Manitou Springs (Colorado Springs, Woodland Park, Victor: apartment complexes, condos, new home)

[dreamboatannie953]

I'm wondering if anyone can tell me about Manitou Springs? It looks so pretty. How is it living there? Thank You

[MMichelle]

Manitou Springs is a wonderful town. It's a town independent with it's own government, adjacent to Colorado Springs. Manitou Springs has a population of about 5,000. In Manitou Springs you get the best of both small town living - with a real city next door. Manitou Springs is school district 14 - very small but very good schools. All kinds of housing - from turn of the century to new homes - it's a huge variety. Most that live in Manitou Springs would not consider living anywhere else!
I lived in Manitou Springs for 9 years - I miss it and wish I could move back!!

[mtngigi]

dreamboatannie - do a search on these threads and you'll find many posts about the quality of life in Manitou Springs - there's tons of information here. It's wonderful living here ... go check out those posts.

Originally Posted by dreamboatannie953

I'm wondering if anyone can tell me about Manitou Springs? It looks so pretty. How is it living there? Thank You

[Grampa Too]

Watch that you carefully follow all traffic laws. They socked us $25.00 for being more than a foot from the curb, with wild estimates of the front of our Kia Rio being 26 inches from the curb, and the back 27 inches from the curb. Before we pulled away we noted that our car was no farther out in the street than the larger vehicles parked in front and behind it. While I was paying the fine, another man walked in to pay $15.00 for being 20 minutes over the three hour limit.

[otowi]

Manitou has character. For example, the coffin races, the ghost tours, Patsy's Taffy, the penny arcade, the "healthful" spring water, etc. The spring water is famous, in the old days people thought it was curative, but it tasts pretty bad. However, my grandparents used to fill jugs with it and use it for making Kool-Aid or lemonade - I want to try that because I could see where that might taste rather interesting! The side streets can be nuts - windy, small, hard to navigate if it snows - but not all of them are that way. It is known as a Wiccan capital of sorts, if I recall, but you can't really tell just hanging around town aside from a bit of a "hippy" vibe. The main street or two of town is touristy. There are some very nice restaurants there, schools are fine, parts are fine, and Colorado Springs is very very close, Woodland Park is close, too.

[froggin4colorado]

I can tell you that the schools are slightly behind the times and the teachers are the lowest paid in the area. Being behind the times is good and bad depending on how you look at it. For example, the HS doesn't lock its doors like you would expect which in turn could make security an issue. Additionally, I saw classes taught a lot like when I went to school in the 90s. The school is smaller so you are closer to your classmates. I like a variety of things about Manitou schools and there are things I don't like.
As far as living there, it is pretty but I couldn't live with those yards/hills or lack of a yard.

[Fullback32]

I lived in Manitou for a year when I first got divorced. It is a neat little town with its own vibe about. It definitely has character and characters. One thing to be aware of, though, is that is is a relatively expensive place in terms what you would pay for a house there versus the size of the house. You can get a lot more for your money living somewhere else. Generally, if you also need a larger house or wish a modern home, you will be hard pressed to find one. Actually, forget about modern homes for the most part. There are some modern condos there, but they are not inexpensive. There are some larger homes there, but they are old and definitely not at bargain proces. If you are after apartments, there are NO modern apartment complexes there. Generally, the apartments have been sliced out of some of the old Victorian homes, more suited to students, musicians, artists...oh and guys who just got divorced ...not really multi-family types of places. Just some things to be aware of.

[Terry Finkley]

I first moved to manitou springs in 1990 from broomfield co. which is between denver and boulder co. I could write a small book about the west side of colorado springs. mainly to say that manitou springs is a very sacred place to all of the native americans all over the southwest. so sacred that they only went there to worship and for the healing springwater. they did not live there. long story it is a desecration to be there in vain. the energy there is intense. not for the faint of heart . more later