New chapter, need advice (Denver, Colorado Springs: extended stay, fit in, apartment)

[Samantha in CT]

Would the Colorado Springs area be a good place for a 40 year old single women? I would at some point love to have a family but as of right now that is not the case. I currently live in a shoreline community in Connecticut where the winters are kind of brutal and the snow sits on the ground for weeks at a time. I am not a fan, I've lived here almost all my life and I'm over it. One of the things that was appealing to Colorado was not only the lower cost of living and the beauty of it, but then the snow seems to melt fairly quickly, at least that's what I've been told? I enjoy outdoor activities hiking, photography, but I also enjoy being social, live music, and nice restaurants. I will have around $250,000 for a house and I work from home. Any particular areas I should be looking at? I enjoy having a house with the yard but I don't want to be too far away from things like shopping, activities, etc. I'm also not much of a city girl so Denver didn't seem like it would be a place I would want to explore? But I haven't been there yet so I'm open to all suggestions. I also don't think my budget would get me a house in the Denver area. In the late 90's I lived in Salt Lake City and I absolutely love living in the mountains, so Colorado Springs is high on my list.

[Mike from back east]

The west side of the city, known as Old Colorado City, or OCC (a term you can search on in these forums to find lots of existing info). It is walkable to eats, music, arts, and you can bike to hiking at Garden of the Gods, Red Rock Canyon Open Space, and Bear Creek Regional Park. You can bike to downtown and there is some bus service too as downtown has a lot of eats, shopping, movies (Kimballs, they serve drinks), music, etc.

OCC is a bit liberal / progressive and near the touristy town of Manitou Springs with its hippie vibe and very strenuous hiking up the old Incline railway path and Barr Trail to the top of Pikes Peak at 14,115 feet.

IMO avoid the far north side around Briargate as that's family territory full of very conservative religious people.

Use realtor.com or ppar.com to find homes. May be best to rent a year first to learn the areas.

[StealthRabbit]

Originally Posted by Samantha in CT

Would the Colorado Springs area be a good place for a 40 year old single women? ... the snow seems to melt fairly quickly, at least that's what I've been told? I enjoy outdoor activities hiking, photography, but I also enjoy being social, live music, and nice restaurants. I will have around $250,000 for a house and I work from home. Any particular areas I should be looking at? I enjoy having a house with the yard but I don't want to be too far away from things like shopping, activities, etc. .. In the late 90's I lived in Salt Lake City and I absolutely love living in the mountains, so Colorado Springs is high on my list.

Yes!!!, CoS is GREAT for your wish list.

If working from home... spend the extra dough to get a place with a view of the Mtns (there are plenty in all price ranges). You will cover the extra costs when you resell.. just the 'price-of-admission' for enjoying the good life.

[Samantha in CT]

Thank you both very much for the advice! At least I can narrow down the area I think I'd want to be in. I plan on coming for an extended stay come spring so I'll be able to experience it myself.

[MsMetal]

I think COS checks off many of your boxes, but there is not much of a singles scene if you are hoping for that. It's true the snow generally melts very quickly & we have many nice (50-60 degree) days in winter. $250K sounds low to me, but I tend to go for large, new homes, so maybe it could work for OCC or Manitou, maybe check into "The Old North End" too. You could probably get close in the old part of Briargate as well, but that is up north where the it's far more conservative & religious (which may be fine if you fit in with that). I actually live in the north end, am Atheist & super liberal, but I deal, since I wanted a new house.

Unless you go for a rural area, there really isn't anywhere that you won't be near shopping, restaurants, etc. It's just that we're not known for a good singles scene, with many saying they have to go to Denver, but you're also not 22 yo & probably not wanting to be out on the town nightly :-)

[Samantha in CT]

Someone suggested to me that maybe I spend a few months living in Denver in one of those luxury apartment buildings, the ones that have a lot of common/social areas. It might give me a chance to meet some people and make friends before moving out to Colorado Springs. Something to think about I suppose. As for ultra-religious, that I am not. I would consider myself spiritual not religious however I also feel like I'm pretty open-minded and have friends of all faiths. I'm not sure I want to live somewhere where there's a church on every corner, and I'm specifically not moving to this South, like the Carolinas or Tennessee, as I'd prefer not to live in the Bible Belt. I don't care about a new home vs older home but I do want a modern kitchen, and a yard, but other than that I'm open as long as the area is nice.

[otowi]

I don't see any reason to live in Denver for a few months if your destination is Colorado Springs. I am a 40-something single female and I think it is great here, and your interests line up very well. I'd also suggest looking around downtown or west Colorado Springs.

[StarrySkiesAbove]

Check out some Central neighborhoods, very walk/bike friendly, established trees and nice yards, character homes, local coffee shops etc. Look at Patty Jewett area and Divine Reedemer areas. Old North End is also lovely but your budget will be stretched there. I would stay west of Union Blvd and North of Pikes Peak Ave.

[captain_hug99]

I'm in my 40s but married, I moved from CT as well. I LOVE it here. The winters are much nicer than CT. Yes, the snow does go away much faster, especially on the roads. But the big downside is, because the snow melts so quickly, the roads are not plowed like you would expect.

I'm not sure what your heating source is, but you will likely save some major dollars here. My parents recently moved, they had oil heat, which cost them $400+ a month (and that was balanced billing), that was just for the heat, not even electricity. Now, my mom's entire utility bill, is about $100 or so.

[Vision67]

OP: I'd suggest you rent first.

Colorado Springs has a lot of choice for housing and I think you should get first hand experience of multiple areas before you commit to buy a house.

One thing to learn is that there are areas with expansive soils and/or risk of subsidence from old coal mines or a risk of landslides. A newcomer who lacks that knowledge might be tempted to go for a "good deal" on a house that has one of those problems.