Colorado Springs - ever been?

[tntgoodwin]

I would LOVE to hear everyone's thoughts on Colorado Springs, good and bad. We are STRONGLY considering settling down there at some point, but I want to get more opinions first. :)

[Cheryl in NM]

We've driven through and visited a little. Our impression was good. It's beautiful and there are a ton of Christian homeschoolers. It also kind of the "mecca" of homeschool speech and debate outside of California. I can give you some contacts if you're interested. If ds competes this year we'll be up there probably 3-4 times.

[raceNzanesmom]

We lived there in '86. LOVED it!! Beautiful! Lots to do without being a HUGE city. Very friendly.

 

The cost of living was higher than we were used to in Iowa, but we also made more $.

[Ailaena]

Provided you are Christian or military and you don't mind a small town, you would probably like living there very much. It's a very clean city, low crime, people are generally friendly, housing is affordable, it has great outdoor activities, some very good schools, tons of homeschooling support and colleges friendly to duel enrollment. I have known three families to move there in the last 6 months or so (1 military, 1 lds, 1 idk), and they are all loving it so far. Plus, IKEA is opening next week less than an hour away!

 

I am there often enough to have an moderately strong outsider's opinion, and although I like it very much, I am glad I don't live there. Not for any specific reason (other than it's small), it just doesn't feel like it would be a good fit for me to actually live there. Clearly it's me, though, because I just made it sound like an awesome place!

[tntgoodwin]

I am Christian and military. :)

 

We live in a larger city now (I think the population is 1 million?) And it's too crowded. Where we used to live was almost 200,000, and it felt a bit too small. I believe the census put Colorado Springs just over 400k, which SOUNDS ideal, lol.

[Karen in CO]

CO Springs has a lot of open space, parks, and trails. We know lots of ex-military that have settled here. There are many school districts with homeschool options as well as a couple of colleges. The traffic isn't nearly as bad as other places. There is an art school, a great zoo, a couple of small museums, and it is close to denver for more opportunities. We are about 2-3 hours from decent skiing. We also have great air and water quality.

[Dandelion]

We live just outside of Colorado Springs (about a 10 min. drive into town).

 

Moved here 11 years ago and we love it.

 

As others have said, Colorado Springs is about as homeschool-friendly as a city can be. Tons of homeschool support groups and co-ops to choose from (majority are Christian, but there are also some secular support groups). Homeschooling laws in Colorado are considered "moderate" - all we do is file a "notice of intent to homeschool" at the beginning of the school year, keep track of attendance, and there are fairly flexible testing requirements starting in 3rd grade (every 2 years after that). Super-easy as far as I'm concerned.

 

Lots to do, especially if you're into the outdoors (hiking, biking, etc.). World-class ski resorts are just 2.5 hours away - great for day trips.

 

There are a few museums - but for the better ones, we drive to Denver (about an hour away). Both Denver and Pueblo (next large town to the south - 45 min. away) have great Children's Museums - a Colorado Springs Children's Museum has been in the works for the past few years.

 

Some very good school districts (if that's a consideration for later on) and excellent private/charter schools. Most (if not all) of the school districts are open to partial enrollment/participation from homeschoolers. Colorado also has a couple "virtual public school" options.

 

Crime rate is average to low - depending on the crime (has never been a problem for us while we've lived here - we live in the woods outside of town and don't lock our doors at night).

 

Cost of living is average - we moved here from Portland, OR so it was a reduction in cost of living for us.

 

It's a military town - if you're military, you can get discounts and special military benefits everywhere. Because of that, and the high number of "churches per capita", it's definitely a more conservative town too.

 

The economy/job situation is about as good as anywhere (no better - no worse). Some of the high tech companies that used to be here (such as Intel - my former employer) have closed down in recent years. Colorado Springs used to be known as "Silicon Mountain". The city seems to be gearing up to attract more employers into town. If you have military experience/security clearance, job prospects around here can be quite good. Lots of government contracting opportunities (my DH started up his own government contracting company a couple years ago and is doing very well).

 

The weather is beautiful - sunshine 300 days out of the year. We do get quite a bit of snow in the winter, but it often melts the same day (especially in Colorado Springs - out where we live, it sticks around a bit more). High temps in the summertime generally max out at 95 degrees, and we have almost zero humidity.

 

The only thing I miss living in Colorado is large bodies of water. I love the ocean (really miss the Oregon coast!) - and this area has very few lakes (they're mostly reservoirs and you can't swim in them).

 

If you need additional info, let me know! Happy researching! :)

[milovany]

How much do you love the ocean / big expanses of water? I'm asking because I know you're in Hawaii now. We lived in Colorado Springs for three years, moving there from near Puget Sound in Washington, and while we had a decent time and made some dear friends, I wouldn't go back. I love the water too much, and it was too big. We now live in a town with 17,000 people about two hours from Puget Sound again. So glad to be back.

Edited July 19, 2011 by milovaný

[wapiti]

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[Margo out of lurking]

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[NicAnn]

While it does have many positives, it's one of my least favorite places in CO. :) I prefer Northern or Western CO, if you have that choice. Although I assume with being in the military, you don't.

 

The reasons I don't care for it- the traffic, which can be a lot more than in other places. I also feel it's a little...trashy...for lack of a more intelligent word. :)

[AFwife Claire]

We were stationed there for 5 1/2 years, from 1995 to 2000. DH was at Cheyenne Mountain, Peterson, Shriever, and then we moved out to USAFA for the last 2 years! We really liked it, so we kept getting new assignments there, LOL. We loved all the camping, hiking, etc. I actually thought it had a lot of traffic back then--but that was before we were stationed in Northern VA. Ha! DH had a 2 week TDY out there a few years ago, and we all went. I thought the traffic was non-existent! Perspective . . .

 

What I did find out about the Springs is that neighborhoods tend to go downhill quickly. All that intense sun beating down day after day makes the houses and lawns just look for scraggly after a few years, unless the homeowner is really conscious about upkeep, plants good native plants, etc. When we were back in 2005, we drove through our old neighborhood near Peterson (which was brand new when we bought it 1995), and I thought it didn't look so nice anymore.

 

I would have loved to move back, but to retire, it was just too far from our families. It was a 2-day drive back to my parents' house, and I like being able to drive back just by myself with the kids to visit. Two days is too far for me by myself. Still . . . I love going back to visit! The views . . . the blue sky . . . sigh.

[dtsmamtj]

LOVED it!!! Would move back to Colorado in a heartbeat if the opportunity was presented.

[goldberry]

We live in Divide, which is a rural area about 45 min - 1 hour from Co Springs. I think the whole area is great, with so many opportunities for nature/physical activity. As a secular homeschooler, I find the HS activities pretty slim.

 

We love it and wouldn't live anywhere else. We especially love that the winters are milder than in some areas of Colorado.

[ColoNative]

We currently live in Colorado Springs. I am a native, being born here. There are many pros - and some cons....I guess it depends on what you are looking for.

Weather - beautiful weather most of the year, but short summers. Gardening here is a challenge with the short summers and clay soil, depending on what part of the city you live in.

Traffic - not too bad, but there are very few major roads getting across town, so it can take a while - poor strategic long-term planning, imho.

Homeschooling - many options of support if interested, a very friendly home-school town, both in the public schools, private schools, and co-op type settings.

Churches - lots and lots of churches, but we still haven't found one we LOVE.

People - lots of military, so with that comes lots of transition in people in and out.

Town - again, imho, there are very few nice parts of town that we would consider living in. If you want to have some land in Black Forest, you'll pay a fair bit, depending on where you're coming from.

Jobs - there are some government jobs, but so many people I talk to are out of work, can't find work, etc. The job market here is not too good - again, imho. I've talked with so many people who have moved here hoping to find a job, and can't find one. And the lay-offs have impacted finding jobs as well.

Shopping - one of the malls here is run-down and needs to be leveled and started over. We go to Denver if we want to go shopping.

Groceries - there are lots of decent grocery stores, a nice Whole Foods, and a locally run (Denver) store called Natural Grocers, a competitor of Whole Foods, which we love.

Things to do - nice zoo, lots of hiking, biking, mountain climbing, skiing not too far away, camping...

Other thoughts - this is not the most progressive town in terms of long term planning, budgeting, growth, etc. They've tried to maintain small town thinking, but the city has outgrown the thinking.

 

Best of luck in your search.

[tntgoodwin]

How much do you love the ocean / big expenses of water? I'm asking because I know you're in Hawaii now. We lived in Colorado Springs for three years, moving there from near Puget Sound in Washington, and while we had a decent time and made some dear friends, I wouldn't go back. I love the water too much, and it was too big. We now live in a town with 17,000 people about two hours from Puget Sound again. So glad to be back.

 

I could take it or leave it. I enjoy the ocean when I am near one, but don't miss it when I am not. I lived 10 years in Amarillo Texas before I joined the military, and it was about 10-12 hours drive to the coast, and it didn't bother me at all.

[Running the race]

Beautiful. I'd live there.

[AFwife Claire]

Shopping - one of the malls here is run-down and needs to be leveled and started over. We go to Denver if we want to go shopping. . . .

 

Other thoughts - this is not the most progressive town in terms of long term planning, budgeting, growth, etc. They've tried to maintain small town thinking, but the city has outgrown the thinking.

 

 

 

Is that the Citadel Mall? So sad--my grandparents were AF retirees, and their house was really close to the Citadel. I remember visiting them in the summers and going to the mall, which I thought was so neat, since we lived on the island of Okinawa and other small places with no mall!

 

And your last sentence, about C. Springs wanting to stay a small town in their planning, is so true! We thought that back when we lived there. The city planners really did a poor job with road planning esp.

[RegularMom]

We lived there for 8 years. Loved it. Miss it. Would move back in a heartbeat.

[gardenmom5]

I would LOVE to hear everyone's thoughts on Colorado Springs, good and bad. We are STRONGLY considering settling down there at some point, but I want to get more opinions first. :)

My brother was stationed at Peterson, so I got to visit. I thought it was a very nice city and would love to go back. Garden of the Gods was incredible. It seems to be a very nice sized city too.

[milovany]

Churches - lots and lots of churches, but we still haven't found one we LOVE.

 

Have you ever tried the Greek Orthodox church? I wanted to do that when we lived there and am sorry we didn't. (We weren't Orthodox then, but it still intrigued me).

 

 

Shopping - one of the malls here is run-down and needs to be leveled and started over. We go to Denver if we want to go shopping.

 

This just leaves me open-mouthed (not that I don't believe you, I just can't imagine what one would have to travel to Denver for -- Colorado Springs seemed to have more shopping opportunities than one would ever need when we lived there).

[Dandelion]

This just leaves me open-mouthed (not that I don't believe you, I just can't imagine what one would have to travel to Denver for -- Colorado Springs seemed to have more shopping opportunities than one would ever need when we lived there).

 

In the 11 years we've lived here, I've never had to travel to Denver for shopping - IMO Colorado Springs does have everything one would need. Now granted, Denver has much nicer malls - and if you're into the "experience" of mall shopping, you would probably want to make the drive for that. The two malls we have aren't much to write home about - as Biddingers mentioned, one of them is pretty run down with lots of empty storefronts. I'm not a mall shopper, so this has never been an issue for me.

 

There are plenty of other department stores, clothing stores, and even a more upscale open air mall on the north side of town (The Shops at Briargate). There are also several eclectic boutiques in downtown Colorado Springs. The Castle Rock outlet mall is another option (only 30 min. away - halfway between Colorado Springs and Denver).

Edited July 19, 2011 by Dandelion

[Margo out of lurking]

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[tntgoodwin]

Is that the Citadel Mall? So sad--my grandparents were AF retirees, and their house was really close to the Citadel. I remember visiting them in the summers and going to the mall, which I thought was so neat, since we lived on the island of Okinawa and other small places with no mall!

 

And your last sentence, about C. Springs wanting to stay a small town in their planning, is so true! We thought that back when we lived there. The city planners really did a poor job with road planning esp.

 

Very interesting... several people I have talked to here (Hawaii) said they loved driving in Colorado Springs, that they recently redid a bunch of roads and it is so great to drive there...lol

[Dandelion]

Very interesting... several people I have talked to here (Hawaii) said they loved driving in Colorado Springs, that they recently redid a bunch of roads and it is so great to drive there...lol

 

There's been a lot of road construction the past few years on several of the major roads as well as a widening of I-25 in some key spots (the main freeway that goes through town). They've addressed many of the areas that were problem-spots previously and I think they've done a great job.

 

Personally, I think the traffic/driving is fine here. You might get a little bit of build-up during rush hour depending on where you're driving - but I commuted from the north outskirts of town (Black Forest - where we live) to the center of town (Garden of the Gods Road) for 8 years during rush-hour traffic and it generally took me 25 minutes. I don't consider that a bad rush-hour commute (and it would be much less for someone who actually lives in town - plus they've made improvements to many of the roads since then which has lessened the congestion considerably).

[tntgoodwin]

The other day it took me 45 minutes to drive just over a mile.

[Dandelion]

The other day it took me 45 minutes to drive just over a mile.

 

You'll love it here. :D

[VeteranMom]

I've lived in Co Springs for 14 years. My kids are involved in our district's homeschool program and attend public school once a week for their "specials" (gym, art, music, spanish, etc). There are a lot of homeschoolers here and a lot of options for us.

My feelings about Co Springs...I don't like the long winters and the short summers (it always feels strange when it snows in May). Housing costs are decent. There are a lot of sightseeing activities in the area. People are very active here and you can't travel a city block without seeing someone walking, running, or biking. I-25 is much better now that the speed limit has been raised and most of the construction is finished. They've been working on another major road lately (Woodmen), but it's pretty easy to avoid it. Shops at Briargate has decent shopping, but it's an outdoor mall. Chapel Hills Mall had gone downhill and has turned into a teen hangout. I haven't been down to the Citadel mall in years- not since that woman was shot there around Christmas one year. I do a lot of shopping on line and will go to Denver, if needed.

I've lived in many different cities and there are always pros and cons. Overall, I like Colorado Springs and I try to focus on the good things- not too hard, since there are a lot of good things.

[ColoNative]

In the 11 years we've lived here, I've never had to travel to Denver for shopping - IMO Colorado Springs does have everything one would need. Now granted, Denver has much nicer malls - and if you're into the "experience" of mall shopping, you would probably want to make the drive for that. The two malls we have aren't much to write home about - as Biddingers mentioned, one of them is pretty run down with lots of empty storefronts. I'm not a mall shopper, so this has never been an issue for me.

 

There are plenty of other department stores, clothing stores, and even a more upscale open air mall on the north side of town (The Shops at Briargate). There are also several eclectic boutiques in downtown Colorado Springs. The Castle Rock outlet mall is another option (only 30 min. away - halfway between Colorado Springs and Denver).

 

Yes, I agree - there are plenty of places to shop but if you want to go to "mall stores" I don't like either of the malls here (Chapel Hills has more and more empty stores - in fact Old Navy just moved out and is in a "strip mall" across the road) - they are both highschool hang-outs, and I find the selection much better in Denver. We live on the north side of town and can be to Denver in 45 minutes....The Shops at Briargate is nice, but the only children's store there now is Gymboree....so, I didn't mean to leave the impression there is no shopping here - there's plenty, just a matter of opinion on what you are looking for.

[ColoNative]

Just for those interested in the job market here in Colorado Springs, this news came out today:

 

http://www.gazette.com/articles/employees-121773-lay-lockheed.html

[Bassoonaroo]

Hi there, We've lived in Colorado Springs for 16 years now and I really enjoy it. Although we have no relatives here, we're planning on sticking around for a while.

 

Why I like it:

Nice folks, good churches

Decent parks (city, regional, and state)

Great sightseeing (Garden of the Gods) right in town!

Neat things in state (Mesa Verde, Bent's Fort come to mind -- but there are more).

Mountains are right there (skiing, camping, hiking)

Lots of homeschool opportunities in Colorado Springs (speech and debate is growing by leaps and bounds each year, the local homeschool Science Olympiad team nearly made it to Nationals this year despite being only a few years old).

Lots of co-ops here. There's a secular group, a big Catholic group, and lots of Christian groups. Some are simply mom support groups and others offer classes.

Several ministries are based here (so that the Christian homeschooling families can take some interesting field trips and learn how a big ministry works).

A great living history museum (www.rockledgeranch.com)

A great zoo (www.cmzoo.org)

The Air Force Academy is just north of the city and we've had a fantastic time going to football games there, sponsoring cadets (students) from there (always really nice kids), and watching the graduation fly-bys of the Thunderbirds.

Terrific hiking trails

Two great youth orchestras (http://csysa.com/ and http://new.peakharmonic.org/) and a great city orchestra too.

Lots of good ballet companies and a good Nutcracker each year.

Some good youth drama companies.

Horses.

A few fun touristy things to do when your family visits (Flying W Ranch, Cave of the Winds, Seven Falls, Focus on the Family, etc.)

We get snow in the winter but the storms are separated by sunny days where it melts. It's not like midwest snow that comes and stays and where it's gray a lot.

Located close to Denver (a little fancier with dance, drama, art, museums)

Located close to Pueblo (water skiing on the reservior).

 

 

What I don't like about it:

Dry climate leads to nose bleeds. Sometimes older relatives would rather not visit due to the altitude which can lead to a few days of nausea and headaches (and extreme thirst) when first visiting.

Hard to garden though I know some successful folks.

Driving east to west (and back) is hard.

Bikers think they own the roads -- even those with really nice bike paths that parallel the roads!

Dog owners don't clean after their pooch's poo. I guess that's anywhere anymore, right?

 

As for the malls, I never go, so I can't really comment. Aren't malls every where drying up? I mean, things are going to strip malls (isn't that where we were 30 years ago?) anyway.