Two-mom family moving to Pueblo with small kids (Denver, Pueblo West: buying a house, neighborhood) - Colorado (CO) - City-Data Forum

smokeywild · 05-12-2013, 09:17 PM

Well, I think the title gives the basic background for my questions so I'll just get right to it. My partner and I are moving to Pueblo the first week of August so I can start school at CSU-Pueblo in the fall. Our kids are 3 and almost 5. I was curious what sort of local activities/resources there are for families with small children. Up here our son was going to start soccer in the fall and our daughter was going to be starting ballet soon too. With it being a much bigger city than where we currently live I'm hoping there are those sort of things available for the kiddos there too. Also, just how accepting is Pueblo of same-sex couples? I've got a couple of friends that live there so I know I'll at least have a couple of welcoming faces but am I going to get a bunch of nasty looks from the other parents picking my kids up from school if they know that my kids have two mommies?

Thanks for any and all of your help.

Josseppie · 05-12-2013, 09:39 PM

I don't have kids so I can't help you on the resources available for kids in Pueblo. However I am gay and I can tell you Pueblo is a very gay friendly town. It has a "live and let live" attitude. However it seems to go father then that. I have talked about it with my friends and it seems like many people in Pueblo think of it as a larger city then it is so having gays "like San Francisco" helps prove to them that Pueblo is in fact a cosmopolitan city lol.

lurtsman · 05-12-2013, 10:40 PM

It seems the live and let live philosophy is simply more common in Colorado. You'll certainly meet with bigotry at some point, but hopefully it will be a less frequent event than it is in other areas. The tide is turning.

smokeywild · 05-15-2013, 12:33 AM

Thanks for the info, moving to a new city isn't exactly easy anyway so its nice to know that the one we're moving to is at least okay with who we are. I'm not silly enough to think it'll all be roses, but at least I know now it shouldn't be totally awful either.

Anybody else want to chime in here? Really hoping for some resources on family/kid activities =). Oh, and also opinions on schools would be great too!

lurtsman · 05-15-2013, 08:32 AM

I don't have kids either. Since you're new to the area, I can provide some help though.

Pueblo West > Rest of Pueblo.

Look at properties in Pueblo West and you will get nicer houses and better values.

Take your kids to the Colorado State Fair in late summer. My wife and I are nearly 30, and we make the trip down from the Springs. There are animals to see, people selling strange stuff, and tons of rides. We look for the day with half off the unlimited rides bracelet and go early. If you check out some of the buildings there is a refreshment stand provided by the Arc. They staff it with volunteers and 100% of their gross margin goes to fund their charitable works. (IE, you buy something for a buck fifty, they bought the materials for 75 cents, they will send the other 75 cents to their charity. Free labor, and their prices are LOWER than the competition. I highly recommend them.)

I have no idea on schools, but realtors in the area should know (if you're buying a house).

smokeywild · 05-17-2013, 12:44 AM

We are looking to buy, have actually found one that will work out perfect for us and we're going to submit an offer in the next couple days. The house we're looking at is not in Pueblo West but if it doesn't work out I'll remember what you said =). I had heard about the fair, I guess I figured it would be over by the time we got there but if it hasn't happened yet that is definitely something we would want to do.

Thank you for your pointers, I'll definitely keep them all in mind!

ArthurManby · 05-19-2013, 12:02 PM

Hi Smokeywild.

Plenty for kids/adults (for a town this size), you just have to look around a bit. One thing we did notice is when our kids were around that age; most stuff (kid only) was geared towards older kids 7+. Now (tween and teenager), apparently this town is too boring for them. Both like to spend time in CS. I expect pretty soon it's going to be Denver.

Here is some of the stuff we've done/do/know about.

Pueblo Mountain Park summer camp, 2 community swimming pools, Pueblo Lake swimming area is free with the parks pass (just reopened). YMCA is new and nice. Decent zoo and the annual membership is fairly cheap. City sports programs of all kinds. Dance and gymnastics classes from private businesses (towns really big on cheer-leading camps?). PCC and the children's musuem offer programs/classes. Museums: Bessemer Steel, Firehouse, Rosemount. Mesa drive-in, bowling, go-carts, bike riding/hiking on the river and nature center. City park kiddie rides. lake victoria/river walk boat rides. skateboard park. Raptor center. Fairs and fests all summer both kids and adults; state fair, county fair, wild west fest, chile fest, B/B/BBQ, car shows, first friday, b street bash. Winter.... fuggitaboutit, this town dies. If you want to spend some time in the car, Pblo is a great gateway to both the southern rockies and northern new mexico.

School. Ours are in the IB Magnet program (D60) and I feel they are getting as good an education as I got in D-12 Colo Spgs. Connect or charter is a decent option as well (my opinion).

Edit - D60 is an open district. if you don't like the elementary school in your neighborhood, find the one you like better and apply.

Gay or straight, dunno, seems as friendly/unfriendly as anywhere else I've lived. I reckon like most people around here, I like/dislike people based on how they treat me.

JukieF · 05-21-2013, 11:53 AM

Sangre de Cristo Arts Center:: Buell Children's Museum