I second all of the AZ suggestions. We lived in North Scottsdale for a few years before moving back to TX. I will take PHX heat over humidity. And like others have said, it really isn't that bad. When it is, it's easy to escape too. I honestly can't wait to move back.

AggieEP said:

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I'm thread hijacking, but AggieIce, I have a potential job offer at the USAFA, might be moving to Colorado Springs around May time frame. We've been looking heavily at Monument, do you mind saying why you decided to build out there vs. finding a place in Colorado Springs?

Also, any advice on how to navigate the market out there. From what I'm seeing, houses are staying on the market for only a couple of days at a time, which tells me this might be even worse when I would potentially get there in the May time frame.

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Initially we moved here to find land and custom build, but couldn't quite find the "perfect" spot with a fairly constrained timeframe. Over the last couple years we kept an eye out here and there and actually "lucked" into the perfect land and a great situation. So in that time we Reno'd the house we were in and managed to make a solid flip (that is our 4th house to flip in the last 9 years, so we are kind of sick of it and ready to put down roots).

Most of the new COS growth/sprawl is moving North and somewhat East. Monument now feels like Frisco felt in the early 2000s. Good land availability, new infrastructure, and already some money in pockets. I'll be building on the West side near the base of Mt Herman if you ever make it out this way. Look forward to all of the USAFA flights that will go right over my land.

Regarding managing the market: have in mind the type of layout you want (rooms, basement, views, etc), don't expect anything to be new/renovated, and act FAST when you find one you really want. I managed to meet a great realtor here who definitely helped.

COSCAG67 said:

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Have you been out there during the summer yet? This is a place my boss wanted me to consider but the wife is not a fan of the heat.

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I spent a total of 10 weeks there in 2021 in 5 different trips to get a sense of every season. My home town is Fort Stockton which is hot and dry as heck so the heat didn't bother me. I'm really hoping to make this move.

I think I saw you post on another thread you live in Val Vista Lakes. If so do you like it there?

jja79 said:

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I think I saw you post on another thread you live in Val Vista Lakes. If so do you like it there?

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Close, I'm in Morrison Ranch. I like it. Val Vista Lakes is nice too.

Really random question but have you eaten at Caldwell County BBQ at Power and Nunnelly? I tried it in November and it was actually pretty good.

Yeah, it's about 2 miles from my house. It's the best I've tried here, and if you've been there then you know it's named after Caldwell County, TX.

Gilbert AZ resident here for 4 years now, live in Seville neighborhood with my wife and kids in elementary school. We love it out here and the summers are hot but I'll take the dry heat over humidity all day.

Was a little chilly today though, got up to a high of only 56.

You a member at Seville? I took a brief tour back in March and liked it. One of the best things about Arizona is how cheap private clubs are.

Yes we are. Great golf facility.

Funny that so much discussion is about east TN and Colorado springs. We aren't selling our house in Springs any time soon... but I am putting in an offer for a nice piece of land in east tn. 150 acres, river, etc. My wife grew up pretty close to it.

Jabin,

I am so sorry you posted questions many weeks ago and I never replied.

We love East Tennessee because my wife and I enjoy the outdoors. She's originally from Boston, I'm from Connecticut. We both grew up in relatively rural areas surrounded by parks, trees, wildlife, etc.

The biggest thing I miss is the absence of Texas culture. I'm not a Texas native, and when I arrived as a Fish in 1975 I remembered the attitude that Texans have...that entrepreneurial approach to things that in my life is unique to Texans. And of course Texas BBQ.

People here are friendly...but those whose families are generational to this area will always keep an 'arms length' distance from you. That's OK because there are many who aren't from Tennessee that act normal (that sounds like a slam but it just is what it is).

All of the prime areas of East Tennessee are red hot now because so many people are headed here. Conservatives from California, New York, Michigan, etc....they are fed up with living in Woke areas and are headed this way. We live five miles from Maryville and it is a very hot market.

Couple of things to ponder....one can get some deals on land in East Tennessee...but they are in remote areas where Meth is king and the natives are a bit out there. Secondly, hospitals aren't the greatest here compared to what is available in DFW, Houston, San Antonio, Austin, etc. For that reason, we chose to live in Blount County as we're 20 minutes from the University of Tennessee hospital.

Couple of other areas I like....two hours northeast of us near the North Carolina border is Johnson City. Small college town with the largest VA Hospital east of the Mississippi. Neat town that's close to Ashville, NC.

Another great area is about 90 minutes south of us and that would be Chattanooga. Great small city and only 90 minutes from Atlanta.

Good luck!

Late to the party but I'll add another vote for the springs. Lived there for 3 years and didn't want to leave, still own a house out in Falcon in fact. Left in 2016 & I've spent the past three assignments trying to get back with no luck (Omaha, LA, and central coast CA) Hopefully next summer I can make it back.
Love San Diego and if I had to live in CA it's really the only place I would consider.

I am officially moving to Colorado Springs, we contacted a realtor (Lauren Collier) out there, sounds like a real **** show for anyone trying to buy right now, any advice?

Seems like Academy 20 is the school district to live in, my wife is a nurse, anyone have experience with the 2 hospitals up in the NE part of town? Which one is nicer, better retention etc.

I'll be there around the end of June so pretty tight turn for us to get everything figured out.

There is a group of 30 realtors in town called the "group of 30." They meet every thursday morning and let each other know what listings they have coming up. About the only way to get ahead of the curve is to use a group of 30 realtor. We bought our last 2 homes here before they listed. Had they gone on mls who knows what would have happened. Doo-doo show.

The north side of town is very similar to cities in Texas. high traffic, way more target super-centers, chain restaurants, etc. Schools up there are fine. It will be close to the academy and have similar commutes to Denver as people in DFW, Houston, and Austin have to get to work. I know a lot of people at the hospitals up there, the new UC Health is quite nice.

One bit of advice I would give is to rent for 1 year. Living in snow country is WAY different from Texas and you will learn what areas you like. When we first moved here, we rented a year and a half here then bought the house 2 doors down when it went for sale.

Last thing, we live in Broadmoor Bluffs (Spires) and it is literally the single nicest neighborhood I have ever seen. 30 minutes from the academy so it may be too far, but it is worth a look.

AggieEP said:

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I am officially moving to Colorado Springs, we contacted a realtor (Lauren Collier) out there, sounds like a real **** show for anyone trying to buy right now, any advice?

Seems like Academy 20 is the school district to live in, my wife is a nurse, anyone have experience with the 2 hospitals up in the NE part of town? Which one is nicer, better retention etc.

I'll be there around the end of June so pretty tight turn for us to get everything figured out.

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Still moving up here?

Did you find a house? If so where?

What did you think of the snowstorm last weekend? We had 20 inches at our house but it melted off pretty quick.

Best thing about living here is the stuff to do. I have the Avalanche game tonight followed taking my son mtb'ing in the mountains saturday and a group ride sunday. Monday we are having a bunch of friends over for a cookout on the patio. End of next week we are taking the RV to Durango and Crested Butte for 10 days, weekend after that we are headed to Breck for the opening of the summer activities. There is always something.

Yes, we did find a house, I think we did ok, but time will tell. We made a big compromise on lot size to get increased square footage and the 3 car garage I wanted. Ended up buying in wolf ranch up near the hospitals.

Definitely excited about getting out there and being active. I decided to bring my race car too, so I guess I'm going to try and get some track days on the track south of town.

Our inspection of the new home was on the day of the snowstorm lol, definitely an adjustment coming from Augusta, GA.

Does CS have its own Aggie club or do you all usually merge with the Denver club?

AggieEP said:

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Yes, we did find a house, I think we did ok, but time will tell. We made a big compromise on lot size to get increased square footage and the 3 car garage I wanted. Ended up buying in wolf ranch up near the hospitals.

Definitely excited about getting out there and being active. I decided to bring my race car too, so I guess I'm going to try and get some track days on the track south of town.

Our inspection of the new home was on the day of the snowstorm lol, definitely an adjustment coming from Augusta, GA.

Does CS have its own Aggie club or do you all usually merge with the Denver club?

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Congrats on finding a place, hopefully you will enjoy it. Everything is convenient up on the north side. It is very manicured. The Academy has a nice trail on it (Falcon Trail) and there is another on the backside that ascends the mountain to a lake. Fox run park is nice but it feels more like Tyler than Colorado. You will get more snow there than the forecast calls for so be prepared.

As for Aggie clubs, I have no idea as I would never go to one. Every conversation gets turned into politics and the last thing I want to hear is some dude's opinion on politics.

You will see many Aggies up here and know because they always wear the uniform everywhere they go and they will be sure to tell you they are an aggie. Just look for the overweight 40 to 60 year olds with a mustache and goatee wearing an aggie hat, aggie sweatshirt/polo shirt and driving an f150 with Texas plates. More often than not they will be tomato red from the sun and going full Karen mode on someone because the ketchup bottle ran out. Sorry for the truth bombs but Aggies on vacation are a little embarrassing.

Forgot one thing...

Pikes Peak hill climb is in a couple weeks. Since you are into racing go to the meet and greets and downtown stuff. It is a really cool scene, kinda like a low budget redneck F1 race. Porsche has a cool M&G with their drivers. I think anyone can get in but you might want to call before heading over.

It is much easier to skip to the next post than to walk away when someone is ranting to your face

Aggie_Boomin 21 said:

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Most of your post wasn't about undesirable conversations. You just complained about the existence of Aggies, and created a weird generalization for them.

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OK, so what is your point?

Let me guess... you are a male between the ages of 30 and 60, you have at least 10 A&M shirts/sweatshirts, you wear one every day of vacation along with a baseball hat saying A&M (with no bevel of course)), and my post offended you enough that you want to call the manager.

And for the record, I didn't complain about the existence of Aggies, I am one of them. I complained about Aggies on vacation

Not much valuable input from me, a longtime San Antonio resident who vacations in Colorado once or twice a year, but here goes.

I'll start off with, I've only ever been in CO during summer/fall. Y'all can keep your snow chains and driving 40+ on Berthoud Pass during the winter. Scariest (while still being breathtaking) drive of my life, and that was during July.

My SIL has lived in Denver and "The Springs". She much prefers Colorado Springs, and still lives there today on the west side of 25, south of the AFA. We've been out there multiple times, and the hiking there is excellent. Great summer weather. Pretty easy-going vibe about the area, with the requisite military feel.

Construction on 25, north of the city is a pain, but 35 is constantly under construction, so it's not like Colorado Springs has a monopoly on traffic.

If I had to make a choice, I'd pick Colorado Springs over Denver, as well, although we are partial to the Durango area, as well.

Aggie_Boomin 21 said:

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knoxtom said:

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As for Aggie clubs, I have no idea as I would never go to one. Every conversation gets turned into politics and the last thing I want to hear is some dude's opinion on politics.

You will see many Aggies up here and know because they always wear the uniform everywhere they go and they will be sure to tell you they are an aggie. Just look for the overweight 40 to 60 year olds with a mustache and goatee wearing an aggie hat, aggie sweatshirt/polo shirt and driving an f150 with Texas plates. More often than not they will be tomato red from the sun and going full Karen mode on someone because the ketchup bottle ran out. Sorry for the truth bombs but Aggies on vacation are a little embarrassing.

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Then why even be on this site?

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You clearly triggered him. He has no problem spewing political crap on F16, so I imagine his not wanting to attend Aggie functions is that people of differing opinions are frightening to him. Additionally, almost every posts he makes on any forum is a "look at me" post, so attending an Aggie function might require him to validate his braggadocious claims.

They could've started more construction back up, but when I drove to the Springs and back to Denver about a month and a half ago, 25 between the two cities didn't have any going on at the time.

Quote:

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You will see many Aggies up here and know because they always wear the uniform everywhere they go and they will be sure to tell you they are an aggie. Just look for the overweight 40 to 60 year olds with a mustache and goatee wearing an aggie hat, aggie sweatshirt/polo shirt and driving an f150 with Texas plates. More often than not they will be tomato red from the sun and going full Karen mode on someone because the ketchup bottle ran out. Sorry for the truth bombs but Aggies on vacation are a little embarrassing.

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Holy crap, that's funny because it's basically the opposite of reality.

Aggie_Boomin 21 said:

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They could've started more construction back up, but when I drove to the Springs and back to Denver about a month and a half ago, 25 between the two cities didn't have any going on at the time.

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I routinely make it from Lone Tree to the county courthouse in downtown Colorado Springs in 45 minutes & LT to Woodland Park in 60-65 minutes.