Need some information of this particular area (Denver, Colorado Springs: for sale, 2014)

[Krnsu]

Hello. I need some information of this particular area. I don't know how to attach a picture that is saved in my laptop folder for better explanation but the area is east of I25, west of HWY 2, north of HWY 24, south of research pkwy.

More background information here.
We're mid 30s married couple. Both Korean American. We have 15 months old boy and thinking about having a second child. We have lived in Washington state (in Tacoma/Lakewood, If it weren't for lots of rain, we would live here in heart beat but cannot bear the constant rain and overcast. Other than that, loved everything there), Texas (in Austin, we're not into live music or anything, traffic and rising rent were the reason we got out of there) and now we're in Sacramento, CA. Nothing really special here. Weather is better than Texas. Cool breeze in the morning and night made summer so much better. But just really nothing great or bad, just blah. My husband is a service adviser at car dealership and I used to be a vet tech, not I am a staying home mom.

We're considering relocating this area in a year or two. How's the neighborhood, culture, food, cost of living and school. We're going to rent for the first year and thinking about buying 3 bdr home. Please any input would be helpful. Oh and we're going to visit before our final decision but still we want to hear from locals. Thanks.

[otowi]

I'm not sure what you mean by highway 2? Do you mean 21, a.k.a. Powers Boulevard?

You might find traffic and rent here too high like Austin, not sure.

There are different neighborhoods in that area, such as Briargate toward the north end. It used to be THE neighborhood a lot of people went for but now it is pretty much built out and a lot of newer more expensive developments are coming up nearby. Culture - pretty 'normal'. You'd need to look at Colorado Springs as a whole and see if it is interesting enough or diverse enough for you - for some people it is, for some it isn't. Same for the food. Cost of living is going up - do some research and see if you'd consider yourself priced out or not. Schools generally have good reputations but again what your particular needs/interests are can make a difference. When you get down to the south end of your region, it is a lower socioeconomic status area than the north, with more diversity, more migrant population, slightly higher crime rate, and schools with corresponding lower test scores. That isn't to say a good education isn't to be had there, but in general everywhere you go, lower economic areas have lower scores - the overall quality of the school is a much more complicated story of which test scores are only one factor that generally simply reflects income. If you look at the areas in street view in Google Maps, you'll notice more newer construction and shopping centers to the north and more blight to the south.

[Mike from back east]

You wrote "highway 2" but I think you meant Highway 21, aka Powers Blvd.

Your boundaries have taken in much of the main city, but not sure why you excluded any area at all since the city isn't all that big and many good properties are outside your chosen area.

For sure there is not that much rain and it's sunny year around.

Use www.realtor.com or www.ppar.com to see homes for sale.

Schools are pretty good all over.

If you can tell us your housing budget we can narrow things down and/or suggest good areas.

There are major clusters of new car dealers near E. Motor Way and S. Tejon St and again up along Woodman Drive near Austin Bluffs Dr.

[Krnsu]

Thank you for the information on dealership area. There are really no particular reason why I excluded other areas. I just set north to the Whole Foods store and south to the Korean markets. Our budget for three bedroom house will be under $300,000. Until then probably were going to rent one bedroom apartment that’s hopefully not over $1000. How big is the military community there? When we lived in Lakewood Washington state everybody assume you are in military. Nothing against the thoughts but just wondering.

[otowi]

Your budget is maybe just doable in some parts of town as long as you aren't planning on the most up and coming neighborhoods or newer construction, etc. You might have to look around a bit and also hope the market does not keep going up before you moved here. Rent might be even a bit tougher than the housing budget - might want to add maybe $200/mo to that budget if you can. Military is a big sector of the economy here but the city is large enough that I don't think everyone would assume you are military.

[Gree]

We live in the Briargate area, next to Timberview Middle school and close to Liberty High school (both in District 20). District 20 is one of the few districts that get their bonds passed, so their facilities are fairly nice. Our neighborhood was built in 2003 or so. Houses go for the upper 200s, low 300s (I think Zillow is off by $15K to $25K high). If you cross over to the east side of Powers, there are new houses over there, but there are well over $400K. Our neighborhood used to be made up of young Air Force families, but they have all rotated out. Some houses still trade every 2 to 3 years, but most folks have been here at least 6 to 7 years (we have been here +10 years). We shop at the Korean grocery stores on south Academy on occasion (on Astrozon and Pikes Peak). There is also a large Asian grocery store on Platte. There are some Korean churches too in the south part of Colorado Springs, closer to Fort Carson. Our next door neighbor was Korean American, but they moved to Washington, DC a few years ago. Shopping is very convenient here. We have a Super Target, King Soopers, Lowes, and Safeway all close by. And there is a major hospital practically across the street. New apartments are going up near the Super Target. An apartment complex is finishing up at Briargate Parkway and Brainard, but they start at $1250 per month (La Bella Vista). I used to live in Tacoma when I worked at Fort Lewis/McChord and attended Pacific Lutheran. We have also lived in Sacramento. Colorado Springs is much better that either of those two places in my opinion. One negative about Colorado Springs. We have some scary summer weather with thunderstorms and big hail. We had to replace our roof in 2012 and one of our cars was significantly damaged in 2014. The hail storms missed us this year.

[TCHP]

Lewis/McChord base operations make up 25% of their MSA in WA. By way of contrast, all of the active duty at all the bases in Colo Spgs only make up 6% of the entire county. So the military presence in Colo Spgs is a bit different compared to the south Puget Sound area. The military presence here HAS brought with it a fair number of Korean and German expats. We have a number of Korean grocery stores in the area you defined, and a fair amount of Korean, Thai, and German cafes per capita.

Colo Spgs culturally is different from the Puget Sound are of WA. The area is predominately white, but we have a mix of different races and we do have a larger percentage of mixed race persons than Denver or even Los Angeles. The area does tend to be fairly active with outdoor activities. Church attendance in the area is at or below national standards. We have a touch of international and national activity here with the Olympic Training Center and various Pikes Peak events. Housing costs, styles, and availability, neighborhoods layouts, crime and their patterns, and school performance and education can vary a fair amount through out the city. Utilities tend to be at or below national averages. Insurance and vehicle registrations will be above average. You might be shocked at how high insurance rates are here. Regular issues with hail damage and a big mash up of driving styles leading to numerous motor vehicles accidents that tend to drive rates up.

Renting is a good idea as it will give you a chance to learn more detailed info about areas you may want to purchase housing in. Do your research, come here to ask questions, read a variety of topics in this forum. A couple of sites you may want to spend some time on are below:
https://www.visitcos.com/
https://coloradosprings.gov/