Why Choose Colorado Springs? (Canon City, Woodland Park: buyer, places to live, cost of)

[dennyike]

Mike from Back East, you make reference to a "good realtor who
specializes in new homes" who hooked you up with the best builders.
If you see this, please tell me the name of that realtor.

Thanks,

Dennyike

[Mike from back east]

Originally Posted by dennyike

Mike from Back East, you make reference to a "good realtor who specializes in new homes" who hooked you up with the best builders. If you see this, please tell me the name of that realtor.
Thanks, Dennyike

Will do, via Direct (private) Message, else I'm guilty of "advertising" as per the TOS.

[Thirdcavalrywife]

I am glad to be out of colorado springs due to the increase in crime, and the road rage. But I loved some of the surrounding communities.

[Thirdcavalrywife]

The crime increased 33% when the soldiers from fort hood started arriving

[Charles]

America's Most Pet-Friendly Cities - Forbes.com

[Rangerspouse]

Mike, I too am interested in a realtor who specializes in new homes. Could you send this to me?

[key largo]

hi m mike. wow.you are a help. you mention,not in this, but another that you are north area? sounds like Briargate?? this is where i am looking online. we havent been there, but own in winter park and want to be closer. isnt briargate a nice area with good schools and lots of jobs?? key largo

Originally Posted by Mike from back east

Here’s how we decided to move to Colorado Springs from the Wash, DC metro area. See my post in "other" to get tips and techniques for how to search out a new place to live. We wanted out of the DC area, which is unlivable due to traffic and high prices.

We started by looking on REALTOR.com - Real Estate Listings & Homes For Sale to cruise all over, to include Canadian cities.

We wanted away from summer heat & humidity, hurricanes, bugs, tornadoes, earthquakes, crime, traffic, poverty, high prices. We wanted a basement for hobbies.

Been to Florida several times for vacation and ruled it out due to bugs, heat, humidity, hurricanes. Prices are high,few homes have basements. Greenery looks nice, but Florida's a swamp, so we nixed the entire South.

Been to Scottsdale-Phoenix. Saw Del Webb's Sun City Grand in Surprise, AZ. Saw Wickenburg, Gold Canyon and Apache Jct, AZ. Very nice homes, but way too hot. Del Webb homes are nice, but no basements. Just too hot.

Been to Las Vegas. Houses were affordable 5 years ago, but that changed. LV is growing fast and is a one-industry town. A lot of folks who move to LV stay 3-5 years and move again – too boring. Crime is moderate or higher. Same heat issue as Phoenix.

Visited Albuquerque, NM. Some interesting houses for reasonable money, but the crime is awful. Development is “spotty” which means they’ll be a group of nice homes and very nearby is a pocket of poverty or ugliness. Traffic was awful. Not quite as hot as LV or Phoenix, but a brown desert.

Been to California. Ruled it out due to very high home prices, crowded cities, earthquakes, mudslides, high taxes, etc.

Been to Austin and San Antonio, TX. Too plain, hot, humid. Real estate tax is high ($8k on a $300k house) and makes up for lack of state income tax.

Then there is Colorado. The first $20k of each of our pensions is exempt from CO income tax, nor are property taxes that high. The whole Front Range is attractively priced, Denver being higher. Colorado Springs is far enough away from Denver to have it’s own identity. On the north end where we are, across from the USAF Academy, everything is new, nothing spotty, no pockets of poverty. Entire state is beautiful. Very nice homes here for $300-$500k, they'd be twice that in Fairfax County, VA.

The Springs has a lot of Federal money, USAF Academy, Peterson AFB, Fort Carson, NORAD, Homeland Security, Cheyenne Mountain, not to mention the Federal contractors and high-tech biz here. Lots of good clean money coming in and few industrial areas to speak of. All upside, no downside. A well educated populace.

We liked Colorado for the beauty, and it came out a winner in the data analysis too. Dry climate works very well for us, doesn't feel hot in summer or cold in winter. The Front Range is along the prairie, very little snow, which is mainly up in the high country.

Some traffic on I-25, but we get around just fine without the horrendous gridlock of Northern Virginia. Abundance of roads and the lack of gridlock is a key reason we eagerly left the DC area, where it was rush hour all day. We have no dense urban core crammed full of skyscrapers, thus we have no traffic problems like a typical big city. Our downtown is quite livable.

Quality of life is outstanding. There is a local minor league baseball team, and we got half price tickets to see the Denver Bronco’s play the Redskins, an experience we could not get in the DC area. Hockey and cycling are big. There's a ton of parks and pathways to walk all over the area.

There is a thriving, virbrant religious life here, all denominations.

We get good stage shows, and tons of things to do, especially outdoors, and Colorado has the healthiest populace in the nation.

We worked with a good realtor who specializes in new homes. She got us hooked up with the best builders and avoid ones with lesser reputations. Check builders very carefully before you buy – anywhere.

If you like older charming homes, see the Old North End in zip codes 80907, 80903. The area around Colorado College is a delightful mix of old cottages and bungalows, some quite large, in a flat walkable tree-lined area of great gentillity, without high prices.

Preferred school district is District 20, "Academy District." See local school map at: http://www.gazette.com/school_districts/ (broken link)

If you want 2-5 wooded acres, see Black Forest, 80908. Big-time horse country, 5-10 miles NE of town.

If you want mountains, see Woodland Park, Florissant, Divide or anywhere in Teller County, west of Colorado Springs, out highway 24.

If you want to be on a golf course, see Pine Creek, 80920, aka Briargate.

If you want rustic or Bohemian, see Manitou Springs, on the west border of Colorado Springs.

Something here for everyone, affordable, livable, great.

s/Mike from back east, and I ain't going back!

[hbigboy]

Mike -Like you , we are retired and planning on moving to Colorado Springs as soon as we sell our home here in Chicagoland...We also checked out the very exact same places you did ( which really amazed me ) and feel about them just as you do...So we drove to Colorado Springs last November and checked it out - we liked it a lot and then drove back down again in May to check out neighborhoods etc. We checked out Canon City and were not to thrilled with it.... Found a realtor who we keep in touch with. Now on these post they are saying how bad the crime rate has become ..Is this something (in your opinion) now to be concerned about ?? cause I really love it there ..the air is so fresh and this has me thinking hard.

[Charles]

Originally Posted by hbigboy

Mike -Like you , we are retired and planning on moving to Colorado Springs as soon as we sell our home here in Chicagoland...We also checked out the very exact same places you did ( which really amazed me ) and feel about them just as you do...So we drove to Colorado Springs last November and checked it out - we liked it a lot and then drove back down again in May to check out neighborhoods etc. We checked out Canon City and were not to thrilled with it.... Found a realtor who we keep in touch with. Now on these post they are saying how bad the crime rate has become ..Is this something (in your opinion) now to be concerned about ?? cause I really love it there ..the air is so fresh and this has me thinking hard.

I guess it depends on where in the Springs. But one thing for sure, the worst parts of the Springs are better than average areas in LA, and if Chicago is anything like LA (which for this discussion it probably is) then you'll have nothing to worry about. The northern end of Colorado Springs is very suburban, family, planned, and comfortable. The worst parts of the Springs are nothing.

[Francoise82]

The City of Colorado Springs is the second most populous city in the State of Colorado and the 48th most populous city in the United States. The city is the country seat of El Paso County, with a small portion of the city lying in Teller County.


Colorado Springs is located just east of the geographic center of the state and 63 miles south of Denver, the state's capital city. At 6,035 feet (1839 meters) Colorado Springs sits over one mile above sea level, though some areas of the city are significantly higher. The city is situated near the base of one of the most famous American mountains, Pikes Peak, at the eastern edge of the Southern Rocky Mountain.


Colorado Springs Hotels and Resorts


Finding a room can be daunting task. Every traveler requires different amenities. Number one in top ten is the Broadmoor. A luxurious retreat conveniently located just minutes from downtown Colorado Springs, The Broadmoor is the pinnacle of meeting locations in North America. It has 700 rooms and suites, 185,000 square feet of flexible event space, 15 restaurants, cafés and lounges, three golf courses, a tennis club, and world-class spa. These lush 3,000 acres are easily accessible, with non-stop flights from Los Angeles, San Francisco, Chicago, Atlanta, Dallas, and Phoenix directly to Colorado Springs Airport, or from anywhere in the United States through Denver International Airport, just 90 minutes away.


Restaurants


In Colorado Springs, you’ll find the best places to unwind, kick back and leave the day behind. Jack Quinn Irish Alehouse and Pub is a nationally-recognized establishment located in the heart of downtown Colorado Springs, Colorado. One block from the Antlers Hilton Hotel, the pub is open seven days a week for lunch and dinner.


The restaurant offers a full menu of Irish fare and continental cuisine. A popular Sunday Brunch is available weekly from Noon to 3 pm. Banquet facilities offer great space for celebrations of every size. The pub includes two spacious floors of dining and bar service with authentic interiors imported from Ireland.


Nightlife


One of the must-go in Colorado Springs is the Golden Bee. It is an understatement to call this bar an authentic English pub: the Broadmoor Hotel bought the pub and had it moved from England to the hotel's Colorado Springs property. The atmosphere is warm and inviting—perfect for enjoying one of its many imported beers. Drinking from one of the Yard glasses is a quick way to get intoxicated. If you require food, dig into an English delight like a piping hot meat pie. Stop by in the evening for live piano entertainment and bar-wide sing-alongs.

Attractions


Colorado Springs’ featured attraction is the Seven Falls, located just ten minutes from downtown Colorado Springs via Cheyenne Blvd. and nestled deep within Cheyenne Canyon, is Colorado's only waterfall to be listed in National Geographic's “List of International Waterfalls”. It cascades 181 feet in seven distinct steps down a solid cliff of Pikes Peak granite. Crystal clear water from the southern most edges of the Pikes Peak watershed have, over the ages, carved this unique scenic masterpiece in an easily accessed location.


Next to the Falls, a 224-step stairway leads to a system of trails that will take you to “Midnight Falls” and then onto Inspiration Point with a breath-taking view of Colorado Springs and the great plains beyond. Wildlife is everywhere, including hummingbirds, rainbow trout and the rare, waterfall nesting- American Dipper. Blasted 14 stories straight up through solid granite, a mountain elevator safely transports all who venture here to the “Eagles Nest” platform, where the most spectacular view of Seven Falls is experienced.

___________________
Francoise
Mortgage Specialist
Colorado Loans | Colorado Home Loans | Colorado Loan
-----------------------