Wouldnt want to live anywhere else - 5/9/2008

This is a bigger city with a small town feel. Friendly people and lots to do - can't get much better than that

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Colorado Springs - Pros/Cons - 4/5/2008

Pros: 1. Low crime rate 2. Good school system 3. Low cost of living and housing for the region 4. Affordable place to live 5. Beautiful view of the mountains 6. An overall good place to live and raise a family Cons: 1. Extremely rapid population growth 2. A whole bunch of religious organizations trying to shove their beliefs down your throat 3. No major league sports teams

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It's a Great Place to Live - 3/30/2008

I've lived in Colorado Springs since 1987 and there have been a lot of changes over the years - both good and bad. We deal with warmer weather (good in winter, problematic in summer), heavier traffic (what large city doesn't?), more inconsiderate drivers (thanks to all the out-of-staters anxious to live here), and periodic water shortages (this is the high desert after all). I haven't had any first-hand experience with crime but check out the crime statistics before tarring the entire city. On the other hand, this area is beautiful year-round, the snow melts within hours or days. Taxes are low as is the cost of living. UCCS has quadrupled its enrollment and local schools routinely rank in the top percentile for student achievement. The Pikes Peak Center and the World Arena attract national-level entertainment. Retail is booming with new shops and restaurants opening daily. It's easier to get from one part of town to another due to those same major construction projects others bemoan. There are several major religious institutions but they don't dominate city life - city council sponsorship of the local Multicultural Festival is evidence of that. I've lived in PA, CA, NE, LA, AL, VA, and ND and I wouldn't trade Colorado Springs for any city in any of those states.

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Colorado Springs has changed so much, for the wors - 3/23/2008

Colorado Springs is a beautiful city overall. There is a lot to do for tourist and residents alike. But living in COS is another story. It has changed dramatically over the years, mostly for the worse. Crime is up once again, after an astonishing increase of 31 percentin 2006. In 2007 the city tied it's homicide rate with a previous record set in 1991. People will always rationalize that the city is bigger, yet forget that the statistics show a higher percentage of crime overall versus population increase. Just this last weekend, the local paper released a study showing that Colorado Springs has the second highest suicide rate in the nation behind Las Vegas amongst the 56 largest metro areas. The experts cannot pinpoint why COS has such a high rate, but I might be able to give some hints. The city has no employment growth. The people of COS are very worried about the job prognosis. The city has several large military bases. You can imagine what the night life consists of, let alone the divorce rates, and crime(Three soldiers were charged with committing crime sprees including several murders). There are also numerous church organizations and ultra conservatives who have no tolerance for an agenda that does not fit their standards. This leads to a lot of hate and resentment amongst the community. The police don't make the problems any better with constant speed patrols, while not being able to answer calls for service within the alotted time frame that every police department follows. (You can now file crime reports on the CSPD website.) COS boasts a property crime rate thats comparable to cities like Dallas and Phoenix. Yes, violent crime is lower but even the city has admitted the crime is getting out of control. Finally, the infastructure is really lacking for a city of this size. Constant red lights, people drive like they are going on Sunday cruises, no bypass around the city, crumbling roads, etc. make commuting frustrating. It's only going to get worse due to numerous budget cuts being implemented. The weather is very overrated. Half the year, its too cold to go outside and actually enjoy the weather, Spring and Summer consist of hail storms and thunderstorms every afternoon. Enjoy the cracked skin and lips, bloody noses, sunburns, dryness, 5 percent humidity, etc. Nice place to visit.

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Breathtaking views - 3/23/2008

I moved to Colorado Springs in 1981; and still feel fortunate to live in the area. It's a breathtaking city, with Pikes Peak being the backdrop on the west side of the city. In the winter, it is full of snow; and in the spring and fall it beautiful snow cap on it. Did you know that the words to the poem that make up the song America the Beautiful were written after Kathryn Bates came down from Pikes Peak? The city has grown immensely in the 27 years I have lived in the area, but I still enjoy it. I feel blessed and never want to take the scenery for granted.

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Used to be a nice place to live - 2/15/2008

I moved to Colorado SPrings in the late 60's when there was 60,000 people here. It was the largest city I had every lived in but it was still small potatoes compared to what it is now. With the population (40 years later) approaching 500,000 it is just too much. The traffic is terrible, neverending road construction, road rage and inconciderate drivers. Also the climate is really starting to get to me. It's a lot hotter in the summer here than it was in 1968, seems like a much more desert-like hot to me and in the winter are the far extremes, with way to many days in the single digits for my taste and the cold winds only compound the problem. Everyone thinks of Colorado as such a liberal state...not so. Colorado Springs is a hot bed for organizations, like Focus on the Family, New Life Church and many other world religious organization that tries to dominate the public thinking and voting. Remember Colorado SPrings is where the anti-gay rights amendment was born! Crime is on the rise, the economy is suffering, funds have been cut to city and county entities as well as schools, so police and fire protection as well as the education of our children is suffering. BUT on the UP side, COlorado SPrings is a beautiful city, with a lot of culture, art and the view of the mountains is to die for! As I approch retirement age I am torn, do I stay here where my friendships and support are or do I move closer to my daughter and grandchildren in KY where the cost of living is much lower?

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Not Loving The Weather - 2/12/2008

The Weather changes about once every hour. When you go outside it can be snowing in the morning and then be 70 degrees in the afternoon. Its crazy! We do have more sunny days then most places but its still cold and winter lasts longer than I would like.

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A couple of comments... - 1/12/2008

I have not lived in Colorado Springs before. However, I noticed how some people are complaining about how high the crime rate is. Of course it's going to have a higher number of TOTAL crimes going on than, let's say, Pueblo, because Colorado Springs has almost 4 times the population of that city. The crime RATE measures crime per 100,000 residents. Colorado Springs has about 500 violent crimes per 100,000 residents -- just slightly higher than the national average. Pueblo has about 600. Canon City, a small town about 50 miles southwest of COS, has almost 800, which is considered high. Which city are you more scared to live in? Don't forget that in a larger city like COS, you can avoid crime by not living in the bad parts of the city. Unlike a smaller city (such as Quincy, IL), there are many places to eat and shop, so you generally don't have to worry about being beat up at the store by someone from the bad parts of the city. Judging by the news on krdo.com, most of the crime seems to happen on the east side of the city. Finally, on krdo.com, they had a news story on how crime was rising in small towns like Cascade, Cripple Creek, and Canon City. That considered, I'd rather live in COS than any of those towns.

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General Questions - 12/20/2007

Hello, I don't know really alot about Colorado and my family and I are being assigned next year to Peterson AFB. I am just doing some reasearch and would like to know about Colorado Springs. In addition, do we face alot of discrimination if we are afro-american. I have read this state has changed alot and I just want to know from someone who has lived there recently or lives there now.

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Colorado Springs - It's not perfect but what city - 12/6/2007

One man/woman's trash is another's treasure is the key thing to remember when reading these blogs. Every city (even the one that you just left which you are touting now to be the greatest thing since slice bread) has detractors. My response below was to a lady that experienced some race relations issues in Colorado Springs. Not to minimize her situation but what big city or wannabe be city doesn't have those problems? Christine, unfortunately when you are in a city in which the black population is roughly 6% you are going to have instances like the ones you've mentioned. This would be no different if the situation were reversed (one of our white brothers/sisters moved to College Park, GA - suburb of Atlanta). There are going to be issues regardless of where you live but the question is "are those issues more than what you are willing to deal with"? The same things I hear about Colorado Springs I hear about Charlotte, Raleigh, Denver, Dallas etc (notice the trend). No place is perfect and I'm sure wherever one resides the N-word is not too far behind unfortunately in every community/metropolitan area (white/black/latino - you name it). If you are looking for more diversity then I would suggest relocating to Denver. However, overall I think that Colorado Springs is a great place to live (I enjoyed my 3 years there).

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CS vs Denver? - 12/5/2007

My husband and I are planning to move to Colorado in the immediate future. We are considering either Denver or Colorado Springs. He works and IT and I work in Accounting/Finance, but we are expecting our first child soon. We enjoy sports, outdoors, and cultural activities. Which city is a better place to live? Thanks.

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Colorado Springs - 10/25/2007

Great city to live in. Absolutely beautiful backdrop with Pikes Peak dominating the sky.

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Colorado Springs: A great place to raise a family. - 10/12/2007

I have been in Colorado Springs since 1984. Great weather. Dry air. You can leave your potato chip bag open for weeks and the chips still crunch. Snows but it melts in a couple of days. Beautiful scenery. Friendly people. Good schools. I was pleased with the school my children graduated from. There are lots of parks. I am a Realtor so I can tell that housing costs are close to the national average but the median price has been dropping over the past several months. I am retired from the Army and I can tell you that utilities are cheaper here than any other place I have ever lived. The highest my total utility bill has ever been is about $240. That includes gas, electric, water and sewer.

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climate in Colorado Springs - 10/11/2007

The climate is the best things about the city (along with the view of the Rockies). Dry air, sunny skies, beautiful snow falls that melt quickly along with fairly mild summers and winters. As a native Texan, I can really appreciate the climate and beauty of the city. While I definitely miss the people and southern hospitality of Texas, the climate is hard to beat!

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Crime is Not Evenly Spread Out Here - 9/24/2007

I noticed that some readers had remaked on crime statistics for Colorado Springs, and although I hate to see ANY crime, overall, I would have to say that I have never really unsafe here. People walk, ride bikes, run, etc all times of day and night, in most areas of the city, and do so in peace. Most of the violent crime that I have seen in the news has been concentrated in a few areas of town, and seem to usually be in the middle of the night, when most of us are in our beds sleeping peacefully. We had some kids stealing from peoples unlocked cars in the middle of the night for a while in our neighborhood, but this is a pretty peaceful place for the most part, with a few concentrated exceptions.

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Colorado Springs Summer Weather Has VARIETY! - 9/24/2007

I noticed another review commenting on the summer weather in the Springs, and after 16 years, I have to say I love the summers. They can get hot (90's), and they can be cool too (I still remember snow on Pikes Peak for the 4th of July Hill Climb), and yes, it does rain in the afternoon often in a good year, not as often during a drought, with some fun lightening and thunder, but the evenings are usually nice and cool (50's), and rarely does the weather stay the same for very long. And after living in Michigan for much of my life, I can honestly say thay not having the 90 percent humidity makes a HUGE difference in tolerating the warmer weather. You just plan your day around the fact that it is usually going to start cool, be warm and sunny until mid afternoon, and then thunderstorms will often roll in. There is reason for the afternoon golf specials!

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THE Place to Raise Your Kids - 9/21/2007

We moved here with 5 children from the south (SF) Bay area 16 years ago, because we wanted a better place to raise our kids, and wanted a place that they would not feel they would have to leave when they grew up. Now, all of them are grown, but still live here (at least in the state), and are raising their own kids here. It doesn't get any better than that for me!

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Religion is CONSERVATIVE here - 9/18/2007

Religion is overpowering here - so much so that if you're a minority (ie if you don't belong to a huge church whose leader is scandalous) you feel like an "outsider".

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Colorado Springs - 8/13/2007

Colorado Springs pros/ cons Pros 1. a very pretty city 2. nice people 3. they have some very good universities Cons 1. L.A like traffic 2. very few job options for people who aren't in the military 3. high crime rate 4. serious homeless problem 5. very limited cultural scene 6. very pricey too live anywhere nice in Co. Springs

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Beautiful Colorado Springs! - 7/30/2007

Don't listen to all the COS naysayers! Colorado Springs is one of the most liveable, scenic, and friendly cities you'll find in the Heartland. The view of Pikes Peak is breathtaking, the weather is sunny, and the people are wonderful and kind. Colorado Springs--like the state of Colorado generally--is a religiously-oriented city with a high military presence. That makes it is appealing for those looking for a piece of Old Americana. People are family-oriented and church plays a major role in the lives of residents. People are also very outdoorsy and health-minded.

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