Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
So I just stumbled across this website in my research endeavors and read some of the threads. Looks like a great resource!
A little about us: My husband and I have both lived our entire lives in SoCal. No kids yet, but planning on it. We are both engineers and landlords, but I plan to be a stay at home mom when we start a family, so I might do something engineering-related from home, we'll see. We have had enough of the political and anti-business climate here in CA, and plan to move out in the next 2 to 6 years (after we get some professional licensing and other stuff finished). Probably have at least our first child while still living here near family. We enjoy skiing and fishing, among other things.
Regarding where to move, one thing I do not want to deal with is hurricanes or tornadoes, so that wipes out a lot of the country.
In a perfect world, our new location would meet all of these criteria:
- State: pro-business, at least relatively conservative, pro-gun rights, pro-property rights.
- City/community: same criteria as for the state, plus having sufficient job opportunities for an engineer, reasonable access to outdoor activities we enjoy (we're ok with driving a few hours to go ski), amenities/entertainment for kids, good schools.
Based on my research, I've concluded that there is no place that meets all of my criteria exactly (obviously no place will be perfect, I know). With that in mind, COS is still on our list of options (we are also considering the Phoenix metro area, although we really don't want that heat, and Flagstaff AZ). COS appears to be a good-sized relatively conservative community (Flagstaff's pretty small and kinda left-leaning) with good amenities, good schools (D20 and D12), job potential, and access to outdoor awesomeness. Neither of us have been to CO before, but we hear that COS is beautiful, and based on my research, it seems like COS could be a great fit for us!
The one main concern/reservation I have about COS is the state of CO. It seems like it used to be considered a fairly conservative state, but I'm concerned about the election results I've seen out of there lately, and worried that CO might be (albeit slowly) following in the footsteps of CA. This might seem like a minor issue to some, but it's the whole reason we want out of CA. I've read that CO is one of the most business-friendly states, which is great! However, I'm afraid of that changing. Granted, we could decide to move there, and then move to another state later if CO changes too much, and that may very well be the option we choose.
I guess what I'm wondering is, 2 main topics for now:
1) Is COS gorgeous year-round, as we've heard? How long does the snow stay after a storm? I've heard you get significant hail, how big and how often is that? What kind of problems does the hail cause?
2) Has anyone else moved to COS to escape politics in their previous state? What has your experience been in CO? Do you have any concerns about the future of CO? Sorry, I don't mean in any way to make this a politically-charged post/question, but as you probably guessed, we don't fit in here in CA, so I guess that's a concern for us in where we move.
1. I personally think so, but people who expect green year round will be disappointed. Snow usually stays only a few hours or few days after a storm - but once in a while we've had winters where it stayed in shadowed areas for the whole season. We get hail every summer typically a few times, typically small, but every year some neighborhoods will be hit hard enough to have to replace roofs or dent cars, etc.
2. I've always been here, so I can't comment on the moving. COS is one of the most conservative areas in the state and local votes are likely to remain Republican dominant for the foreseeable future, but there is a decent-sized Democratic minority, also a decent-sized Libertarian minority - enough to be seen and heard but probably not enough to win very often if at all. Denver, Pueblo, and Boulder are considerably more left-leaning, but most of the rest of the state is conservative. I think in state and national elections, Colorado could go either way for the foreseeable future.
While you may love the politics of the Springs itself, but I think you will be unhappy and frustrated with the state as a whole. It will bother you, and eat at you. From your tone, it seems like this will be a problem. Even the surrounding areas of the Springs are liberal or Libertarian. If you can function in a small pocket of "conservative", then you might be okay.
I think your expectations are a little grandiose. You want SoCal climate but politically conservative values. The winters here are long. They are very sunny but long. It gets cold. Colder than you have ever experienced in SoCal. Hail can be a rare problem but I would say it is an equivalent to someone worrying about earthquakes where you are from. You get insurance.
Overall, I think you should look elsewhere. I think the mountain areas of the South and most of Texas is more what you will find appealing. There are also other conservative parts of AZ that you may be overlooking.
I think the Springs is awesome but I feel that you will not be happy. To each his own.
The one main concern/reservation I have about COS is the state of CO. It seems like it used to be considered a fairly conservative state, but I'm concerned about the election results I've seen out of there lately, and worried that CO might be (albeit slowly) following in the footsteps of CA.
Then come here and help us vote the libs out of office! You will have a vote and be able to influence the future. Colorado needs people like you.
Then come here and help us vote the libs out of office! You will have a vote and be able to influence the future.
They could have the same ambitions in California. The conservatives are the minority in each state. I'm not saying it will never happen...but it will never happen.
Thanks for the comments so far! We definitely plan to check out and visit places before we decide where to settle, and will not be deciding for years, so we have time. Just researching for now.
I realize my utopia does not exist, and I do not expect any state or city to have everything we want. I do feel like CO does have the potential to make us very happy, and is still much better than CA politically. No matter where we end up, we will have to compromise on something, and so far, it seems like CO would require the least compromising. Perhaps I am simply worrying too much about things not being perfect for us, since I know that no place will be perfect. I still think CO sounds like a great place overall!
I also do not mean to give the impression that we want SoCal climate. We actually are looking for more four season weather, and being from SoCal, are used to brown most of the year. We have been to Mammoth here in CA many times, so we will not be newbies to cold and snow at all. We like it.
They could have the same ambitions in California. The conservatives are the minority in each state. I'm not saying it will never happen...but it will never happen.
California is past the point of no return. There is still plenty of reason to hope for Colorado.
Hello Galaxie Girl, having read the previous responses I think I'll provide some of my insight as well.
1. As far as beauty, Colorado Springs is gorgeous. It is an arid climate so it is not as green as other areas of the country (still greener than Phoenix though). The city is pretty green in the mountainous areas of the city to the west due to all the evergreen trees. I personally hate places that are saturated in trees and therefore I like Colorado Springs for its combination of greenery and aridness. The late spring and summer seasons are fairly green, with aspens, cottonwoods, and oaks in full bloom but nothing like the midwest, northwest, or northeast. However because of the arid climate there is much more sunshine in Colorado than the previously mentioned areas and NO HUMIDITY! It's all about what's important to you! Also the mountains, waterfalls, red rock formations, etc. near the city are all beautiful features that most cities lack and it's what makes Colorado Springs so special and beautiful.
-Winter is long in terms of the length of time it can snow (Oct to May), but 80% of this time it is mild and sunny. highs are usually in the mid 40's to mid 50's and there are always several days where it will be in the 60's or 70's in wintertime. Also with the dry climate and abundant sunshine lower temps always feel warmer than they do in the midwest, northeast, and northwest as well. Snowfall melts quickly usually after a day or so and although some snow will stay in shadowed areas it's never much at all.
-So think about it this way, it may snow 10 times from October to May but 80% of this time it is great weather and even when it does snow it's not a long term thing nor in large amounts! In the northeast US it is cloudy and cold (a wet cold I may add) during the winter with some snow which doesn't melt quickly when it falls. In the northwest it doesn't snow much but it is cloudy and colder (again a wet cold) during the winter and feels 40 degrees the entire time. In the midwest it is cloudy, cold (yep a wet cold) and snowy in the wintertime and snow does not melt fast there either.
-In Colorado you have to deal with snow too and cold temps, but 80% of the time Colorado is sunny and mild while most of the rest of the country is cloudy and colder feeling as a whole, Colorado has this advantage and only has to deal with 10 times a year of real cold and snow in exchange. Sure it's more extreme overall in Colorado than other areas but it's so rare it makes very little impact! Understand?
-As far as hail, it's not a big deal. It may hail 5 times a year but it's usually small and only occurs 5 to 10 days out of the entire year! You must realize where the person telling you about the weather is from, and where they are comparing it to. Obviously someone from SoCal will think a tiny hail storm 5 times a year is a HUGE and SCARY EVENT that happens all the time, but in reality this is far from the truth!
2. First of all a place is what you make of it and Colorado Springs is a nice city with very pro family and pro business values. Although it is a large city it is not much like most other larger metro areas of the US, by this I mean it is not a dominant liberal culture in the city center and more conservative in the outer areas. In fact Colorado Springs is a mixture of "Liberal" and "Conservative" attitudes spread throughout the area with the conservative mindset more dominant overall. The areas around Colorado College are the most liberal in the city, but pretty much everywhere else it's definitely more balanced.
-The shift of Colorado from "American" to "Liberal" is not as bad as you may think. Yes in the last 15 years since Colorado has been growing the liberal attitudes that define most big cities have had a huge impact on Denver and as a result Colorado has become more left leaning. However in most places outside Denver proper the "old" Colorado attitude is still very prominent and continues to have a huge impact on the state. In comparison to places I've lived on both coasts, the liberal community in Colorado is much less prominent and controlling.
-Also the tech industry in Colorado Springs is great, and there are many jobs for engineers. Not sure about landlord jobs though. The Cost of living in the springs is lower overall than most comparable areas in the US as well.
What kind of engineer are your husband and you? That will determine whether or not CoS has decent opportunities for you. If you can get into the defense industry than CoS has a number of opportunities as the city has increasingly become reliant on defense spending as it's other industries, such as information technology manufacturing, have shrunk (which is not something that I ever expected to occur).
What kind of engineer are your husband and you? That will determine whether or not CoS has decent opportunities for you. If you can get into the defense industry than CoS has a number of opportunities as the city has increasingly become reliant on defense spending as it's other industries, such as information technology manufacturing, have shrunk (which is not something that I ever expected to occur).
Does not surprise me. I have said for a while now that Colorado Springs is to reliant on the military and military related industries.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
