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Old 11-17-2009, 11:24 AM
 
Location: texas
23 posts, read 90,302 times
Reputation: 16

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We are selling our house and getting out of Texas.
Need to find a town where our daughter - 15 and us can walk -- to the library, bank, school, post office, movies, etc...

What are the best areas -- I am self employed and work from home and my husband is microsoft and comp-tia certified computer support person who will be looking for work.

We need a town with a GOOD HIGH SCHOOL - our daughter is taking college-level course in 10th grade, walk-around neighborhood and something we can afford.

Our joint income averages about $65,000 so we are not talking big city/luxury but convenience and safety.

any help would be appreciated.

thanks!
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Old 11-17-2009, 11:59 AM
 
Location: Bend, OR
3,296 posts, read 9,654,314 times
Reputation: 3343
Quote:
Originally Posted by eastofdurango View Post
We are selling our house and getting out of Texas.
Need to find a town where our daughter - 15 and us can walk -- to the library, bank, school, post office, movies, etc...

What are the best areas -- I am self employed and work from home and my husband is microsoft and comp-tia certified computer support person who will be looking for work.

We need a town with a GOOD HIGH SCHOOL - our daughter is taking college-level course in 10th grade, walk-around neighborhood and something we can afford.

Our joint income averages about $65,000 so we are not talking big city/luxury but convenience and safety.

any help would be appreciated.

thanks!
Well, of course Boulder comes to mind, but your income will be difficult to live off of in Boulder. You might look into Fort Collins/Loveland (HP used to be there, not sure if it still is), Littleton (near old town area), or Golden. All of these communities are walkable, but you will still need a car in general. You might also consider the Western Slope communities, such as Grand Junction, Montrose or Delta, but your husband may have trouble finding work. In general, Colorado is much more expensive than Texas.
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Old 11-17-2009, 12:07 PM
 
26,121 posts, read 48,732,001 times
Reputation: 31522
Look into downtown areas of COLO SPGS. Up on Weber and Wahsatch and the cross streets, up near Jackson Street and Penrose Hospital. It is possible to walkaround there, including a Safeway and other local businesses and it's a flat walk or bicycle ride to the downtown and a ton of shops and eateries.

It is School District 11, and I think the HS would be Palmer High, there in the downtown. However, Colorado has something called School Choice which means she could go any HS that has room for her, but YOU have to transport her to that school.

Fair amount of hi-tech here supporting the Army and Air Force.
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Old 11-17-2009, 03:24 PM
 
Location: texas
23 posts, read 90,302 times
Reputation: 16
Thanks for the replies so far.
i had Arvada in mind -- maybe Ft. Collins and Colorado Springs.
Since we plan to rent not buy -- I am thinking it can't be that much can it for a 2 to 3 bedroom apt in a walking-distance area?

Rents here in San Antonio - not cheap like they used to be - 1 br can run over $700 with 3 bedrooms 1200.00
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Old 11-17-2009, 03:42 PM
 
Location: texas
23 posts, read 90,302 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Mike from back east View Post
Look into downtown areas of COLO SPGS. Up on Weber and Wahsatch and the cross streets, up near Jackson Street and Penrose Hospital. It is possible to walkaround there, including a Safeway and other local businesses and it's a flat walk or bicycle ride to the downtown and a ton of shops and eateries.

It is School District 11, and I think the HS would be Palmer High, there in the downtown. However, Colorado has something called School Choice which means she could go any HS that has room for her, but YOU have to transport her to that school.

Fair amount of hi-tech here supporting the Army and Air Force.
awesome! we have a truck and an SUV - just sick of "surburban life" where you have to drive EVERYwhere.

My husband does tech support for the military now through a contractor - so maybe he can find work on the base(s) pretty readily. that and having my daughter have freedom and autonomy to get out and go places are my biggest priorities other than safety and good schools of course.
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Old 11-17-2009, 07:49 PM
 
Location: Bend, OR
3,296 posts, read 9,654,314 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by eastofdurango View Post
awesome! we have a truck and an SUV - just sick of "surburban life" where you have to drive EVERYwhere.

My husband does tech support for the military now through a contractor - so maybe he can find work on the base(s) pretty readily. that and having my daughter have freedom and autonomy to get out and go places are my biggest priorities other than safety and good schools of course.
Don't get too excited before you actually see Co. Springs. It's pretty urban/suburban and you will rely heavily on your vehicle to get you around. Notice Mike says it's possible to walk around, not that it's a walkable community. There is a difference. Many of the suburbs in the Front Range are possible to walk around, but people don't, hence it's not very walkable. Nothing like being a speedbump for people in a hurry to grab their starbucks!

I would seriously make a trip out to Denver with the intention of figuring out which communities are walkable. Plan on staying as close as possible to the community or communities your considering (I don't know much about Arvada) and try not to use a rental car (or your car) unless it's for something major, like getting to the airport. Then you'll decide if it's walkable.
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Old 11-17-2009, 08:02 PM
 
Location: Foot of the Rockies
90,316 posts, read 120,202,031 times
Reputation: 35920
Quote:
Originally Posted by eastofdurango View Post
Thanks for the replies so far.
i had Arvada in mind -- maybe Ft. Collins and Colorado Springs.
Since we plan to rent not buy -- I am thinking it can't be that much can it for a 2 to 3 bedroom apt in a walking-distance area?

Rents here in San Antonio - not cheap like they used to be - 1 br can run over $700 with 3 bedrooms 1200.00
Those rents are similar to rents in the Denver metro area.
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Old 11-17-2009, 09:15 PM
 
Location: Greeley, Colorado
631 posts, read 1,570,421 times
Reputation: 165
well from the info given here it seems like LONGMONT (22 miles north of DENVER) is the perfect place for you! i'm currently a senior in highschool at Longmont High and LHS is one of the BEST High Schools in the state! i've been taking college level classes (locally called AP) since my sophomore year and so for it's been paying off greatly. Longmont in general is a cheap, easy to navigate, and open small city with plenty of employment options (especially in the high-tech industry with Seagate, Xilinx, and IBM within proximity to the city). If you need any more info feel free to ask!
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Old 11-17-2009, 11:20 PM
 
Location: texas
23 posts, read 90,302 times
Reputation: 16
Quote:
Originally Posted by delta07 View Post
Don't get too excited before you actually see Co. Springs. It's pretty urban/suburban and you will rely heavily on your vehicle to get you around. Notice Mike says it's possible to walk around, not that it's a walkable community. There is a difference. Many of the suburbs in the Front Range are possible to walk around, but people don't, hence it's not very walkable. Nothing like being a speedbump for people in a hurry to grab their starbucks!

I would seriously make a trip out to Denver with the intention of figuring out which communities are walkable. Plan on staying as close as possible to the community or communities your considering (I don't know much about Arvada) and try not to use a rental car (or your car) unless it's for something major, like getting to the airport. Then you'll decide if it's walkable.

we are definitely going to look before we leap - we just spent several days in the Pittsburgh/Squirrel Hill area and LOVED it -- can't find one thing bad to say about it other than very brutal winters.

as far as colorado springs what about up by Mitchell High School and just west of there?
that looks very townsy...

how about Aurora? i hear that's pretty convenient, good transportation, etc..
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Old 11-17-2009, 11:56 PM
 
18,622 posts, read 33,188,568 times
Reputation: 36922
If there's work in Pittsburgh/Squirrel Hill, housing is very very cheap. Pittsburgh is culturally way further ahead than it used to be, and the hills make for a rather scenic setting. Yes, the weather is very Midwestern- cold winters, humid summers. But you can't beat the housing costs. (I lived there a long time ago, and kept track of a friend who stayed there. Squirrel Hill was always desirable).
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