We are moving to Fruita, Colorado! Fruita is a small town near Grand Junction on Colorado’s western slope. It’s a quiet community with easy access to many outdoor destinations.
Despite encountering several Craigslist scams while searching, we found a rental we truly love. The location is ideal, the home is lovely (the photo above shows the house we’ll rent), and the rent fits our budget.
We put a lot of hope into this single property because options in the area were limited and rentals move quickly in this small county.
Nervous but hopeful, we submitted an application and were approved just a few days later.
The rent is $1,400 per month, which is higher than our current mortgage. Still, I’m comfortable with that figure because our maximum budget was $2,000 per month—an amount I preferred not to reach if possible.
You might wonder why we chose Fruita. It wasn’t on our radar before, so it’s the first time I’m sharing details about this small town on the blog.
We chose Fruita, Colorado for several reasons:
- Excellent location. Fruita is centrally positioned, near a highway, and makes it easy to take day trips in every direction—west, east, north, and south—to a variety of natural attractions.
- Immediate access to Colorado National Monument. Our new home sits roughly two miles from the monument, offering rock climbing, hiking, biking, camping, and more. We’re also near Rattlesnake Canyon, which contains the highest number of natural arches outside Arches National Park, and we’re close to the Kokopelli Trail that runs to Moab.
- Close to Moab, Utah. Arches National Park is about an hour away and Canyonlands around 1.5 hours. We fell in love with Moab on a visit last year and wanted to stay within reach of that area.
- Other nearby attractions include Grand Mesa National Forest—known for its many scenic lakes—Dinosaur National Monument, Uncompahgre and Gunnison National Forests, and more.
- Outdoor recreation. The region offers rock climbing, skiing, hiking, canyoneering, rafting, and some of the best mountain biking in the country. There are also local wineries and many other activities. I haven’t done all of these yet, but I’m eager to try them.
- Milder winters than mountain towns. While Colorado’s high-elevation towns are beautiful, I wasn’t ready for extremely cold, snowy winters. Fruita’s climate is similar to St. Louis’s but with far less humidity—ideal for us.
- Affordability. We looked at rentals elsewhere but couldn’t find what we wanted without drastically increasing the budget. Fruita gave us the balance of cost and access to outdoor activities we wanted.
Those are some of the main reasons we chose Fruita, Colorado. We don’t know whether we’ll stay long-term—location independence gives us flexibility—but I’m excited to explore this new town while we’re here.
Now, on to my moving bucket list.
My Moving Bucket List
In less than two weeks we’ll drive more than 1,000 miles, and we’ll put our house on the market. This is probably the biggest change we’ve made so far.
Although I’ll miss St. Louis, I know Colorado will bring new adventures. I’m ready to leave and explore what this next chapter will bring.
Before we go, I created a short moving bucket list so I can enjoy the time we have left here.
I’ll return to visit friends and family, but making a “moving bucket list” helps me focus on the things I want to do before we leave.
1. Spend as much time as possible with friends and family.
Wes still has family in St. Louis, and though I don’t have relatives there anymore, we’ll miss everyone dearly. We plan to visit often and treasure the time we have before moving away.
I’ve scheduled multiple gatherings with close friends because saying goodbye will be the hardest part. The good news: I already plan to come back to St. Louis at least three more times this year, so I’ll make the most of those visits.
2. Eat at my favorite restaurants one last time.
Not the most profound item on the list, but important nonetheless. I’ve already visited and said goodbye to my favorite Mexican restaurant, my go-to Korean spot, and the bakery I love. Before we leave, I still want a last round of gooey butter cookies and some classic St. Louis barbecue.
3. See my hair stylist.
I only go twice a year, and she’s excellent and affordable. I have an appointment before we leave and I’m excited for whatever style we decide on—small comforts like this matter when you’re about to move.
4. Enjoy our house and make memories.
Our home is currently a construction zone as we complete updates to prepare for sale, but I want to savor the place where we made so many memories. This house was the first we bought, and I’m sentimental about it.
Most of our belongings are packed, donated, or sorted, but I’ll make time to cook in the kitchen, relax in the bedroom, and appreciate the home one last time. For our final two weeks here I’ll focus on the positive memories St. Louis has given us and look forward to the outdoor life awaiting in Colorado.
What tips would you give someone planning a long-distance move? What would you add to your moving bucket list if you were relocating far away?