we want to relocate (Denver, Colorado Springs: house, neighborhood, school district)

[ghost1326]

hello all, my wife and i are strongly considering the idea of moving to colorado, we are thinking the colorado springs or the boulder are, but want a smaller town that would be commutible for work. we have four small children from ages 4-7. my wife has a business degree thats why we need to be somewhat near a bigger city no more thatn say 40 minutes. i myself have a production, wharehouse, and manufacturing background. my wife loves the mountains and i am an avid hunter, we strongly feel we need a fresh start and this is where she would like to be.....any suggestions or information would be greatly appreciated.

[Mike from back east]

Being within 40 minutes of a bigger city means you need to be in the Boulder-to-Denver corridor. Look in the Boulder forum, in the index, for threads on Louisville, Superior, Longmont, etc.

Colo Spgs is just too far south for that 40-minute drive. I'm on the far north end of COLO SPGS (exit 151) and it takes me 75 minutes to get to downtown Denver (Speer, exit 211), unless I want to fly at 85MPH in light traffic and then it's 60 minutes. There are 60 miles of I-25 plus local streets on both ends, hard to do in daily rush hour commuting in less than 90 minutes each way.

[treedonkey]

Originally Posted by Mike from back east

Being within 40 minutes of a bigger city means you need to be in the Boulder-to-Denver corridor... Colo Spgs is just too far south...

True, unless, COS (pop. 300k+) fits your definition of a 'bigger city', then that would open up much more the front range ares to you.

[ghost1326]

yes, i would definately consider 300,000 a bigger city....just looking for any potential work possibilities....we dont need extravigent, we just want a nice peaceful place to raise our kids and maybe make some new friends....any info is a big help, thanks

[COflower]

Originally Posted by Mike from back east

Look in the Boulder forum, in the index, for threads on Louisville, Superior, Longmont, etc.

That was my first thought too.

I mean, C Springs definitely fits into the "bigger city" realm but as far as jobs go for a family that perhaps needs to have two incomes, Louisville was exactly my first thought process.

I personally think it's still very iffy for people to make a major move anywhere right now unless they have a good chunk of savings, family that can help out or already have a job(s). This is also even more difficult for those with children. Making a fresh start versus taking care of a family requires a lot of resources right now that a lot of people don't have.

You may want to take an extended vacation to visit the areas, see what jobs are available, see which city really suits you and your core values, etc.

[treedonkey]

I don't mean to sound curt, but there's about a bazillion other threads on here that cover the pros and cons of the different areas along the front range and elsewhere. Try to narrow it down a bit and then post back to the appropriate sub-forum for specific questions about a particular area.

Or else just move to Limon, the glory spot of CO.

[Falconlady]

Sounds like you might like Falcon. It's east of Colorado Springs about 12 miles. Population is about 10,000 people, 3 rec centers, golf course. The commute runs about 20-30 minutes no matter which way you go. Woodmen is four lane to east and north, Hwy 24 is four lane to the south and central / downtown area. Good schools, basic shopping amenities (Wal-Mart, Walgreen's, and usual strip mall fare, restaurants). Home prices are a bit more reasonable out here and you can get more land. Traditional lot sizes are available, but lots of folks have 1/2 acre and up. For a full description of the area, click on Woodmen Hills Metro. There is a Neighborhood Information flyer link beneath the picture on the first page.

[Happybunny812]

Hello everyone, we are moving to Colorado Springs from the North East Cobb (Marietta) area of Atlanta at the first of the year. I've been doing some aggressive school shopping. I found out from Great Schools.net and this Forum that pretty much all of D20, some D11, (Coronado, Palmer & Doherty), Vista Ridge, Cheyenne MTN, and Falcon D49 are exceptional schools. The selection of the High School is as critical as the actual house we get. I have two kids (13 & 16) that have 3 AP classes, Honors classes, and the 16 yr. old is taking two Foreign Language Classes. They do this of their own free will (no pushing here). The Cobb County Schools they come from are National Schools of Excellence. My question is that I've heard good and bad about Sand Creek High School in Dist. 49. I've heard the Principal is excellent and the staff are helpful. But I've also heard there is excessive overcrowding, test scores are not as high as the other mentioned schools and the students are not challenged. In Cobb, we have some over-crowding as well. They are used to that and still thrive well. I'm more worried about when it gets time for College, that they will not be accepted to the schools they were on track for in Cobb. These kids choose to work hard for their grades and I would have a broken heart to find out I picked out the wrong school. Any input would be greatly appreciated. I would especially love to hear from Parents (or know) who have kids in any of these schools. Thank-You

[Falconlady]

Of the three high schools in Falcon D49 school district, Sand Creek would be the last on my list. That doesn't mean it's a bad school, it just means that Vista Ridge and Falcon High School are better. That said, if your kids know what career path they would like to take, each school has different "academies" that better prepare them. These academies are health-related, science and engineering, hospitality and one other that I can't think of at the moment. Falcon's website is Home. Check them out, call, come for a visit. Sand Creek is not overcrowded, but some of the middle schools that feed into Sand Creek are. That situation is being fixed next school year. Good luck with your search.

[Happybunny812]

Thank-You Falconlady for the heads-up. Fortunately, my middle schooler will be in Middle school only for one semester.