Quote:
Originally Posted by Canuck_in_FL
We're in our mid 20's and are thinking of moving to Colorado Springs from Orlando. I was originally from Vancouver, BC and enjoy the views, trees, etc of a northern mountain area.
Is CS a good place for a young couple to lay some roots and buy a house?
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I currently live in Colorado, but in the past lived in the Pacific Northwest (Oregon, Washington); thus I can make some general comparisons about climate, terrain, vegetation, culture.
You mentioned trees. There are fewer trees in Colorado than BC. I miss the forests of the Pacific Northwest. CS and some areas to the west of CS may have more trees than average for Colorado.
In Colorado, I'd say about 99% of the land to the east of the Rocky Mountains was treeless prairie / plains when in its natural condition. If there was a clump of trees, it was likely to be along a river or creek. There were very, very few trees in the prairie / plains areas, before white and black pioneers arrived, and started planting crops and landscaping that reminded them of back east.
Much of Colorado looks brown or beige during most of the year. The snow brings an improvement in appearance, in my opinion. Colorado becomes green in the spring, but as the summer proceeds, there is less rain, and almost everything turns brown or beige, unless irrigated.
There are still vast rural areas in Colorado with very few trees. In cities and suburbs, people have planted some trees and shrubs, but not as many as you would be accustomed to in BC.
Keeping a tree alive requires more effort here than in BC. Irrigation water is typically needed. Some species of trees can survive here without watering, if they are just the right kind of species, and happen to be growing in just the right place, and are lucky enough to get through their early years in times of no drought. An older tree with deeper roots has a better chance of surviving drought years, or so I've heard; I'm not an expert.
Meanwhile, water utility bills are a significant expense. Some municipalities have a more reliable source of abundant water than others.
A tip for anyone buying property in Colorado (or Wyoming): Check out the water supply before buying. Is there a well? If the property gets water from a city water utility, find out how the pricing works, and how often they have imposed rationing or usage restrictions. When there are restrictions, they are likely to be either (1) rules limiting how often you can sprinkle your lawn and garden, and for how many minutes; and/or (2) higher prices per gallon if your monthly usage goes over a specified number of gallons.
There is growing interest in landscaping that requires less water.
In the mountains, there are some forests, but not quite as many as I had hoped.
CS is located at the boundary area between the flat plains to the east, and the Rocky Mountains to the west. Some suburbs of CS are in the foothills, and thus more likely to have trees.
Yes, I miss the trees, and I seem to be obsessing over trees.
I think Colorado is much prettier than Florida. The mountains are truly magnificent. While vacationing in Florida, I learned that Florida originally had vast forests of a type of giant tree (cypress?), distant cousins to the giant sequoias or redwoods of California. Unfortunately, those vast forests were decimated by shortsighted loggers. I don't think any are left in Florida.
Culture: There are so many people in Colorado who are transplants, that the culture is a mix. Lots of people from the Midwest, Texas, southern California, Mexico.
If you learned any Spanish in Florida, I'm guessing it may be helpful here, even though different dialects of Spanish are used. There are very many hispanics. Parts of Colorado used to belong to Spain / Mexico.
I think that, on average, there is more materialism here than in the Pacific Northwest, but I thought that of Florida too. Just a generalization; there are lots of exceptions.
Compared to the Pacific Northwest, there also seems to be more emphasis on superficial appearances -- having a perfect body and perfect hair, and perfect teeth, etc., if you are female. Just watch some of the women examining every milligram of fat, real or imagined, on a restaurant dish. Guys don't seem to get that kind of pressure. Again, Florida seemed similar in that way, especially Miami.
From a feminist point of view, coming to Colorado felt like going back in time about 25 years, to a time when womens movements were just begining to make some progress. My opinion of Florida wasn't much better.
I've been to Colorado Springs several times, but I don't live there, so I will leave it to other forum participants to reply with more specifics about CS.
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A good place for a young couple?
Comparisons of Vancouver, Colorado, and some Florida too
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