Two teachers wanting to move to CO... need advice and help! (Denver: how much, new home)

[abcdefg567]

Originally Posted by DrDog

We might live in different towns? I’m yet to meet anyone that went out of their way to tell me about their guns or their religious bent.

Yes, it happens to me. I'm a relatively attractive woman, at 25. I figure it's their way of flirting or trying to be nice? These same people have much smaller and much more limited interactions with my husband when he bumps into them & it's always been that way with flirtatious men wherever we've lived pretty much.

The subject matter here though, largely focuses on their guns/military training/prison dog breeding/etc.

[Mike from back east]

The OP's housing budget will go a lot further in COLO SPGS than in the Denver Metro Area.

I've updated the Zip Code <----> School cross reference post/thread for the OP's reference.

IIRC there are about 15 school districts in El Paso County, but some are tiny rural districts out on the prairie. The main school districts are, from south to north, D2, D3, D8, D12, D11, D20, D38 and D49.

[YoYoSpin]

There are loads of independently run school districts throughout Colorado, so it may take a LOT of homework to find the best one for your situation. For example, Colorado Springs has 14 different public (taxpayer supported) school districts within or touching the city's borders. Some are better funded and pay more than others. Many of the newer neighborhoods (northeast Colorado Springs D-20 for example) have newly constructed schools that are really attractive. In many areas within Colorado Springs, you'll find "charter" schools that work to bit of a different drummer than traditional public schools....Government funded but more-or-less privately run. You'll also find boatloads of private non-profit religious based 1-12 grade schools. Check this map link for more info on public schools: Colorado Springs Area school districts

[TCHP]

Originally Posted by DrDog

We might live in different towns? I’m yet to meet anyone that went out of their way to tell me about their guns or their religious bent.

Likewise, but this is a view that is also shared by at least a few other posters here as well, so I can't discount that they have this happen to them. Perhaps being a lifetime local, I am very desensitized to it and just don't notice it as readily. Despite that, I can't say I can ever recall people outside of my immediate circle of close friends just randomly beginning discussions with me about guns or religion. Even in my immediate neighborhood, many do not have those discussions, and I've known many of these people for years.

Guess I just don't have the appearance of an approachable personality.

[rochester_veteran]

My son and his wife were recruited by an alumnus of the college they went to, who has established many charter schools in Douglas County. They were offered teaching jobs the Friday before commencement and they accepted the job offers at a brand new charter school in Castle Rock. My son is a history teacher and his wife is a physical education teacher. They were new teachers and made around $35,000 each and rented an apartment in Castle Rock. It's a beautiful area but due to its proximity to the Denver Tech Center, it's grown in leaps and bounds and housing is in high demand and the medium price of a house is $440,000. My son's wife got pregnant and when she had the baby, she opted to be a stay-at-home mom. That cut their income in half and it's tough to make a go of it in Castle Rock making only $35,000 a year. A guy at their church passed on a lead for a job at a financial firm and my son interviewed and got the job and it initially paid $10,000 more per year than his teaching job and with better benefits.

My son has done well at the financial firm and has received a few raises and they're renting a basement apartment from friends with cheap rent and in turn, have saved enough for a down payment on a house. They started house hunting a month and a half ago and the problem they're finding is that housing is really expensive in much of the Front Range. They haven't been able to find a place within their housing budget ($250,000 is the max they can go) and then there's the HOA fees added on and it's pretty much priced them out of the market. I was making plans to retire next year and move to Colorado Springs (cheaper rent than in Castle Rock), but they told me a week ago that they're considering moving because of the high cost of housing. My son might be offered a position in his firm's newest campus in Dallas and my daughter in law has done the research and found that they could afford a house there. I'm a bit disappointed as I was looking forward to moving to Colorado Springs to start a new life and be a part of my grandson's and their lives, but they got to do what's best for them and if it means moving to Dallas, that's what they need to do. Oh well!

People on this forum have been very helpful in providing tips on where to live and also, where not to live. I hope you and your husband can make a go of it in Colorado as it's a beautiful place to live and the people are friendly, it's just that you might be in for some sticker shock when looking for a house, especially compared to the housing prices in Mississippi. I have friends who live there near Oxford and they got a good deal on their place when they moved there.

[abcdefg567]

Originally Posted by TCHP

Guess I just don't have the appearance of an approachable personality.

Probably for the better.

Last week a delivery man told me he was having #2 problems, a Starbucks worker told me that they have an alter ego and go crazy and then get fired from their jobs, and a Target worker was going on about something really weird that I honestly blurred out... perhaps it was about an arm rash.

Recently I also had a chimney sweep tell me how life story, then went into my bathroom and didn't close the door & then wanted paper towels because he got something dirty.

And that's just recently...I could go on and on and on.

Perhaps I just look nice and approachable & many people need to vent about their experience. Id prefer they hold the bodily and other issue talks though.

[hollyt00]

Teaching positions go unfilled for the special education/interventionist positions. We had someone start then quit, and the position was unfilled for weeks. good luck.

Math/science will be easy to find, of course, the English/Humanities will be much more difficult.

[alikat2480]

rochester_veteran, thank you! That was helpful to read and a story I can relate with. It’s been a dream of my husband’s to live there for quite some time. We really want to try it and see how it works out. We are realistic thinkers, though, so we know there may be a possibility that the cost of living is too expensive and that Colorado is not for us. That is completely fine. We want to give it a try and if we realize it’s not going to be feasible, we will look elsewhere. We do not have children yet and we are both very flexible and willing to move around a bit before settling down. Thanks for the advice! Everyone has been so helpful on this forum.

[alikat2480]

Originally Posted by hollyt00

Teaching positions go unfilled for the special education/interventionist positions. We had someone start then quit, and the position was unfilled for weeks. good luck.

Math/science will be easy to find, of course, the English/Humanities will be much more difficult.

After I receive my Master’s degree, I would love to look into an interventionist job in a school. I’ve also found some private companies offering dyslexia therapy that I am going to look into as well. I’m more worried about my husband. He is a liscensed history teacher but he’s also a basketball coach, so we’re hoping to find a position for him somewhere. I’ve emailed some private schools in CO that are looking for basketball coaches and it looks like he could find a job in a private school so we may go that route. 😊

[otowi]

Originally Posted by alikat2480

rochester_veteran, thank you! That was helpful to read and a story I can relate with. It’s been a dream of my husband’s to live there for quite some time. We really want to try it and see how it works out. We are realistic thinkers, though, so we know there may be a possibility that the cost of living is too expensive and that Colorado is not for us. That is completely fine. We want to give it a try and if we realize it’s not going to be feasible, we will look elsewhere. We do not have children yet and we are both very flexible and willing to move around a bit before settling down. Thanks for the advice! Everyone has been so helpful on this forum.

I'm a teacher in Colorado Springs living on one income. It is certainly doable to own a home and be a teacher here. If you will have two incomes it honestly should be pretty easy unless you are swimming in other debt. The vast majority of teachers here are homeowners. Some of the teachers who are brand new to the profession will rent for a few years before buying.