Moving from Ms to Co. Springs.... Need Help???/ (Denver, Air Force Academy: apartments, rentals)

[promise44]

My boyfriend and i will be moving to colorado springs march first and i wanted to get an idea of the area. Ill be trying to get work on one of the bases and he works out of the home. About what is the cost for rentals and what areas should we look into living in? Besides doing things outdoors is there any other activities to do? Hes big on being outdoorsy but me not so much. Any other information would be helpful.

[719guy]

Rentals, depending on size obviously, range from $800-$1500+ per month. That's housing, I tend not to look much at apartments (none available where I live) but generally expect $900+ for the nicer rentals. You'll want to find something around the north central to north side of the springs if you can help it. There are nice pockets around town (Cheyenne Mountain area can be nice if you look it right areas) but for the most part, the real growth areas are north and east right now. Other folks who live in good areas are good are piping up with their areas, so check back.

There's a lot of bike trails in the center of town, lots of paved access as well, and I've always been a fan of taking my bike up to Tri-lakes / Monument for a ride every now and then. That's usually enough for me - if it's not nice enough outside to ride my mountain bike, I'm usually inside. >.<

[promise44]

thanks for the informtaion if you have any more it would be much appreciated

[Carrera32]

Promise - If you're planning on finding work at one of the bases, start checking the vacancy announcements on USAjobs.gov. If you don't know about Federal hiring, the process is lengthy. If you want to work as soon as you arrive in March, you should be applying for vacancies now. If selected, be prepared for a delay in starting until they complete a background investigation. Depending on the job, and the required security clearance, that could be as simple as a police check (a week or two, depending on the responsiveness of the local police departments) or as lengthy as a full background investigation (could take several months). Jobs are very competitive now and, unless you're a vet, you'll be competing against vets who get special consideration (i.e., veterans' preference).

As for activities, the outdoors is the main draw here, but, as in every city, there's plenty to do that doesn't involve hiking, biking or running. What are your interests? How about volunteering? Give us a bit more information and we can probably steer you in the right direction.

[promise44]

I actually work on an af base already so being hired will be a lot easier and shorter for me. As far as interest go i love to ride horses, go to museums/galleries, love broadway type shows, music, and i love kids so volunteering might also be a thing to look into. What are some of the grocery stores available in the area? we have about 3 places to show here. and none have very good produce or healthy items. plus finding good quality meat is very difficult as well.

[otowi]

We have some small museums/galleries, but more of that is in Denver - same for shows. Horse riding and kids are well-covered here, though.
Grocery stores: King Soopers/Kroger, Safeway, Albertsons, Natural Grocers, Whole Foods, Rancho Liborio, Bargainmart are a few that come to mind.

[Mike from back east]

Other food sources here are COSTCO, Target, Wal-Mart, and Sunflower;we find the meats at COSTCO to be excellent.

[Carrera32]

Promise: There's horseback riding locally in the Garden of the Gods. There are small galleries downtown, in Old Colorado City and in Manitou, as well as the Fine Arts Center, also downtown, near Colorado College. Colorado College has various cultural activities open to the public (last year's indie film festival was great). Not that familiar with UCCS' cultural programs, but I suspect they have similar programs. We have an excellent symphony that just hired a new music director/conductor after a year long search process (they offer very good deals on season tickets for new subscribers). Pikes Peak Center gets a wide variety of entertainment, not on the same level as Denver, but still pretty good. As for Broadway shows, the touring company for Young Frankenstein is coming to COS in the next couple of months, I believe. Some pretty good local bands play various venues in the area. We also have a AAA baseball team here (the Sky Sox), which is the Rockies' top farm club. Prices are cheap (best seats in the house are $12, with $5 parking/tailgating. Other good spectator sports include Colorado College's nationally ranked hockey team and the Air Force Academy football and basketball. Don't forget, Denver's only a little more than an hour's drive and there you'll find museums, opera, plenty of music and clubs, etc., as well as the Rockies, Broncos, Avalanche, and Nuggets. Bottom line, if you're willing to keep your eyes open, do a little hunting, and have an open mind to what's available, you'll find plenty of non-outdoors activities to keep you occupied right here in COS and Manitou. For what you can't find here, Denver's just up the road.

As for grocery stores, we have Safeway, Albertson's, King Soopers (Krogers) and a couple of Whole Foods. Also some smaller healthy stores, like Mountain Mama's. During the summer there are farmers' markets all over the area. Finding good meat is not a problem (Try Ranch Foods Direct, which sells Callicrate meats, which is raised without growth hormones, etc.).

[promise44]

Rhank you for all the information. Its been very helpful. I also wanted to know if there was a good property management company in the area to contact. were going to be renting for at least a year before trying to buy a home.

Originally Posted by Carrera32

Promise: There's horseback riding locally in the Garden of the Gods. There are small galleries downtown, in Old Colorado City and in Manitou, as well as the Fine Arts Center, also downtown, near Colorado College. Colorado College has various cultural activities open to the public (last year's indie film festival was great). Not that familiar with UCCS' cultural programs, but I suspect they have similar programs. We have an excellent symphony that just hired a new music director/conductor after a year long search process (they offer very good deals on season tickets for new subscribers). Pikes Peak Center gets a wide variety of entertainment, not on the same level as Denver, but still pretty good. As for Broadway shows, the touring company for Young Frankenstein is coming to COS in the next couple of months, I believe. Some pretty good local bands play various venues in the area. We also have a AAA baseball team here (the Sky Sox), which is the Rockies' top farm club. Prices are cheap (best seats in the house are $12, with $5 parking/tailgating. Other good spectator sports include Colorado College's nationally ranked hockey team and the Air Force Academy football and basketball. Don't forget, Denver's only a little more than an hour's drive and there you'll find museums, opera, plenty of music and clubs, etc., as well as the Rockies, Broncos, Avalanche, and Nuggets. Bottom line, if you're willing to keep your eyes open, do a little hunting, and have an open mind to what's available, you'll find plenty of non-outdoors activities to keep you occupied right here in COS and Manitou. For what you can't find here, Denver's just up the road.

As for grocery stores, we have Safeway, Albertson's, King Soopers (Krogers) and a couple of Whole Foods. Also some smaller healthy stores, like Mountain Mama's. During the summer there are farmers' markets all over the area. Finding good meat is not a problem (Try Ranch Foods Direct, which sells Callicrate meats, which is raised without growth hormones, etc.).

[md21722]

For apartment listings I would check craigslist. Pretty much everyone puts ads on there from a person with one rental house to the large apartment communities. 1 bedrooms can go for $450-950 or more depending on amenities.