The Colorado Springs Experience Varies
-
7/10/2019
I moved here in 2002 from New York City. It was a massive cultural shift but I had friends to help me transition. I spent a few years renting and then bought a house in 2010. Colorado Springs has changed a lot since I moved here, but overall I would say that the general ambiance and culture is unchanged and good enough for me.
Reading some of the other reviews has been pretty amusing. Seems like folks like to come and rant about their pet peeves. Nothing wrong with that. I'll try to be as even-handed as I can.
First, some of the others are absolutely correct that your experience in Colorado Springs is going to depend on two things: where you live and what you do. Jobs are fairly plentiful in the Springs - minimum wage jobs. If you're looking for a professional salary, you'd better have something lined up before you come here. You can always go down to Walmart and run a register (there are five Walmarts in the Springs and others nearby). So, right there is a major fork in the road for your personal experience. A good job or no need for a job will drastically improve your outlook in Colorado Springs because there are a lot of sucky jobs. USAF guys love to retire here - they don't need to work at Walmart.
The second major factor is where in CS you live. In general - and there are exceptions - the further north and west you go, the better. In my opinion, Rockrimmon in the northwest is the nicest and most convenient area (people may not agree with me on that). It's pretty pricey. The next nicest area for reasonably ordinary folks is across the highway to the east, roughly in the Briargate area. You can find nice homes there at the national average price if you look a bit. If you have tons of money and don't mind long drives to get anywhere useful at all, you can move up to Black Forest or even Monument. I asked someone why they were moving to Black Forest from CS and the reply was, "It's quiet" - and that really sums it up.
In my opinion, the Broadmoor area is nice but a little stale (that's just my opinion!). Some people will say it's the nicest area of all, and everyone has their own opinion. I think it's kind of inconvenient in terms of location and a little too close to some of the rougher areas of town for my liking. There are very nice places up by the zoo on Cheyenne Mountain. The home quality improves dramatically the further you get from the highway.
Traffic is awesome compared to the East Coast. Few traffic jams and you're rarely stuck
James | Colorado Springs, CO