Woodland Park, Colorado (Denver, Colorado Springs, Columbine: relocating, real estate, job)

[braytonra]

Thanks for all of your support Heather and Mcpherli...I am moving (if I get the job) from Des Moines. I did check out Craigs list and that was really helpful. I know that teaching positions are very hard to come by, unless you get into Special Education, but this postion I'm interviewing for is for Technology Admisistrator. Again, I thank you for your responses. Now, I can just cross my fingers!

[kimH]

We have lived in Woodland Park for the past five years. My husband and I are both mid 30's and have spent most of our time living in major cities across the US. For 5 years I have been commuting down the pass to COS to work M-F and I even have to travel to the eastern edge near Powers. The commute is lovely most days. There are about 5-10 days per year where the weather is treacherous and the snow plows can't keep up. Otherwise it's a beautiful drive and with minimal traffic, unless some idiot goes off the ledge, causing a back up, I spend about 15 minutes more commuting than my co-workers who commute from Stetson Hills.

The only thing we complain about is the lack of good restaurants up here. However, I really think that is changing and within 2-5 years this town will see a Chilis or similar start to spring up.

The short summers are the best. Living up here gives you a closer head start to get camping or off to some great nearby town. I don't know the "small town" feeling others refer to - guess because I spend most of my days down in the Springs. Many days it's beautiful in Woodland Park and then I decend down through the clouds to the gray, wet weather below down in COS.

Overall the only thing we see really lacking up here in Woodland Park - is some night life and better restaurants without having to head back down to the Springs.

[ultra100]

Both my wife and I are retired. We live in a "snow belt" in Northwestern Pennsylvania with an average snowfall between 130-250 inches of snow per winter. We would be quite happy to have less snow, more sunshine, a growing season of more than 90 days, and reasonable apartment rent. Is Woodland Park the place or is there a nearby small town that has all the above but not the crowds??

[Mike from back east]

Ultra100, IMO, WP is not the place for you.

Look up Canon City / Pueblo in the index of threads and check out the stuff we have on that location.

[Todd TCE]

Originally Posted by kimH

The only thing we complain about is the lack of good restaurants up here. However, I really think that is changing and within 2-5 years this town will see a Chilis or similar start to spring up.

While I find Chili's acceptable, I harldy think of it as a "good restaurant".

Actually if you had lived there nearly 30yrs ago as I did, we had a couple of them. The most well known: Williams on north 67. Very little left of it today. "Fine dining" and a Sunday brunch. Not five star but way ahead of the time for the town. How do I know? I was the chef/kitchen manager.

[dwtatty]

Here are some concerns my bride has about moving to WP, especially since we now live in a large metro area where one can pretty much do anything anytime. Any help with these would be appreciated:

1. What activities are there for a stay-at-home Mom to do while kids are in school AND how far away are they?

2. Do you have to go to Colorado Springs for "good shopping"? How far to the malls?

3. My two elementary school kids are into year round soccer (indoor and outdoor). What opportunities are there for soccer in and around WP (excluding the Parks and Recreation League which I already know about)? Again, do you have to go the CO Springs for this?

4. Soccer -- if you have to go to the Springs, does anyone have name/telephone number of places I can call to talk to about possibilities.

5. Are exercise trails around town "safe"?

6. Here the junior high kids often go to the mall and watch movies......what do they do in WP for entertainment? Very concerned about the "bored small town kid syndrome".

Thank you all for your help.

[txallycat]

Hi KimH,
Thanks for the info on the commute to COS from WPK. We've lived in COS for 14 months now, renting, and are considering buying a house in WPK. Just the two of us and our two cocker spaniels, no kids. My husband is an architect in COS. It sounds like WPK may be the place for us as we really don't care much for big cities. COS is nice, don't get me wrong, but it's definitely big city and so sprawled out it can take you 45 mins to get from one side to the other.

My questions about WPK are: do you, or anyone else on this thread, know if WPK home prices are over-inflated like those down here in the Springs? It's frustrating to look at home around 200K that are trashed from mortgage walkers who were angry at losing their homes. 200K in Texas, where we moved from, would buy a huge, beautiful house in most suburban areas. Here, they aren't much to look at and often need alot of fixing up. We did find that WPK houses in our price range usually had 1/3 acre or so to go with them, much better than the almost zero lot line homes in COS in that price range. My other question is: after living in the Springs for over a year now, would you advise we rent up there for a year or so before buying a home? That's what I'm reading on other threads.

Thanks for any and all help y'all can give me.

[lol i luv calie]

Originally Posted by blinky

Can anyone tell me, I am very interested in the Woodland Park area. Not so much the "in" area but the more woodsy area.
When there is snow, do they clear the path to the main street? I have never lived in snow before so I don't know how much I need to take care of.

I would appreciate some help from you.
Thanks

there sometimes is a lot of snow and they clear the main roads but not usualy where u live. remember to clear your drive way. every once
in a wile u will get snowed in where u cant go to work especialy if your job is in colorado springs...

[TheEricHarris]

Hello!

I have a job interview in Cripple Creek sometime this week, working for one of the casinos. The person I interviewed with on the phone said most of the people live in Woodland Park and is a 30 minute drive to CC. Does anyone make this commute?

What is the best web site to find houses? I'm used to living in a big city, so Woodland Park sorta scares me. I assume WP gets more than the 42" of snow COS gets a year, since it's a few thousand feet higher in elevation?

My fiancee is a RN, so she would most likely be commuting to the springs for her work.

Oh, is there cable TV/Internet? Or does everyone have a dish? What's the high speed Internet like?

I have a feeling I might be getting a winter beater or a new daily driver, since my RWD Pontiac GTO will not be ideal for this commute 5 days a week

[ryanek9freak]

Isn't your SN the same as one of the Columbine shooters? That might not go over well here.