Colorado Springs, Fountain, Peyton, etc? (Fort Collins, Pueblo: housing, business, price)

[soontob]

Originally Posted by Daniel24

As it'd be really convenient to live in Colorado Springs my wife has read some posts in threads about how bad it is there - overrun by califorians with road rage, and icy roads. Does the city take care of the roads with deicer and plowing well? Thanks.

Plowing? Not as well as they should, sadly.
Road Rage is everywhere, it has nothing to do with Californians. People seem to be more stressed on the road.
But, we are a city so I would think no matter what city you are thinking about, it would be worse then the country areas.

[Daniel24]

I really didn't mean to sound like I was making wierd accusations either btw :P Just gathering opinions. And I just emailed a guy whose going to be reffering me to the HP location in the springs. He lives in Peyton and said it's only about a 30 minutes drive from there. Much faster than yahoo maps says (as I know they can't take into account all the traffic conditions etc). We were looking at Monument last night on realtor.com which looks like a pretty nice little town with some nice private places with lots of trees etc. Thanks again for the responses I really appreciate it. It's great to actually have people who know what theyre talking about rather than city run websites that are only going to show positives.

[soontob]

Originally Posted by Daniel24

I really didn't mean to sound like I was making wierd accusations either btw :P Just gathering opinions. And I just emailed a guy whose going to be reffering me to the HP location in the springs. He lives in Peyton and said it's only about a 30 minutes drive from there. Much faster than yahoo maps says (as I know they can't take into account all the traffic conditions etc). We were looking at Monument last night on realtor.com which looks like a pretty nice little town with some nice private places with lots of trees etc. Thanks again for the responses I really appreciate it. It's great to actually have people who know what theyre talking about rather than city run websites that are only going to show positives.

I do want to let you know that Monument is a very nice place to live but they do get more snow. That part of the interstate is called Monument Pass and sometimes the weather/snow can get so bad that they will close I-25 there.
I have a friend who lives just south of Monument and recently when COS got about 1 1/2 inches of snow she got a foot of snow. So, if you choose Monument just be aware.
I'm not try to discourage you in any way but I wish somebody had advised me of EVERYTHING they could've when I moved.
Good luck

[TheBeach]

Originally Posted by Daniel24

Is Peyton a decent little town? Or is it more old and run down? That would be great if it was just a little town with some nice property. I drive a ways to work now and dont mind a half hour drive if it means we can have horses.

Peyton is not a town where you go and get something to eat, watch a show, or do any form of entertainment. There are some old houses, a Post Office, a store, a Fire Dept and not a whole lot else. Peyton is an unincorporated area in El Paso County. You move here because you want land and freedom to do what you want on your property. I can go outside and shoot, raise cattle, horses, whatever. I can even put up some buildings without a permit. Things that are a lot harder to do in a city. It's true rural living. People out here are on Wells and Septic systems and have Propane tanks, and electric service which has been very reliable (for us anyway). It can get very windy and cold in the winter. You also need to keep that in mind that if you get snowed in, you are on your own. The snow plows work the priority roads and you may not get off your property unless you have a tractor to clear way that snow. Good reason to buy a tractor however, but don't be a dummy like me - GET A CAB.

Falcon is about 9 miles down the road where we have a lot of new developments in the works. New housing, new businesses are being planned like crazy. We already have a Safeway, Walmart, a fair amount of places to eat and shop, and in the future we'll have a Lowe's and Home Depot. Falcon is where it's at out East. Peyton will become a bedroom community of Falcon I think.

It's pretty easy going down to Colorado Springs. Usually I find traffic is not an issue. I am always at the posted speed limit. But I don't drive at commute time, so take that with a grain elevator of salt

Here is the "downtown" area: Map of Peyton, CO by MapQuest - Select "Aerial Image" and Zoom in to see the entire town.

[Daniel24]

That sounds about right :P So if we need some groceries and whatnot we hit up Falcon, sounds like a plan. We'll probably just get a fourwheeler that we'll need anyway to haul stuff around the property and attach a plow to the front. Oh and do you have any idea why it looks like nobody has any live lawns? At least at the houses on realtor.com most were dead, is irrigation really expensive or not available out there? Thanks.

[Charles]

I just did a google maps (which I trust for time...it's pretty darn good) and it showed 29.5 miles, and 49 minutes for Peyton to Rockrimmon HP facility. That really sounds right.

Monument gets more snow but it might get less wind, not sure.
Schools in Monument are very good.
Monument is closer to Denver.
Monument is close to the I-25.
Monument, like Falcon, is building all sorts of retail.
Monument, like Falcon is building new schools too.

Black Forest is a neat place to live for horses too.

[TheBeach]

Originally Posted by Daniel24

... Oh and do you have any idea why it looks like nobody has any live lawns? At least at the houses on realtor.com most were dead, is irrigation really expensive or not available out there? Thanks.

You can grow a lawn in the summer, but you will need to use a sprinkler system if you want it to look bright and green. Peyton and Falcon are located in a semi-arid prairie area so those bright green thick lawns require some effort to maintain. It can be done, but it's really not worth it. Chances are you will be on a well, so water cost is determined by the cost of electricity for the most part. There is a housing development named "Woodmen Hills" in Falcon where I lived for about a year (while our house in Peyton was being built), and we were required to maintain a grass lawn. Sometime in March we fired up the sprinkler system and shut it down in Oct if I recall. The grass looked ok during the summer, not that wonderful, and you were always fixing sprinkler heads and getting the adjustments just right. It was also a very small lawn. I can't imagine keeping up a large lawn.

About Monument... I can see the Monument area from my back deck (I'm at 7,300' on a hill) and it's amazing how often I see dark clouds over that area while it's 100% pure sunlight on our little 38 acre spread. They sure look like they get lots more rain and snow than we get.

[dpitts]

The area North of Walmart where the Meridian Ranch, Woodmen Hills, and Falcon Hills communities have addresses with Peyton as the city. I live two miles North of Walmart in Falcon Hills and my address is Peyton, CO 80831. My parents live in Woodmen Hills (two blocks from Walmart) and they have a Peyton Address too. Many listings in Peyton are by the Walmart and Safeway which would be a closer drive to HP then the main part of Peyton.

[TheBeach]

Originally Posted by dpitts

The area North of Walmart where the Meridian Ranch, Woodmen Hills, and Falcon Hills communities have addresses with Peyton as the city. I live two miles North of Walmart in Falcon Hills and my address is Peyton, CO 80831. My parents live in Woodmen Hills (two blocks from Walmart) and they have a Peyton Address too. Many listings in Peyton are by the Walmart and Safeway which would be a closer drive to HP then the main part of Peyton.

The main Post Office for Peyton and Falcon is located in Peyton. It has one Zip Code: 80831. When you lookup Zip Code 80831, you are going to get Peyton as the result. As far as the rest of the World is concerned, 80831 is Peyton. Period. The solution to this is for Falcon to have it's own Zip Code. With all it's growth, I expect Falcon to get it's own Zip Code and Post Office within a few years.

[dpitts]

TheBeach,
Thanks for the clarification. i always wondered why.