Possible move to Colorado Springs in January (Fountain, Fort Carson: new house, safe neighborhoods)

[khuneycu]

Hello all. My husband is getting out of the Army after 13 years of service. I am a registered nurse. We have two little girls ages 4 and 6 and a Dalmatian. After living away from home for so long due to the military life (north Georgia for me and San Diego for my husband) we are used to being far from home and are looking to resettle somewhere else. We need an area with military bases (for the government civilian jobs my husband will be applying for), safe neighborhoods, and a great school system for our kids. Obviously Colorado Springs meets all of those, and the mountain setting is a huge plus for me being a mountain girl (although the Apppalachians are where I grew up!) Can anyone give me pros and cons of Colorado Springs life? Any advice? Looking for info on good schools, neighborhoods, hospitals (for me to work), driving distance to the military bases, family activities, hiking trails, anything and everything you can think of. Thanks in advance!


Little more info: We are a very active family, outdoor enthusiasts, I have been very much into hiking for years, my husband is a cyclist, and we are both runners. I am 29 and my husband is 35. Our budget would be around 350k for a house and we would like at least a 3 bedroom/2 bathroom with a large backyard for our kids and dog!

[otowi]

I think you'd be fine just about anywhere in the city. The type of home you want is also all over but newer construction tends to have smaller yards and a lot of the new construction on the NE part of town might be pushing your budget. There is some really nice new construction in Fountain you might like and you'd have great commutes to most of the military stuff aside from AFA. I think a lot of the civilian high security clearance jobs are at Schriever or the Cheyenne Mountain Air Base, but of course we also have Peterson, Fort Carson and the AFA. There are several hospitals in town - I the newest and largest is around Powers and Woodmen. Hiking is all over but you'll be closer on the west side of town. For school districts, a lot of people like Academy District 20, but others often mentioned are the Lewis Palmer district, Cheyenne Mountain district, and Doherty or Coronado or Palmer in D11. Lots of military families like the schools in Fountain D8 and Widefield D3. Nothing bad to say about Manitou D14.

[abcdefg567]

The Springs sounds like a great area for you!

Just off the top of my head... Briargate, Banning Lewis Ranch, Stetson Hills, Springs Ranch or somewhere West.

You should also be aware that most of us have to join a private fitness center or go to YMCA run centers to swim or for recreational purposes, unless you're in a community with one.

Security Widefield has their own recreational facilities.

We are a similar demographic, but with younger kids. Initially we chose Springs Ranch in 80922...it's extremely similar to Stetson Hills in 80923, which sits on top of it. Banning Lewis Ranch and some other new places will be behind the two, to the East. It was really quiet and friendly. There's a trail that runs through some of the neighborhoods called Sand Creek & we had two parks and a large gravel track with some other pathways. D49 schools...they seem okay. Lots of military, retired military and then everyone else.

However, it is a 30 minute drive to the Zoo, Mountains and other attractions which we frequented. When we bought another house, it wasn't here because of this.

Briargate is further north. Good school reputation, options for housing, very family friendly. It might be further from the bases though. I'm not sure...but it's a nice place with some nice parks.

West Side is closer to the mountains & Downtown. We looked at a place called Rockrimmon last year. It was really nice and possibly cooler and less windy. Close to Garden of the Gods.

The hospital otowi mentioned is St. Francis Medical Center. I delivered there in March. It is newer and nice... It does have a Catholic theme I believe. There's another one in Briargate and one Downtown I think, plus the military has its base ones I've heard.

There's so many options.

So you want a new house? If not what house age? What type of school ratings? How close to mountains?

[abcdefg567]

Originally Posted by abcdefg567

The Springs sounds like a great area for you!

Just off the top of my head... Briargate, Banning Lewis Ranch, Stetson Hills, Springs Ranch or somewhere West.

You should also be aware that most of us have to join a private fitness center or go to YMCA run centers to swim or for recreational purposes, unless you're in a community with one.

Security Widefield has their own recreational facilities.

We are a similar demographic, but with younger kids. Initially we chose Springs Ranch in 80922...it's extremely similar to Stetson Hills in 80923, which sits on top of it. Banning Lewis Ranch and some other new places will be behind the two, to the East. It was really quiet and friendly. There's a trail that runs through some of the neighborhoods called Sand Creek & we had two parks and a large gravel track with some other pathways. D49 schools...they seem okay. Lots of military, retired military and then everyone else.

However, it is a 30 minute drive to the Zoo, Mountains and other attractions which we frequented. When we bought another house, it wasn't here because of this.

Briargate is further north. Good school reputation, options for housing, very family friendly. It might be further from the bases though. I'm not sure...but it's a nice place with some nice parks.

West Side is closer to the mountains & Downtown. We looked at a place called Rockrimmon last year. It was really nice and possibly cooler and less windy. Close to Garden of the Gods.

The hospital otowi mentioned is St. Francis Medical Center. I delivered there in March. It is newer and nice... It does have a Catholic theme I believe. There's another one in Briargate and one Downtown I think, plus the military has its base ones I've heard.

There's so many options.

Do you want a new house? If not what house age? What type of school ratings? How close to mountains?

*ETA, there's also a one year old Great Wolf Lodge further north. It's next to a couple other family attractions.

Anything along Powers will have close access to shopping, movies, miniature golf, and lot of restaurants.

We ultimately chose to live further west to be closer to the highway, Downtown, the Zoo (we have passes lol) the North Pole and stuff like that. The traffic isn't bad, but the further East you go, the longer it takes to get to all that.

Good luck!