Considering moving that way (Security-Widefield, Fountain: to live in, food, suburbs)

[Jalhop]

crtyrdjester, fellow Seattleite here and it looks like you'll beat me to Colorado Springs. Having also tired of gray skies, I researched a couple dozen towns and settled on the Springs. Bought a house there this summer, but need to wait for a kid to exit school. I'm looking forward to living in the state as much as the city. So much of the state is beautiful.

I plan to xeriscape the yard when I get there. Why mow a lawn, and the desert-y native vegetation looks great.

[crtyrdjester]

Very cool Jalhop! We'll see, I am hoping that we can move this summer, but a few things have to fall into place first-like the sale of our home and the work situation!
I can't get out of here soon enough to be honest!! I don't want to do another gray wet winter here!!! My husband loves it here, me not so much!

[Sonic_Spork]

I used to live up near Olympia so I know just where you are coming from. I got used to the grey in time, but my husband never liked it.

One thing...the mountains here might let you down a little if you're used to Mt. Rainier. Rainier is spectacular because it's all by itself and you view it from sea level mostly. Here, the mountains are in a range, none stand alone right here by the city, and you are halfway up the tallest elevation, the city is at what....6-7K ft? Something like that. So while they are beautiful, it's a different kind of beauty altogether. Really what I appreciate most are the "light shows." The cloud shadows and sun rays really get to dancing around over on the mountainsides, and you can watch that, and the sunrises and sunsets can be really great. Do be warned that if you arrive before the weather really gets warm, things can be very brown here, too. After the lush green of the PNW, I found this place ugly (I got here in Dec.) but come about June, it's quite beautiful. It's a rugged landscape, but it greens up nice for a few months a year.

OP, your assessment of what the weather is like, is fairly correct.

Your choice in neighborhoods will depend on what you're really after. Parts of the west side are really nice, and the schools are pretty good. I heard someone say that west side is "old money" and north side is "new money"...I guess that's maybe sorta true but it's an oversimplification. D20 schools in the north are often considered the best because I believe they have the highest test scores. If you were, say, high ranking military, or the kind to push the kids to achieve in a really competitive manner, D20 might be to your liking. I did hear something about issues with bullying up there, but I don't know how bad it was (maybe not that bad.) I like D3 Widefield schools because they have the most and best Orchestra classes. Fountain District 8 is considered quite good also. You will have to specifically check out areas for community centers, pools, etc. They are not extremely common. Widefield has a great one...but you're saying you can afford "under $500K" in a house, you might can do better than Widefield. I love it there, but it's a very diverse and working class, down to earth sort of area. However, if you set your sights in that region, you could probably build as nice a place as you wanted with some nice views. Our community center has indoor and outdoor pools, classes and exercise programs, activities, and the public library is right next door. They even have busses that take kids on field trips during the summer. I guess when I say you could perhaps do better, it's mostly in terms of overall wealth of an area and quality of a home. Up to 500K will get you a lot of house here, and the north and west sides of town are considered to be better off overall than Security-Widefield. I do however know some very wealthy folks who built a gorgeous house down in Fountain recently. It's a bit more rural out there, but still close enough to be convenient to what they need.

Which leads me to cost of living. Cost of housing is dramatically lower. Most groceries will be comparable. You might do Fred Meyer couponing and saving up there, and Safeway and King Soopers down here, with similar results. I think that things like gas and certainly cigarettes cost less here. We do have a state income tax, so be prepared for that. However, the property taxes are much, much less.

People are friendly. It is easy to make friends if you seek them through common interests and activities.

Some tips...look for a house that faces south if possible. When it does snow, it will melt off of your driveway, and if you have a big window in the front as some homes do, you will get enough sun through it to really, REALLY help with your heating costs. But be prepared to shut it out in the summer, and run an air conditioner. You will need A/C much more here than anyone does up there.

Let us know if you have any questions, or want input on a specific area or neighborhood you may be looking at.

[crtyrdjester]

That's great Sonic Spark!! Lots of great information! TY!!!

[vnodak]

Well, interesting. I presently live in Snohomish county and my house is up for sale. I plan on moving to Colorado Springs. I have done a ton of research and being retired older folks, CS meets our needs. I have lived here for almost 10 years and really hate it. I am so looking forward to reasonable housing, sun, less trees(I live on two acres and I am sick and tired of pine needles and fur boughs and downed trees and weeds that grow faster than grease lightening), houses with property here are not so plentiful and a lot of homes are three stories tall and shoved together. The traffic here is absolutely awful not to mention the Seattle freeze and they tax anything that moves. I could go on but I will let it go and mind you their are some very nice things about living here. I do think it is a great place to visit. Maybe, just maybe, I will run into other Seattle transplants.

[crtyrdjester]

So funny vnodak! I feel the SAME way!!! I HATE the pine needles and constant wet!! I am ready for dry sun!!!!
You will beat me there by the sounds of it! I am aiming for summer, but a few things have to fall into place! We actually live in Woodinville right now!!

[vnodak]

I like Woodinville and I am about 10 min from you. I live off Echo Lake Rd. I hope to beat you there but who knows for sure. I wish you the best of luck and to get thru this gray winter, think dry and sun.

[crtyrdjester]

Oh cool, I know exactly where you are!
Yeah hoping to get thru the winter!! Been here almost 6 years and HATE the gray!

[Sonic_Spork]

Definitely different in the sense that you can go in and out of your house without tracking in a bunch of damp pine needles and tree crud. I remember how impossible it was to keep up with that mess. We also lack those invasive blackberries or whatever they are, don't know if you have them in your yards, but I did when I lived up there. Stupid things would root in at both ends and trip you with thorny creepers, would take over the yard with brambles if ya let 'em. And the more you abuse them trying to get rid of them, the worse they came back. Nasty.

But some parts of town have cactus, so going around barefoot isn't always adviseable, and we do have tumbleweeds which are a nuisance. It's kind of a tradeoff, I guess.

I miss the moss and the ferns though...

[shanen]

Originally Posted by Sonic_Spork

and we do have tumbleweeds which are a nuisance

I could be wrong, but it seems that only affects those who live way out at the edge of the sprawl. I've never seen any driving around (I rarely go east of Powers).