Thoughts of a COS native
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6/29/2024
I grew up in Colorado Springs, left for the military, and moved back in 2008. It is not the same place I grew up in or what it was 15 years ago. High crime, under-developed roads, lack of public transit, high cost of living.
First, for those who tout hiking and outdoor life, they're absolutely right. There is no better place. There is some of the best hiking here, bar none. BUT, trails I used to enjoy are overcrowded in the summer months. I used to climb the Incline every summer and have an enjoyable time, but now it's so crowded you may as well be in downtown. When I lived in Alaska, the locals called salmon season in/around Anchorage "combat fishing" because of how many people were throwing a line. Hiking is like that in the summer months.
The incidence of wildfires has been on the rise since the Waldo Canyon fire in 2012. The heat and wind are also on the rise. While not currently in a drought, it is a common experience for Coloradoans. I have family who farm/ranch, and it's getting worse.
In the city, the cost of living has dramatically increased. Young adults and those in college stay home if they can or have 8 roommates to afford to live. Homelessness is on the rise, and while many talk about the homeless camps downtown off Fountain Creek, the real tragedy is the number of families, children, and elderly experiencing homelessness. There is not enough housing for the people who live here (so please don't add to the problem). There is NO proper help for those experiencing trouble finding a place to live. The current Section 8 application to get on the waitlist (not a home, just the possibility of it) is an online lottery that opens up July 16-18. Gee, so long as you have a chance, right?
The roads are also not built for the number of people who live here. Congestion is high, we're one of the worst places in the country for tailgating, and accident incidents are high. We were in an accident on I-25 last summer, and the cops responding said ours was a good case, because no one died. There are city buses, but it can take two hours to get across town from home to job. There is no metro, and there are no plans to build one.
Crime is ridiculous and the city cops either don't care or don't do enough. When I moved back in 2008, my car was broken into. Cops did nothing. When my wallet was stolen, when my son's gas tank was drilled into (most like tweekers), when his catalytic converter was stolen, the cops don't even show up. Fill out a form online. When the kids were little we saw a drug deal in the back parking lot of a McDonalds (we lived in the suburbs then). Since then, it's more in the open. As a middle-aged mom, even *I* can recognize the local drug dealer, but he continues to haunt the same area without local police intervention. The stats on the bestplaces crime section are out of date. When my daughter was sixteen, a cop pulled her over when she was driving from school to lunch at a fastfood place. He gave her his card suggesting they date. I've had students racially profiled by the police and harrassed at night. Police shootings are on the rise. One of my students came up to me after a class on the Harlem Renaissance to say, "you know that kid shot in the back in the park? That was my best friend." I don't even know how to process that. Let's just say I'm not a fan.
Maybe all this is normal for a "big city," but it's not the place I grew up in, and if I lived elsewhere, I wouldn't move into it. Maybe things will get better, but even as a native, I don't have the patience to wait for it to happen.
Lee | Colorado Springs, CO