Good areas/good schools in CS area please (Denver, Colorado Springs: for sale, real estate)

[Edgar4]

Hi

We are a UK family moving over to the US next spring and one of the areas we are looking at is Colorado Springs.

I would really appreciate any info on good and bad areas.

Like most people we are looking at good family areas without trouble, good schools and houses up to $250k.

Any ideas,

Thanks

[Charles]

Start with District 12, District 20, and District 38 schools.
Use a real estate database to filter on houses in your price range.
Realize D20 and D38 are in the northern Springs and are closer to Denver should you travel there much or ever need to commute there (it is doable).

D20 and D38 do not have a lot of "trouble". I don't know too much about D12 (neighborhoods) except that it is a very good school district too. Too far from Denver for us.

The only negative is if the job is on the far south Springs then the drive from the north Springs can be around 30 minutes or so.

[toxicavenger]

Yeah I second the use of a site like realtor.com so that you can narrow your search down since driving across the Springs could be a long task. But take yur time and if anything rent first and get a lay of the land before you purchase anything.

[love colo summers]

With a $250k budget, you'll really have to compromise on your house in D-20, D-38, and D-12. Yes, those are great school districts, but $250k does not seem to be the target market. If you have trouble finding homes that match your needs in those areas, you may also want to look at D-49. It is mostly a newer, safe district and the schools have improved (including several new schools) over the past couple of years. There are also a few different public Charter School options in D-49.

[froggin4colorado]

One of the wonderful things that I love about our area is that the number of areas that are great, good, and decent to live in out number the bad areas.
Unless you insist on living on the high horse, Springs has so many different areas to choose from. IMO, stay clear of school district 2. That is the bad area. Any other area is fine and within your price range.

[Mike from back east]

My favorite area is Briargate, zip 80920. Schools are D20, family area, good shopping, affordable, friendly and SAFE. Lots to do.

See the photo tour: http://www.city-data.com/forum/color...briargate.html

See the COL SPGS index for more threads on Briargate.

Currently, in REALTOR.com - Real Estate Listings & Homes For Sale for zip 80920 there are 73 SFH's priced btw $175-250K (USD) and these are very decent homes. One example is a 2500 sq ft home with 5BR and 4baths for $217K, which is $87 per sq ft, and would be a steal in many of the coastal cities where prices are 2-4 times that per sq ft.

[Edgar4]

Hi Mike from back East,

Really great pics thanks for posting them again.

[Amery523]

Also wanted to mention there are some homes in zip codes 80918 and 80919 that are also D-20 schools. The prices will be a little less than the newer parts of Colorado Springs. Older, established neighborhoods, lots of trees, streets full of kids - good for when your kids are looking for someone to play with. Just also know that portions of 80918 and 80919 go to D-11 schools. So if you are set on D-20 schools, include 80918 and 80919 in your search but pay close attention to the school district. We live in 80918, go to D-20 and love it. The bus stop is next door to my house, and is the same stop for elementary, middle and high schools!

[AaronMoore]

You can permit in to other districts as well here. North side of D-11 has the better rated D-11 schools and it is next door to D-20 where the top rated schools are. You may want to look at what foreign language you want your kids to take. Most elementary schools offer only one language although often they do have immersion options. For the French language, Academy International Elementary (IB, D-20) offers an immersion track from 1st grade on (Kindergardners get 3-5 French classes a week). There is also a new elementary school in D-20 that offers Mandarin Chinese from 1st Grade up.

$250K can get you a decent sized older home (D-20 has mostly newer homes) in D-20 (10 yrs old, 2800 sq.ft). You can also get brand new luxury townhomes in that range for D-20. Much more space than you may have had back in the UK.

[squarebiz23]

My coworker recommends Caravan Tours - Escorted tours and all-inclusive vacations with tour operators. for renting.

sb