Four Seasons and Spectacular Scenery Draw Seniors to Colorado

Cost-of-Living:  Slightly Higher than National Average

Photo courtesy of Agentfinder

On the high plains of Colorado's western slope, in a valley surrounded by the majestic Rocky Mountains, sits a community with spectacular scenery, plentiful recreation and a western lifestyle.   Battlement Mesa, located between Glenwood Springs and Grand Junction (and about 4 hours from Denver), is a growing planned community that attracts residents seeking wide open spaces, low humidity and small town ambience in a beautiful setting.  While not specifically a retirement community (all ages are represented here), 25% of the population is 65 or older.   

The imposing-sounding Battlement Mesa gets its name from the mountain (the world's largest flattop mountain) that looms in the background here.   Easily accessible from I-70, the community is nestled in the Grand Valley and sits at an elevation of 5,800 feet.   Roughly 3,500 people call Battlement Mesa home now, but when it has finished growing, 5,000 homes will be in place (development began in the mid- 1990s).  All the necessities of life are located right here on 3,200 acres, and although Glenwood Springs and Grand Junction are not large cities, they do offer more shopping, dining, religious worship and cultural events options and are about 50 miles from Battlement Mesa.  Aspen, home to the very rich and very famous, is about 100 miles to the southeast.

Roughly half of the seniors here are from Colorado.  The other half are primarily from the East and northern midwest.

Colorado Climate

Colorado has four distinct seasons and is known for having 300 days a year of sunshine.  There are days here that are simply breathtaking.  The humidity averages a low 22 percent; winter temperatures usually do not dip below the freezing mark, and the summer highs rarely rise above the low 90s.  Snowfall averages about 13 inches a year, and the air is clean and crisp.

Colorado residents, retired or not, are known for the active outdoor lifestyles that they lead, and Battlement Mesa offers plenty of year-round recreation, including tennis, golf, rafting, bicycling and skiing.  The Colorado River runs along the edge of this community and providing some excellent steam fishing, and town leaders point with pride to the beautiful 18 hole championship golf course that blends in with the surrounding scenery.  Wildlife watching is a favorite activity, and many mornings deer and elk can be seen just off in the distance; more than 750 acres are dedicated to open space.  Battlement Mesa also has a 53,000 square foot community center, complete with a running track, billiards, an Olympic size pool, hot tubs and racquetball courts, that serves as a center point for meetings, social gatherings and community events.  Classes in aerobics, painting, fly-tying and more are offered.   Extra costs could include $250 per family, per year to belong to the community center and $850 per person, per year for unlimited golf.

Battlement Mesa, Colorado Health Care  

St. Mary's Medical Clinic is located here, but emergency patients are taken to Clagett Memorial Hospital in Rifle, about 15 miles away, or they are evacuated to Grand Junction's St. Mary's Hospital or Community Hospital, both of which provide complete inpatient and outpatient care.  Grand Junction also has five nursing homes.

 Access to Battlement Mesa, Colorado

Battlement Mesa is just off of I-70, a major interstate highway that runs east and west through Colorado.  Traffic has increased in recent years, and the highway can occasionally close because of rock slides or snowstorms.   Three local airports service the area: Walker Field in Grand Junction (45 miles),  Montrose Regional in Montrose (60 miles) and Eagle County Regional outside of Vail (80 miles).