Moving to Colorado Springs Manitou Springs (Colorado City: car rental, apartment complexes, renters)

[refractedillusions]

Hello All! We are moving from the Midwest to Colorado Springs or Manitou Springs area in September. I have read a bunch of Pro's and Con's about living in this area through all the great responses on the City Data Boards. There are several questions that I still haven't been able to find, if you would be so kind to respond.

-How is the Public transportation system in the area. Can you get by without a car?
-Radon in apartment rentals. Is this a big issue in the area? Do renters have any rights with this?
-Can you get to all the public trails via bike or walking? How many months of the year can you access the trails in the area.
-How is the crime situation? Are there any particular areas to avoid while renting?
-How much would utilities run (water, sewer, trash, electric) run on a 1 bd apartment with 2 people. If you can find them paid for? Is paying for these utilities the norm as an exception.
-Any apartment complexes that are good and bad to narrow a search?
-How is the healthcare system for both private and Veteran facilities
-As a veteran do you know of people in the veteran healthcare system and how good or bad is it.

I know this is a lot of questions to ask but thanks in advance for your response!

[dr.frog]

Phew, that's a lot of questions. I can't answer the questions about apartments or veteran's healthcare, but....

Not having a car in this area would greatly limit where you can live and/or your mobility. The city is very sprawled out and the public transportation system is pretty weak. If you want to try it, try sticking with one of the older and more walkable neighborhoods, like Old Colorado City. Pay attention to where the stores and services you need are -- e.g., there is no supermarket in Manitou Springs, the closest one is the Safeway in Old Colorado City. You'd probably end up having to take a cab a lot, or getting a daily or weekend car rental once in a while. We don't have ZipCar here.

There are a lot of "public trails" in this area. How far are you willing to walk/bike just to get to the trailhead, and with how much elevation gain? The lower-elevation trails are mostly clear of snow in the winter since it melts quickly anyplace that gets sun, but for winter hiking be prepared to find snow/ice on north-facing slopes and at higher elevations. Some of the access roads (e.g., HIgh Drive) do close in winter, and others can be pretty scary. FWIW, where I live on the west side, the most accessible trails are Bear Creek Park (trailhead right in my neighborhood, mostly snow-free in winter), Red Rock Canyon (trailhead off US-24, sometimes snowy), and North Cheyenne Canyon (often snowy in winter).

[refractedillusions]

Dr. Frog,

Thanks for taking some time to explain this information. Yea the livable points with access to trails, public transportation, and amenities was a concern. After looking at the CoS transit site I got that impression. Again thanks for this valuable input

[mogon]

Most of your questions have been responded to many times in other threads in the last year; you would find a search helpful.

Originally Posted by dr.frog

...Not having a car in this area would greatly limit where you can live and/or your mobility. The city is very sprawled out and the public transportation system is pretty weak. If you want to try it, try sticking with one of the older and more walkable neighborhoods, like Old Colorado City. Pay attention to where the stores and services you need are -- e.g., there is no supermarket in Manitou Springs, the closest one is the Safeway in Old Colorado City. You'd probably end up having to take a cab a lot, or getting a daily or weekend car rental once in a while.

Concur. Uber and Lynx are also available and are pretty cheap. The Uber app will let you do fare estimates so you can get some idea, say, of Manitou Springs to the nearest grocery.

[refractedillusions]

This is all great information thank you. Dr. Frog the Old Colorado City was precisely what we were looking for and fits all our needs. Never knew about it and that is perfect! I hope we can snag a place in that area.

[otowi]

-How is the Public transportation system in the area. Can you get by without a car?
It could be difficult.

-Can you get to all the public trails via bike or walking? How many months of the year can you access the trails in the area.

They are accessible year round, but depending on where you are going, there are times when it would be unwise to go on certain trails without appropriate gear like snowshoes or ice spikes. There are hundreds of trails, and it would be hard to say you could access all of them via bike or walking - in theory, yes, you can, but they're spread out over many miles, so where you live will make a big difference.

-How is the crime situation? Are there any particular areas to avoid while renting?
Crime isn't a major concern. Most people suggest avoiding SE parts of the city for renting, but many find that area fine as well - just depends on where you're coming from, etc.

[YoYoSpin]

Radon...it's normally only an issue if you have a basement, and then, maybe 1 in 10 homes here in the Front Range area will have a high reading. It shouldn't be a problem at all in an apartment, and you'd be 100% safe if you're on a 2nd floor or higher. Radon gas "leaks" in through cracks or holes in the foundation, and since it's heavier than air, tends to "pool" in low spots...no contact with the ground = no problem.

A high Radon reading can be easily mitigated for around $700 to $1200

[allprolab]

They actually do a better job clearing the major bike/pedestrian paths of snow than they do the streets. (Pikes Peak Greenway, Shooks Run Trail). There are designated bike lanes on the roads all over town but more friendly near the center of the city. Some are even "Bike Boulevards" and have a nice wide bike lane. Soon the Legacy Loop will be finished and there will be a complete loop around the entire city.

[jaz0003]

-How is the Public transportation system in the area. Can you get by without a car?
Pretty minimal public transit. You can get by with a bike and public transit though, but live on the westside.

-Radon in apartment rentals. Is this a big issue in the area? Do renters have any rights with this?
do not know

-Can you get to all the public trails via bike or walking? How many months of the year can you access the trails in the area.
Yes, but live on the west side or downtown. You can ride for miles on a bike on the urban trail system. Just avoid way east rentals, you are way too far from the mountains and it is car country out there.

-How is the crime situation? Are there any particular areas to avoid while renting?
Pretty save, avoid southeast and parts of Austin Bluffs/Academy area

-How much would utilities run (water, sewer, trash, electric) run on a 1 bd apartment with 2 people. If you can find them paid for? Is paying for these utilities the norm as an exception.

-Any apartment complexes that are good and bad to narrow a search?


-How is the healthcare system for both private and Veteran facilities
private is good, Veteran, new clinic is built.

-As a veteran do you know of people in the veteran healthcare system and how good or bad is it.

[refractedillusions]

Thank you all for your input! Based on these answers you really helped us hone in where we needed to be and settled on Manitou Springs and have a application in Process. After visiting Manitou we fell in love with it and so excited to be moving to Colorado and spread nothing but good vibes.