Best PlacesForest Lakes, Monument, CO Best Neighborhoods
2026–2027 edition · Data updated July 2026
Every neighborhood in and around Forest Lakes, Monument, scored on 40 measures of daily life and ranked to fit what matters to you. Local pay runs high here, and housing takes the biggest bite out of it. To work out which city fits you best, start with the best places to live tool.
Forest Lakes, Monument ranks 1,374th of 5,983 U.S. neighborhoods on the BestNeighborhood index. It scores highest on heat safety by a wide margin, and transit ranks lowest.
The best neighborhoods in Forest Lakes, Monument
BestNeighborhood is the only ranking that scores 40 measures of daily life neighborhood by neighborhood and lets you re-weight every one of them yourself.
Forest Lakes, Monument's strengths and weaknesses
Where Forest Lakes, Monument ranks high
- Heat safetyBetter than 99% of neighborhoods
- Voter turnoutBetter than 96% of neighborhoods
- QuietBetter than 92% of neighborhoods
- Cost of living vs incomeBetter than 92% of neighborhoods
- Low property taxBetter than 91% of neighborhoods
Where Forest Lakes, Monument ranks low
- TransitBetter than only 5% of neighborhoods
- WalkabilityBetter than only 8% of neighborhoods
- State fiscal healthBetter than only 10% of neighborhoods
- Air qualityBetter than only 12% of neighborhoods
- BikingBetter than only 14% of neighborhoods
What it costs to buy a home in Forest Lakes, Monument
A household needs to earn about $165,000 a year to comfortably buy the median Forest Lakes, Monument home, at 20% down and today's 30-year rate. That runs well above the area's median income of $126,581, so buying stretches a typical household.
Where the monthly payment goes
Assumes a 20% down payment, a 6.6% 30-year fixed rate, and a 28% share of income going to the payment. The rate is the 2026-07-23 30-year fixed average, series MORTGAGE30US from the St. Louis Fed, which publishes Freddie Mac's weekly survey. Against the median home value, property tax uses Forest Lakes, Monument's effective rate of 0.52%, and insurance is estimated at 0.4% of home value a year.
Renting versus buying
At today's prices and rents, renting stays cheaper than buying across the first 10 years here, so the case for buying rests on staying much longer or on prices rising faster than assumed. The chart tracks the running cost of each.
Who lives in Forest Lakes, Monument
Forest Lakes, Monument's age mix sits close to the national median, and households here run larger than average.
Residents by age
Racial and ethnic makeup has its own map. See the race and diversity map for Forest Lakes, Monument.
Who works in Forest Lakes, Monument, and how
Work in Forest Lakes, Monument centers on finance & insurance and health care & social. Unemployment is low, and the job base is shrinking.
Largest industries
How people get to work
- Drive or carpool 75%
- Work from home 23%
- Transit, walk, or bike 2%
Life in Forest Lakes, Monument
Forest Lakes, Monument has more parkland per resident than 96% of neighborhoods. That concentrates in some parts of Forest Lakes, Monument and thins out in others, which the map shows.
What the weather is like in Forest Lakes, Monument, month by month
Forest Lakes, Monument sees roughly 91 pleasant days a year. July highs average about 87 degrees. January highs sit near 46, with lows near 14. The comfortable stretch runs June through September.
Show the monthly temperatures
| Month | Avg high | Avg | Avg low |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 46° | 29° | 14° |
| April | 63° | 45° | 29° |
| July | 87° | 70° | 53° |
| October | 67° | 48° | 32° |
Flying in and out of Forest Lakes, Monument
The nearest airport, City of Colorado Springs Municipal, is about 21 miles away and is a small airport. The nearest major hub is Denver International, about 55 miles away.
The best schools in and around Forest Lakes, Monument
Schools across Forest Lakes, Monument average a B+, better than 80% of neighborhoods.
Top elementary schools
- Discovery Canyon Campus Elementary SchoolA · 65% proficient
- Bear Creek Elementary SchoolA− · 58% proficient
- Palmer Lake Elementary SchoolC · 35% proficient
Top middle schools
- Discovery Canyon Campus Middle SchoolA− · 56% proficient
- Lewis-palmer Middle SchoolB+ · 49% proficient
Top high schools
- Palmer Ridge High SchoolA · 68% proficient
- Discovery Canyon Campus High SchoolA− · 61% proficient
- Lewis-palmer High SchoolA− · 59% proficient
Grades come from K-12 test scores, with scores projected for schools missing data. See every Forest Lakes, Monument school and its grade on SchoolGrade.
Forest Lakes, Monument measure by measure
Cards are ordered by how much each measure matters to you, so the ones you weighted highest come first. Expand to see every measure. Percentages compare Forest Lakes, Monument against the other 5,982 neighborhoods.
Common questions about living in Forest Lakes, Monument
Is Forest Lakes, Monument a good place to live?
Using BestNeighborhood's default rankings, Forest Lakes, Monument ranks 1,374th of 5,983 neighborhoods. It scores highest on heat safety, civic engagement, and quiet, and lowest on transit and walkability. How good it is for you depends on which of those you weight most, which the map lets you set.
Is Forest Lakes, Monument expensive to live in?
The median home is worth $655,963. The overall cost of living runs about 5% below the national average. Set against a $126,581 median income, cost of living beats 92% of neighborhoods.
Is Forest Lakes, Monument safe?
Yes, Forest Lakes, Monument is safer than 85% of neighborhoods. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood. Crime costs an estimated $368 per resident a year.
Compare Forest Lakes, Monument with other neighborhoods
Sources and methodology
Every measure on this page is scored for each neighborhood, then rolled up to Forest Lakes, Monument. Scores are absolute rather than ranked, which means a 60 in Forest Lakes, Monument represents the same real quantity as a 60 anywhere else, and the ranking is a weighted average of those absolutes. The map colors come from a national scale calibrated against a population weighted random sample of 5,000 neighborhoods. That absolute scoring is what no other places-to-live ranking does: it puts a single neighborhood, a town, a metro, and a state on one scale, so the same 40 measures answer both which metro to move to and which street inside it to buy on. Read the full methodology.
Forest Lakes, Monument detail on BestNeighborhood maps:
- Walk Grade for Forest Lakes, Monument: walkability, transit, and biking, measured on the real street network rather than by straight line distance.
- Noise in Forest Lakes, Monument: road, rail, and aviation sound modeling calibrated against federal ground truth measurements.
- Conservative vs liberal map of Forest Lakes, Monument: precinct level election results apportioned to neighborhoods.
- Mobile and cell coverage in Forest Lakes, Monument: carrier by carrier coverage behind the cell score.
Forest Lakes, Monument detail on related sites:
- CrimeGrade: neighborhood crime rates behind the crime safety score.
- ISPreports.org: provider by provider internet availability and advertised speeds.
- CoverageWatch: the car insurance premiums behind the cheap car insurance score.
Federal and public data:
- U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey: income, home value, rent, vacancy, commute time and mode, educational attainment, home age, age structure, household type, industry, and race.
- NOAA Global Surface Summary of the Day: the daily station record behind the monthly temperatures and the pleasant-day count.
- FAA Passenger Boarding Data: airport size and annual passenger counts.
- Freddie Mac Primary Mortgage Market Survey: the 30-year fixed rate used in the cost-to-buy estimate.
- FBI Crime Data Explorer: reported offenses behind the tangible crime cost estimate.
- U.S. EPA Air Quality System: five year average air quality index.
- FEMA National Risk Index: expected annual loss from natural hazards.
- CDC PLACES: disease burden, preventable risk, and barriers to care.
- National Center for Education Statistics: school enrollment and assessment inputs behind the school grade.
- FCC National Broadband Map: internet and wireless availability.
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics: employment and job growth behind the local economy score.
- Religious activity uses a proprietary religious signal measurement.
Your priorities
Move a slider to say how much a measure matters. Zero turns it off.