Moving...what are the places to avoid? (Denver, Colorado Springs: real estate, apartment)

[obiesdaddy]

Me and my wife love the CS area and planning to move from Longmont in Sept (maybe sooner if the timing is right). A lot of people say the west side is a nice place to live. What are some of the areas to avoid (High Crime,Bad housing...etc.)

[Charles]

A lot of people say the north side and the eastern side are good too, depending on all sorts of factors.

Are you for sure moving to the west side of COS?
Where will you be working?
Kids? Ages?
Housing price range or rental budget?

[obiesdaddy]

Not sure where in CS...No Kids (2 Cats). We pay $590 for a 1 bed here and looking for something a lot lower in rent ($400-500). Plan on getting a job driving (taxi,van...etc..)

[soontob]

Originally Posted by obiesdaddy

Not sure where in CS...No Kids (2 Cats). We pay $590 for a 1 bed here and looking for something a lot lower in rent ($400-500). Plan on getting a job driving (taxi,van...etc..)

I don't think you could find anything here in that range in a good part of town. Most likely southside and that can be a dangerous place.
I haven't seen an apartment for that price in a "safe" area for a few years here in Colorado Springs.
I don't mean to burst your bubble but it's not "cheap" here.

[obiesdaddy]

Is Manitou Springs a good alternative?...would spend a bit more. Looks like a lot of nice places on craigslist.

[Vision67]

Originally Posted by obiesdaddy

Me and my wife love the CS area and planning to move from Longmont in Sept (maybe sooner if the timing is right). A lot of people say the west side is a nice place to live. What are some of the areas to avoid (High Crime,Bad housing...etc.)

Look at the crime map: City of Colorado Springs - Topic Pages

[cdfrules]

not alot of crime in manitou springs except occasional meth lab

[soontob]

Originally Posted by obiesdaddy

Is Manitou Springs a good alternative?...would spend a bit more. Looks like a lot of nice places on craigslist.

Yeas, I agree with another post on her about Meth Labs in Manitou. I've worked for our District attorney's office and was amazed at how many labs were being investigated there. It's small and parts of Manitou can be pretty dirty.
Northside (Briargate), eastside(Stetson Hills, Springs Ranch), I think those areas may be safer.

[emjem24]

The best places to move to are probably the East and NE parts of town. I'd avoid the southside of town like Platte and Fountain Blvd. While crime is much lower here in Colorado Springs, I wouldn't let that fool you because we still have a Meth problem, petty crime such as prostitution and robbery, lots of robberies. I've only lived here a year (military spouse) and all I hear is the incidents of robberies in town.

I would NOT get a property from Craigslist. These people may "seem" trustworthy but you don't really know that. Go through a licensed property management company or real estate company and don't go directly through the homeowner. I also wouldn't rent in Manitou Springs because there isn't as much property to choose from.

If you have school age kids... you might consider the Academy 20 School District. It's the "best" in the area. Falcon is "okay" if overcrowded. Avoid D-11 and Harrison, the worst school districts in the area. I used to be a substitute teacher for D-11 and I can testify that your children will NOT receive a quality education no matter what the school district or teachers say.

One more thing... the I-25 corridor, which encompasses Colorado Springs, is a major drug and human smuggling zone. The open, dirty secret of this town are the amount of illegal aliens who populate it. They also affect the housing market so be careful who you rent from if you choose a house. We're having similar problems as Arizona though Denver seems a bit more inviting to illegals than C Springs.

Good luck.

[otowi]

Woah, it seems you came on here just to post a bunch of negatives all over the city forum!