Move to colorado spings?

Question

I am thinking of moving to colorado springs, colorado. I am from MInnesota. Can you tell me some of the positives and negatives of the colorado springs area?

Answer 1

I lived in Colorado Springs for 4 years and now live in Boulder. The Springs is a military / Christian town. There are 3 bases (USAF Academy, Peterson AFB, and Fort Carson) and numerous Christa in organizations. People are very friendly but it is more conservative than say Denver or Boulder.

The scenery is beautiful especially as you get closer to the mountains however - it flattens out quickly and much of the new housing is on the flat plains - which I find gets boring pretty quickly.

Cost of living will be cheaper than Denver or Boulder and you have plenty of access to shopping - several malls - but nothing too high end. There is a nice outlet mall in Castle Rock about 35 minutes away.

The airport is well equipped with several commercial flights but you may find yourself connecting through Denver for most destinations. Denver is about a 90 minute drive. Traffic can backup on I25 at rush hours which makes short drives take much longer. The city is long and relatively narrow (north to south) so you find yourself driving from one end to the next - that said it is expanding eastward (west are the mountains). For skiing you are at a disadvantage to most of Colorado - you'll have to drive 2 to 3 hours to get to the world class resorts (essentially you have to drive through Denver then into the mountains).

All the major sports teams are in Denver - there are some minor league teams in the Springs that have a local following.

The city's historic area is most likely not where you are going to spend your time so architecturally it is not that interesting - most of the homes and stores are fairly recent construction so you don't feel like you are in the "west" or in a city with a lot of charm.

The weather is great all over Colorado - seems like they get more snow than Denver especially near the north end of town where the Academy is located - but I don't think it is significant.

The city is very family oriented, friendly people, good access to all sorts of stuff, and reasonable cost of living. There are also all sorts of bedroom communities that are cool places to live near the Springs like Manitou Springs, Monument, and Blackforest and they all offer a more mountainesque feel. The Springs feels more like a city on the plains at the base of the mountains (the city doesn't have a lot of pine trees - those don't naturally grow on the plains)

If you're looking for lots of city activity and events like sports teams, festivals, and clubs - it's not for you. Also if skiing is your thing there are better places to live for access to the mountains.

Answer 2

Yes, it is very pretty. It's at the base of the Rocky Mountains. Some tourist attractions: Pikes Peak, Garden of the Gods, Cave of the Winds, Olympic Training Center, lots more. Several military bases in town. It's about 1000 feet higher than Denver in altitude (~6000 feet). I grew up there but since then it's started to have some growing pains (traffic, sprawl). Most days are sunny, in the summer afternoons there is usually a thunderstorm. Hope this helps...

Answer 3

Wonderful city...has 4 seasons, but winters are milder than Minnesota! Right next to the mountains, lots to do ,Beautiful city and beautiful surroundings. It is a very "professional" and very high"tech" city...most jobs require a degree and/or skill. Not much there for unskilled workers. Check out jobs before going. A perfect size city, one hour from Denver.

Answer 4

I used to live there. I loved it. It is expensive, but to me the mountains are worth it. I would call the local police department and ask them what the good and bad neighborhoods are. Or if you don't mind the commute (about 10 minutes), Fountain is just on the other side of Fort Carson. It's smaller and when I was there, it was a nice place to live. Again, calling the police department is a good place to start. Enjoy.