Homeschool Reporting site to better understand the reporting requirements.

Interested in moving to Colorado, you’ll be amazed at some of the prices land is currently selling for, so check out our Colorado property listings.

You can take a tour on one of boats that cruise the Riverwalk where they share the history and the future of the park. Learn about the founders of the Riverwalk and the reason it was created. You will not be disappointed. HARP (Historic Arkansas Riverwalk Park) has a public website, but unfortunately it is pretty sparse at the moment, you can visit it here.

The Riverwalk has statues, water falls, a walk way that is along side the “river” where you can walk the entire perimeter of the Riverwalk on foot enjoying the amazing architecture and landscaping first hand. There is even an amphitheatre that hosts various events right on the river.

The Riverwalk has light posts that illuminate the park at night, truly a beautiful site to see. Come during the spring and summer months and enjoy a brisk evening on the river.  The day I visited was just pefect, nothing but sun shine (a very common day for the area) and a mild breeze.

 
The image show above of the Historic Arkansas Riverwalk Park has 26 images, so it make take a little while for all the images to load, please remember all images are property of ColoradoLandCheap.com

For the children there are pedal boats, restaurants, sitting areas and the previously mentioned guided boat tours. You should allot at least 2 hours to fully enjoy the park. The Riverwalk park is located in downtown Pueblo Colorado and free 2 hour parking is available on the street. Unlike most cities Pueblo is easy to navigate, the people are friendly and the city is very clean.

When finished with the Riverwalk and wanting to enjoy more activities without driving then you are in luck. There are many things to do that are in walking distance of the Riverwalk including Buell Children’s Museum, El Pueblo History, Museum and the Sangre de Cristo Arts Center. 

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COLORADO LOT,POWER,WATER, ROAD FRONTAGE,NO RESERVE US $249.83 (11 Bids) End Date: Thursday Mar-11-2010 13:25:37 PST Add to watch list

~GORGEOUS COLORADO CITY LOT GREAT MTN VIEWS ON RD N/R~ US $3.26 (2 Bids) End Date: Thursday Mar-11-2010 19:30:04 PST Add to watch list

If you have not been snow skiing in the past, you might like to enroll in Colorado skiing training. Nearly all ski resorts around provides some type of skiing instruction, have they be the hour, the day, or the weekend, where you can learn the basics from qualified instructors. These people will teach you about the different parts of your skis, how to accelerate, decelerate, stop, turn, and so forth. They are going to in addition educate you on regarding mountain basic safety as well as how to proceed in the event you become lost or wounded.

Subsequently, it is advisable to understand what to be dressed in on your Colorado skiing trip. Above all else, you really should possess warm overcoat or even a shell that’s going to be water-proof as well as insulated. The majority of vacationers in addition opt to wear a fleece coat or wool jacket underneath, since it becomes extremely frigid way up there located at really high altitudes along with surrounding snowfall. Furthermore, you need to put on insulated, water-proof skiing pants along with a heavy winter hat. Gloves certainly are a requirement along with a good scarf, neck warmer or even entire face mask utilizing insulation. Ensure you take your thermals too! It certainly is better to be safe rather than end up being sorry, particularly if you are hypersensitive towards cold. Finally, you need to purchase ski eye protection or even a mask plus a headwear. You may really feel strange using head gear to ski, however it will almost certainly assure you will be safer. You’ll be able to locate fairly easily just about all of these things from a athletics or even mountain retailer on the internet or even offline prior to your own wintertime skiing getaway.

If you need somesuggestions for ski resorts in Colorado, look no further! Here are the most poplar lodges and resorts… Arapahoe Basin, Arapahoe East Ski Area, Aspen Highlands, Aspen Mountain, Beaver Creek, Berthoud Pass, Breckenridge, Buttermilk, Copper Mountain, Crested Butte, Cuchara, Durango Mountain Resort (formerly Purgatory), Echo Mountain Park, Eldora, Geneva Basin, Hesperus Ski Area, Hidden Valley/Ski Estes Park, Howelsen, Kendall Mountain, Keystone, Loveland, Monarch Mountain, Powderhorn Resort, Silverton Mountain, Ski Cooper, Snowmass, SolVista, Steamboat, Sunlight Ski Area, Telluride, Vail, Winter Park/Mary Jane, Wolf Creek

Remember prepare before you go and you will save a lot of money on ski gear.

In fact many residents of Colorado’s never visited the valley which is so surprising considering that it’s such a gorgeous place for a tremendous vacation. The Valley’s population is very sparse and under 25 thousand people live in the entire valley. One reason for the sparse population may be that the winters in the valley can be very cold, the temperatures at night can dip below 40°F. Although not typical some winter years may not go above 0° during the day time.

When people first hear about the temperatures, they find it hard to believe people can actually live in areas they get this cold. What they’re taking for granted is that the valley has very little humidity. Unlike the coastal areas of the US where 40° might seem chilly, 40° in the valley might feel like 60+ degrees to people from the more humidl areas.

The valley is made up about 2,000,000 acres of land, and much of this land is privately owned. In fact the much of the San Luis Valley was originally part of the Spanish land grants. So it’s possible to actually own land on top of mountains with the most beautiful views you’ve ever seen due to these land-grant. Today the US government typically grabs up land and prevents people from living on and around mountains. Luckily the Valley still offers people the chance to experience mountin land ownership not available most anywhere else.

There is so much in the valley to enjoy such as hiking, biking, mountain climbing, Jeep trails, four whelling, Geo caching and much more. So if you love the outdoors the San Luis Valley could be the perfect place for you. If you ever wanted to only get away, mountain home or looking to move to somewhere like if it’s so hectic.

Another rare quality of the valley is the people there, they’re kind, friendly and willing to lend a helping hand if necessary. It’s uncommon in today’s world, when broke down on the side of the road to have some one pull up and offer to help you. Well thats the kind of people you’ll find in the Great San Luis Valley. The residents of teh Valley are very humble and generous, they might not have much, but they will offer you what little they have.

Many feel the valley is a perfect place to raise children in, it’s safe, has some great schools, allows for homeschooling and offers an environment unlike any where else available in the US. If your kids love sports then there’s many soccer teams, baseball teams, football teams and other activities for them to join in.

If you are a senior looking to retire then the valley is a perfect place for you to. Many people from the larger cities have sold their homes and use their surplus income from the sale of their home to purchase land and a house for a fraction of the price they could have gotten a similar home for in their area. With taxes being much lower than most big cities, it is easier to buy a bigger and nicer house for less.

So you can see the valley offers a little something for everyone, young and old.

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~GORGEOUS 5 AC LOT COLORADO MTN VIEWS MAIN ROAD N/R~ US $405.00 (6 Bids) End Date: Thursday Mar-11-2010 20:00:58 PST Add to watch list

Colorado Land for Sale-$130/Month-2 Lots Ft. Garland US $300.00 (0 Bid) End Date: Friday Mar-12-2010 10:02:14 PST Add to watch list

You’ll find it on maps as mountain home reservoir, it is open to the public all year around. The state of Colorado keeps its stocked with fish. It is a very popular spot for the locals. Many families go to the lake for fishing, swimming and boating. And during the holidays such as the fourth of July many will go camp out by the lakeside. During the wintertime many people go icefishing on the lake. It’s always amazing to see people driving their large trucks and parking on the lake to fish.

Properties inside of Trinchera Ranch are fairly affordable compared to most mountain subdivisions that offer the amenities such as a headquarters (central office) , open access mountain lake, paved roads, utilities and more. Homes can be found starting at a little over $100,000 and going from there. Taxes are fairly inexpensive compared to other places with similar scenic views.

So if you want lake access and affordable prices thenTrinchera Ranch is a great place to buy a home or property. Trinchera Ranch is located in Fort Garland Colorado. Fort Garland offers many modern conveniences such as restaurants, grocery stores, museums, community center and more.

Fort Garland is also home to Forbes Park, in fact many consider Trinchera Ranch the baby sister to Forbes Park. Forbes Park is a private gated subdivision with homeowner association and very strict rules. Whereas Trinchera Ranch is open subdivision with no homeowner fees and allows for hunting, all-terrain vehicles and more.

Trinchera Ranch is at slightly lower elevation than Forbes Park and receives a lot less snow due to this. Making the majority of properties inside of Trinchera Ranch assessable all year around. The County maintains the roads inside of the Ranch. Schoolbuses will pick Trinchera children almost to the popular roads inside the Ranch. Sierra Grande the local public school is less than 4 miles away to Trinchera Ranch entrance.

In fact the town has less than 500 people, and yet offers as much as it does. If you want to go shopping in larger stores such as Wal-Mart then you’ll have to travel 35 miles west of Fort Garland to in cities named Alamosa. Alamosa is the largest town in the Valley. It houses two colleges, hospital, numerous restaurants, numerous stores and much much more.

Fort Garland is just far enough away from it all to have the serenity that most people looking for them yet the convenience of Alamosa is just half an hour away.

Many feel the Trinchera Ranch is a diamond in the rough. Offering tremendous views of Mount Blanca and many other mountain ranges surrounding the Ranch. Freely people, well property prices, year-round access, a Lake and much much more make Trinchera Ranch a tremendous bargain for someone looking to get away from it all yet have the modern necessities available to them.

When you’re looking for cheap property in Colorado, i always suggest looking at the San Luis Valley. And in the Valley when you’re looking for property one of my favorite places is Trinchera Ranch. While their other great places in the Valley Ranch offers so much at such affordable price is hard to pass up. I can see years down the road the property values here skyrocketing once people learn of this incredible bargain to be had.

So what are you waiting for? You can now have your mountain home by a Lake at prices that you’ll pay for small lot in a larger city for. You must be ready to get rid of the hustle of life and enjoy a quieter, place.

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~GORGEOUS 5 AC LOT COLORADO MTN VIEWS MAIN ROAD N/R~ US $405.00 (6 Bids) End Date: Thursday Mar-11-2010 20:00:58 PST Add to watch list

Colorado Land for Sale-$130/Month-2 Lots Ft. Garland US $300.00 (0 Bid) End Date: Friday Mar-12-2010 10:02:14 PST Add to watch list

This historic place is by a small bridge along the Rio Grande River in Conejos County, Colorado. Here the remains of ancient Petroglyphs created by native American Indians can be viewed on the rocks lining the Rio Grande River. These Petroglyphs date back hundreds of years. If you never head of Petroglyphs before they are also referred to as carved rock, Indian writing, picture writing and rock graphics. They are created by carving, pecking, chipping or abrading into stone.

Using the coordinates below with a GPS you will be lead right to the Petroglyphs.

Depending on your GPS one of the 3 below formats should work.

N 37° 03.955 W 105° 46.125

37.06589 -105.76818

N 37° 3′ 57.3012″ W 105° 46′ 07.5000″

Be forewarned that you will need a vehicle with high ground high clearance if you plan to drive directly to them, if not you can drive most of the way and park and hike a short distance to the Petroglyphs. The Petroglyphs are about 80 feet from the bank of the Rio Grande River.

If you come from the east to the coordinates you will be crossing the bridge which is a steel 1 lane bridge (its a few hundred feet long at best), but you will have to ride on the two tracks when you cross, if you ever pulled into a oil change place and had to ride up on 2 metal supports you will know what I mean.

The trip to the Petroglyphs is well worth it, the scenery is great! There are other great places to visit while in the area. Alamosa and the Great Sand Dunes are approx a hour drive north of this spot.

1.) Garden of the Gods Park: Experience the spectacular red rock formations jetting from the ground of this unique Natural Landmark in Colorado Springs. This park provides vistas of Pikes Peak, walking paths as well as picnic spots for you and your loved ones to delight in. This nationally recognized recreation area is free of charge to its guests and has been preserved for over One hundred years.

2.) Enjoy the perfect live concert within Red Rocks Amphitheatre: Along with the extraordinary rock structures encompassing the stage, the particular skyline views of downtown Denver away in the horizon plus the gifted musicians and artists which come to play in the Red Rocks Amphitheatre is among the leading outdoor amphitheatres in the nation. If you are taking a vacation to Colorado in the summertime, you need to experience a live performance at this wonderful venue.

3.) Colorado River Rafting: Whitewater rafting is a good family affair during the summer season of Colorado generally the end of May right up until August. You will discover numerous estuaries and rivers along with different kinds or classes of rapids. The majority of the rafting businesses in Colorado provide various kinds of rafting outings when it comes to difficulty. Colorado whitewater rafting is definitely an function everybody within your household will certainly remember.

4.) AlpineSkiing or perhaps Snow boarding: Together with more than Fifteen diverse ski resorts within the state of Colorado, the choices are wide open in terms of exactly where you decide to go. Regardless if you are a beginner or even pro around the ski slopes, just about every ski resort offers multi-level runs for everybody in the family including fantastic coaching, child care not to mention rentals. The ski villages within Colorado provide excellent amenities, dining places, plus much more.
5.) Soak at the Glenwood Springs Hot Springs: Precisely what would be more soothing compared to soaking within the natural hot springs with all the surroundings of the mountains who are around you in a famed landmark within the heart of Glenwood Springs, Colorado. For the reason of the Planet’s Biggest Hot Springs Pool they feature a 107 room resort, water slides, miniature golf, a top athletic club, and also the magnificent brand new Spa of the Rockies.

As you can tell there are actually a multitude of things you can do in Colorado plus these are only a couple of ideas. Should you appreciate the outdoors, Colorado can be your playground.

276tr .3 Acre Building Lot 4 Sale NR Land Auction Home US $305.00 (7 Bids) End Date: Wednesday Mar-10-2010 11:55:04 PST Add to watch list

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Check out the Panoramic view of the Great Sand Dunes below, I wish I could show you the full one, but the file size was so huge I had to compress it. Make sure you click the full screen button on the lower right corner (it looks like a box) to enlarge the Pano of the Sand Dunes.

You can hold down your mouse button and drag the panoramic view from side to side to enjoy the Sand Dunes in their full beauty.

The park is located just minutes away from the towns of Blanca, Alamosa, Fort Garland and San Luis to name a few. At the park, you can hike, picnic, bird watch and even go for a wade in the beach like waters of Medano Creek.

The waters in Medano Creek at the base of the dunes has a unique “surge flow” characteristic that mimics waves at a beach. In fact it is one of the few and best places to experience “surge flow” in world. The waters flow during spring and early summer.

The area around the dunes is populated with vegetation and surrounded by Sangre de Cristo Mountains and grasslands which makes for a surreal environment. With the area’s 300+ days a year of sun shine and summer’s with mild temperatures you can enjoy the dune’s in comfort. The sand can get extermely hot so it is advisable to wear shoes when walking across the dunes.

We gave our firends over at Snipfiles.com premission to use our Sand Dune’s images to make a free screensaver. So grab your free Sand Dune’s Screensaver now…

>>> Click Here To Download The Great Sand Dunes Screensaver

Counties close to the Dunes are Alamosa, Costilla

Interested in finding out more you can reach the Great Sand Dunes National Park at this phone number: (719) 378-6300 or their website http://www.nps.gov/grsa/index.htm

Check out our Colorado land property listings for property near the dunes that would make great home sites, recreational spots or investment property.

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Buying land in today’s economy may be one of the wisest decisions you can make. Most people are afraid to play the stock market for many reasons, it seems like the US dollar is constantly losing its value on a daily basis. And leaving your money in the bank will not earn you much of anything these days. So where does that leave a person to invest their money?

Many have found that purchasing land is a wise investment. Not only does this give you an intangible asset, it also provides you with an investment that is known to constantly rise in value even during times word the economy is in poor. In fact when the economy is doing bad it might be the best time to purchase land, due to the fact that many people are nedding money to survive and therefore are selling their land at rates you normally couldn’t buy it at.

Where I have decided to purchase my land is a place in Colorado known as the San Luis Valley. The San Luis Valley is only a gorgeous place to live and there’s so many land investment opportunities to be had. Buying land in the valley is something someone should educate theirself on before doing so. The reason being the San Luis Valley has so many diverse areas and to make the correct investment in land requires one to know about these area’s.

Costilla County is one of Colorado’s poorest counties in the state. In spite of that fact it is also one of the most beautiful areas you can buy land in. You have towns such as Fort Garland, San Luis, Blanca and a handful os smaller towns. Costilla County borders Alamosa County which is the largest county in the valley as far shopping and jobs are concerned.

If buying land in Costilla County then you should know the land varies considerably depanding on location. With Blanca being entirely flat for the most part and its vegetation being Chico bush instead of grass. Parts far south of Blanca being desert with little vegetation. So if you are used to a lot of trees and green grass then the valley will be a change for you.

You normally will not see much trees or grass of any kind unless you’re against the mountains or on the mountains. This leaves areas such as the town of San Luis and Fort Garland as the areas that border the mountains. Of course the greener you get usually the more expensive the land becomes.

In Blanca you can often find 5 acre parcels of land for under $4000. Many of these partials can be owner financed with little or no money down. But you must realize although the land may be cheap, most of it is so far out that you would need solar power for it and it’s going to need a well and install a septic tank. Still even with these expenses included you can end up with 5 acres of land with well and septic for around $20,000 when everything is said and done. Again electricity is often not available on many of these lots are sale. So either you must pay the local power company to run power to your property which is around four dollars a foot plus other expenses or are you must look to solar power. Solar power is fairly expensive if you want to maintain your city lifestyles, if you’re willing to go green and cut back on the power consumption then perhaps solar is a route that you can consider.

Areas such as Fort Garland which border the mountains often have more expensive lots and offer gated subdivisions. Roads in these subdivisions are often maintained by the county and homeowner associations. There are subdivisions such as Forbes Park which is considered one of the more prestigious communities in the valley.

When shopping for land online make sure you confirm where the property is located what utilities are available and if water rights come with the land. You should not buy property without knowing the answers to these questions. We know it’s impossible for every body to see the land in person than they are interested in buying, it would be a good idea to hire someone to go take pictures of land for you. The reason for this is often land sales online do not typically show pictures of the property, instead they show pictures of the area. You’re not buying the area, you’re buying a particular piece of land and need to know what it looks like. Don’t let picutres of beautiful mountains and lakes with wildlife running freely persuade you into buying a piece of property without seeing.

Many people have purchased property out in the valley to finally visit it one day and almost go into shock because it looked nothing like the pictures they seen online. I will agree if the price of property is cheap enough it’s hard to go wrong if you get it at a steal, but if you’re buying it to live on it, then it has to be something you will be happy with.

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~GORGEOUS 5 AC LOT COLORADO MTN VIEWS MAIN ROAD N/R~ US $405.00 (6 Bids) End Date: Thursday Mar-11-2010 20:00:58 PST Add to watch list

Colorado Land for Sale-$130/Month-2 Lots Ft. Garland US $300.00 (0 Bid) End Date: Friday Mar-12-2010 10:02:14 PST Add to watch list

CNN Money Magazine picked various Colorado cities as being in the top 10 “Great American” places to live.  The criteria for this is based on financial standards, quality of life, low crime rate, a variety of entertainment and culture, education, health statistics, climate and area population. 

Colorado made the ranks in all areas, offering quality education for kids, a wide array of colleges to choose from, fast job growth, with a low 4.4% unemployment rate and minimal crime rate. 

Recreation and entertainment

Opportunity for these are never far away; with museums, the Pueblo zoo, the Great Sand Dunes, Rocky Mountain National Park, ski resorts, biking, hiking, and a variety of restaurants including American cuisine, Mexican, and Italian, Greek, French, pubs and steakhouses just to name a few.  For more details check out http://www.colorado.com.

As far as the climate in Colorado is concerned, generally you can look forward to around 300 days of sunshine every year, with mild temperatures much of the time. 
 
Colorado Education
Colorado boasts a wide selection of educational choices ranging from the public school system, private schools and home schooling.

The state’s public schools are funded through a combination of state revenues and local property taxes. In the past the property taxes made up the majority of funding, but due to its recent decrease, the alliance, “Believe in a Better Colorado” (http://www.believeinabettercolorado.org) has been formed in an effort to raise awareness about the schools needs and dreams for future growth. 

Colorado is very accepting of home schooling, whether of the traditional style, eclectic or unschooling style. 

Details on all of the above can be found at http://www.cde.state.co.us

Residential Property Taxes

Currently, Colorado residential property taxes are around 8%, and are reassessed every odd-numbered year. The revenue generated from property taxes stays within county in which it is paid.  It goes towards schools, roads, police, fire and other local services.  For more information refer to http://dola.colorado.gov
Economy

With manufacturers in food, printing, publishing, machinery, transportation and communications, a strong economy base is present in Colorado.  It also offers opportunity in the farm industry, concentrating mainly in livestock, corn, hay and wheat.

With the breathtaking scenery and many attractions at your fingertips, Colorado is at the top of the list for family fun, entertainment, investment and a place to call home all wrapped up in one beautiful, bountiful state.

276tr .3 Acre Building Lot 4 Sale NR Land Auction Home US $305.00 (7 Bids) End Date: Wednesday Mar-10-2010 11:55:04 PST Add to watch list

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