Moving to Pueblo from Colorado Springs (Denver, Pueblo West: 2010, apartments, rentals)

[greenleafster]

I am seriously considering a move to Pueblo from Colorado Springs. I have been in the Springs for 16 years. I am a licensed cosmoetologist and a full-time college student. In the Spring of 2010 I will be attending CSU-Pueblo and I will be there for at least 3 years. I have 3 children, elementary and soon to middle school. Rents are a lot cheaper in Pueblo and I know I could rent a house with a yard for as much as I rent a crappy apt in the Springs. I feel hesitant because of what I have heard negative about Pueblo from Colorado Springs residents. Also, It is way smaller than the Springs and I don't want to have to come up to the Springs every week for shopping and nite life. I have been to Pueblo many times over the years and it does seem old but the vibe is good. I want a change but I do not want to leave the state. I do not want to go from the 'frying pan into the fire' so to speak. I have things set up pretty good here in the Springs but I really need a new scene. I like to shop at Mexican grocers and go to 'El Baile'. I don't know what the scene is in Pueblo. I am going down tomorrow to check out some rentals and a job. I really would like if someone could offer any information,positive or negative, whatever. Schools, shopping, restaurants, nite life, neighborhoods....

[Josseppie]

That is a broad question. I would suggest you look at this thread that I have on Pueblo then if you have any questions feel free to ask here or there...

http://www.city-data.com/forum/color...-colorado.html

As far as the local gorcey stores, Pueblo has some great mom and pop ones. In fact I have my favorites that I go to all the time.....

[mpsgirl]

We live in Pueblo West and my husband commutes to Ft Carson every day. I suppose it's a sort of "happy medium" between the two. I didn't really want to live all the way in Pueblo myself but Colorado Springs was definitely more expensive for the housing we wanted. There's plenty to get by on down here, no need to commute to the Springs for groceries or household goods. I'm not sure how old you are, but personally, if I was looking for active night life, I'd go to the Springs. Pueblo strikes me as more of the "old hometown" type place. I'm sure there's plenty to do here that I haven't discovered yet (all in due time) but I definitely don't go for want of anything down here.

While I personally prefer the atmosphere of downtown Springs as compared to Pueblo, I absolutely hate driving up there, and we've been able to get everything we need here so far. There are a few things I am finding I have to go to the springs for at the moment, but it's all nominal and things that can wait.

Where we live in Pueblo West, there's not really a "neighborhood" per say, more like just one big community, but I like the open feel out here. We know the neighbors close to us and have gotten on quite well with some of them even. While we don't have kids ourselves, many of them do, and all the kids play out in our street together without problems really. The nice thing is that we don't really have much for traffic like you might more in the city of Pueblo.

Plus, if you're looking to stay for a long time, you might even be able to warrant buying a house out here as opposed to renting, for near the same cost. We got a great deal on our house and Pueblo West is really growing pretty nicely. I think Josseppie has been in the area quite a while (?) and could probably attest to it's growth. There are quite a few nice new shops and stores coming in with a lot more growth already planned. Property values around here are definitely going to see a nice rebound with the anticipated growth out here.

I can't speak for the schools, with having no kids, but there are plenty of nice little restaurants, and in general, all the people out my way seem to be very down-to-earth and friendly which was really important for us when picking a place to live.

[Josseppie]

Pueblo West has grown a lot in fact my mom lives in Pueblo West and I went to kindergarden thru second grade at Pueblo West Elementary School and back then it was the only school in town. Now they have their own high school. Its current population is about 35,000 to 40,000 and will max out at 60,000 unless they annex more land. The only draw back to Pueblo West is its not very walkable other then that its nice

[mpsgirl]

That's definitely true. It's not walkable at all really. No sidewalk easements have been put in, and I haven't called to find out if/when any will be put in in certain neighborhoods. Our road isn't paved (though it's not as dusty as one w/ think w/ the crushed aggregate they've spread). But, unless you're walking for leisure, you'd probably end up driving anywhere out here anyhow.

I was under the understanding that there is still quite a bit of land available, but at current, a lot of it has been frozen at 5 acre lots at the smallest. There are plenty of 1 acre lots that have yet to be built on, but they're not allowing the rest of the land to be broken down smaller than 5 acres at the moment? And from what I recall reading somewhere, it took a lot of convincing in the first place to allow land to be split even into 1 acre lots? Not that I really want to see this area looking like NE Powers in the Springs.

[Josseppie]

That is true although that is one reason you see Pueblo annexing other developments now because the city does not want another Pueblo West. A good example is Pueblo Springs, the city was worried that Pueblo Springs would be like Pueblo West and that was a driving force behind the city annexing it. In order to do so the city has told them they do not want it to be so spread out and in fact will be more dense then even the Denver Tech Center.

[SoCoYippie]

When it comes to selling Pueblo, I'm all about the food. BEST FOOD IN COLORADO - BAR NONE! Yes, Denver is probably better if you consider wider array of ethnic/high society type cuisine, but for inexpensive comfort food, Pueblo is the place. I lived in Springs for four years and the thing I missed most about Pueblo was the food. It was reason one, two and three!

The reason I mention it is because Pueblo's society and nightlife is centered a lot around food. We have so many festivals here, and the Riverwalk is a great "Main Street" for this community. And the bars here are great (if you like laid back, corner taverns to get a beer). If you like clubs, Pueblo is TOTALLY NOT YOUR PLACE! Great thing is, you can drive to Springs and hit Rumbay every once in a while to get your fix!

We live in Pueblo West, too, mostly because it is a happy medium. Inside the city, some of the neighborhoods are checkered and there is a chance to be caught in a "bad neighborhood" if you're not careful. In Pueblo West, there aren't any bad neighborhoods (unless you live in the apartments near Purcell!), and it's a great adjustment area for Springs folks, as there is quite a culture shock coming from Springs to Pueblo. Springs is so "yuppie" and Pueblo is so not yuppie, but very working class. Pueblo West is a good mixture of both -- kind of like Springs without the sprawl and the pretense.

Good luck!

[mpsgirl]

Originally Posted by SoCoYippie

We live in Pueblo West, too, mostly because it is a happy medium. Inside the city, some of the neighborhoods are checkered and there is a chance to be caught in a "bad neighborhood" if you're not careful. In Pueblo West, there aren't any bad neighborhoods (unless you live in the apartments near Purcell!), and it's a great adjustment area for Springs folks, as there is quite a culture shock coming from Springs to Pueblo. Springs is so "yuppie" and Pueblo is so not yuppie, but very working class. Pueblo West is a good mixture of both -- kind of like Springs without the sprawl and the pretense.

Good luck!

My sentiments exactly. That is pretty much the reason we decided definitely to move out here. The selling point for us though was the cost of property. For a comparable house to the one we bought, in Falcon would have cost us more than twice what we paid, and here we were able to get an acre of land. Up north we would have been lucky to get 1/3rd of an acre.

[LLWheeler]

First time poster. I lived in Belmont (East High grad) from '78-'83. My mom is still there. Try to get home once a year. Would recommend that part of town, if you're looking for a place to rent - plus it is close to the CSU. I lived in Colorado Springs very briefly after college. To be quite honest, I would rather live in Pueblo - hands down. I truly believe that Pueblo is Colorado's best kept secret (ssssshhhh). I have seen a huge transformation in that town that blows me away everytime I return. It's not just a nostalgia thing with me, but it really feels like home - so much so that I see me moving back when I retire. Good luck with your search.