Help me bond with the evangelicals!

May 24, 2009 2:26 PM

Okay, not really. Possibly moving to Colorado Springs in the next ~6 months. Any advice from knowledgeable present or former locals is appreciated.

I've looked here, here and a few other threads where people have talked about living and working there. I'm married with two kids (one school-aged). I don't have any timeline on buying a house, but am aiming toward areas like Manitou or Old Colorado City (we like older homes, and detest snout houses and the sorts of geography they seem to be synonymous with). I know we'll be fish out of water in terms of our politics and priorities, but I'm not going to pay Boulder premiums for the privilege of a miserable commute just so I can be around people with whom I have more in common.

I'm a little familiar with the area, as I've traveled there for work a number of times, and have friends there, but I need the nuts & bolts: schools, neighborhoods, down to good mechanics and things I can't find in city guides.

posted by Emperor SnooKloze to Society & Culture (3 answers total)

Best answer: Downtown Colorado Springs, the West side, and Manitou are much less conservative than the rest of the city, so you're probably starting your housing search in the right place. I've heard good things about the Manitou Elementary school, but from what I understand, living in Manitou Springs can be a pain in the ass. It's touristy and crowded in the summer, and real estate can be expensive.

Old Colorado City has some beautiful houses, but they're often adjacent to derelict, pit bull-guarded residences. There's also a noticeable meth/crime problem as well. It's too bad, because you can find a nice Victorian house for much less than you can in the Old North End. The neighborhood also has a good public Montessori school that unfortunately just got kicked out their old historic building and merged with another, smaller elementary school. The school district in central Colorado Springs, D-11, has closed several schools recently because the city has no money.

Depending on your budget, you might want to look at the Patty Jewett area, just a little east of Colorado College. The houses are smaller than those in Old Colorado City - 2 or 3 bedroom bungalows - but the neighborhoods are tree-lined and clean, and you can ride your bike downtown. I like the Crystal Hills area as well. The houses are boring ranch-style models from the 70s and 80s, but the views of Garden of the Gods and the mountains are amazing, and the twisty roads give you lots of privacy. You'll have to pay attention to the mountain lion warnings your kids bring home from school, though.

You can send you children to any public school, provided there's room and you can drive them there. My son goes to Steele, which is in the Old North End and just outside of our neighborhood's boundaries. It's good, if perhaps overly preoccupied with test scores, but it has great teachers and a devoted PTA.

One thing you should know before you move here: we're broke, largely thanks to TABOR. Our public fountains weren't going to be turned on this summer because the city doesn't have the money to do so (a group took up donations to cover this summer), the parks aren't going to be watered, the pools won't be tested, our bus service has been cut, our schools are being shut down, our nature centers are constantly in danger of being sold to developers. Lots of downtown businesses have gone under, and nothing's moving in to take their place. The outdoor life here is still amazing, but I miss living in Denver. Colorado Springs as a city is just not that impressive.

If you want more specific recommendations, MeMail me.
posted by bibliowench at 3:06 PM on May 24, 2009

Response by poster: Wow, TABOR was off my radar entirely. What a stunningly stupid law. Thanks for the great insight, bibliowench.
posted by Emperor SnooKloze at 3:33 PM on May 24, 2009

Bibliowench is right about the mountain lion warnings. This time last year I spent a week with a family that lives on Cheyenne Mountain-a pretty high end neighborhood-and a mountain lion snatched a pet housecat down the street literally minutes after the cat had accidentally gotten out of its house.
posted by St. Alia of the Bunnies at 3:49 PM on May 24, 2009