Moving to Colorado Springs
 

Sorry, I did not click "Colorado" to post this message:
I've been reading posts about Colorado Spings on this forum and I must say that I am terrified. My fiance was offered a great position and it seems that we are possibly moving from sunny Florida to Cold Colorado. The position is in Colorado Springs. We have not gone to view the area yet; that will be at the end of next month after our trip to NYC. However, I have read such advisements as the people there are "ultra-conservative" right-wing religious fanatics. Is this true? My other concern is that I did not realize how spread out Colorado Springs is. I'm reading realty locations searching for a home- what is, not necessarily the best as we are not millionaires, but a decent, clean, mobile area to live in. What school districs are preferable? I admit to feeling overwhelmed and would appreciate your advice. Who knows, maybe we can stay here but the way the talks are proceeding, we'll be off to Colorado. Thanks ahead for any advice.

First off, where would your fiance's job be? Is it downtown, up north, south? In my opinion Colorado Springs is not spread out enough to worry. I'm used to Denver and the surrounding areas so Colo Springs is a piece of cake to get around (although don't get me wrong, traffic can be crappy). It would take me 20 minutes to get to work (which is a little over 10 miles) and it was really because of all the ill timed stoplights. The areas I would live near are in the North part of town(near Briargate, Blackforest, Rockrimmon, Springs Ranch, etc). I don't know the southern part very well but I would have to say near or in the Briargate area is the only place I would want to live. If you like old houses, near downtown there are some beautiful victorians but they are likely expensive.

As for how you feel about Colo Springs, I don't think you can really take anyone's word. You need to come here and check it out first for yourself. I have lived there for almost 4 years now and I personally hate it (after coming from Littleton and Denver) but with the job market for my husband, it has been difficult to get out of here. It's not as bad as Pueblo (very industrial and not very attractive) but it isn't as nice as most parts of Denver and I personally do recognize all the right-wingers, highly religous people at work and home. Also there is a lot of military and so I think you have a lot of people moving in and out all the time. Those are some of my feelings about Colo Springs but I know there are some people that really like it. Regardless, it probably will be a big difference (wether it be good or bad) coming from Florida. Colorado can get cold, yes we have snow but we have also had very warm days this summer that we are still seeing now in November. It could snow in January one day and be 70 or 80 degrees out the same afternoon so it's not always bad.

I spent two summers (back in the 90's) in Colorado Springs. I found the area to be very beautiful. There are many conservative people. On the other hand, there are lots of "hip" new-age types of places, as well, where I would expect that you could find a different "type" of people. Give it a chance & go visit. The weather will, of course, be much more extreme than Florida, but the mountains are SOOOO beautiful!!

Don't panic. The weather is our best keep secret. We have 300+ days of sun a year. Like the previous poster said, we have some cold spells, but the bright sunny days keep them comfortable. Much more comfortable weather wise than NYC. As for living there, CS is know for being more conservative than the larger metro area of Denver because of being headquarters for some fundamental religious organizations and for the large presence of military departments. However, it is certainly large enough to find friends of a similar nature as you might be. And if you really don't like it, you can move north to Castle Rock which is now the southern part of the Denver metro area. As for schools, for some odd reason CS has many small districts. My understanding is that the southern districts (Harrison, I think) are the best. (The district where Cheyenne Mt. High School- it frequently scores very high in national tests). Although it is relatively newly developed, I am guessing the area just east of the Air Forces Academy will develop very strong schools. So, check that area out on a vist. My daughter had a game at the new high school there (sorry, don't remember the name), and it looked like a nice area was developing.

We were in COLORADO SPRINGS yesterday visiting our son. He went to college there and enjoys the city very much. He chose to stay there after graduating. We spent yesterday looking for a house for him. I can recommend Classic Homes when you start looking. www.classichomes.com
They have been SO nice to our son, and offer affordable housing up to the most deluxe. Their standards are high.

We were commenting about how nice it is to see the mountains everywhere in the city.

We were asking our son about the "conservative" influence. He said he knows it exists, but has had absolutely no negative impact from it in the 5 years he has lived there.

My advice if you do move, is NOT to let everyone in CO Springs know how much better is was in Florida. I would assume they want to hear what you do like about their city. You will discover LOTS of positive things once you move there.

Good luck.

I am about to move to Colorado Springs for graduate school. I am nervous too because I have heard it is heavily conservative. Does anyone have any general advice about the city? I am moving from my hometown of Cincinnati, and have no idea what to expect.

Sheenamh, don't be concerned about Colorado Springs being an uber-conservative city. We just get a bad rap because some of the local conservative Christian groups, such as Focus on the Family. But you'll find that there are plenty of liberals too. DH and I moved to CS two years ago for his job. I was so nervous about it... I figured we'd hate it. As it turns out, I love it here. It's a great city, just the right size, amazing weather, great recreation opp's, and the best part, an amazing, awe-inspiring view from everywhere in the city. Now I'm not sure I would live many other places in Colorado, and I grew up in this state. Give it a chance, there are some great people and some fabulous things that make CS a wonderful place to live. Good luck!

We've lived in ultra-conservative Colorado Springs after living in ultra-liberal Oregon and, believe me, I wouldn't move back. People are nice here - you can actually say hello to the person in front of you in line and they don't look startled. We do have lots of sunshine - I'm in Capri's & a short sleeved shirt right now. It is definately a lot cooler than Florida but the bugs are smaller too.

District 20 - North Colorado Springs- is generally considered the best.

Downtown Colorado Springs is experiencing a revitalization which is exciting. Otherwise, the city has the same chain stores / restaurants that you'll find anywhere. There are a lot of subdivisions, making most areas look pretty much the same.

You are probably the only one I can say this to - we have less (slightly) lightning than Florida! Florida is #1 for lightning in the US - Colorado is #2.

The other thing that you'll notice about Colorado Springs is that it is a total brain trust around here. Because of Norad, Ft. Carson, the Air Force Academy and other bases; it is full of well-travelled intelligent people. It's not unusual at all to meet enlisted military with masters degrees. Then you have UCCS & Colorado College - as well as numerous smaller colleges. There are just a lot of stinkin' smart people. You'll go to a garage sale at a normal ranch style home and they're selling Arabic language tapes - it turns out that they were in Saudi for several years. Everyone except me has been to Germany. A lot of people own businesses.

The other thing is that you'll only need one outfit and you can wear it for the rest of your life: Jeans & a sweatshirt or sweater. Your summer outfit is a pair of shorts or capris and a short sleeved shirt. Everyone wears these: babies, young people, old people...it doesn't matter. Your fiance will get issued a flannel shirt at some point (must be a government program)but that's the only change. If you go some place incredibly fancy, you'll see khaki pants but I swear that I've seen jeans at the symphony. I think there is a grand total of about 3 restaurants in the whole city that require a jacket. Oh sure, you'll see other outfits but you can pretty well guess that those folks are from Texas - especially if the lady is wearing red lipstick, that's a dead giveaway.

Thanks! All of your advice is very helpful. I am really looknig forward to moving to Colorado Springs. I think it will be a nice change from Cincinnati!