Walkable Neighborhoods vs. Schools (Colorado Springs, Black Forest: home, to buy, school district)

[CharlotteRJ]

Oh, I'm sorry. I had a typo. I mean to say, "I admit that I don't know much about North Middle."

MOD EDIT: I fixed the typo in the post.

[smdensbcs]

Charlotte, "Upper Skyway" is basically the homes west (and several blocks east) of Cresta (21st Street becomes Cresta south of Bear Creek Park) built between roughly 1960 and 1985 or so. Our house was built in 1965, which is thankfully before they started builting houses as cheaply as possible out of paperboard and tar paper gussied up to look all nice. Most Upper Skyway houses are 1500 square feet on the small side to 3500 square feet on the large side. They tend to be "mid-century modernish" and custom built (ie. unique). Prices run from $250K or so for smaller non-renovated places up to $450K for the larger renovated places. $350K is probably the average price, which is a tidy sum less than the "nicer" streets in ONEN and vastly less than the palatial Broadmoor estates.

"Lower Skyway" is further down the Parkview hill, typically smaller houses (think 1200 - 1800 square feet), prices between $150K - $300K.

Skyway Heights and Top of Skyway are further up the hill on Orion heading west and seem to be rather large McMansion houses built post 1990 (think 4000 square feet and up), many of which have what must be spectacular city/mountain views and what look like decks the size of Lower Skyway houses. These bomber houses seem to start at $400K for the few smaller older ones and go as high as you want (1 Million plus).

I'm not a realtor and am not trying to sell you a house, here or anywhere. Like Goldilocks and her porridge, there's a neighborhood just right for you, probably in any city you look. Even in Skyway, you run the gamut of what's out there. My personal "happy place" is Upper Skyway, as its "nice" but not "too nice." Walkable to parks and schools, though not to coffee shops and grocery stores.

Last, I think it may have been me describing my neighbors as the over-educated NPR listening crowd. Our Christian neighbors tend to be the traditional Protestant denominational types with diverse political views as opposed to the Rush Limbaugh fundamentalists. In other words, very much your tribe. I'm not trying to sell you, just sharing my opinion and experience, which I'm typically compelled to do when outsiders try to paint all of Colorado Springs as intolerant hateful rubes. I must not run with that crowd because I simply do not see that here, where I live, and all the people I know.

Good luck! P.S. Still think you should consider renting for a year so you can explore ONEN, all the various Skyways, and half a dozen other great neighborhoods you might like, not to mention digging a bit deeper into the various school situations. Alas, I understand renting then moving again can be difficult, so I hope your dart lands on a good place on the dartboard!

[hollyt00]

I feel there are houses in Upper Skyway that are architectural gems. It's what was the best in the 50s and 60s. When we were searching for houses, there was one that we adored, but it was just... too much work (short sale, people had done a half makeover of the house).

[CharlotteRJ]

It's official. We're moving to Colorado Springs. We're going to rent for a few months, at least. That's about all that we are approved for, but overall, our moving package is very generous. More generous than we'd anticipated.

All of the info has been great, so far. I am pretty good at weeding out what applies to us, so keep it comin'. Thanks!

Whew!

[Carrera32]

Charlotte - Welcome to Colorado Springs. Sounds like you did all your homework, so you shouldn't have any unwelcome surprises. Best of luck in your move.

[CharlotteRJ]

Originally Posted by hollyt00

I feel there are houses in Upper Skyway that are architectural gems. It's what was the best in the 50s and 60s. When we were searching for houses, there was one that we adored, but it was just... too much work (short sale, people had done a half makeover of the house).

There's a great mid-century house on Orion that I'd love to look at. Great windows, big stone wall.

[jillnjim]

CharlotteRJ,
Ditto in saying welcome to the Springs. And with that I'll put a chime in for our neighborhood, just in case you're still looking.

We've lived in El Paso county for approx 25 yrs, starting in Black Forest, then Briargate, and finally the West Side neighborhood of Pleasant Valley.

3 kids raised over that time, and though I think D-38 (Black Forest) had the best educational system overall, we love living in the Valley. We mainly moved from Black Forest due to the exponential growth it experienced, and to D20 for the schools Only lived in Briargate for a few years, as we did not care for the covenants (keep your garage door closed, no hanging clothes outside to dry, etc) or the high turnover of its residents. Most of our neighbors had lived in the area for 5 years or less.

After that we moved to Pleasant Valley, which is adjacent to Garden of the Gods and Old Colorado City. All three schools - Howbert, Holmes, and Coronado - are within a mile of our house (D11 school district). I think D11 is the largest district in the area, and has had its share of politics and controversy. Only one of our kids went to all three schools. Overall, we liked their teachers, as they seemed enthusiastic, experienced, and interested in seeing our kids succeed. I will note that the music program at Holmes (middle) and Coronado (high) was one of the best in the state when our youngest went there. It helped qualify her to attend our local conservatory and the city's youth symphony.

I also can't say enough about the neighborhood. Most neighbors have lived here longer than we have (15 years), and many grew up here before buying their own homes. Walking through the neighborhood will get you friendly hellos and waves. No pesky covenants, though lots of homeowner pride, not to mention a short walk into one of the most beautiful parks in the country. (Can you tell I like it here?) Houses are mainly ranch style built in the 60's. Downsides are it's touristy (read: busy) in the summer, and not very racially diverse.

I also echo the opinions of the other neighborhoods mentioned here, though I can't testify for their schools; ONEN, Skyline around Cresta and 21st, and Manitou Springs, offer a diverse and eclectic mix of people and homes. The west side of the Springs is picturesque and intimately set at the base of Pikes Peak.

Ok, enough of the advertisements, enjoy your search!!

Jill

[CharlotteRJ]

Jill,

Thanks for the info! That's very useful to me. I know that there are some decent looking neighborhoods on the west side, but I didn't really know where to start. OCC looks interesting, but the houses and lots look pretty small. Mid-century and '60s houses are something I'm looking at, too.

When I've looked at houses in that area, often the assigned school comes up as West or West Intergenerational Center. Do you know about where the borders for Howbert elementary are? What would you say the borders for Pleasant Valley are?

Thank you for the input on the music program. My 7 year old has been playing violin for 3 years, and while we'll be continuing with private lessons in Colorado, I'm also hoping their school has a good program.

Cheers,
Charlotte

[otowi]

One thing in OCC's favor - neighbors actually know and talk to each other. People sit on their porches and greet people walking up the street. It has a history, and many people in their 60's and older have lived there their entire lives. You don't see that in a lot of neighborhoods.

[CharlotteRJ]

That is a giant plus. I've seen a few in there that I like, and I'm not ruling it out. I have some questions about school choice, but I'll start a new thread, I think.