Moving to Rocky Ford Area with my family... (Denver, Colorado Springs: real estate, apartments)

[RadiantAngel]

Hello!

I am moving on the 21rst of April to the Rocky Ford area. I am needing some information about housing and deposits.

I need to know if there are any apartments in Rocky Ford, how much for at least a 2 bedroom. What is the Elec deposit, Water Deposit? Sewer depostits?

What kind of jobs are in Rocky Ford?

I have a three year old little boy that I am wanting to put into head start. Are there any good places that he could go?

I am not picky, I just want to find a nice place that I can move to rather quickly. I dont want to live with my sister very long.

Any information would be great!

Thank you for your time!

Misty

[COflower]

Assuming I understand you correctly:

I don't think there are many members here who are familiar with Rocky Ford other than their melons that show up in local grocery stores each year.

With that said, I have driven through it many times and it's a pretty dinky town. I am not sure why you chose Rocky Ford other than it looks like you have family there.

The job market is not great and you may want to look to La Junta for housing, job options and for a Head Start program. It's not that far to La Junta from Rocky Ford but let me tell you, every time I had driven out to see my grandmother in Dinkytown USA, Kansas, you drive through RF in about two minutes or less. Lots of farmland, lots of silos and just not a much for jobs and the like.

With all that, here's their chamber site: Rocky Ford, Colorado Chamber of Commerce - rockyfordchamber.net and you might be able to find more opportunity than the doom and gloom I am discussing. They may be able to hook you up with a property manager or real estate co. that specializes in rentals there. To the best of my recollection, there are no apartments and limited housing in Rocky Ford which is why I suggested La Junta instead which is about 11 miles. It may offer you more solutions for a single mom with kids.

If that doesn't work, you may also look at Pueblo so you can still be semi-close to your sister with a heck of a lot more job, housing and schooling opportunities. Yeah, it's about an hour but it's an easy and flatland drive. Pueblo would seem to me to be a better place for a single mom in need of a job and things like Head Start.

I hope that helps but don't be surprised if when you get to Rocky Ford, you will see exactly what I am talking about and I just wanted you to realize what you are getting yourself into given the limited information posted here.

< smiles >

[McGowdog]

Ditto what COflower said. I don't know anything about Rocky Ford other than I drive through it a couple times a month. It's a pretty small farming community in the Ark Valley (along the Arkansas River), and yes-they are known for their melons (the Meloneers).

Not far east is another small town called Swink and a bit further up the road is a Walmart SuperCenter then La Junta. Not too far west is a very small town called Manzanola, then a bit up the road west from there is Fowler-all in Otero County.

I'd hoped that some from the Ark Valley would respond, but it's slow as of yet. The schooling in the area, although kinda small, is very well represented and competitive in sports. Good people here, is what I'm trying to say.

Wish I knew more about it. I'd go to COflower's site and start with that. If you could find work in the area, that would be great. Cost of living would be ideal. Good luck.

[SheridanL]

I totally agree with ALL of the previous posters!! Dinky..at best!

I really hate to mention this but, I will..since NO ONE seems to address it.

I totally agree with everyone as to the town..it is known for their melons,,nuff said.

Years ago,.... there was a guy(for better lack of words) that,...went to an orchard of sorts. Needed a job and, got one on a "melon" farm.

He, and his wife, worked there for some time and...befriended her and her family. Okay so..... eventually,...he, AND, his wife..killed her...he got the "death" penantly. He was one of the first in years to be executed in Canon City (maximum security). After the year of 2000.

When ANYONE is given the "death penanlty".....there is one thing they are given (as last rights and all)...that is.........What do you want for your last meal???ANYTHING!!

Guess what HE picked???? A cantelope with icecream. TRUE!!!


Gosh, please don't pick on me. My husband is a Major in the DOC.

True enough. Bless you and your family, I am sure you will find a most "wonderful" life in Colorado!! BLESS YOU AND YOURS!!

[RadiantAngel]

I wanted to first thank all of you for responding. I really appreciate it. I was looking in La Jun. as well. My sister said that there would be more housing there and more jobs as well. Does anyone know anything about electric deposits up there? I need a rough estimate so that I know how much I am going to be spending when I get there to get my apartment. What about Water Deposits?

The only reason that I was looking at Rocky Ford was because I saw a post that said it was really cheep to live there. I wont be comming just me and my kids. I am engaged as well. So he put his ap in for the Prison in Bent County and got a e-mail back from them. I am wanting to go to law school and he is wanting to work in a prison. That has been his dream job.

Can anyone tell me what La Jun. is like? My sister said Pueblo is really rough, car jackings and shootings getting bad? I would like to hear from someone that lives or works there. I just want to find a nice town with a nice school that I can raise my 2 boys there.

Thank you all again!

Radiant Angel

[SonnyDaze]

I have family in Las Animas 20 miles east of La Junta. La Junta has about 7-8k people and is home to Otero Junior College. Driving throught there frequently on US 50, the town seems to have everything one would need to live off of without having to go to Pueblo too often. Based off of looks, I'd definately recommend living there over Rocky Ford. The Bent County prison is 30-35 miles east of Rocky Ford in Las Animas which is very similar to Rocky Ford. You might want to look into living here too.

[McGowdog]

Car jackings in Pueblo? Not.

I hear from people who are in law enforcement that most shootings in Pueblo are domestic or gang related. Unfortunate, but inevitable across most towns of its size across America. If you're not in a gang, you're pretty safe. If you look at Colorado Springs and Denver, you're looking at 5 and 25 times the population. The crime would be proportional as well.

As far as schooling goes, my parents moved us from an area of 5A sized schools in the San Fernando Valley to a southern Colorado town with the best schooling (academics and sports) in the Pueblo County area at the time. One could argue that the bigger S-CL schools have more to offer than a school like Rye High School, but we took advantage of most everything there was to offer in a smaller school. When I went out for a sport, it was almost guaranteed that I'd make the team. If I went after it with all I had, I made Varsity and lettered. I was very active in music until my Junior year, when I had to buckle down on my academics and sports. I took the toughest courses, focusing heavily on Math, Sciences, and Computers. My schooling preped me well for college, especially in electronics math and physics. I graduated third in my class, even though I was known as a party animal. Unfortunately, this is something that needs to be watched in the small towns as well. For me, it was more of an individual problem than an environmental one.

Enough of my rant. There's plenty about the Pueblo area on other threads here. The Pueblo Chieftain has a paper and their own site that gives a lot of info about the area and some of the Ark Valley. Some of those Ark Valley towns have weekly or bi-weekly printings as well.