Researching neighborhoods to find one that fits you best!
Colorado Springs is a growing city. A large portion of incoming residents are military members and their families, while other folks are choosing to make a big move here because of all that Colorado Springs has to offer. After all, we were recently ranked the #3 best place to live in the US. It’s important to research a neighborhood before you settle in.
Click here for our Colorado Springs Relocation Guide
Where do you start if you want to learn the details of Colorado Springs and its neighborhoods? How do you determine where you want to live and what areas to avoid? It can be overwhelming. Luckily, you can do a lot research from the comfort of your living room chair.
Whether you’ll buy or rent, researching your new city, town, or subdivision is important. While there is a lot of research that you can do in regards to the house, condo or apartment you’ll be residing in, we will focus only on neighborhood resources for now.
Click here to download the Colorado Springs Neighborhood Guide
General Information about Colorado Springs
- Ask us! We can provide information and resources to help you narrow down your research.
- City-Data.com has some great general information for you to begin researching, especially if you are not in town and need to get an overall picture of the city. It gives you a lot of general information as a great starting point. It also helps you familiarize yourself with many frequently mentioned areas and landmarks in Colorado Springs. While you are on the website you might find lots of helpful information for detailed questions in the Colorado Springs City Data Forum.
- Neighborhoodscout.com
- Moving.com
- Move.com
- The city of Colorado Springs’ fabulous website has lots of great information to explore. They recently switched to the new website address so you will occasionally hit a dead link but this is a really helpful resource.
A note on “walking score”: we have noticed that websites’ walking scores are not always accurate. Speaking with other people about it is very helpful. A look at Google Earth will help you to determine parks and recreation facilities in the area.
Related Reading:
Colorado Springs Relocation Guide
Neighborhood Red Flags
Crime in Colorado Springs
The number one consideration for people when they move into a new location is: Is this location safe? Use these resources to learn about Colorado Springs, neighborhoods and subdivisions. There are several websites receiving feeds from the CSPD:
- RAIDS Online
- Crimereports.com
- My Neighborhood Update (this is a favorite among our clients)
- Sex offenders list
Related Reading: Is Colorado Springs Safe?
Schools in Colorado Springs
Did you know that Colorado Springs has a Choice In option for your kids? You are not restricted to the school districts where you live: you can choose any of the public or charter schools in Colorado Springs as long as there is space available for your student.
Other sources for research:
Though we have this Choice-In option for kids, home values and rental prices often reflect a district’s rating.
Click here to download the Colorado Springs Schools Guide
More resources for your move:
Websites about Colorado Springs
Take a look at the Facebook pages of News and TV channels, as they have a wealth of information and ideas on their Facebook pages. The following links are a good starting point:
Social Media
Social media is perfect for your search and probably yields better information than just standard information sites. Look for communities:
Facebook: Simply enter the town, neighborhood, or subdivision name into the Facebook search bar and you will get suggestions related to communities. Facebook lends itself to easy research as they have many users in ANY age range. Find communities here and ask your questions. Don’t forget to look for local interest groups as well (hobby, interest, activism). For example: “Special Needs Colorado Springs,” “Colorado Springs Photographers,” “Colorado Springs Yard Sale” and many more. Check out our Moving to Colorado Springs Facebook group for great information about moving to our city.
Click here to join our Moving to Colorado Springs Facebook Group
Reddit: Chances are you’ll have many millennials on this social media platform.
Nextdoor.com: The problem here is you’ll have to sign in with a street address of where you live. This could be a helpful option if you already have a friend who is local and willing to let you use their address.
Google Earth: This isn’t really a social media platform, but take a look at Google Earth to get a birds eye view of your city or part of town. You might be able to detect something that is not visible just driving the neighborhood
Yelp – Find local hot spots.
Tripadvisor – For local hot spots, sights, but also neighborhoods.
Streetadvisor – Reviews of neighborhoods and streets. However, keep in mind that the reviews of individual streets only have one or very few reviews. It might not be a representative sample but is definitely a great start to your research.
Digging Deeper:
- How important is it to you that the new neighborhood is not very transient? Ask you realtor to see how many homes have sold over the last 2 or 3 years.
- Which neighborhood is most conveniently located? Is access to highway close? Are schools close? Are there any traffic bottle necks? Check on traffic at various times via traffic cameras to find out.
- Would you like to know about environmental hazards in your area? The listed homes do not automatically need to be excluded, but it’s good to know that they are here and you can decide if this is a place you can live after your research.
Once you hit the ground: Most Important Resources
The most important resource in your research is actually the neighbors in the neighborhood you are considering moving into. This is something that you’ll have to do when you get to your destination but it’s well worth it.
Neighbors will tell you E-V-E-R-Y-T-H-I-N-G. Some of it you might need to take with a grain of salt, but you’ll hear the good, the bad and the ugly.
Drive the neighborhood you are considering at different times during the day AND night. Particularly Saturday nights could be a good indicator on how things are in the area.
Beyond the online research of a neighborhood: Other Considerations
- How does the neighborhood feel?
- Is there good street lighting?
- Is it a primary snow plow road? (If it is a primary snow plow road, this can indicate lots of traffic)
- Are there sidewalks? How is the walkability in your neighborhood? We have found that the walkability scores really aren’t that accurate. It’s important to learn that while you are in the neighborhood. How far is it to you the next playground/school/grocery store? What is important to you when it comes to these comforts?
- Is quick access to highways and interstates important? If this is close, do you hear noise that would disturb you?
- Are there train tracks? If they are fairly close by, how loud are the trains and do they come all times of day AND night?
- Do you have a problem with power lines if they are close by?
- Amenities: Would you prefer a subdivision/neighborhood with a pool or other IN-neighborhood amenities?
- Do you prefer low maintenance?
Give us a call (719-219-9739) if you’re ready to move forward in your plans to buy a home in Colorado Springs. Our team is always here to help.
