From So.Cal to Colorado Springs? (Denver, Manitou Springs: appointed, home, to buy)

[treedonkey]

Originally Posted by hiromi813

love colo summers - thanks! We are planning to visit before we make our final decision - I just wanted to get some idea's of which places to check out before we schedule the trip. Thanks for your suggestions.

Treedonkey - 1. I wear flip flops, but I'm a jeans and t-shirt kind of gal - so the not being able to wear shorts its a plus for me, since I die in the heat wearing jeans. 2. Music isn't an issue. There are plenty of radio players on the internet (www.pandora.com) which let you choose the artists you like or the type of music you like and stream it as long as you leave it on. Since we'll both be working from home, I don't think we will driving THAT much. 3. We are outdoorsy and prefer hiking over going to the beach. I don't do well in the sun (I burn easily). 4. Being Japanese, I do have my fair liking for sushi, but I won't die without it. We love trying new foods and exploring the unknown! 5. I don't want people to care how "cool" i am. That is what we are trying to get away from. Always having to prove yourself or living up to "OC" expectations. I get a hard time for driving just for being asian! I don't shop at Trader Joe's...in fact...i've never even been! As long as there is a supermarket that sells food, that's fine.

The whole reason why we have decided between Colorado and Oregon was because we have heard that it was more laid back and had a lot of nice mountain views, hiking spots, and friendly people. Which is exactly what we're looking for.

Thank you for listing the reasons of the differences...I really appreciate it. Especially from someone who has lived here and now lives there. It really helps.

Okay, with those attitudes, you'll probably do fine...on the music thing, I meant more the association with people of differing tstes, not so much the access to music, since as you pointed out the internaet and mp3 players make that a non-issue.

Oh, and whoever thought point #1 was ridiculous - it's not - I've heard more than one CA or FA transplant seriously complain about NEVER being able to wear flip-flops outside here. It's a pretty big part of culture for a lot of people in those warmer climates. Anyone who has lived there understands what I mean.

As long as you're willing to get outdoors into the plains and the mountains year-round, regardless of weather, you'll probably love it here, as do I.

[treedonkey]

Originally Posted by vfrpilot

As far as areas for larger lots, if you like trees look at the north end of COS, Black Forest, Monument, and Palmer Lake.

VFR is from Monument, so I'm sure he knows the area, but just to clarify, there are few, if any, large (1+ acre) wooded lots left in Palmer Lake proper, that is in the 'village/glen/lakeview heights areas. If you're talking about Red Rocks (unincorporated PL to the south), Perry Park (to the north) or around Elephant Rock (to the east) then there are plenty, but not likely within the $300k range.

[LadyBookWorm]

I live in the Black Forest and most lots are on five acre tracts. My neighbor trains Bernese Mountain Dogs and our area is great for walking dogs and riding horses. We are also are very near to Woodmen road and Powers road where you will find a Petmart and a Petco for your pet supplies. In the Black Forest we also have a feed store that offers pet foods and hay for horses. We do get more snow up here, but in the summer it is green and beutiful with wildflowers. Our school district is Academy D-20 which has excellent schools and good resale value on your home. If you can forget Starbucks, we have an excellent Black Forest coffee shop with great flavored lattes and the family that runs it also makes homemade baked goods. We have a few houses for rent in our area due to the slow economy, so you might try renting first to see how you like the area. Good luck!

[vfrpilot]

VFR is from Monument, so I'm sure he knows the area, but just to clarify, there are few, if any, large (1+ acre) wooded lots left in Palmer Lake proper, that is in the 'village/glen/lakeview heights areas. If you're talking about Red Rocks (unincorporated PL to the south), Perry Park (to the north) or around Elephant Rock (to the east) then there are plenty, but not likely within the $300k range

.
Yup. Those are areas I had in mind. I wasn't even thinking of the tiny area within the actual town. There are very few, if any acre lots in Monument proper also. The larger lots are almost always in unincorporated areas surrounding Palmer Lake and Monument. We looked at a bank-owned fixer-upper in Arrow Wood(Monument) on 2.5 acres. Asking price was around 200k. I don't know what it sold for last year.

[reginhild]

I was going to suggest that there are some homes off of Woodman Dr. that fit your description with 1 acre+ lots but they are likely much higher than $300K. I was looking for a lot to build on in D20 when I first moved here. The lots that were still available to the public between 1/8 and 1/4 acre were all over $100K.

[toxicavenger]

maybe I am just one of the weird ones but I wear flip flops almost all summer long and in the spring time.

[lalahartma]

Originally Posted by toxicavenger

maybe I am just one of the weird ones but I wear flip flops almost all summer long and in the spring time.

Like many people do in the Springs! And in the fall and winter!

[heididawg]

Coming from CA you should probably go to Denver or Boulder!

[heididawg]

I don't think Colorado Springs is the place for you coming from Southern CA. Please try Denver or Boulder as it is much more diverse and liberal.

Originally Posted by hiromi813

Hi Everyone!

My boyfriend and I are planning to move out of California. We have lived in Southern California (Orange County) for our whole lives and frankly...we are just sick of all the materialistic crap and being so close together (living in a townhome). My boyfriend has a job that is allowing him to work from home (if we move). And I just stated my own e-commerce business. We are looking for a single family home with a good amount of land...we are really looking forward to being able to step outside and have privacy.

We are looking for a 3 bed/2 bath home hopefully with at least a 1 acre lot. I hate to admit it, but I am very used to being able to walk my dogs to starbucks 3 miles down the street every morning and being 5-10 minutes from food, post office, shopping, etc. So I am assuming finding a home with that much land will be close to impossible?

We have never been to Colorado, but have been thinking about moving out of CA for quite a while now. I have been talking to a friend who lived in Atlanta, GA and traveled quite a bit around the US when he was looking for a place to move. He ended up moving to Taos, NM. But he highly recommended Bend, OR and Colorado Springs to us.

Anyways, I was hoping that someone could possibly name some places that fit our description? We would prefer a dog-friendly neighborhood and maybe close to hiking?


Thanks in Advance!!!

[CS-Urbanist]

Downtown Colorado Springs is for you! Manitou Springs is for you! Old Colorado City is for you!

Suburban Colorado Springs is good for no one... They can keep their conservative crap out there, but the rest of the town would welcome you with open arms!