Looking for family friendly liberal(ish) town with character (Evergreen: neighborhood, living in)
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I'm glad you like Ft. Collins, but I think you were too quick to write off Evergreen and Conifer. There are numerous parts of Evergreen (south of the lake) where you can get a house in your price range with land and the other criteria you are looking for. Also, Conifer is a stone's throw from downtown Evergreen. I live in the last possible house with an Evergreen address on the border of Conifer and it takes me 7 minutes to get to downtown Evergreen, there are no traffic lights along the way and the area is full of kids. Granted, there are other parts of both Evergreen and Conifer that aren't as accessible as my location. But, you can be selective in your house hunt. It's a lot greener up here than it is on the plains. Ponderosa, Lodgepole and Aspen all over the place. I even have real grass in my front yard (former east coaster myself).
My middle school son (12 years old) walks to/from West Jeff Middle School everyday with a bunch of buddies. They play ice hockey on our pond. They ride their bikes to each others' houses. They participate in organized, competitive sports. My elementary school kids have plenty of friends as well. They almost have too many friends that we are turning down invites to do something/hangout all the time. Most of the people that live in these towns do so for the same reasons that you are giving here. Mountain scenery, beautiful hiking trails (Berrian Mtn. is in my backyard, literally, and the views at the top of both Mt. Evans and Denver are fantastic), small, quaint shops, coffee shops, restaurants, etc. I'd say that 75-80% of the people we know are from some other part of the country originally. It is easy to make friends for that reason.
And the beauty is that Denver is so close for when you want it. There are about 50,000 people living in these towns...so somebody knows something about how great it is. Conifer has everything you need for everyday amenities. Two major supermarkets and a bunch of other stuff along the 285 corridor. It's not quaint like downtown Evergreen is, but it works. You might want to reconsider is all I'm saying...it's a great life here and a fantastic place to raise kids.
That's all...I promise I won't preach anymore. I just think North Evergreen skewed your housing options and that Conifer might seem too far away on a map. If you have the chance to visit soon, take a ride up here and see for yourself.
You might look at Fort Collins. It has most of what you are wanting, and is still within an hour or so from the Denver Metro Area, to meet your other needs. If you stay on the west side of town you will be close to nature and should be able to find something in your price range (although maybe not an acre, but at least a good sized lot).
Longmont and Lyons are also good choices, but your budget might prevent you from finding a home you desire in those places.
If you are open to places that aren't necessarily liberal (and may be further from all your desired needs), but that are in beautiful locations, I'd look at Durango, Salida, Buena Vista, and perhaps Montrose.
Many places in Colorado that are surrounded by nature, liberal leaning, and within proximity of all the things you desire are going to be along the Front Range and expensive (think Boulder). Honestly, that's one of the reasons that keep my husband & I from moving back. We desire much of what your family does, although our budget is much smaller than yours. We've found most of that where we currently are in Oregon. The only thing missing is the rest of my family in Colorado.
+1 to all of the above ^. Especially Durango if you don't mind being 3 hours from the nearest big airport (Albuquerque)
What if your down the middle maybe on the conservative side somewhat. Can you live in a liberal town in Colorado? Good Grief, I've lived in many areas and really didn't know how people voted until I saw the vote count. I love Bolder, Durango, all of towns in Col. I've been looking at property in both Trinidad and Pagosa Springs - will they kick me out for not voting the same as most do? I'd love to live in a small town of Chama at the border of NM and Colorado. I know they are liberal but that doesn't turn me off. Will a liberal town hate me for not being liberal?
Thanks alliern! We are still open to options, and I will give the area another look while I'm out there. I'd love to see some listings. I see you're an agent? Can you help me with that?
Davebarnes, thanks for your input as well. Is it possible G&L Fund moved out of CoSprings for other reasons? Or maybe b/c the majority of their patrons are in the Denver area? I just saw some beautiful properties in Cheyenne Canyon in CoSprings and Woodland Park just north -- I'm hoping of course that they are actually open-minded, educated communities as well (that almost seems to good to be true b/c it seems so beautiful and so affordable).
Yes, I am a real estate agent in Evergreen and Conifer. I tried to send you a DM but your screen name wouldn't give me the option in the drop down bar. You can DM me through this forum or email me directly at Allison@foothillsbroker.com. I'd be more than happy to discuss your wants/needs further. Thanks!
I just saw some beautiful properties in Cheyenne Canyon in CoSprings and Woodland Park just north -- I'm hoping of course that they are actually open-minded, educated communities as well (that almost seems to good to be true b/c it seems so beautiful and so affordable).
So glad to hear it b/c I believe it is true rather than too good to be true! Not entirely familiar with Woodland Park, though I've heard it can be a bit insular and challenging to integrate as an "outsider" though I suppose everyone has their own experience. Regarding Cheyenne Canyon, my spouse (the artist and singer) and I (and kids) have lived one neighborhood over since 2008 and can pretty well confirm it is an open-minded, highly-educated community. Bear in mind though, if you move to El Paso County you will never ever have anything but a hard right-wing Republican representative in the US Congress. That has to do with the voting patterns of the 600K county-wide population (60-40 or so in favor of red party) but has nothing to do with the voting patterns of the 100K population west and south of I-25 (which is more like 55-45 in favor of blue party). In other words ... despite how counterintuitive it may be, the western and southwestern areas of Colorado Springs are indeed a "family friendly liberal(ish) town with character" to which I'll add "affordable, astoundingly gorgeous, uncongested, 12 minutes to downtown, and boasting the generally highest testing school district in Colorado."
I really wish people would leave this "I want a liberal" or "I want a conservative" town garbage someplace else. Fact is that Colorado, until fairly recently, was, overall, a very politically moderate state. Bluntly, most of the wildly conservative or wildly liberal people who now live here are recent transplants from someplace else. Colorado now is a much worse place politically thanks to the "lunatic" fringe of both political spectrums that now live here.
As a native long-time Coloradan, I'm surely hated by both fringes of the spectrum. I'm likely hated by the conservative lunatics because I hold strong beliefs in natural resource conservation and a hatred for the land-developer/pro-population growth bent in Colorado politics. I'm certainly equally hated by the liberal lunatics for my strong anti-immigration, anti-welfare state beliefs, anti-drug legalization beliefs, coupled with the fact that I'm a Second Amendment-loving concealed weapon permit holding person who believes in the quaint idea of law and order.
So, what does that make me? Well, in many ways, a typical long-time politically moderate Coloradan. How have I fared? Well, I've successfully lived in numerous locales in Colorado, both liberal and conservative. I've also held elective public office in this state, as well. That said, if there are people in Colorado who truly are now becoming politically disenfranchised and who no longer can really feel part of a community, it is the political middle-of-the-road moderates like me. We have increasingly have no comfortable home in either political party, nor in our own state.
What if your down the middle maybe on the conservative side somewhat. Can you live in a liberal town in Colorado? Good Grief, I've lived in many areas and really didn't know how people voted until I saw the vote count. I love Bolder, Durango, all of towns in Col. I've been looking at property in both Trinidad and Pagosa Springs - will they kick me out for not voting the same as most do? I'd love to live in a small town of Chama at the border of NM and Colorado. I know they are liberal but that doesn't turn me off. Will a liberal town hate me for not being liberal?
Quote:
Originally Posted by jazzlover
I really wish people would leave this "I want a liberal" or "I want a conservative" town garbage someplace else. Fact is that Colorado, until fairly recently, was, overall, a very politically moderate state. Bluntly, most of the wildly conservative or wildly liberal people who now live here are recent transplants from someplace else. Colorado now is a much worse place politically thanks to the "lunatic" fringe of both political spectrums that now live here.
As a native long-time Coloradan, I'm surely hated by both fringes of the spectrum. I'm likely hated by the conservative lunatics because I hold strong beliefs in natural resource conservation and a hatred for the land-developer/pro-population growth bent in Colorado politics. I'm certainly equally hated by the liberal lunatics for my strong anti-immigration, anti-welfare state beliefs, anti-drug legalization beliefs, coupled with the fact that I'm a Second Amendment-loving concealed weapon permit holding person who believes in the quaint idea of law and order.
So, what does that make me? Well, in many ways, a typical long-time politically moderate Coloradan. How have I fared? Well, I've successfully lived in numerous locales in Colorado, both liberal and conservative. I've also held elective public office in this state, as well. That said, if there are people in Colorado who truly are now becoming politically disenfranchised and who no longer can really feel part of a community, it is the political middle-of-the-road moderates like me. We have increasingly have no comfortable home in either political party, nor in our own state.
Quote:
Originally Posted by CosmicWizard
jazzlover wrote:I really wish people would leave this "I want a liberal" or "I want a conservative" town garbage someplace else.
That same thought has crossed my mind on many occasions. Thank you for bringing it up.
I do tend to agree with some of what you have all said about this, even though I consider myself a mostly liberal person. However, I do think that it's more difficult to live in a place you are not comfortable with politically, if only because you are often seen as an outcast to society. It's hard to fit into a community where you can't speak your mind, your vote doesn't really count, and you are constantly on the other side of the fence as your neighbors. I've lived in very conservative, moderate and somewhat liberal cities/towns, and overall, I prefer the moderate to somewhat liberal leaning locales. I know that some of my bumper stickers are not popular amongst the ultra conservative crowd but I'm also free to voice my opinion. So, living in a place that holds at least some of my beliefs and values is a factor when choosing a place to live. It may not be the number one priority, and I don't get that from the OP either, but it does make a difference.
Jazzlover, I think you have a valid point regarding the far right and the far left. Unfortunately, I see our country shifting further away from the middle as a whole. But, I don't necessarily think that you can blame transplants for that shift in Colorado. I think we have good old mass media to thank for this. It's a reality s**t show on every news channel when something like Newtown or Boston happens. It only fuels the fire on both far sides of the spectrum and ultimately leads us further divided.
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Colo Spgs?
