Schriever AFB job - Where to Live w/Good Schools? (Security-Widefield: rentals, custom home) - Colorado Springs - Colorado (CO) - City-Data Forum

sarahjane123 · 08-02-2013, 12:12 AM

Hi everyone,
My husband will be working at Schriever, and we hope to buy a house in a good school district with not too bad of a commute for him. Future rentability is important too because we will only be there for 3 years, then will keep it as a rental property.

We're still early in our search, but all our military family contacts say D20 schools are the only way to go. Their experience has been working/commuting from Peterson and not Schriever, which from the looks of it is closer to D20 homes, so I'm wondering if it would be more realistic for us to look closer to Schriever (with from the looks of the map, looks like it's in the middle of nowhere).....

Any D49 schools you'd recommend if we did decide to look closer to base? We have 2 kids in elementary school. Or should we stick to D20 and try to find a house in the southeastern part of the district to help with the commute (and then, which neighborhoods would you recommend?)

Thanks in advance for the help!!!

otowi · 08-02-2013, 04:50 AM

I think D49 is perfectly fine. D20 is not the best district in the city. It is good, but 49 is also just fine.

geographystudies · 08-02-2013, 07:25 AM

I wouldn't avoid D49, but I'm not snobbish about schools. Falcon is a pretty great area. It is smaller though, and the market for rentals may be a little trickier.

CharlotteRJ · 08-02-2013, 03:33 PM

What's your budget?

When we were looking around Cordera and Wolf Ranch, we asked around about renting a house out, and it sounds like they move well in there.

CharlotteRJ · 08-02-2013, 03:34 PM

FYI, my husband commutes to Schriever, and we just signed for a house in D20 but west side of I25. Traffic is relatively a breeze.

Mike from back east · 08-02-2013, 03:35 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by CharlotteRJ

What's your budget?

When we were looking around Cordera and Wolf Ranch, we asked around about renting a house out, and it sounds like they move well in there.

Those are very good places, IIRC Cordera is noted for a good rec center, but it very close to two superb corporate gyms/pools as well as a fine YMCA.

sarahjane123 · 08-04-2013, 09:57 PM

Thanks everyone!

sarahjane123 · 08-05-2013, 02:37 PM

I should have specified - our budget is max $400,000 but from the looks of what's available (as in, $400,000 in CO Springs buys A LOT of house - way more than we need!) we'll probably try and stay closer to $300,000.

Sonic_Spork · 08-07-2013, 10:44 AM

I'd also recommend you check Fountain. There are some really nice houses going up in the area, well within your budget, it's closer to Schriever (and less traffic from that direction although it's not terrible from ANY direction.) Fountain District 8 is a very good school district. Out on the plains side of things to the southeast of the city, you still have great mountain views, less cold/snow (a little less), less risk of big wildfire (in my opinion, because there's less fuel), more housing bang for your buck, a good rental market due to proximity to bases, and I have a friend who had an amazing custom home built south of Fountain and I think he paid less than what you're talking about there...so it's something I think you should look at. Just my opinion!

We live in one of the newer parts of Security-Widefield, in District 3 and we have zero complaints. In fact their Orchestra program is great, and not all of the districts even have that. In particular if you want a kid to take band or orchestra in middle school (by high school it's harder to start learning unless you've had private lessons) you would want to check out your districts and schools for that. If that is not a factor for you, that's cool, but it was for us.

Don't buy into the "D20 is the best" or the "anything that isn't west side or north side is a ghetto" snobbery you might hear. People tend to form some really weird opinions about areas they've never even explored here in the Springs. I would not recommend buying anything, or even renting anything sight-unseen. You need to come here with some time to check things out and make up your own mind. I've heard rumors that bullying is a notable issue in D-20...but I'm not sure how right that is, I've no personal experience. I think most districts will have pros and cons.

I did hear at one point that D-49 was doing some policy/administrative changes that were getting some people upset...something about charging for bus transport or something? Any D-49'ers know what's up with that?

I would advise against D-2, and some parts of D-11 (the ones geographically between the airport and the middle of the city.)

Sonic_Spork · 08-07-2013, 10:54 AM

OK Case in point about Fountain. Do a Google search and find Jimmy Camp Rd. My friend's custom home is near the intersection of that and Ohio Ave. When the Google camera vans hit his street, his house wasn't there yet, but one of his neighbors' was and his is nicer. Here's a pic of a home in the general area, from Google streetview (attached.)

See the view behind the house? Mountains in the distance (they look closer in person) and some nice little woods back there? Well that greenery you see behind the house is a protected watershed or something, bottom line, they will never develop it. So that view is guaranteed as far as my friend knows... Checked Trulia, turns out he paid more than I thought LOL! But my point is that there's some really nice stuff down that way.

And if you look at the map, it's a nice country-road drive, no traffic and happy speed limits all the way up to Schriever from there.