Likely moving COS (best area's to live)? (Colorado Springs: foreclosures, rentals)

[DoubleIPA]

Originally Posted by smdensbcs

To the original poster, you can't go "wrong" in any of the neighborhoods being discussed (Broadmoor, Old North End, Skyway), it's simply a matter of personal preference, where you feel most comfortable, and what you're trying to accomplish. Welcome to town, if you do indeed make the move!

I've gathered they're all nice areas. One problem I have here in Menlo Park, CA is that there are a lot of spoiled kids that do not appreciate what they have. We have kids here that drive porsche's and hummers and if I have children, I don't want them to be exposed to that type of parenting and think it's normal or okay.

Another option we have thought about was living a little further out of town, so we may have more land etc, but going west you end up in Woodland Park, which gets quite a bit of snow. East doesn't appeal because we want to be close to the mountains. That leaves North and South. Again, this is just a thought but I don't know what it would be like being 20 to 30 minutes outside of town with a little more space. I've also thought about North West of Manitou springs. Seems like there are some neat places in that area.

[Carrera32]

smdensbcs: Actually I don't think we're that far apart in our thinking. I love Skyway, and when we were looking, that was on our very short list of neighborhoods we were interested in. Just couldn't find the right house at the time we had to had to make a decision. In the end, after looking in Skyway, Rockrimmon and a few other nearby westside foothills neighborhoods, we just decided, that for our purposes, a downtown location best met our needs and preferences. For others with different needs, downtown may be the absolute wrong decision. Based largely on the recommendation of a friend who lives here, and walking/driving through the neighborhood (and falling in love with what we saw), we decided to take the plunge. We paid a bit more (but not that much more) than a comparable house elsewhere in downtown.

In North End, believe me we're at the lower end of the scale; no million dollar mansion for us, and we don't know anyone who has one. While I'm sure there's an element of snobbishness here, as well as in the some of the other areas you mentioned (and didn't mention, such as Kissing Camels, where you can't get through the security gate to even drive by a house for sale without a licensed real estate agent with you. Even if we could have afforded it, which we couldn't, that was enough to cross that community off our list without a second thought), one of the reasons we like this area is the relative lack of an air of exclusivity or snootiness. There are a lot of modest homes (lots of fixer upper turn of the century bungalows and mid-century ranchers, which we have) as well as the more affluent, a real eclectic mix, and everyone seems to get along well. The HOA is pretty low key, voluntary membership at $35/yr, and community oriented (recently gave away two scholarships to neighborhood kids, giving saplings for free to anyone who wanted one, closing down streets for the kids to safely go Halloween trick or treating, on-line e-mail blast notifications if crime is noted or there's a lost/found cat, etc.) and the president is the phone/cable guy (not Larry!). The HOA president even planted one of the free trees for a friend of ours who couldn't do it herself. If you live in the historic district, there are architectural standards for remodeling historic homes, but overall, the process seems pretty benign and straightforward and not onerous. We could have afforded the Broadmoor area (at least at the lower end of the scale) but were put off by the very things you mentioned.

If I implied that schools in this neighborhood are better, I certainly didn't mean to. We don't have kids and I have little knowledge about the relative strengths or weaknesses of the schools here (I don't even know what district we're in).

I also certainly didn't mean to imply any air of superiority (I certainly don't have any reason to). At our stage of life (semi-retired), we're not out to impress the neighbors, and there's little they have that impresses us. Bottom line is that I agree with most everything you say and for the same reasons you give. Let me add my voice to your recommendation of any of the places we've noted. They're all very nice (but for different reasons). There are a lot of other nice areas that may meet the specific needs of the OP and others reading this thread.

To the OP, based on advice on other posters, suggest you check out the Tri-Lakes area (Woodmoor, Palmer, Monument). Also, many recommendations from other posters for Briargate, an established suburb about 15 minutes north of downtown and Stetson Hills for newer development. I'm sure others will suggest other communities; lots of nice areas to choose from in CS.

[lalahartma]

If you are right up on the foothills you lose evening light.

[ladyjag45]

If you want a mountain feel, Black Forest, (an area of Colorado Springs), or Monument, (just north of Colorado Springs), have a lot to offer. Part, though not all of Black Forest is in District 20, and Monument is in District 38 schools. Both school systems are top notch. Our family wanted trees and a larger yard, so we moved to Monument and we really love it. I have a teenage daughter who really likes it here and has found the children friendly. Spoiled kids are everywhere and income level is not the only determining factor. There are rich families who instill values in their kids and poor families who do not, (and vice versa). It comes down to parenting. My daughter tends to ignore those spoiled kids because we raised her to realize material things in life are not what's most important. We moved here for the great schools and the beautiful pine trees that surround us. What we have found are friendly neighbors and a small town feeling, (which we enjoy).

[DoubleIPA]

Originally Posted by ladyjag45

If you want a mountain feel, Black Forest, (an area of Colorado Springs), or Monument, (just north of Colorado Springs), have a lot to offer. Part, though not all of Black Forest is in District 20, and Monument is in District 38 schools. Both school systems are top notch. Our family wanted trees and a larger yard, so we moved to Monument and we really love it. I have a teenage daughter who really likes it here and has found the children friendly. Spoiled kids are everywhere and income level is not the only determining factor. There are rich families who instill values in their kids and poor families who do not, (and vice versa). It comes down to parenting. My daughter tends to ignore those spoiled kids because we raised her to realize material things in life are not what's most important. We moved here for the great schools and the beautiful pine trees that surround us. What we have found are friendly neighbors and a small town feeling, (which we enjoy).

I did poke around Black Forest and there's a nice new subdivision and I met a very friendly dentist who was extremely helpful. I was warned that black forest tends to retain a lot of snow due to all the trees and you can wind-up with 10+ feet during the winter. While I don't mind snow as I lived in Lake Tahoe for 6 years and Utah for 3, my other half is scared of it. She's from New Zealand and has never had to deal with it.

[ladyjag45]

Yes, we do get more snow up here, and from what I have been told Black Forest gets more wind. When we were house hunting, we found areas without trees to break up some wind were more of an issue. We were also looking for a housing area that was well-established, which we found in Monument. People up here tend to believe the extra snow and commute it worth it. I guess we don't know yet as we have only been here a few months. We also came from snow, (Ohio), but not as much as here. The difference is that we get sunshine that melts it, (though not so much in the shaded areas, of course). I hear the snow is pretty light and powdery, where the Ohio snow was heavy and wet, (though technically all snow is wet...).

Good luck in your search

[lonestar9918]

Monument looks like it might be a good fit for us too. (Hopeful to relocate from TX w/ 3 young kids)
My #1 concern about Monument is in fact snow. When we do get snow here, it is mixed with sleet and on top of sheets of ice..you can't even leave your driveway, and the whole town basically shuts down til it clears off. So the thought of any MORE snow than in town is intimidating for us. The snow being different kind makes sense though...We don't want to move to some cookie cutter area just to avoid snow...

[BestintheWest]

What end of town would you choose if you did not have to commute to work, good scenery (gottaa have trees)and affordable nice areas? No kids so schools are only a resale issue sometime down the road.

[DoubleIPA]

Good scenery, trees are a big plus. I've heard it gets pretty windy in COS, so I'd probably like to be shielded from the wind as much as possible.

[Bideshi]

Are house prices going down in Colorado Springs?