Coming to Colorado Springs next week for vacation.... - (CO) - Page 3 - City-Data Forum

lane_change · 03-11-2010, 07:20 PM

Well, we arrived yesterday and spent today driving around the Tri-Lakes area and we found some areas we like, such as Fox Run. A lot of the area West of 25 around Monument and Palmer Lake felt a bit too rustic/rural for us.

A problem we have noticed with Colorado Springs is that there seem to be lots of apartments, condos, duplexes, trailers, etc... There are also a lot of neighborhoods that are very 1980's box style houses and not many large communities such as Flying Horse and such. I am not sure if we would want to go with a large MPC again, but after seeing how rural the area that we originally thought we wanted appeared to us, it seems that we may want to spend some time looking into Flying Horse or other notable communities. Are there other similar communities to Flying Horse? I like Fox Run, but I am worried about the lack of anything remotely flat which may not prove to be good for icy road conditions, kids riding bikes, skateboards, etc... We drove into FH this afternoon and saw that you can get .5 acre lots if you go back into the Villages of Calistoga area...just not sure we want to live in an MPC or spend that much money on a home. Saratoga is more in our price range, but you are stuck with 10,000 sq/ft lots which I don't want.

So far the scenery is gorgeous, but I have not been blown away with Springs outside of a few areas to the North. A lot of springs feels a bit "meh" to me. We got another week to look around, just curious where else to look for newer developments with a bit of land and views.

SheridanL · 03-12-2010, 10:09 AM

I know it's not the North part but, I'll say it again....Broadmoor area!!

otowi · 03-12-2010, 04:42 PM

You might find some land and views in Falcon or Fountain or Woodland Park, as well....

Mike from back east · 03-12-2010, 04:52 PM

Not that far from Flying Horse are the areas of Cordera and Wolf Ranch, with some of the same builders. These two are on the east side of Powers Blvd.

Just across from Cordera and Wolf Ranch, on the west side of Powers Blvd, is Briargate, an established area with a lot to offer but no large lots to my knowledge. One are that "might" have a half acre lot is Pine Creek, simply a gorgeous area that is almost fully built out with very little construction traffic and all the amenities in place.

Parts of Briargate and Pine Creek are pictured in this thread.

Hope you enjoy your trip to COLO SPGS.

ryanek9freak · 03-12-2010, 05:38 PM

Quote:

A lot of springs feels a bit "meh" to me. .

Trust me, I know what you mean. Alot of the Springs is quite ugly, like the SE side and the Academy corridor (south of Austin Bluffs anyway)

But you will find the beautiful places. I think Black Forest is your best bet, that or monument.

otowi · 03-12-2010, 05:58 PM

Well, you can't beat the views, imho!

lane_change · 03-12-2010, 09:36 PM

The views are beautiful for sure, but is it a place to live or a place to see? We are going to check out Centennial, Littleton, and some other places in Southern Denver that seem nice. Maybe it's the population thing that is hurting our opinion of Springs. We are from San Diego and Houston...dropping to a few hundred thousand people changes the look of a town completely. When we went to Keystone today we drove through Southern Denver and it felt much more at ease with us. But we have done zero research on the area so I have no idea about schools, cost of living, etc...so who knows. I know it felt more normal to us for sure. We want some land, maybe .5 acre or so, and we may find that there as well...but for now, we are not sure. Just going to enjoy the rest of our vacation in the area and see how it goes. Tomorrow is another day.

otowi · 03-12-2010, 09:46 PM

Well, I'm definitely partial to the Springs and would never choose Denver or any of its satellites in comparison. I hate the huge expanse of Denver and its traffic, it just goes on and on and it all looks the same to me, and the mountains are much farther away, it seems to have less soul. But I'm not from San Diego or Houston, either. And I'm glad I'm not! I lived up in Denver for a year and came back to the Springs because it is "home" - a great place to live, raise a family, or do whatever.
Cost of living will be a little higher in Denver. Schools will be similar. I'd be afraid of Littleton schools - nothing against the schools, really, but with two school shootings there the creep factor is high for me. You'll have to watch neighborhoods more carefully in terms of schools in Denver.

PokerMunkee · 03-12-2010, 10:04 PM

Springs is the perfect size for a large city. Denver is a short 1hr drive if you want to see a sports game or go to a conert or some serious shopping. But you don't have to live with the Denver traffic and mass population. I came from Vegas to Woodland Park, was quite a bit of a shock for a while. But after living here for 2 years, I wouldn't have it any other way. I don't think I could live in a smaller town though, I need my Walmart and fast food stuff

Did anyone else wear shorts and a long sleeve shirt today??