Pueblo West, What's the deal? (Fountain, Fort Carson: crime, how much, house)

[McGowdog]

There are some decent homes on the north side, but those folks spend big bucks making it not look like a trailer on the prairie.

If you don't plant a tree, you won't be given one. If you don't plant a bush, you won't have one. If you don't lay down rock and do some kind of xeriscaping, your property will look shabby. This stuff costs money and many folks on the north side seem to think weeds and dirt and broken down campers and unused boats make good landscaping.

Then there's the retired folks next door who have a nice landscape and they work their asses off to get and keep it that way.

Just seems to be less of a transient community on the south end.

The 45 minutes is to the airport. Maybe only 30 to FFC. Maybe close to 45-50 on the south end to ffc.

[awhee066]

It's funny because I've heard exactly those things several times about the lack of care of their yards. Hmm, well thanks for the thoughts. I will check it out in a few weeks and post an update

[Mike from back east]

To "live in the middle of nowhere" with a commute under an hour and get a decent place for $250k is going to be hard to do.

Your wish list needs to be pared down. I will offer my suggestions.

Forego living out in the boonies on acreage.

Get a home in the Fountain area where you'll be among many soldiers and civilians who work on Fort Carson. The dogs and parrot will be fine there. Board the horse at a stable. The short commute will save you enough gasoline money to pay for the horse boarding. If you are like my sister, who loves her horse as much as she does her family, leaving the horse behind is not an option for you, but boarding it out is a solution.

Homes out yonder are well and septic situations which can be expensive if they go bad. Water is scarce here and Colorado water laws here can be very restrictive of usage and must be thoroughly checked before you buy a place out on the prairie which is all you can afford for $250k as mountain property will be double that or more.

So, live in Fountain (a good place) with the dogs, parrot, city utilities, job proximity, shopping, eats, and board the horse nearby. IMO that's the best deal you'll get for your price point, but if you want to be out in the wide open spaces be prepared for a long commute - you won't be the only one doing it.

[Josseppie]

Originally Posted by Littlekw

No, Aurora, any town surrounding Denver and most of Colorado Springs is your typical suburb. Pueblo West is actually a neat place to live. I have a couple of friends that live that way and I enjoy visiting them. While PW might be the suburb of Pueblo, it's not the same suburban hell that dominates the majority of the Front Range. It's just better.

Fair enough I have to agree with you.

For years I had wanted Pueblo to grow like the cities up north but recently I have really looked at what they have become and I do not like it. Sure they have the population but I had always thought the growth would look more like Boston not LA. Honestly 200,000 people is a nice size region with little to no sprawl.

[Idunn]

My apologies for overlooking your need to commute to Fort Carson on a regular basis. So a location southwest of Pueblo probably not advisable.

However, another idea—and even closer to Fort Carson than Pueblo West. CO 115 runs between Penrose at US 50 to Colorado Springs. From about the Beaver Creek State Wildlife Area it fronts the foothills of the Rocky Mountains. Between this wildlife area and Colorado Springs are a good number of small roads leading into what appear dispersed residential areas in these foothills. Such a location could well provide the space and privacy desired, yet in fairly close proximity to Fort Carson and the attractions and services of Colorado Springs.

A possible downside I cannot speak to would be cost. Some of the higher priced real estate in Colorado lies along the Front Range in the foothills, allowing a mountain setting with relatively easy access into town. Then also, mountain living often entails private wells and septic systems, a lack of city services, and perhaps roads not plowed as one might expect.

Anyway, a possibility.

[Mike from back east]

Earlier today I checked ppar.com for that area along CO-115 and found nothing in the $250k range, save this one foreclosure for $289K that is sold "as is" by the bank. Does have 40 acres, who knows what damage has to be repaired to make it livable.

I got a kick out of this warning note on the listing: "Access to property is quite difficult and will require a sturdy 4-wheel vehicle at best. Please call listing agent before attempting. Stream runs through property."

Everything else that came up on the property search was 2-3 times the $250k budget.

Here's one in Penrose that has 4 acres, some water shares and is in the price range but is not out in the middle on nowhere.

[awhee066]

Okay, let me rephrase, I'm from the city, so to me, Pueblo West is pretty much in the middle of nowhere. The last thing I want to do is live in a neighborhood like Fountain, etc. I want at least a little privacy even if it's only an acre. If Pueblo West it literally that bad that people think I should live in Fountain or some neighborhood with houses packed together, I would rather rent, work in Colorado until I can transfer elsewhere where it is I can actually get some breathing room. Plus, I would not pay 200k or 250k for a house in Fountain that I would rather never have.

I would gladly make the drive from Pueblo West, it's no different than the commute I have now. The last thing I want, is to be 5-10 min away from a military base.

Plus for the price of a average house in Fountain, I could get a nice house with an acre + in Pueblo West. I don't know, it just doesn't make sense to me based on my values to buy in a neighboorhood in Fountain or Colorado Springs when that is something I don't want to do.

Maybe this area isn't for me. Either way, I'm checking it out in 3 weeks with crushed dreams of ever leaving the packed areas of the military community.

[Josseppie]

Its a little bit father drive but the suburbs east of Pueblo or the county is a great place to live. Its more rural with farm land and feels like it is still in the 1960's. Might want to give it a look.

[McGowdog]

Most people up the Front Range from us think little of Pueblo County due to limited resources anyway, so there is that.

[Josseppie]

Originally Posted by McGowdog

Most people up the Front Range from us think little of Pueblo County due to limited resources anyway, so there is that.

Let them think that. We have most everything they do minus the sprawl.