Living in Divide... (Denver, Colorado Springs, Woodland Park: to rent, homeowners association, house)

[Pinecone55]

I am planning to move to Divide but have a few questions:
I don't want to move to the mountains and have to hear ATV's, motorcycles, loud music, etc.. Is it really nice and quite in Divide? When moving there, how difficult is it for a moving truck to get up the dirt roads? Also, is it relatively safe to walk dogs without running into wildlife that would be dangerous? I've lived in snow where I've been unable to go anywhere for a few days, but not in a rural mountainous area. Thank you in advance for your help.

[Arrby]

Moving trucks will have no particular problems anywhere you are likely to go, snow or heavy rain conditions excepted.

Generally, if it is safe for you to walk, it will be safe for your dog. Use a leash.

Most of the various subdivisions around Divide have county-maintained roads, and the county does a very commendable job of snow plowing. Really deep snow is pretty rare anyway. Some subdivisions do have private roads and the quality of snow removal is going to depend entirely on the quality of the homeowners association.

Notice I left the "quiet" issue to last. This is hard to answer as it depends on the exact location of your residence. Highway 24 carries a lot of traffic at all hours and the noise can carry a significant distance from the highway, or be blocked entirely by the terrain. Right now I cannot think of any atv or dirtbike trails near Divide, but someone certainly may correct me on this.

[Marcy1210]

I lived in Divide from 1975 - 2010. Most of Divide, apart from what you see at the intersection of Hwy 24 & Hwy 67 is rural. I'm not really familliar with the area south of Divide on Hwy 67 toward Cripple Creek as we lived north of Divide in Highland Lakes. Where we lived was 7 miles out of Divide by car, but only 1 mile northwest by crow. In summer, with windows open at night, we could hear traffic on Hwy 24 a little bit (mostly when the air was still), and we could hear neighbors occasionally as sound echoes off the hills, but again, only when it was still and the windows were open. The only noise we'd hear that was annoying was barking dogs all night. Usually, that got taken care of quickly as the other neighbors would complain to the owners. I would say it's very quiet in Divide. However, if you live along the County Roads, you'll get daily traffic as those are the main roads in and out of the subdivisions in the area, but it's not unreasonable.

We get snow up there, sometimes heavy snows, but it melts fairly quickly unless it's the north side of your house (always buy south or west facing so your front door and driveway will stay clear all winter). Because our street was on a school bus route, the county plowed it early in the morning on school days, to the dismay of the kids. If it wasn't a school day, they took their time. In summer, the road was graded about every six weeks as Divide gets thunder storms almost every afternoon during summer, and sometimes they create gulleys in the roads.

Most homes are on an acre of land in Divide, so neighbors aren't really an issue. Moving vans and delivery trucks come in and out of Divide daily. UPS, FedEx, etc have no problems.

Wildlife is abundant with bears, moose, foxes, coyotes, deer, elk, skunks, porcupines, and rodents, but people walk their dogs, jog, walk in groups for fun and excercise every day and don't encounter wildlife. However, you'll see all the animals listed in and out of your yard (especially deer) daily. Bears are only a problem if you're keeping your trash outside, or dog food, hummingbird feeders or other bird feeders. They're opportunistic. Foxes and deer can seem friendly, but they're wildlife and for their sake, people shouldn't feed them (it's illegal anyway) yet they do.

We raised four kids in Divide, and my husband had his own business in Woodland Park so commuting and school busses were daily events and I can count on one hand the number of times we were stuck at home due to storms in 40 years. If you don't mind driving into Woodland Park or Colorado Springs every day, it's a wonderful place to live!

[Pinecone55]

Thank you so much for the replies. They are very informative! Sound's like a perfect place for what we are looking for.

[Yngheart7]

Just an FYI, I live in Victor and it only takes me 30 minutes to get to Divide and another 10 to 15 minutes to get to Woodland Park. I love this area. It’s quiet and people are very very friendly. There’s a very nice high school down in Cripplecreek which all of the kids attend And it’s approximately 4 to 5 miles down the road. I do see jobs offered from time to time at The county offices in Cripplecreek You get very used to driving down the road to divide or Woodland Park. The scenery going down his breathtaking so it makes the ride much more enjoyable. Cripple creek is a bit more upscale than Victor all the residential areas have paved roads And you also have the option find a place that isn’t exactly in town but more in the woods. I believe cripple Creek is more noisy since they have the casinos. I tend to do many errands when I go down to The springs since they have all the big-name stores. Every 6 to 8 weeks I’ll drive down to to Sam’s Club and can bind all my other appointments at the samei time. On the gas situation, you pretty much don’t have to use much gas goingthe downhill. Woodland Park has many grocery stores, Some dog groomers if you need them And and several places will leave You let the dogs stay there until you’re done running your errands in Woodland Park and Colorado Springs. I personally like victor better. Yes, there are three bars here But I have yet to see drunks running around. To top that off I know at least two of them served take out food which is very convenient. Not to mention the fact you don’t have to drink to go in there Since it’s just nice to mingle with the locals and get to know people. Some of the homes in the victor neighborhood are a bit run down and need restoratiom, however more and more of them are being restored all the time. I’m trying to get involved with the Victor heritage society which I find very educational concerning this area and they do a lot of events. During the summer there are many festivals and events happening in cripple Creek and Victor weekendS. As for Theater, They do have acting done in Cripplecreek. I really don’t care if Woodland Park has the Walmart and pharmacies and other amenities. I think it is just too crowded down there. We have a small grocery store in Cripplecreek that offers almost everything you need and really nice Ace Hardware. I have also found out that the gas is cheaper in Cripplecreek than if you were to drive to Woodland Park. I bought a beautiful Victorian house in Victor and I have a view to die four from my back deck. I can see all the mountain ranges. The Internet up here Is excellent MountainInet is the best. Also, many people have DIRECTV Which I don’t have since I just stream my shows. I do like Divide, But I find it to expensive. You should come and check all the places out. Oh yeah and the mine is right down the road Kfrom me, which is convenient because I always utilize the recycling bin. It’s up to you what you like but I love Victor. I lived in the north East Tennessee for 20 years And in that whole time never met as many nice people has iI I have met up here.

[mtngigi]

If Marcy had her way, she wouldn't be 900 miles from Divide, lol.

[Marcy1210]

Originally Posted by mtngigi

If Marcy had her way, she wouldn't be 900 miles from Divide, lol.

Tried to rep you but I've got to spread it around! You are so right!! I saw on the news that it's snowing in the mountains, and heard about a pretty big wreck on Hwy 24 just west of the hospital with a snow plow that flipped over, then the NE Teller fire truck was hit by a car, so Divide Fire responded....snowing on Halloween in Divide...

[mtngigi]

Originally Posted by Marcy1210

Tried to rep you but I've got to spread it around! You are so right!! I saw on the news that it's snowing in the mountains, and heard about a pretty big wreck on Hwy 24 just west of the hospital with a snow plow that flipped over, then the NE Teller fire truck was hit by a car, so Divide Fire responded....snowing on Halloween in Divide...

Yes, looking out my window this morning, there appears to be about 3-4" of snow here in Manitou, so I imagine the mountains got it pretty good. Did a little road trip Saturday up around 11-mile and Spinney reservoirs - it was a beautiful fall day, but things do change on a dime around here! The snow may certainly put a dent in the candy begging, lol.

[Marcy1210]

I'll be in Denver for Thanksgiving with family, so hoping to rent a car for a day and driving up to the old homestead.

[mtngigi]

Originally Posted by Marcy1210

I'll be in Denver for Thanksgiving with family, so hoping to rent a car for a day and driving up to the old homestead.

I hope the weather cooperates for your road trip "home".