History, Reputation, Reality, Economy, and Moving Forward

[Front_Range_Guy]

I don't care so much, anymore, about being regarded a hip hot spot.

Nor do I care about becoming a massive megalopolis. In Fact, I think A Colorado Springs Metro area of 800k to 1Million would be perfect. It doesn't need to be any larger than that. Denver will alway's be Colorado's largest city. That's how it should be.

It's so frustrating reading over and over again... Colorado Springs is nothing but extremist evangelicals, or Colorado Springs is nothing but cookie cutter sprawl. I'm sorry... but that's simply not the whole truth.

The truth is that there are a large number of evangelicals. However, a recent study shows church attendance is higher in Denver County and Pueblo County than El Paso County. There is also a significant number of Democrats in this county. A recent article in the Colorado Springs Business Journal says there are more Democrats in El Paso County than Denver or Pueblo Counties. Oh... and the gay population is 10,000 strong. I've heard people say they wouldn't come here because they'd get beaten to death for being gay. Again. Simply not true. I don't think religious fanatics are the majority here. Here's the reality of the situtation.

In the late 1980's Colorado Springs economy was in the tank. The cities economic development arm was looking to attract clean industry into the city, and unwittingly decided Focus on the Family would be a good choice. The end result? Evangelicals aren't the majority here, they simply have more political and financial power than the rest of us moderate or even liberal nobodies. So these jack-asses... this small handful of politically connected, wealthy jackasses got Amendment 2 on the ballot... because those jackasses were here, all of us from here are forever condemned to be blamed for it. Okay... the sprawl issue... that one I don't fully understand except to say this. There are people alive today who can remember when Colorado Springs had a population of 35,000. In the course of 50 years, the city swelled to 600,000. This happened during a period in history when people were fleeing the city for the suburbs all over the country. Colorado Springs didn't exist as a city of an size prior to the proliferation of suburbia. Of course it's suburban. That's all it's ever had a chance to be. The pendulum is swinging the other way now. I'm certain that, if over the next 100 years, the trend is toward urbanism... Colorado Springs will be a much more dense city 100 years from now. Aside from that, I do think there are and have been some corrupt city council members who have taken money from developers so they could do what they want. At this very moment, this city and county are collapsing under their own weight financially... they can't take care of what they have, yet the intend to let a large open space on the east side of town be developed. Eventually home to 100,000 more people. It's obsurd, disgusting, and I'm certain, the result of something underhanded.

I'm tired of only hearing what's wrong with Colorado Springs. I'm tired of so called progressives only focusing on one truth about Colorado Springs. We have a charming, albeit struggling downtown... and a thriving, bustling, eclectic west side and historic district that merge into Manitou Springs. We have a spectacular parks system, we have a wonderful liberal arts college right downtown, an up and coming arts scene with high quality institutions like The Fine Arts Center.... yet all anybody wants to see or focus on is the sprawl on the east side. I'm tired of it. A true progressive should want to acknowledge the problems, high light what's right, and work hard to make the city better. Not just complain, and sit on their pedistal and talk about how horrible we are here.

We aren't. I am not. Most of us are not. Some of us are. That's true everywhere.

It'd be so easy to forget about it... just not bother with any of it anymore... except the venom these people are spewing is having a negative effect on my cities economy. There are people working their asses off to make this city better... including the city... and it's recently created Cultural Office of the Pikes Peak Region and Colorado Springs Diversity Forum and these WHINERS are effectively undoing it and it's wrong.

If you're not a part of the solution, you're a part of the problem, and you need to shut up and go feel high and mighty at the expense of someone else.

[r3gul8or]

nicely said bro.

[jsauce]

haha wow you're pretty adament about this and I 've been to colorado springs many a time and i must say it is very beautiful in its historic district, but other than that i've noticed that there is a LOT of sprawl and cookie cutter which is my biggest dislike of ANY city. Also i was never aware of the strong evangical presence in the city.

[colin]

I think Colorado Springs is great and would actually choose it over Denver as a place to live, especially since Denver is only about an hour away if you really want to go up there.

I think the evangelical impression is undeserved. It seems to be like a lot of cities: the central core is very progressive and liberal, while the undesirables tend to stay out in the suburbs with their seas of asphalt, chain stores and 1/4 acre lots. Everyone needs a place where they feel comfortable though, I guess.

I look forward to getting back up there at some point and spending a couple of days because I may end up actually living there, although that all depends on if I get a job, since the IT market is just so much better in Denver.

[Front_Range_Guy]

I think Colorado Springs is great and would actually choose it over Denver as a place to live, especially since Denver is only about an hour away if you really want to go up there.

I think the evangelical impression is undeserved. It seems to be like a lot of cities: the central core is very progressive and liberal, while the undesirables tend to stay out in the suburbs with their seas of asphalt, chain stores and 1/4 acre lots. Everyone needs a place where they feel comfortable though, I guess.

I look forward to getting back up there at some point and spending a couple of days because I may end up actually living there, although that all depends on if I get a job, since the IT market is just so much better in Denver.

[Explorer55]

I wouldn't care what other people think if it weren't for the fact that companies have admitted to not moving here based solely on reputation. Deserved or not (I tend to think it is), the reputation is there, and it's harmful.

That said... I find it fascinating that you would chose Colorado Springs over Denver. Most of Metro Denver is sprawlburbia, but Downtown Denver is far superior to anywhere in Colorado Springs. In Colorado Springs, the largest employer is the military and the largest private employer is Wal Mart. In the early 90's the name "Silicone Mountain" was thrown around a lot because we were attracting several technology companies. The bubble burst and that aspect of the economy has not come back here at all. We have a lot of manufacturing. Most of it sticks around 3 to 5 years and then moves to a foreign country where they don't have to follow EPA rules or pay people a living wage... bah.

Downtown Colorado Springs is nice... and we need an injection of young people with fresh idea's into the city, so I won't discourage you... but it can get to be a tough place to live if you let yourself care about it.

[Front_Range_Guy]

There are three "new urbanism" developments in Colorado Springs that I am aware of, all are within 5 miles of downtown. There are none in the suburbs.

I'm not denying that the city of Denver is the most urban city within hundreds of miles... but let's face it, most of the metro area is suburbia once you get outside of Denver city limits. The growing light rail system is something to be proud of, but that doesn't change the fact that Aurora, Glendale, Littleton, Centennial, Parker, Thornton, Lakewood, Louisville, Broomfield, and most of the other cities in the 7 county metro area are suburban. It does offer an incredible opportunity for suburban commuters to utilize transit to get to and from work.

[Explorer55]

There are three "new urbanism" developments in Colorado Springs that I am aware of, all are within 5 miles of downtown. There are none in the suburbs.

I'm not denying that the city of Denver is the most urban city within hundreds of miles... but let's face it, most of the metro area is suburbia once you get outside of Denver city limits. The growing light rail system is something to be proud of, but that doesn't change the fact that Aurora, Glendale, Littleton, Centennial, Parker, Thornton, Lakewood, Louisville, Broomfield, and most of the other cities in the 7 county metro area are suburban. It does offer an incredible opportunity for suburban commuters to utilize transit to get to and from work.