Palmer Lake - Couple of Questions (Denver, Colorado Springs: houses, buying, utilities)

[BBurn]

Lived in the Denver suburbs all my life and am looking for a change. While exploring housing options in Monument, the wife and I discovered Palmer Lake and it seems pretty charming. We have a 3-year-old and work remotely. A couple of questions:

-Is it easy to meet people there? Working remotely has its perks, but ease of making new friends is not one of them. We'd be about an hour from anyone we know and would want to integrate into the community, but I've never lived in such a small town so I'm not sure what to expect. We're active and like to be outdoors, and would probably be at the lake, parks, and events (whenever those become a thing again) all the time
-Politically, how do residents lean? Is it overwhelmingly conservative or pretty much on par with COS? 10-15 years ago, I wouldn't even ask this question, but in the current climate, it is, unfortunately, a consideration

We're probably choosing between this and Ft. Collins area, which is obviously quite different but offers its own perks. I've lived in both Ft. C and COS, though it's been 10-15 years. I found some older threads along these lines but things are changing so rapidly on the Front Range that I'd appreciate any current insight, whether in response to my specific questions or not. Thank you.

[otowi]

1. I think it is relatively easy to meet people there and you are also very close to Colorado Springs, etc., with more options there as well.
2. I believe it is on par with the northern part of COS and southern Douglas County - which is more conservative than Colorado Springs as a whole, fyi. If you could handle living in, say, Castle Rock or Larkspur, it is probably pretty similar politically.

You might want to do a little research on water issues before buying in Palmer Lake. I'm not up on the latest, but they've had some issues with water access in the past. It may all be resolved, but be sure before you buy that whatever the situation is is something that won't be problematic for you.

I think Fort Collins may have changed more than Palmer Lake in 10-15 years, so definitely get out and about.

[BBurn]

Originally Posted by otowi

1. I think it is relatively easy to meet people there and you are also very close to Colorado Springs, etc., with more options there as well.
2. I believe it is on par with the northern part of COS and southern Douglas County - which is more conservative than Colorado Springs as a whole, fyi. If you could handle living in, say, Castle Rock or Larkspur, it is probably pretty similar politically.

You might want to do a little research on water issues before buying in Palmer Lake. I'm not up on the latest, but they've had some issues with water access in the past. It may all be resolved, but be sure before you buy that whatever the situation is is something that won't be problematic for you.

I think Fort Collins may have changed more than Palmer Lake in 10-15 years, so definitely get out and about.

That's about what I figured (re: political leaning). Appreciate the heads-up about water issues, too. Visited Ft. Collins earlier in the week and it definitely has changed a lot, though the vibe seems about the same...just twice as big, and a bit more upscale.

[Mike from back east]

To avoid the water issues some of the areas up there are dealing with then consider buying a short bit south of there in the Briargate area where the main city utility has a great supply for the future. Anything served by COLO SPGS Utilities will be excellent. CSU is a city owned entity whose rates are probably 20-25% lower than other areas, and after living there 11 years the service by CSU is excellent.

[BBurn]

Originally Posted by Mike from back east

To avoid the water issues some of the areas up there are dealing with then consider buying a short bit south of there in the Briargate area where the main city utility has a great supply for the future. Anything served by COLO SPGS Utilities will be excellent. CSU is a city owned entity whose rates are probably 20-25% lower than other areas, and after living there 11 years the service by CSU is excellent.

Great advice, thanks Mike. I couldn't believe how crowded Briargate was when we drove through a few days ago, which is a shame because the houses are lovely. Tough decisions ahead.

[Phil P]

There's a number of options that all butt up to the Rampart Range, from along Baptist road with Classic Homes new development there all the way up to the Perry Park area, all are beautiful. Palmer Lake is more established so there's older people and a little more character, it would probably be more conservative than some newer development in the area. But these areas are generally a wide mix of people from all over the spectrum, so you never know who you'll be living next to, and one neighbor could be quite different from another.