Simla, CO

Simla is a quiet rural town out on Colorado’s eastern plains, set right along Highway 24 in Elbert County. Located about 45 minutes northeast of Colorado Springs and an easy drive southwest of Limon, it is home to around 600 residents who enjoy wide-open views and a slower pace. The town got its start as a railroad stop in the late 1800s, earning its unique name after a rail official’s daughter came across the Indian hill station in a book.

ATTRKen Lund from Reno, Nevada, USA / CC BY-SA 2.0

Today, ranching and farming still shape daily life, alongside a handful of local businesses and the central Big Sandy School campus, which brings together kids from across the surrounding prairie. It is the kind of close-knit community where neighbors wave from their trucks and Friday night sports draw the whole town. If you are shopping for affordable acreage and want to get away from Front Range crowds without straying too far from the city, Simla is an appealing place to settle down.