The LOWDOWN on Woodland Park??? (sale, to rent, house)

[Amery523]

I have a good friend at work who is now 28, and lived her whole life in WP. She also bought a home there. From her experience though, Woodland Park HS is.....not the best school. When she was a student there the school had a high teen pregnancy rate and drugs were rampant. She would have graduated valedictorian, but instead, decided to take more classes and graduated a year early. Of course this was 10 years ago, but just wanted to say what she told me - so no flames please!!! She still lives there. It's a small town. One Wal Mart, no Target, only a couple bars, it's really going to be a place where people KNOW you at the stores and markets. She also commutes into Colorado Springs for work and has had a couple driving issues down the pass. I agree , WP is a beautiful town and I love eating at the Hungry Bear restaurant, but for me at least, too small for me. I'm a city girl.

[FunBunch7]

Amery,

Thanks for the feedback. Certainly the schools ARE an important factor with my kids being 13 and 10. Where ever we settle we are determined to make it a 7 year committment since thats how long until my youngest will graduate. I went to 22 schools k thru 12 and definitely don't want them to go through that, especially the closer they get to high school.

Ofcourse though, every year one group of seniors leaves school and a fresh crop of 9th graders go in so there will certainly be 100% turn over in the kids that are there now to the kids that will be there when my kids go to high school. I don't expect schools, and the kids that go there ot be perfect by any means...I guess you just raise your kids the best you can and when they go otu into the world you hope they have a good foundation to "just say no" (cliche).

It would be interesting though if some parents of high schoolers could chime in...I think I read a post or two about some...mixed responses though...

[PokerMunkee]

My boss has kids in each school in WP. He is happy with them. In the end, it all comes down to the parents raising their kids with good morals so they can make good decisions.

If all else fails, you could send them to Colorado Springs Christian. They have a campus in WP, but I it only goes up to middle school I believe. They have a shuttle that leaves WP down to the Springs for HS. All of the doctors my wife works with send their kids there, but obviouslly they have the means.

Check this site out for the school accountability reports:
School Accountability Report - School Summary

[FunBunch7]

Thanks Eric

Looks like the Academics are high at WPHS...testament to good teachers and probably smaller class sizes.

[little city max]

Looks like we're headed to Woodland Park the weekend of the 20th and I'm excited! We found a really nice remodeled cabin duplex right by the high school and can't wait to get settled in. Anyone have suggestions for things new residents should check out...any must-see sites? Anything that you'd want to know about if you were just moving into the area?

[FunBunch7]

Good for you little city max!

I'm coming out April 16th and I will definitely be looking at some places in the WP area. I hope to secure one for my move there on June 1st. I think I saw a duplex/cabin type home on Realtor.com the one I saw was a 2 bedroom...

VERY good chance I'll be moving there so maybe we'll be neighbors! Good luck on the move!

[little city max]

Originally Posted by FunBunch7

Good for you little city max!

I'm coming out April 16th and I will definitely be looking at some places in the WP area. I hope to secure one for my move there on June 1st. I think I saw a duplex/cabin type home on Realtor.com the one I saw was a 2 bedroom...

VERY good chance I'll be moving there so maybe we'll be neighbors! Good luck on the move!

Thanks! Good luck on your house hunt and maybe we'll bump into each other soon!

[Americana1st]

Okay, so you're too hot down there in Phoenix, but Woodland Park is going to be a major shocker from Phoenix in terms of (a) cold versus hot, (b) snow versus none, (c) high altitude versus not-so-high , and (d) small-time nuttin-to-do, nowhere-to-go versus at least some sort of action.

Okay no. 2, so you're 'intrigued.' I would definitely advise you to not make Woodland Park your official home. It's more of a place to visit. You know, it used to hold one heckuva VW fest (that's Volkswagen for those not in the know) at Rocky Mountain Motorworks up there, but sadly they closed down a few years back. Has sort of a nice little deli. It's one of those "on-the-way-to" townettes: on the way to Florissant (fossils galore) and Mueller State Park (neato place to picnic, hike, etc.) but you have to pay to get in (I just hate that kinda stuff). We usually trip on up there after we've done a few hours in Manitou Springs, maybe have a bit of lunch. But it just doesn't hold much excitement.

There's really no advantage to living there, I don't think. It's too out of the way. CoSpgs is truly small-town-feel enough, and especially northern area (even investigate Monument and Palmer Lake) that one doesn't need -- unless one wants -- to hibernate that high up.

So vacation and party there first, rent second, and if you still think you can't live without living there, well, of course, go for it. To each his own.

[FunBunch7]

Americana1st

You make some valid points for sure. I've been "tracking" the last few weeks of our activities here in the Phoenix area...we basically go to work, right in the small suburb in which we live, kids go to school, we go grocery shopping, etc...it's all right here in a suburb called Surprise...so we already have "small town" life, it's just that we're right next to a major city.

I do realize the weather will be quite a change for us...but 5 months of 100+ degrees is just to unbearable...my electric bills exceeds $400 per month for a 2,000 square foot home.

I'll be checking out WP the week of April 20th along with other parts of COS. We're pretty simple people but definitely want a change in our life style.

I do appreciate your insight.

[klover26]

FunBunch7,
I currently live in Surprise and moved from Woodland Park last year. I grew up in WP and went to WP schools for all of my education. I graduated from WPHS in 2004 and I would have to say that my eduation from WP was good, I feel that I was well equipped for college and the work place, educationally.

As far as the social aspect goes, yes there is a football team at the high school (we were in the state championship my freshman year) and going to football games on Friday nights was a lot of fun, something I actually miss. One of my main problems with WP is that there is nothing to do for kids, hang out at friends houses, but that's it. There is no rec center, the only swimming pool in the city is at a hotel.

I do believe that the teen pregnancy rate it still high, I have heard of several teens being pregnant since I left. I can't image that the drug usage has gone down or the teen drinking rates. It goes back to kids have little to do and having parents that commute to work and aren't home until late. Your kids would just have to make sure they become friends with the right kinds of kids, just like at any other school.

Hope that helps,
Kristal