The appeal of the Spanish Peaks area for many people is the casual, small-town atmosphere and diverse population, according to Eric Bachman, owner of Bachman and Associates real estate.

"Some communities are strictly centered on ranching, or the arts. We’ve got a little bit of all that," Bachman said. "Old hippies, artists, musicians, cowboys. It’s just a great place to live."

Many of his luxury-house clients come from Florida for elegant summer homes. Others have moved out of areas such as New Mexico's Santa Fe and Taos to get back to a more intimate community without having to give up amenities.

Bachman said many people are buying million-dollar homes in the area's gated communities and there aren’t enough properties available to keep up with the demand.

"We’ve sold 11 homes in La Veta in the last 75 days," Bachman said.

While not all of the sales were premiere properties, a good number of the homes he sells are more than 5,000 square feet, he said.

Strangely, despite the number of high-end homes in the area that can be seen from area roads, Huerfano County Assessor Louise "Chuky" Sandoval said only six homes in the county have a tax valuation of more than $500,000.

"They may think they've got a house that's worth more than that, but not according to my records," Sandoval said.

In contrast, Huerfano County building inspector Steve Channel said he knows there are a lot more luxury homes in the Huerfano County area.

Channel said that in the past five years he has issued permits for at least 15 homes that cost more than $500,000 just to build.

"A lot of those homes are sitting on $300,000 worth of land," Channel said. "I could show you manufactured homes that are going for more than half a million up there."

A 35-acre tract in the Raspberry Mountain development just south of La Veta can fetch upward of $250,000, he said.

Bachman said he knows of at least two brand new homes in the area that are more than 10,000 square feet.

-Tammy Alhadef