Zip Code 80920 Colorado Springs Briargate - Pine Creek – Photo Tour (Denver: real estate, low crime)

[Mike from back east]

I’ve recommended the Briargate and Pine Creek (PC) areas many times here on City-Data. This thread is a quick photo tour of the area. The pix show only a tiny portion of the area. Use the Search tool with keywords 80920 or Briargate or Pine Creek to find prior threads/postings. Use the zip code to search for homes in your favorite real estate website.

If you go to mapquest and zero in on 8759 North Union Blvd, 80920, you’ll be in the heart of Briargate, near all 3 schools.

Generally, Briargate is bounded by Briargate Parkway on the North, Powers Blvd on the East, Hwy 83 on the West, and perhaps Briargate Blvd on the South. It’s easy to confuse Briargate Pkwy with Briargate Blvd. Research Blvd runs right up the middle of Briargate.

I’ve picked 3 schools and surrounding homes in Briargate to include: Academy International Elementary; Mountain Ridge Middle School; and Rampart High School. There are many more schools in the area and in Pine Creek.

All of these schools are in the Academy School District, aka D20. Schools in D20 are among the best in town and the state. Many have Advanced Placement (AP) and International Baccalaureate (IB) teachings. The large number of highly educated USAF types up here on the north end demand great schools and we have them. Main D20 website has links to all schools. Each school has a website with much info and photo's of the schools: http://www.asd20.org/education/distr...hp?sectionid=1 (broken link)

International Baccalaureate (IB) site: International Baccalaureate

Generally, the Pine Creek (PC) area is bounded by Briargate Parkway on the South, Union Blvd on the East, Hwy 83 on the West, and Old Ranch Road on the North. PC and Briargate are next to each other, bisected by Briargate Pkwy, with PC to the North and Briargate to the South. All have great views of the Front Range, Pikes Peak, and USAF Academy.

Roads in 80920 are wide; main ones are 6 lanes, with easy access to Hwy 83, I-25 and Powers Blvd. Powers runs down to the Airport, Peterson and Schreiver AFBs, and Fort Carson. Via I-25 we are 20 minutes to downtown COL SPGS, an hour to Denver and 75 minutes to Denver Intl Airport. We are right on the Front Range with a drive of 2-3 hours max to reach great winter sports (even more mountain and winter sports are west of Denver on I-70).

There are many superb areas of Colorado, this is my favorite due to its newness; a ton of things to do & places to go; likable climate; friendly people; educated population; access to health care; low crime; and that affordability of housing compared to the northeast, Florida, Arizona, Las Vegas and most of California.

Following this post, six sets of pix will appear in six separate posts. Tour starts at Hwy 83 & Briargate Pkwy, essentially at I-25 exit 151. We make a loop of sorts, up Briargate Pkwy, thru PC and then across in Briargate.

Anyone who wishes to add pix & discussion, please do so. Nowhere is perfect. These are my opinions. YMMV.

s/Mike from back east. (Not a realtor, nor in the biz in any way.)

[Mike from back east]

1.1 “Shops” as seen from Hwy 83 and Briargate Pkwy. Off to the right is I-25, about 300 yards max. Photo looks toward S.E. We will turn left onto Briargate Pkwy and proceed uphill / east.



1.2 The Promenade “Shops at Briargate” as seen from the Hilton Garden Inn. Lots of good food (bison burgers!) and upscale shops. See Welcome to The Promenade Shops at Briargate



1.3 Homewood Suites hotel, just above the Hilton Garden Inn. Behind me about 300 yards is the T Rowe Price (TRP) campus.









1.4 Several shots of the original TRP building and the second TRP office and garage that are nearing completion. There is room on TRP’s campus for a third set of buildings.



1.5. The new Briargate Branch of the Pikes Peak Library District. This is just across Chapel Hills Drive from the TRP campus. Eateries and services here too. The PPLD site has a ton of resources about the area, see: Welcome to the Pikes Peak Library District

[Mike from back east]

2.1 Just across Chapel Hills Drive from the TRP campus. PC is an area of upscale homes, typically $600k to $1.5M (for the custom home on premium-view sites). The Club House is in these pix.




2.2 Homes back up to Pine Creek Golf Course.




2.3 Italian Villa homes at La Bellezza, $600-900K, and wonderfully different.



2.4 New home improvement store at Union Blvd and Royal Pine, a half mile from the Italian Villa homes.




2.5 Custom homes at the top of Pine Creek. Pikes Peak and Front Range in back. Maybe I'll hit the Power Ball tonight.

[Mike from back east]

MHN is between Lowe's and King Soopers, heading south on Union Blvd. The hospital is city-owned. MHN has a good lunch room, open to the public, with healthy food, low prices and a chef they brought in from Las Vegas.



3.1 The new MHN, just opened in April 2007, with 83 beds, and room for two more of these structures on the campus. There is a medical arts office building seen off to the right. Directly behind me is a new King Soopers supermarket (aka Kroger) and two more medical arts buildings just going up. A half mile to my right is a new SuperTarget that opened in July. We like being up here where everything is new.



3.2 The two new medical arts offices. King Soopers is behind them. The Briargate Family YMCA is off to the left. You can walk to school, work and shopping here.



3.3 Telephoto shot of MHN, about a mile away, seen from upper Pine Creek, near the custom homes in Group 2.



3.4 The new King Soopers, with the new MHN across Briargate Pkwy.



3.5 View out the other end of the King Soopers lot. Union Blvd in foreground, Briargate Pkwy heads down to the west. Off to the left, about a half mile, is Academy Intl Elem School, up on the ridge, and topic of the next group.

[Mike from back east]

4.1 Academy International Elementary School, on Charity Drive. An IB school.




4.2 Behind the school is a steep hill that will be left open space. The grounds are fenced to keep kids in. Yes, that’s the new MHN in the background. That dome off to the far right is the King Soopers.



4.3 Housing around corner from school, on Shady Rock DR. Homes on right overlook that large open area behind school.



4.4 Housing at the corner of Charity Drive and Union Blvd.



4.5 Commercial plot serving this area. Albertson’s Supermarket and the usual neighborhood stuff, and a large medical arts building too. An eatery here serves real Italian gelato (Nocon's).



4.6 View from King Soopers, Shady Rock DR on left, school in center, Chetwood Drive to the right.



4.7 Academy Intl Elem Sch as seen from Briargate Pkwy, looking up the hill.



4.8 Just to the right of the school are the homes on Chetwood Drive.

[Mike from back east]

5.1 Rampart High School (RHS) at Lexington Drive and Union Blvd, Colorado Springs, CO. An IB school.
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5.2 Football field at RHS. Busy this morning.



5.3 Soccer field at RHS.



5.4 Dog park behind RHS.



5.5 Community ball field behind RHS.



5.6 Housing next to RHS, dog park in the foreground.

[Mike from back east]

6.1 Mountain Ridge MS, from Lexington DR, heading south. An IB School.



6.2 MRMS, from the other side. The Front Range in the background. The USAF Academy is a set of low buildings, right against the Front Range in the distance, above the center of the school.



6.3 LuLu Pollard Park, behind MRMS, along Dynamic Drive.



6.4. Housing next to MRMS, along Dynamic Drive.



6.5 Housing across Lexington Drive from MRMS, also on Dynamic Drive.



6.6 Housing on Lexington Drive, across from MRMS. We are less than a mile from where we started at the Shops and TRP campus in Group 1.

[keikekai]

WOW !! Awesome photos Mike, thanks !!! I just saw these for the first time now, and those were exactly what I was looking for - what the residential/business areas look like there. These are really helpful !!

[NatureCoastFL]

Kudos Mike! It is really helpful to see actual pics of the area. Thanks again.

[onthamove]

man tha front range of the rockies is outta sight!!!!!!!!!!