Woodland Park, Colorado (Colorado Springs, Pueblo, Columbine: apartment, rent, mortgage)

[dwtatty]

Heather,

Don't panic. We are consider WP and have done extensive study of the area. I too read previous posts about the schools and was concerned. You should speak to some parents of kids there. Call any of the local churches or the Chamber and they will put you into contact with them. I came to the conclusion that the drug situation is the same there as anywhere. As a parent, particularly of a new student to the area, you need to be vigilent and know who your kids are hanging out with. If the parents are involved in the kids life the chance of bad choices are dramatically diminished. As for indoor fun, I"m told that the Wal Mart tax revenues are going to fund an indoor pool, racket ball courts, etc...Heather, we hope to see you there by next summer. Enjoy your self!

[zone8Heather]

Thanks for that post! It helped tremendously. Seems like a lot of people are considering a move to this area. It would be neat to start a thread for WP newbies. I look forward to making a lot of new friends once there! I appreciate the reassurance.

[Maynerd]

Originally Posted by zone8Heather

....but I am worried we will all be bored out of our minds now. I personally love snow as does my family and we do everything together as a family i.e. hike, fish, sled, ski, explore, play games etc.... Someone please tell me something positive.

If you do those types of things, there's absolutely no way you'll be bored in Woodland Park. If you want a little more than the small town has to offer, the Springs is just a short drive away. You're gonna love it.

[beam steering]

We live near Woodland Park and have two elementary school age kids and we absolutely love it up here. The people who have written negative things about this area probably didn't belong up here. Living up here is certainly not for everyone and I know plenty of people who would not like it here. Likewise, living in New York City or Los Angeles is not for everyone either. We like it up here and find that most of the people who live up here also like it and choose to live here. It is uncrowded, traffic is not a problem, the air is very clean, the scenery is spectacular, the people are not packed and jammed up here like sardines, and almost everyone up here is very very friendly. The people can be sophisticated but not pretentious. Both my wife and I have graduate degrees and have met plenty of people up here with similar backgrounds. We have found that the elementary schools are very loving and nurturing and the teachers are passionate about their jobs. Most of the teachers live up here in the same neighborhoods as their students and are very dedicated to the students and feel a strong tie to the community. We have found that most of the teenagers are polite, respectful, and make eye contact. We have our kids signed up for dance, swimming lessons, gymnastics, Sunday school, and piano lessons and most of those activities are close by. There are plenty of things to do up here.

As for the schools, we moved here from an area of the country that has some of the best test scores in the nation. The rankings were significantly higher than any of the schools in Colorado. Yes that area we moved from had outstanding academics but it was over competitive, the people were unfriendly and nasty to each other, there is immense pressure on the kids and many of the kids wound up on antidepressants, and it seemed like most people were generally unhappy. The art and music programs were cut or shortened in favor of math and science and it seemed like the teachers had only one thing in mind...test scores.

Welcome to Teller County. I'm sure our kids will probably cross paths in school and activities. Send me a private message and I'll be more than happy to give you more positive details.

[zone8Heather]

Thank you all for your kind and helpful comments and advice. So excited to get out there!

[MySkreenName01]

My family and i are thinking of moving to woodland park,coloardo but have some questions.

1. in the winter on average get about 41 inches of snow. are they large storms or a lot of small storms. is driving tough to get around? (up&down the mountain)

2. how is the high school on a scale from 1 to 10? ( 1 being basic 10 being advance??)

3.would you say the town is getting over crowed (or well be in few more years)

4. for work i would have to drive to the springs . how is the job market? ( i am a carpenter)

we are from the east looking for a quite & safe small town to raise a family.
any input would be helpful.

thank you

[braytonra]

I am hopefully relocating to Woodland Park...I have an interview at Woodland Park School District on January 17th. My fingers are crossed because I've wanted to live here for quite some time. If all goes well, I will be moving the 3rd week of January. Can anyone suggest rentals?

Randy

[Charles]

Couple of good WP webcams are on this page

http://www.utepasscams.com/woodland-park-webcam.html

[zone8Heather]

Braytonra,

Where are you living now? The way we found a rental was by going to craigslist colorado springs and searched Woodland Park rentals. There are also a lot of real estate agents that handle rentals and several nice condos/apartments in the area. The local newpaper always lists quite a few homes for rent. Currently there is a brand new, three bedroom, three bath house in a new subdivision listed for $1400 mo. That is the high-end, plenty for less than that. That particular home is very close to the high school. I think the Courier View and Teller County Extra is where you will find a nice place listed.

Woodand Park is gorgeous! Best of luck to you!

Heather

[mcpherli]

Originally Posted by braytonra

I am hopefully relocating to Woodland Park...I have an interview at Woodland Park School District on January 17th. My fingers are crossed because I've wanted to live here for quite some time. If all goes well, I will be moving the 3rd week of January. Can anyone suggest rentals?

Randy

Good luck to you, Randy! I finally got my Colorado state license to teach there then my husband quit getting calls for interviews. Now we've put our move on the back burner. We're remodeling our kitchen here in Frisco, Tx. I think it'll help with resale if we do decide to move.
If we get a great opportunity for my husband and his software development field we'll definitely pack up and relocate. At least I'll have my licensing taken care of to teach. I'd love to teach in Woodland park. Everytime I checked out their website they never had any teaching positions available. Keep us posted on everything. How exciting for you....