Colorado Springs

[RestedTraveler]

What part of Colorado Springs is the best part of town in which to live? I've been out there a number of times, but I really haven't investigated the idea of living there until I was asked by my employer recently if I'd be willing to move either back to Orlando or to Colorado Springs. I'd rather not move back to Orlando.

My office is on the Northern End of town (between the Interquest and Northgate exits on I-25). I believe that I'd prefer to live on the North End of town - north of Woodmen between I-25 and Powers; however, I'd like to solicit some opinions on this area.

What are the schools like in this district (I believe it is El Paso County District 49, if I'm not mistaken)? I've got one in elementary and another headed that direction.

Also, is there a good YMCA with thriving youth athletic programs in town?

What are the home values like? What area would be best with regard to an investment in a new home with the expectation that the value will go up?

Would there be any advantage to living nearer to the Monument/Palmer-Lewis district or perhaps even Castle Rock (half way between work and Denver)? That idea seems quite attractive to me, too, but the home prices are just too high in and around Castle Rock, from what I've seen.

All serious questions - perhaps best presented to a realtor; however, I don't much care for realtors

Any input that anyone from the area can lend, I'd surely appreciate.

[RestedTraveler]

Wow! I guess there isn't much of an U.P. population in Colorado Springs. Maybe I should reconsider!

[colin]

Well, it's not really that big of a town, so the chances are kinda slim. Mostly people on the East Coast on this forum anyway.

I've passed through once and it seemed very nice.

It's very military-oriented because of the academy and the large air force base, and is growing right now as a result of those. I'd imagine that it's a little bit of a transient community also because of those though.

[RestedTraveler]

Well, it's not really that big of a town, so the chances are kinda slim. Mostly people on the East Coast on this forum anyway.

I've passed through once and it seemed very nice.

It's very military-oriented because of the academy and the large air force base, and is growing right now as a result of those. I'd imagine that it's a little bit of a transient community also because of those though.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Thanks for the feedback! I hadn't expected to see any at all.

Colorado Springs population is around 400,000, so it's not so small. However, I don't think that's really a factor in how many people from Colorado Springs are active in Urban Planet. I suspect it's actually due to the fact that, from my own observations when visiting, there isn't much of an urban movement in Colorado Springs. I sense (and hope) that this may soon change though.

Downtown Colorado Springs seems somewhat less than vibrant. The condo boom that seems to be a phenomena nationally is "MIA" in Colorado Springs. Instead, it appears that Colorado Springs is all about sprawl, especially to the north and east along Powers Boulevard. I could be wrong, but I suspect there are as many Colorado Springs residents working in Denver as there are in Colorado Springs. Ideally, I'd rather live closer to Denver myself; however, I do have to consider the location of my office.

[goodbye]

RT, how serious are you about relocating? I think CS would be a nice place to live, but I'd be sad to see you leave the Greenville area. Not as "rested" as you originally thought, or maybe "rested" enough to make another move?

I'd like to learn more about CS from residents there myself. If you find this thread and can help, please don't hesitate to give as much info as you are willing. Thanks!

[RestedTraveler]

RT, how serious are you about relocating? I think CS would be a nice place to live, but I'd be sad to see you leave the Greenville area. Not as "rested" as you originally thought, or maybe "rested" enough to make another move?

Pretty darned serious, I'm afraid. I don't really want to leave Greenville, myself. I absolutely love it here; however, the requirement for me to give up the nice work @ home life and return to one of our offices is imminent.

On the bright side, maybe I can spark some interest in U.P. once I'm out there!

[goodbye]

RT and all: I've started a tribute thread in the Greenville forum where members can post thoughts, questions, and comments regarding this transition. We will be very sad to see you leave. Your devotion to Greenville has been incredible!

A Tribute Thread to Rested Traveler

[bunt_q]

What part of Colorado Springs is the best part of town in which to live? I've been out there a number of times, but I really haven't investigated the idea of living there until I was asked by my employer recently if I'd be willing to move either back to Orlando or to Colorado Springs. I'd rather not move back to Orlando.

My office is on the Northern End of town (between the Interquest and Northgate exits on I-25). I believe that I'd prefer to live on the North End of town - north of Woodmen between I-25 and Powers; however, I'd like to solicit some opinions on this area.

What are the schools like in this district (I believe it is El Paso County District 49, if I'm not mistaken)? I've got one in elementary and another headed that direction.

Also, is there a good YMCA with thriving youth athletic programs in town?

What are the home values like? What area would be best with regard to an investment in a new home with the expectation that the value will go up?

Would there be any advantage to living nearer to the Monument/Palmer-Lewis district or perhaps even Castle Rock (half way between work and Denver)? That idea seems quite attractive to me, too, but the home prices are just too high in and around Castle Rock, from what I've seen.

All serious questions - perhaps best presented to a realtor; however, I don't much care for realtors

Any input that anyone from the area can lend, I'd surely appreciate.

Are you still checking back? If you are, let me know (post a reply)... just discovered this site linked through DenverInfill's site. Most Colorado folks on here are at the skyscraperpage forum.

In any case, I live in Denver now, but I am from Colorado Springs so I can give you a hand if you'd like.

[RestedTraveler]

Hi! I'm still checking back, yes. Any help you can provide would be greatly appreciated.

[RestedTraveler]

UPDATE: I think I've narrowed my choices down and even have a school district (District 20) and a builder/floorplan picked out for if/when the time comes.

[GRDadof3]

Thanks for the feedback! I hadn't expected to see any at all.

Colorado Springs population is around 400,000, so it's not so small. However, I don't think that's really a factor in how many people from Colorado Springs are active in Urban Planet. I suspect it's actually due to the fact that, from my own observations when visiting, there isn't much of an urban movement in Colorado Springs. I sense (and hope) that this may soon change though.

Downtown Colorado Springs seems somewhat less than vibrant. The condo boom that seems to be a phenomena nationally is "MIA" in Colorado Springs. Instead, it appears that Colorado Springs is all about sprawl, especially to the north and east along Powers Boulevard. I could be wrong, but I suspect there are as many Colorado Springs residents working in Denver as there are in Colorado Springs. Ideally, I'd rather live closer to Denver myself; however, I do have to consider the location of my office.

I have family in the Springs and Denver. The Northeast part of CS contains a lot of Air Force families, which is why it is relatively cheaper housing (relatively speaking), and it is sprawled so much. The houses are so d**ned close to each other though with no trees Expect 1/2 your neighbors to be from the Academy (good or bad). With Focus on the Family located there too, it's pretty conservative. The downtown is mainly office buildings closing down at 5:00 (from what I remember). My relatives have kids in District 20 (I believe) and they like it. They used to live in Northgate, and recently moved up to a golf-course community in the same vicinity. Beautiful scenery!

[RestedTraveler]

Thank you for the feedback.

From what I have found, the less expensive housing is actually in the Southern end of Colorado Springs (near the Airport and near Fountain). The Northeast Quadrant (specifically the Wolf Ranch and North Powers Blvd./Interquest area), unfortunately, isn't as affordable; however, it is in much better proximity to where I need to be. After having a 5 second commute for 5 years, I'm not ready for anything more than 10 miles

My experience has been the same with Downtown Colorado Springs: everything seemingly shuts down after 6:00pm. There doesn't appear to be a lot to do there. Hopefully that will change as my kids get older and we want to do things as a family in the evenings. Colorado Avenue out in Manitou seems to have a little more life in the evening.

There are so many bases in and around Colorado Springs and also the USAFA is located there, so it's no surprise that many of my prospective neighbors would be military families. Bring 'em on!

[goodbye]

Hope you find life in CS will be everything you and your family desire, RT. I want to take a trip out there sometime in the near future.

[bob23]

DO NOT MOVE HERE! I just moved here from Raleigh, and it sucks. If you have to move to Colorado, move as close to Denver as possible.

[goodbye]

Welcome to UrbanPlanet.org, bob23! Since you just moved there, are you sure it isn't just homesickness? What is your main reason for saying this? Keep in mind that RT is married and has a family. What is your impression about the shopping, dining, recreational, educational, and governmental aspects of the city? I'd like to know myself from someone who has just moved there from the east coast. Thanks!

[bob23]

Thanks Skyliner! It might be homesickness, I'm not sure though. O.K. Now to answer your questions. Shopping is o.k here. They have three malls which are kinda old, so we usually drive up to Denver to go to the mall. The dining is the normal stuff you'll find in any suburb. Chain restraunts and fast food. Recreation is one thing that is exceptional here. There is a great park and trail system, and the mountains are right there. There are no major colleges here. UCCS is the biggest. RT said he was moving to D20. That's a good choice. The school system is very good. Sorry, but I don't know much about the government here, so I can't answer that. Colorado Springs has its good points, but to me it just feels like one giant suburb. There's a ton of sprawl, no density, and no public transport (except for the bus). Hope that answers your questions:)

[Blue]

Not sure if you're still checking this thread, but here goes...

Colorado Springs tends to be somewhere between conservative and ultra-conservative. A huge religious right movement -- there have been stories of children being baptized against their parents' will, Amendment 2 started there about 15 years ago... it's very much a conservative city, in many ways, more so than Salt Lake City.

In my experience, people tend to be somewhat reserved. If you go to a game, don't expect a loud, rowdy Chicago-style crowd, or even a Denver-style crowd.

But not everything is bad. The setting is absolutely beautiful, and there's ample supply of decent housing at a decent cost. It's also growing quickly, so there's a lot of services in the area.

Downtown is pretty much dead. As someone once said, Colorado Springs is a suburb looking for a city. On the bright side, the crime rate tends to be low because of this.

Denver is only an hour away, so you have all the pro sports, arts, amenities there -- a huge plus.

Overall, Colorado Springs is a very nice place, even if it has several quirks.

[goodbye]

Thank you both! This has been a tremendous help, since I know so little about CS from any first or second-hand experience. I'd really like to visit sometime, if I'm ever in Denver. This will give me more to think about, whenever I get the chance.

[RestedTraveler]

Hey bob23, Blue, and Skyliner: Thanks for keeping the discussion going! Welcome to Urban Planet, too, bob23! I'm a little late, but I am glad you're here and hope you don't remain homesick for very long, if that's what ails you.

Well, I'm no longer considering a move to Colorado Springs. My director has been very adept at dragging his heels on any decision, primarily (I suspect) because he doesn't want to give up any control and partially because I've been doing such a wonderful job filling the gap for the past 20 months or so. Anyways, something's gotta give and we do need a manager; however, as long as there's a requirement for me to relocate, it's not going to be me. I love Greenville, SC too much to leave.

As far as shopping, it's not so bad in Colorado Springs. As bob23 said, there are some rather aged malls there. Chapel Hills is probably the most up-to-date of them and isn't so horrible. I wasn't overly impressed with The Citadel Mall. It's certainly on par with what we have here in Greenville. There are also a couple of new "lifestyle" type shopping centers: The Shops at Briargate is relatively small and up-scale with shops and dining and besides it offered the closest Starbucks in proximity to my office; First & Main Town Center over off of Powers is something on more of a larger scale such as our Shops at Greenridge here in Greenville, with Best Buy, Dick's Sporting Goods, Wild Oats, Lowe's, Super Target, etc. The best shopping is up the road on the South End of Denver at Park Meadows. It's a very up-scale mall that resembles a ski lodge inside and out. That place rocks. Denver's connecting to that end of town (and on into Castle Rock, from what I understand) with Light Rail, too. There's also some outlet shopping at Castle Rock, if bargain hunting is your thing.

Dining is very similar to what we have back East with a few exceptions. I like the Elephant Bar on Academy. The food was great, the servers actually sat at our table and chatted with us (my friends accused them of flirting, but I know better). Bucca di Beppo is good, too, if you like family style. We had those in Orlando, though, and there's at least one in Charlotte (Pineville) at Carolina Place, so that's not unusual. Some local favorites of mine in Colorado Springs: Craftwood Inn is great for wild game...along the same lines as Saskatoon here in Greenville. Le Petit Maison is an excellent little French Restaurant out in the toursity part of town (Colorado Avenue) near Manitou. They had an excellent Muscat with fruity (peach and pear) overtones that I've not been able to find elsewhere since: Moscato D'Asti Moncalvina, Coppo 2002. It's an excellent choice, if you're a fan of dessert wines as I am. It'll susbstitue for Sauternes in a pinch, at least.

The public school systems/districts in and around Colorado Springs are very good, from what I could tell doing research. D49 and D20 were the ones I really focused on and both seemed to be quite outstanding. Some colleagues of mine have told me that the only problem with the public schools in Colorado Springs is drugs (which shows up on the individual annual school report cards for each school as well, especially in Middle and High Schools). I suppose this is a concern everywhere, though. You've just gotta prepare your kids to make level-headed decisions and to know the consequences of those decisions. That's a parental task, not one to be imposed by any school system or governmental body.

Granted, there isn't much in the way of College/University educational offerings if you don't count UCCS, the USAFA, or the private Colorado College (a perennial hockey powerhouse it seems). UC at Boulder and CSU at Fort Collins are quite a hike up the road from Colorado Springs. So any thoughts I had of getting a second Masters or a Ph.D. (the old fashioned way, not online) certainly came into consideration in my decision.

The US Olympic Headquarters and Training Center is located in Colorado Springs. It's pretty cool if you're into the Olympic Movement; however, you may find it boring otherwise. You can't overlook the beauty of Pikes Peak, Garden of the Gods, and the escarpment. It's amazing!

I'd best stop now before I begin to have doubts about my decision to stay in Greenville.

EDIT: Added some hyperlinks.

[RestedTraveler]

Hey Skyliner: Any chance we can get this thread moved over to the new Colorado Forum?

[goodbye]

I'll let someone with mod powers in this region know about it.

[RestedTraveler]

OK. I'm once again investigating the proposition of moving to Colorado. Mass Transit is a concern with me. When last out there, I noticed that Light Rail was being built down into the Park South area from Denver. Someone told me that it would eventually stretch into Castle Rock. Is this true? If so, what is the timeframe for this? Any information would be greatly appreciated.

[teshadoh]

OK. I'm once again investigating the proposition of moving to Colorado. Mass Transit is a concern with me. When last out there, I noticed that Light Rail was being built down into the Park South area from Denver. Someone told me that it would eventually stretch into Castle Rock. Is this true? If so, what is the timeframe for this? Any information would be greatly appreciated.

You wouldn't be the only sandlapper living in Colorado ... & believe it or not, my wife works someone that left the sacred lands of North Carolina for Boulder!

I checked out the RTD Fast Tracks site & there is a light rail line being extended towards Castle Rock, in Lone Tree: http://www.rtd-denver.com/fastracks/southeast_corridor.html

But still, the SE line will open later this year & will still be a few miles from Castle Rock - you can either ride to the nearest transit station or take a bus from Castle Rock. I have to say, RTD service is great, especially in Boulder.

[RestedTraveler]

Thanks, teshadoh!

I was browsing the planning section of the RTD site previously, too, but couldn't really discern from what I was reading what the time frame was for the line down into Castle Rock. I now see my problem. I was looking at the Southwest corridor into Littleton rather than the Southeast corridor. Doh! Thanks for helping me realize my mistake.

The work that was being done near Park South along I-25 of the Southeast Corridor when I was last out there was looking great. I wouldn't use it for much more than riding into Denver on weekends for ballgames/shopping/visiting attractions/etc. as I'll be working in Colorado Springs (North End), so being in Castle Rock seems the ideal middle ground between work and play to me.

[r3gul8or]

Thanks, teshadoh!

I was browsing the planning section of the RTD site previously, too, but couldn't really discern from what I was reading what the time frame was for the line down into Castle Rock. I now see my problem. I was looking at the Southwest corridor into Littleton rather than the Southeast corridor. Doh! Thanks for helping me realize my mistake.

The work that was being done near Park South along I-25 of the Southeast Corridor when I was last out there was looking great. I wouldn't use it for much more than riding into Denver on weekends for ballgames/shopping/visiting attractions/etc. as I'll be working in Colorado Springs (North End), so being in Castle Rock seems the ideal middle ground between work and play to me.

Personally, I like CS. And yes they are considering extending the light rail to and through Castle Rock. It was in the paper 1/2 thru Trex. It was proposed but due to the cost of Trex I beleive it has stalled at least until TRex is offically 100% done.

But as a lot of people said, its a suburb looking for a city. Hence the reason why CS is known as the Sprawl Capital of Colorado. I live in Denver because I love the night life here and being from ehre, Im used to it. But if I was given the opportunity to get moved from Buckley AFB to Peterson or Schriever AFB in CS, I'd do it for a nice change of scenery.

Lightrail operations on the weekends vary than the week, so just remember that. And please, for the love of god, dont act like most of the moron californians out here and try to go 90 in the snow. it doesnt work.