Another "Where to live" post (Denver, Colorado Springs: ski resort, rentals)

[Starlite145]

Hi all!

My husband will possibly be taking a job in Florence, CO. I'm already assuming that we don't want to live there and would rather be closer or in CS. We will be moving from Bend, OR. We will have 3 children by the time we move, a newborn, 2 1/2 year old, and 5 year old. Our 5 year old will be starting Kindergarten. We are looking for a 4+ bedroom home, 2000+ sq ft, dog friendly, hopefully closer to the southwest part of CS, for about $1500. I've also been looking into Fountain, CO. We are also a multicultural couple. My husband is black, from Kenya, I'm white, from Oregon. The children are all biologically ours, even though I'm constantly asked if they are adopted by people in Bend. We are looking for a little more diversity. So, some questions for you...

1. What elementary school would you recommend? I have checked out greatschools...and I don't need it to score a 10, I'm open to a Title I school, and one with diversity.

2. I'd like my husband's commute to be less than an hour, if possible...what do y'all think about Canon or Fountain? Bend has a population of about 83,000. We kind of prefer the smaller town feel, but moved to Bend from Philly...so we're open to both city/country.

3. I enjoy running in local 5k, 10k, 1/2 marathons, etc. Does CS have a running community?

4. We are going to miss the ski resort being so close to us (45 min) in Bend. Is there a skiing community in CS? Is it logical to think we'll be skiing as frequently as we have here in Bend? My son takes weekly lessons and I'd love to keep that up. My husband and I usually have season passes, but I've read the nearest resort is 2 hours from CS.

Thanks for all your help!

[Mike from back east]

Nearest skiing to COLO SPGS is Monarch Mountain at 120 miles or Breckenridge at 105 miles, both about 2.5 hour drive.

There's a huge running club centered around Jack Quinn's Irish Pub, downtown.

The south end of COLO SPGS and Fountain are good areas. Florence is about 40 miles and a 50-60 minute drive.

We've a few teachers on here that can help you with the schools, they'll be along soon enough.

[Starlite145]

Thanks Mike! I appreciate your feedback. I'm thinking Fountain might be a good place to check out.

[otowi]

Fountain has some pretty good schools and should be much more used to diversity than Bend. TONS of runners here.

[Bamagem]

I really liked Eagleside Elementary in Fountain. I don't know how OR is in regards to Kindergarten but here in CO you must pay for all day Kindergarten. This surprised me coming from Alabama.

We rented a 1500-ish sq 4 bed in Fountain for $1200, I'm sure you can find something in your price range. Colorado Springs Rental Properties - Official MLS Listings - PPAR.com is a great local site for rentals.

On a side note, my mom moved to Bend from Denver about 5 years ago and LOVES it.

[otowi]

It is not universal that you have to pay for all day Kindergarten in Colorado. In D11 it is free. Just fyi.

[Bamagem]

Ahhh, good to know. Thank you.