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Old 07-17-2009, 11:54 AM
 
46 posts, read 164,605 times
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Contractor/Carpenter and Homeschooling Mama looking to relocate.

We are looking into moving to C/S or the manitou springs or fountain area.....

We are from upstate NY and have been looking at C/S for awhile now.

We are finally planning a trip to visit to see which 'neighborhoods' we might like....

Here are a couple of my questions... ANY help or advice would be great. I'm trying to learn as much as I can about the area before we dive in.

First --- can someone summarize the difference between mannitu springs ,fountain, and colorado springs for me.. weather.... size... type of people.... stores... culture....

We want to live a little bit 'out in the country' but be within a half hour drive to colorado springs because that seems to be a great place where everything is happening!!!

My husband is a contractor/carpenter (works for carpenters union) and has built us 3 houses on the side.... He would need a job similar to that once we get there, are those jobs plentiful or are they few and far between??

I am a homeschooling mom of 2 kids under age 5 who is VERY interested in the strong homeschooling community of colorado springs (or so it seems from what I've read... have yet to see it or talk to someone about it though)... so my question is... how common is homeschooling, percentage wise.... are there really plenty of free charter schools for my children to attend so that they will have some social interaction and be able to play sports??

Lastly, is there a website I can look at to tell me how much property taxes are for this area??

I have an excellent real estate link so my real estate questions are now answered!!


Thanks in advance for the information. I'd love to hear from someone who has been living there for 1 year... and from someone who has been there 30 years.... Everyone's perspective counts.... so FEED ME with information ...

THANKS --- Amanda

Last edited by CA****4; 07-17-2009 at 01:19 PM.. Reason: found the answer to one of my questions already, thanks
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Old 07-17-2009, 11:59 AM
 
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First off - It's Manitou Springs...

Also, you might try searching the forum a bot for most of those answers first.

I'll let others take it from here.
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Old 07-17-2009, 12:19 PM
 
Location: Virginia
1,938 posts, read 7,106,156 times
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And I will add that it is impossible to find that much land in Manitou. Manitou is set against the hills/mountains and so homes are built into the mountain...so little to no yards at all. You are lucky if you have a sidewalk! Its usually just house and then street. We often refer to Manitou to as hippieville...lots of arts and culture.
If you want that much land, please look in Falcon or Divide, or Hanover. I don't think you will find what you are looking for in that price range though. Look through Colorado Springs Real Estate - Official MLS Listings - PPAR.com for available homes/land. I see there are two modulars for sale that fit your critera but a good hour away from Colorado Springs. If you are willing to forgo the acreage, than there are lots of homes available.
I am a public education sped teacher and yes we do have a decent sized home school population. Often we have home schooled students come and participate in specials. There are also groups that get together weekly so their kids can play and do other projects.
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Old 07-17-2009, 12:50 PM
 
46 posts, read 164,605 times
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Default 5 acres... 1 acre.... price for 4 bedroom home??

I THOUGHT it was Manitou... but every time I saw it in a search it was spelled mannitu.... Guess I should've stuck with my instincts.


Thank you for the quick information. Good to know about the land thing. I can surely give up having that much land... it was just a matter of if it were available and common or not... and your answer about the house and 'maybe a sidewalk' pretty much sums up what I'm looking for and what I can expect to find.

Thanks for the link, I'll go check it out now.

Any more information would be great.. Maybe I should ask the question..


"how much might it cost me to buy a 4 bedroom stick built house (not manufactured home) near Colorado Springs or Manitou Springs?"

"are manufactured homes more common than stick built homes?"

I could start with a manufactured home and possibly build another home on the same property. We had a house fire once in a manufactured home and I am a little nervous to live in one again....

Is 5 acres common to own? Or is it pretty much less than 1 arcre per home...... ?

THANKS

~ Amanda
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Old 07-17-2009, 01:16 PM
 
Location: Virginia
1,938 posts, read 7,106,156 times
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I am curious, why Manitou? I mean its a nice street to stroll but to live? I would also check out Woodland Park and Divide. Mountain living, trees, beautiful COLORADO! Falcon puts you on the plains.
Yes, less than an acre for homes, unless you are in Falcon or Divide. Again, use Colorado Springs Real Estate - Official MLS Listings - PPAR.com
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Old 07-17-2009, 02:40 PM
 
6,807 posts, read 10,454,887 times
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Manufactured homes are not that common here compared to, say, the south. However, they are more common for rural areas. Manitou is not rural and I doubt there are many, if any, manufactured homes there. In Manitou I don't think you will find one acre or five acre. May 1/4 acre - unless you have millions of dollars to spend. It is a close-living city because it is tight foothills. If you want land, you'll need to head higher into the mountains or head east in the Springs and beyond. In Springs and Fountain, there are acre lots to be found but again that is not the norm. In Fountain and Falcon and maybe heading way north into Douglas County I think you can find some 5 acre lots. In the mountains or way out on the plains you can have as much land as you want depending on how much money you have and how far away from civilization you want to be.
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Old 07-17-2009, 10:17 PM
 
Location: Colorado Springs, CO
1,570 posts, read 5,974,399 times
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I've lived in the springs for 29 years. I lived in Manitou Springs for 9 years.

Manitou Springs is a Historic town with a population for just over 5,000. The hippies have been gone since the early 70s. Manitou has just about every type of housing from homes built in the 1800s to 2000. Even in the real estate turn down Manitou has some of the most expensive real estate in the region. Contrary to previous posts - a traditional yard is not all that uncommon. (Check out Crystal Hills) However, Manitou Springs is not a rural town.

If you are looking for a more rural setting you will want to look toward Fountain / Security area. Perhaps further east in the "Falcon" area.

Mfg homes are available but unless you are going way out east of Colorado Springs I wouldn't advise it. They simply do not hold resale value and are held with a low view in this region. I do not advise it.

Hope this is of some help.
Best wishes.
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Old 07-18-2009, 02:56 AM
 
16,433 posts, read 22,134,819 times
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Personaly I wouldn't want to raise kids in Manitou Springs unless you want them to be exposed the "free-spirited" ways embraced by many of the residents there. With that said, I am one of those bothersome conservative Christians, so weigh my advise with that in mind. I wouldn't mind Manitou Springs if I didn't have impressionable children to factor into the decision making.
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Old 07-18-2009, 06:14 AM
 
46 posts, read 164,605 times
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Default Thanks, We want to stay away from the plains

The more we learn about CS, we have concluded that we want to stay away from the plains.... and head more west of CS into the mountains. We need trees to feel at 'home' and the windy factor of the plains isn't too exciting for us.

My next question is this... how are the roads maintained in the winter? I know the blizzards get drifts over 5 feet (as I've read in the forums) and people can get snowed in for days but I wondered if this was something that happens often.....

If we were to move to divide... woodland park areas... how reasonable is it for us to get to CS during snow storms? It seems we would have to go through the mountain to get there.....


Also could someone compare the winters in fountain/security and divide/woodland park area to a winter here in upstate NY (humid muggy rainy slushy icy freezing rain type winter)

Thanks everyone.
This forum is so much more helpful than other ones I've visited!!!
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Old 07-18-2009, 08:05 AM
 
Location: Colorado Springs, CO
3,331 posts, read 5,941,174 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by CA****4 View Post
The more we learn about CS, we have concluded that we want to stay away from the plains.... and head more west of CS into the mountains. We need trees to feel at 'home' and the windy factor of the plains isn't too exciting for us.

My next question is this... how are the roads maintained in the winter? I know the blizzards get drifts over 5 feet (as I've read in the forums) and people can get snowed in for days but I wondered if this was something that happens often.....

If we were to move to divide... woodland park areas... how reasonable is it for us to get to CS during snow storms? It seems we would have to go through the mountain to get there.....


Also could someone compare the winters in fountain/security and divide/woodland park area to a winter here in upstate NY (humid muggy rainy slushy icy freezing rain type winter)

Thanks everyone.
This forum is so much more helpful than other ones I've visited!!!
The pass (US 24) between Woodland Park or Divide and CS is kept pretty clean during winter storms. That being said, having a four-wheel drive is up there is a really good idea. While down here, folks can get away with a good front-wheel drive car, it is generally 10 degrees colder up there and they get a lot more snow than CS proper. Additionally, the pass is naturally all down hill, and yes, you do have to go through the mountains.

Do the the blizzard-like storms happen often? Mmmm....not really. But some winters are milder than others. It certainly isn't like Buffalo, NY or anything here. Spring/Fall are the times most likely to see ice storms, but they are pretty rare. In the nine years I've lived here, I've seen one. During winter itself, the snow is very dry. It often just drifts off the road depending on wind conditions. When it accumulates, it packs nicely and with a four-wheel drive AND cautious driving, it is pretty easy to get around. Sometimes the sun will melt the top layer, refreeze overnight and make it more hazardous.

To be honest, IMO, the biggest problem with winter driving here isn't the snow itself. Generally, you can count on it snowing and it melting away by late afternoon or the next day. The biggest hazard are the boneheads who do not seem to understand that you cannot drive on this stuff like on a normal day or the ones who do not get that four-wheel drive does not mean four-wheel stop. Rear-end collisions seem to be the most common.

Last edited by Fullback32; 07-18-2009 at 08:15 AM..
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