Moving to COS: (Apartment Recommendations, neighborhoods, things to know)

[Wittgenstein's Ghost]

My wife and I rented our first house here for $1200 back in 2016-17. It was a great 2/1 in Old Colorado City that had been renovated and was on a great street. Unfortunately, I think those days have disappeared, even though it was just a few years ago. I just looked on Zillow, though, and I did see a few small houses or duplexes for rent in the $1300 range that were in good areas. Nothing fancy, but pretty good. Personally, I think there are better options in the house/duplex market than the apartment market in this price range.

As far as neighborhoods go, COS is very diverse in terms of vibe:

Old Colorado City: Pretty liberal, old houses with some charm and some junk, pretty safe, walking distance to some shops, near downtown. A bit of a hippie vibe, definitely doesn't feel like the burbs. We loved it, but some would hate it. In many ways, it feels like its own mountain town.

Downtown: Generally speaking, north of Uintah is nicer than south, but that's not always true. Downtown is great, but it's quickly becoming expensive. Can change street by street. Is definitely more liberal than most parts of town.

Powers and Briargate: I've put these two areas together because they share a lot of similarities. If you have ever spent significant time in a new-ish, nice suburb in a big city, this is the closest thing COS has to that. Most shops and houses are new, for better or worse. There's a big selection of restaurants, and for the most part, they will lean more toward the chain side of things than downtown or the west side will. If you like nice, new suburbs, these areas are worth a look. They are further from the mountains (particularly Powers). This is a much more conservative area. Most northern suburban areas fall more or less into this description.

Cheyenne Blvd: This is a pretty pricey area, but you might find someone renting a guest house at a reasonable price. This is one of my favorite parts of town. It is very close to tons of beautiful trails and Cheyenne Canon, and it really does feel like you are "in the mountains" more than anywhere else in town. It's somewhat near the Broadmoor, but the feel can change quite a bit between Cheyenne Blvd. and Lake Ave. Lake is super uppity and wealthy, whereas Cheyenne Blvd. has a very different feel (although it is getting quite expensive).

Falcon and Peyton: Semi-rural exurbia filled with tract housing. Appeals to some people, though. Super far from the mountains.

East COS & up Academy: There's a big swath of COS that was built out in the 60s and 70s and mostly features generic housing and dated strip centers. That's not to say it has no appeal. There are some very nice neighborhoods (South of Palmer Park, near the country club) and some just okay ones. These are mostly pretty safe areas, and there are some new-ish developments in there as well. The area with the King Soopers at Austin Bluffs and Academy is one example. This is a totally fine part of town, if a little unremarkable. There's a big mix of restaurants, and you'll find both chains and local places. It's closer to downtown than Powers or Briargate, but it's also older, and depending on the area, might not be as well-kept.

Those are the main places people consider. I personally wouldn't look anywhere in the southeast quadrant (east of 25, south of 24) or down in Fountain or Security.

[Sonic_Spork]

Originally Posted by Mike from back east

You will love the dry air in COLO SPGS, the view of the mountains and the relative ease of getting around compared bigger cities.

Now, as far as the moving process goes, here are some thoughts:

If you hire a mover you really need to insist on a BINDING estimate, that way you know exactly what the move will cost, up front, with no surprises at delivery time.

There are plenty of horror stories about people who hired a low-bid mover, without getting a binding estimate, and at delivery time they're told they need to pay thousands more or else their goods will not be delivered, i.e., you have to pay ransom to get your stuff delivered. Stick to the major van lines like Bekins, United, etc, and get a binding estimate.

I'd also insure everything for full value; it only costs a bit more. Otherwise the industry standard is to pay about $1.25 per pound for damaged goods.

If this is a corporate relo they should know these things and make arrangements on your behalf.

I was in the business of moving the household goods of military personnel on a worldwide basis; we spent well over $1B year to do so, and that was back in the 1970s when $1B was real money. I've a ton of horror stories about bad moves by low-bid movers. Having moved a few times myself I will never hire a no-name, low-bid mover.

With only an apartment-sized amount of belongings it's often best to do it yourself, I've done that a few times too.


Some useful threads:
- Should I hire a long distance mover, or buy new furniture after moving?
- Cleaning out the house before moving.

Just wanted to thank you for this.

I've been trying to think about what it's gonna look like when we have to plan our move to Phoenix late 2021 and while I have moved many times, never have I done something like this. We will need people to load and unload our things, and to truck it from here to there. I can't even get a ballpark price estimate at this point. I have no idea what to expect, and it's frustrating. Every website insists you give them your contact info and get like an official quote, and I don't want to be harassed for the next year and a half by a moving company and whoever they sell my phone number and email to. Ugh.

OP, I agree with most of what has been said about housing here. I live on the north side now, off the Academy corridor not far from Vickers and I really like it up here. Also, I've noticed that they are building tons of new housing and businesses up in the Interquest & Voyager area, I have no idea what the pricing is like up there, though (I'd guess it's on the high side.) While it is near the megachurches and I don't know how you feel about that, I've got to say that while I'm quite atheist and not into the church thing, I've never felt bothered by any of those folks. I don't feel much of a religious/conservative vibe, it's just regular ol' America, everybody living their life and going about their business.

I would love it if you kept us updated about your process and how things go. I think that when you plan your move, we're still going to be seeing some effects from the virus situation, and I really wonder how that's going to affect something like a relocation. My son and his girlfriend are planning to move into their own place fairly soon, and they found that the complex they were looking at actually raised their prices recently...which is the opposite of what I'd expect in these times. Best wishes, and best of luck to you!