Any advice appreciated (Colorado Springs, Manitou Springs, Penrose: real estate, low crime, homes)

[jscmd]

My wife and I are considering moving to CS. I am a retired physician, she still currently works in marketing at a large national company... We are in mid-40s and kids now out of house. Is there a downtown historical district with old, but updated homes? In our current city, that section has become incredibly unsafe and basically many have fled to the outlying suburbs. Can one get farms/ranches that offer a reasonable commute to city? Any comments appreciated. Thanks.

[Mike from back east]

Yes!

The Old North End is what you seek. Up around Colorado College, etc.

Regular poster on here, Carrera, will probably tell you all about it.

[Carrera32]

Re: Colorado Springs historic district. Three words: Old North End (ONE). This is the area that's directly north of Colorado College, Wahsatch Ave on the East, Monument Valley Park on the West and Penrose Hospital to the North. These are rough boundaries, but generally pretty accurate. It's very historic and full of restored turn of the century homes built during the gold rush years. These places are interspersed with homes built more recently up through the mid-century. Prices are all over the place an run the gamut from the high 200's for fixer upper bungalows to multi-million dollar mansions. When we were looking for a place to retire, we wanted an historic, low crime, downtown location, close to everything. We found that in ONE. Moved in a year ago and love it.

You might also look at Old Colorado City and possibly Manitou, but from your post, I think you'll find what you want in ONE. Other posters may come in with other neighborhoods, but as a newcomer, I'm not as familiar with them, so i can't recommend one way or another.

[Arrby]

Farms or ranches are readily available within 45 minutes of Colorado Springs: High country properties at 8,000 ft. + to the west, rolling hills to the north, plains to the east and south. But you need to get yourself very, very informed about water rights before you begin looking at acreages. Remember, YOU need to get yourself informed - believe nothing a real estate salesperson says about water.

In addition to the suggestion of the Old North End, you might like Manitou Springs, which, while its own political subdivision, is contiguous to Colorado Springs. There may be some neighborhoods in Old Colorado City that would suit you as well. Both communities actually are older than Colorado Springs.