Are houses really selling at these prices? - 1/15/2007

Hi, We are thinking of moving to Colorado Springs within the next 6 months, we just love the area and do a lot of outdoor activities.We have been looking at buying a house, but some prices are so expensive. Are they really selling at the prices or are they coming down when someone makes an offer. Good schools are important,especially high school. just one more year of middle school. Thanks!

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Colorado Springs - 1/14/2007

I've lived here for 9 years (5 in Woodland Park). Overall, it's a nice place to live, although the city is growing faster than the infrastructure can handle it.

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Altitude - 1/14/2007

Colorado Springs is a beautiful place with friendly people and good services. The only caution that I can offer is that the altitude is quite high (advertised at just over 6000 feet but much of the city is well above that) so persons with pulmonary or cardiac issues should include the altitude factor in their evaluation.

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Good, the Bad & the Ugly - 1/14/2007

I moved to Colorado Springs from Denver in 2000. There are good and bad aspects of the area, just like every other place on earth I would imagine. The good? It's large, but has a small town feel for the most part. Most people are very friendly. The climate is nice-I am a team roper and can rope outside all year round most winters-unfortunately not this winter-it's been horrible. Being originally from WI though, I grew up with harsh winter weather. The bad? the WORST traffic I have experienced. The city engineers in charge of road planning and construction are insane or morons. Also-the wind blows a LOT in Colorado Springs. The ugly? The over-the-top Christian intolerence that seems to run rampant. I have no plans on moving again, but if the growth continues as it has over the last 5-6 years, I may reconsider down the road-if I can GET down the road......

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Clean air, clean water, nice people! - 1/11/2007

I love living here. The air is clean, the water is good tasting and the people are nice! I think it is very family oriented and fun. Hiking, skiing and many out door activities are just a short drive away and half the time we forget to lock our front door. It is a conservative area which keeps the taxes low, sometimes the low taxes affect the infrastructure. Watching the sun rise on Pikes Peak in the morning is one of the best parts of my day. Far left liberals probably wouldn't like it here, they should research the east and west coasts where taxes are out of sight funding all the social programs. Moderates and conservatives would enjoy it more. There is something for everyone in every age bracket. It is a dry climate with very little snow, except for this year! It is one of the most highly requested military assignments which brings people here from all areas of the country. Many come back to retire. Crime rates are low compared to other, same size metropolitan areas. I don't want to live anywhere else!

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Left in 2002 and never looked back - 12/30/2006

Colorado Springs? A good place to live if you like being surrounded by fundie Stepford people. To the east of town, the suburbs sprawl for miles and miles, and every house looks exactly alike. There's no culture. The whole place is like some bizarre soccer mom version of hell. And the weather: no snow in the winter, incredibly dry, nothing green grows there, all the trees are dead. The mountains are pretty for about two days until you realize that they block off all of the available light every afternoon past 3:30 pm, even in the summers. The Springs has one of the highest suicide rates in the nation, and I'm guessing the mountains to the west are one major reason why. The public schools are full of self-entitled bullies being raised by self-entitled parents. And the fundies run the entire town. When I left, the town was rationing water and had a fire hazard because of drought, and the new city council's first actions were to remove domestic partner benefits for all of 5 or 6 gay city employees. Yeah. That's important enough to hold an emergency session for when your city is about to burn down or run out of water. Idiots. And so typical for the Springs. Ick ick ick. You couldn't pay me enough to move back there. That place will rot one's soul away.

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Absolutely NO culture, but plenty of outdoor activ - 12/29/2006

I was born and raised in Colorado Springs on the south (poor) side of town. The Springs definitely lacks culture, along with the whole state of Colorado. If you are a yuppie, you will love Colorado Springs for the spacious neighborhoods and many parks. The Rocky Mountains are minutes away, where you can indulge in many great activities such as yuppie skiing, and cheaper activities like climbing, canoeing, hiking, hunting, shooting, camping, the list goes on.

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considering on moving to colorado - 12/10/2006

can someone be nice enough to give info about the place as to its' safety, schools, the best community to raise a family, its weather, sales tax. i'm a nurse, with a 5 yr. old son. i'd like to know also nurses' salary range.

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Not For Liberals - 11/30/2006

Fascinating place and I love it. Takes a little getting used to however and a little tolerance towards some unusual ideas. This place is primarily a military town, being close the the Air Force Academy and Cheyenne Mountain and several Air Force Bases. As such, there is a strong military mentality. If you are used to that, you should be fine. As such, the people here are very strong on issues that indicate a military mind. One good example is a strong enforcement of traffic tickets. People here often drive just at or below the speed limit, as opposed to the rest of the nation which may drive about 4 mph over a speed limit. Ticket fines are high, being the second highest in the nation for speed traps, this town makes it rich on traffic tickets. Speeding is not the only thing they watch too, and they highly encourage people to call in speeders and other violators. Welfare, Food Stamps, and other public assistance facilities... You are out of luck. Sure, they have them. They have to, it is a federal law. They discourage such things however by understaffing such facilities, making them few, and providing extremely long wait times, as well as other red tape methods. Climate is mild here in comparison to other places, but it can get cold. Bring a coat. Extremely dry too. I came from a desert town, and it wasn't this dry. I had some nice dry skin after coming out here. Bring ultra-violet protection sunglasses, lip gloss, lotion. Liberals really hate the place. You see all sorts of bumper stickers from frustrated and insecure liberals delivering all sorts of nasty messages to right-wing conservatives and religous groups. The place is home to Focus on the Family and United Evangelists and the World Prayer Center. Some liberals have even complained of being 'bothered' due to their rather unwelcome yet 'open' idealogies. I love this place and hope to live here permanently. It has some draw backs, but nothing I cannot live with. It certainly beats the harassive behaviour I often received from 'open minded' liberals in other towns persecuting me for my conservative ideas. I'm certainly at home here. tit-4-tat

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Woodland Park- A nice place to live and raise fami - 11/3/2006

I've researched the Woodland Park area a bit and think I'd like to move there with my family. Is it a nice place to live and how is the school district? Are there other desirable areas to live with the housing in the low to mid $200,000 range? Any helpful advice is appreciated!!

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Good Place to Raise a Family - 11/1/2006

I have lived here for seven years, and overall it is a good place to live. There is a lot of military here: Two Air Force Bases, an Army installation, and the Air Force Academy. The army base (Fort Carson) has had some crime issues, but generally the military has a good relationship with the area. The north side is the nicest mix of good schools, homes and shopping, in my opinion, but there are good neighborhoods in other sections of the city as well....just avoid the south side. The winters can be cold at times, but the sun is almost always out, so it is not dreary. The weather can change drastically and suddenly, and the local forcasters have a hard time getting it right. One of the most annoying things to me is that winter drags on forever. March and April are the two snowiest months. You can have some very nice days in the spring, and then be blasted by very cold arctic air coming over the mountains.Because of the altitude (over 6000 ft) the sun can be very intense, and the air is DRY. Our daughter has had a very hard time with her skin. The area has three of the best schools in the state: Districts 12, 20 and 38. 20 and 38 are on the north side, 12 is on the sw side near the Broadmoor resort. There is plenty to do, especially if you make the hour drive to Denver occasionally for cultural events and professional sports. The Academy has fly-bys for every home football game and the Thunderbirds are here every year for graduation. There are more murders here than I would've expected from a Christian hot spot, but most of the violent crime is south. The north is mostly limited to burglary, but no more so than other places I've lived. If you like to garden, you won't like it very well. The area has a short growing season, poor soils, and unpredictable rainfall. People are generally nice, though not overly so. There is a large and active homeschooling network, if you are interested in that. If you are looking for that independent Colorado spirit you may have heard about, this is not the place for it anymore. Too much growth and too many transplants, mainly from CA. Housing prices did not rise as much here as other places during the boom, hence prices are stable now and are not falling. Of course, Pikes Peak is always there to the west, and the views can be magnificent. You could do alot worse.

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very hard to get used to - 10/28/2006

My family and I moved here from CA 2 years ago. We of course liked the idea of the lower housing prices and wanted to get away from the over crowding of Ca. It is one of the most beautiful places that I have ever seen but there are many many drawbacks. The lack of humidity and the need for eyedrops and chapstick as part of your daily routine became aparent right away. And it seems that yes there are some jobs here but finding one that is willing to pay you enough to live on is another thing. The military families here are well cared for by the communities, they are given special priority and treated well. So its a great place to be if your in the military. If not, your on your own. There are very few public agencies there to lend a hand to someone in need. There are even fewer government agencies. We have teenage kids in schools and one that requires special education. It has been a very long hard battle to have the schools actually provide the services that are required for him. There aren't many things for teenagers to do around here so they get in trouble. I am hearing everyday how board they all are. Its a long drive to the mountains for skiing and there is nothing in the area to do without it costing quite a bit. Law enforcement is very different. I know that we have as a family paid this state over $3,000 for tickets that the police in CA wouldn't bother to stop you for. Including the dog being out of the yard and driving rual roads with your high beams. You get your fine right there on the spot. To register your vehicle is quite costly. Your plates belong to you and not the car so you can be taxed on the same plates twice in one year if you change vehicles. And I think that the hardest part is the lack of the "live and let live" attitude that we are all used to. You must comply with the norm or look out. And people don't mind letting you know that they are not going to accept anything out of the norm.. The crime rates are high considering that this is not a big city. And domestic violence is a big issue, because the police are busy writing all the dog tickets and not so interested in what is going on that is "out of the norm". We are looking forward to going back home soon, of course the house we bought will never sell, so we are going to have a hard time moving back, but I will take the over crowding, the traffic and the smog just to get back to an area that thrives on diversity, free choices and the right to live your life on y

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Colorado Springs - 10/27/2006

I lived in Colorado Springs for one year. Colorado Springs is a beautiful city. The city has its pros and cons though. Pros: the beauty of the city, a number of things to do if your outdoor minded, some quality schools especially near the AF Academy. If your a sports fan,Falcon Stadium is a great place to see a game. Colorado Springs has 2 terrific universities/ colleges in Colorado College and the US Air Force Academy. Cons: LA like traffic, some awful schools especially in the southern part of town. Further drawbacks include crime, it is very much a problem in much of the city. Many jobs pay poorly, professional and blue collar. A final point, if your oppossed to the military, this is not the town for you. Colorado Springs takes pride in being a military town. Personally, their are pluses and minuses to any college town or military town. If you love culture, Co Springs like much of Colorado is seriously lacking. Co Springs does have some good rests. Most of the people are very friendly. Colorado Springs is a very conservative minded town, so if your more liberal minded perhaps you'd be happier living in a place like Boulder.

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Lots of Sunshine - 9/24/2006

Colorado is known for it's many days of sunshine throughout the year. In the winter, even the big snows don't linger. I've had great picnics in December.

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The Springs needs compassion - 9/7/2006

the springs public transport system sucks

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School Districts - 8/26/2006

We are also looking to relocate to Colorado Springs and our realtor told us the best district in the area was Academy District 20.

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Wondering where the good school districts are in t - 8/4/2006

My family and I are trying to relocate to Colorado Springs and I'm wondering in which are the good school districts are in.

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Climate overrated - 6/25/2006

Extremely windy, which has limited some outdoor activities for us on a regular basis. It's windy year-round. If you don't much like the wind, you'll frequently have a bad day. Wind advisories for high-profile vehicles are common. Nobody here seems to be able to drive, either. One commenter said 5-10 mph under the speed limit is the norm. It's very true. On I-25, the limit is 75. Most people go 65 or even less. Since there is little rain here, when it does rain, the traffic nearly stops from people panicking. They are very inattentive, don't signal, and the SUV percentage is very high. If you drive a car you could have some problems being seen. I-25 will also be backed up at rush hour just like a major city. Sure you can see the mountains in the background, but the city itself around I-25 is dirty, so if you notice details, you may be disappointed.

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Opinions about COSP vary greatly... - 6/25/2006

...depending on where you're from. I've found that a lot of people move here from California and love it -for many reasons, one major one being the drop in housing prices. But a lot of people from the midwest where the climate is much different (read: humidity and rainfall = grass and deciduous trees) tend to need more time to get used to it. I've been here for a year and my skin is still not adapting to the lack of moisture in the air, so my feet are disgusting. Crime depends on zip code. If you put different zip codes into the search, you'll get different crime ratings. The south side of the area has the most crime, where there are more shootings and stabbings. Pubelo, 20 miles to the south, seems to have a murder every day. No area in town is immune from property crimes. I know a guy in a "nice" neighborhood that had his garage broken into and his car stolen. It wasn't even that great of a car. Remember also that this is a town with 4 military bases of some sort, if that's the kind of thing that affects you. I know a lot of people don't like to live around military bases. There are 2 Air Force and 2 Army bases. I don't know if this has anything to do with it, but I was in a little township south of here and it seemed to look like the single mother dispair town capital of the world. It's also a very Christian environment compared to a college town's number of liberals, with Focus on the Family being located in town. Whether that's good or not is for each person to decide. I'm from a largely Democrat town and the sudden change is a bit startling. There is a ton of construction on the east side of town. When you're looking down onto the east side of town, all you see is a sea of houses. And it's as flat as western Kansas. If you're out driving around town on the east side during the mid to late afternoon, nearly every vehicle next to you at a red light will be a contractor. The east side of town, mainly along Powers, is covered in franchises like Target, Wal-Mart, Kohl's, PetCo, Home Depot, and chain restaurants. Not much different than other cities I've seen with little character. I've literally seen the same chain store with 2 locations within 2 miles of each other on the same street. If you want a locally owned business with any character at all, live on the west, older side of town, otherwise it'll be a 45 minute drive from the new neighborhoods. The west side of town is more mountainous, but also proportionally more expensive

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The Weather - 6/22/2006

It's a great city in the summertime. You can go camping,horse backriding etc...You can take a drive up to the mountains and have a pinic.

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