Colorado Springs?

[TN Mama]

My husband is looking into a few different jobs in new cities and one in Colorado Springs sounds more promising than the others. I'd love to hear from others in the area. I've only been to CO once (Denver area), so I don't know a whole lot about the area or about homeschooling there.

 

:bigear: Anyone have any info for me?

[Lara in Colo]

I live b/t Denver and Colo Springs. Homeschooling is very accepted here. I have never had one negative comment about HS and this weekend, I even had a teacher say she would hs if she had young children!

 

Climate is mild (really cold in Jan and Feb,really hot July & Aug) but dry.

Baking is difficult until you figure out high alt baking changes.

Cost of living is fairly average? (Ave 3bed home is 250,000)

 

I guess thats all I can add unless you have more specific questions.

 

Lara

 

Oh btw Colo Spgs is a military town, I don't really know what that implies.

[freethinkermama]

Colorado Springs is large, and the US Air Force Academy is there.

It's politically quite conservative and many Christian ministries are based there: Focus on the Family, Summit, Navigators. I believe CCC was based there until the late 1990s. YWAM has a training center there. Compassion international is there.

Honestly, it was too large for me.

It's friendly to homeschooling.

Hard if you're a non-Christian.

 

T.

Edited January 7, 2011 by freethinkermama
Derp. "Air Force" Academy :)

[Margo out of lurking]

My husband is looking into a few different jobs in new cities and one in Colorado Springs sounds more promising than the others. I'd love to hear from others in the area. I've only been to CO once (Denver area), so I don't know a whole lot about the area or about homeschooling there.

 

:bigear: Anyone have any info for me?

 

We lived in CSpgs from 2002-2007; dh and I are both from Littleton (Denver suburb). Colorado Springs was wonderful. It's very hs friendly. While the military is part of the reason it's conservative, the military also makes it a very transitory city. It's easy to make new friends, because most people are from somewhere else.

 

When we lived there, we'd often heard the phrase "Bible belt of the West," and we believed it. Then we moved to southern VA. I noticed you're in TN, and I would guess that eastern TN is similar to southern VA. THIS is much more "Bible belt" country than CSpgs could ever be.

 

There were loads of opportunities for hsers (we desperately miss our co-op there, which offered over 150 classes per semester!). Pikes Peak Library District is terrific. With the views of the mountains, particularly Pikes Peak, it's gorgeous. The weather is almost perfect. It snows (more than TN!), but it's quite arid, and the sun shines well over 300 days a year. The snow is usually gone within a day or two. While you still have to be careful of ice, I do not ever remember an ice storm (in Denver or CSpgs). Denver is less than an hour up the road, which gives you another option for field trips, medical care, airports, etc. Shopping in CSpgs is great; traffic is not so terrific, but you get used to it and quickly learn when to avoid certain roads. Oh, and the bugs are much smaller. You probably won't recognize mosquitos, and it's unlikely your pets will have fleas. I never saw a tick until I moved here. It can get hot in the summer, but it's dry, so you don't sweat much. "Swamp coolers" are a popular alternative to home air conditioners, and they cost just pennies to run. Thunderstorms are frequent in the spring/early summer, and you learn to avoid planning outdoor activities in the afternoons.

 

You're using SL, so I assume you're a Christian hser. You'd probably find that CSpgs has a lot to offer. :)