I'm not sure COS is for this New Englander - help me out. (Colorado Springs: houses, neighborhood)

[reginhild]

OP, JViello, you still around?

[lalahartma]

The three New Englanders I work with love it here. They've been here for years tho: NH, MA and CT.

[tfox]

Originally Posted by TughillTina

Most homes are on top of each other. You will have to look on the outskirts of The Springs. Look at Black Forest or anywhere along US 24 West (Ute Pass) both places have trees. Not hardwoods remember Colorado is a dry climate so coming from New England you will be disappointed with the fall. Taxes are much better in Colorado than the North East so you will not have such a burden on you. Good luck and I am also a SAHM.

If you think the lots are small in COS, try Denver! The reason for all the small lots is water, in short. Water is precious here, and water rights are somewhat difficult to come by (unlike bast east, where you can pretty much take water rights for granted). We get a lot of people on city-data asking about whether they can buy a rural quarter section and build on it. You CAN do that in theory, but water is a big issue, as is zoning (which is strict BECAUSE of water issues).

If I were you, I'd look into Black Forest. I think most easterners would like that area, with its old-growth ponderosa pines, mostly lots of 0.5 acre up to several acres. It's also cheaper than most of the northgate area. Just do your homework on well & septic because that's what you have up there for the most part (though there are some utility co-ops for some properties).

Taxes in El Paso County are some of the lowest taxes you'll find anywhere in the country, so you should come out way ahead on that end.

As for your question about food diversity, there is some but not a lot by northeastern standards. Denver is a different story -- Denver has large ethnic supermarkets from every country under the sun (everything from Syrian to Korean). In Colorado Springs, you'll find some smaller ethnic stores scattered around town and a reasonable sampling of ethnic restaurants, (there are a few ethnic cuisines, like Iranian food, that are inexplicably better represented in Colorado Springs than Denver).

[Curious in CT]

Yes, I do agree about Black Forest....it will totally remind you of home being in the forest. It's quaint and has its' own appeal. And if you like deer and horses, there are plenty abound. It does seem a little colder because of all the shade from the trees....but you're obviously used to that. And snow seems to stick around a lot longer as well, but us New Englanders know what that's all about...and it's not "dirty snow". It's all back country roads through there and lots are much larger than your typical tract lots. In Black Forest you won't find any tract homes. All the visitors I've had from back home (CT) seem to always comment on how they like Black Forest. I too had that first reaction when I drove through it. I'm about 2 minutes from Black Forest and anytime I make a trip to the northern section of COS, I take that route because it's so nice. And because Black Forest is sooo large of an area, you can be close to highways, or removed from it all.

And to comment on your wife not having to work, it's very doable. I don't have to work and I'm in about the price range of house that you are seeking. I have two kids with one on the way. I would never be able to stay at home if I stayed in CT. The taxes are ridiculously low. My mortgage is about 60,000 more than it was in our previous home in CT and I only pay $100.00 more per month...that's taxes and insurance included. We are about to refinance to a lower interest rate and we will be paying $60 less than our old CT mortgage. My gas bill at most will reach $90 in the winter/mo and drop to about $25 for the rest of the year/mo. Electricity is a joke....I pay between $70-$90 on average/mo for a 2,600 s.f. home. Gasoline is cheaper, milk is cheaper and so on and so forth.

You truly don't need a big peace of property, in my opinion, because you won't want to be home all the time. There are so many parks and nature walks. It's not the mentality of back home where your yard is your personal playground and you never have to leave....the whole state is that way out here. We enjoy leaving and going places and admiring all the nature and sights. Our kids still can play catch in the backyard, our dog can run around and we have many a firepit in the summer roasting marshmallows. I do wish we had more lakes and rivers and such out here, but the mountains are a very good replacement.....and you don't have to live near them to enjoy them as they are in your face every single day. Hope this helps.

[lalahartma]

Originally Posted by tfox

If you think the lots are small in COS, try Denver! The reason for all the small lots is water, in short. Water is precious here, and water rights are somewhat difficult to come by (unlike bast east, where you can pretty much take water rights for granted). We get a lot of people on city-data asking about whether they can buy a rural quarter section and build on it. You CAN do that in theory, but water is a big issue, as is zoning (which is strict BECAUSE of water issues).

If I were you, I'd look into Black Forest. I think most easterners would like that area, with its old-growth ponderosa pines, mostly lots of 0.5 acre up to several acres. It's also cheaper than most of the northgate area. Just do your homework on well & septic because that's what you have up there for the most part (though there are some utility co-ops for some properties).

Taxes in El Paso County are some of the lowest taxes you'll find anywhere in the country, so you should come out way ahead on that end.

As for your question about food diversity, there is some but not a lot by northeastern standards. Denver is a different story -- Denver has large ethnic supermarkets from every country under the sun (everything from Syrian to Korean). In Colorado Springs, you'll find some smaller ethnic stores scattered around town and a reasonable sampling of ethnic restaurants, (there are a few ethnic cuisines, like Iranian food, that are inexplicably better represented in Colorado Springs than Denver).

I thought the small lots were due to greedy developers.

[Maynerd]

Lots are generally smaller than you're looking for, but you can find a house that's not right on top of your neighbor. The park and open space program here is fantastic, and you can get to an open, wooded area pretty easily from almost anywhere in town. So, just because it's not literally in your backyard doesn't mean it's not there.

As for food, you'll do fine. There are a ton of people out here who won't set foot into a restaurant that's not a chain, and they have no idea what they're missing. We have a very nice availability of locally-owned, fine dining restaurants, including a lot of Mom-and-Pop ethnic establishments. Indian, Thai, Vietnamese, Moroccan, Mexican, you name it. Seafood? Sorry, not since Palapa's closed last summer. The locals actually think Red Lobster sells good seafood.

As for foodie issues with grocery stores, Whole Foods has a grocery up on North Academy Blvd, with a very wide selection of odd-ball produce. Better still, since Whole Foods opened, a lot of other grocery chains have graetly expanded their produce and seafood sections to stay competitive.

I've lived in a lot of places. I chose to stay here when I retired from the military. I don't regret that decision a bit.

[reginhild]

Originally Posted by reginhild

OP, JViello, you still around?

I think the OP is gone - no word heard on thread or PM.

[gimme it]

A question about Black Forest: Are there any areas that have a neighborhood feel or are most of the houses there very isolated?

[gimme it]

Originally Posted by reginhild

I think the OP is gone - no word heard on thread or PM.

Well this thread is very interesting to this East Coaster so your responses were NOT in vain

[Katiana]

Originally Posted by lalahartma

I thought the small lots were due to greedy developers.

I don't know why the lots are so small here in Colorado. They are small by both NE and midwestern standards, especially in the suburbs. Certainly, a developer can build more houses on smaller lots than on large lots. in many communities, the minimum lot size becomes the maximum. It is hard to maintain a yard here. Lots of reasons.