Priced out of Denver- Is COS a good alternative? (Colorado Springs: hotel, houses)

[smdensbcs]

Originally Posted by otowi

I think it is about 60/40 - for example, in the last presidential election 59% voted R and 38% D, the rest 'other'. I don't know if that is "very". It does mean Republicans win nearly every local race, but there are on the order of a few hundred thousand people in the area with different affiliations - which means living in COS doesn't feel as conservative as many expect.

Agreed. I was curious a few months ago and ran the numbers on Democratic voters in El Paso county and in Boulder county and it turns out there are more Democrat/liberals in El Paso county than in Boulder county. It seems like most of the liberal-leaning folks here in the Springs are west of I-25, nestled up against the hills and rock formations, again just like in Boulder. Nearly everyone I know in West and Southwest CO Springs is some sort of crazy endurance athlete, not unlike Boulder's reputation. In fact, west of I-25 it's alot like Boulder but without the crazy traffic, proudly obnoxious NY transplants, and grossly overpriced homes. In other words, close to paradise.

[Kar54]

Originally Posted by smdensbcs

Agreed. I was curious a few months ago and ran the numbers on Democratic voters in El Paso county and in Boulder county and it turns out there are more Democrat/liberals in El Paso county than in Boulder county. It seems like most of the liberal-leaning folks here in the Springs are west of I-25, nestled up against the hills and rock formations, again just like in Boulder. Nearly everyone I know in West and Southwest CO Springs is some sort of crazy endurance athlete, not unlike Boulder's reputation. In fact, west of I-25 it's alot like Boulder but without the crazy traffic, proudly obnoxious NY transplants, and grossly overpriced homes. In other words, close to paradise.

Yes, in sheer numbers. However, El Paso is over twice as large as Boulder County in population, as a percentage of voters it is not more Democrat.

[Littlekw]

Colorado Springs is a good, cheaper alternative to Denver. Plus, it's only an hour to get to Denver if you feel the need to do so. Me, I rarely make the trip to that urban monster, the Springs has everything I need. I'd rather take that hour drive west to the mountains, south to spend a day exploring Pueblo or east to go fishing at Karval or poking around the Calhan Paint Mines.

I'm fairly liberal and Colorado Springs suits me fine. Yeah, it's a majority Republican and conservative city but that doesn't bother me. The ultra-conservatives are here and the Evangelicals do have a presence in town but differing beliefs and opinions only make it a more interesting place to live. If everyone thought like I do, I'd get bored. Diversity makes life more interesting and I'm never disinterested in Colorado Springs.

[DougStark]

Originally Posted by Littlekw

Colorado Springs is a good, cheaper alternative to Denver. Plus, it's only an hour to get to Denver if you feel the need to do so. Me, I rarely make the trip to that urban monster, the Springs has everything I need. I'd rather take that hour drive west to the mountains, south to spend a day exploring Pueblo or east to go fishing at Karval or poking around the Calhan Paint Mines.

I'm fairly liberal and Colorado Springs suits me fine. Yeah, it's a majority Republican and conservative city but that doesn't bother me. The ultra-conservatives are here and the Evangelicals do have a presence in town but differing beliefs and opinions only make it a more interesting place to live. If everyone thought like I do, I'd get bored. Diversity makes life more interesting and I'm never disinterested in Colorado Springs.

Well spoken, Littlekw. You have a good perspective and I agree with what you've said. Thanks.
I'm a conservative in spending, but fairly liberal in social issues.

One thing I'd miss is Denver's mountain views since I have fond memories of them when I was a kid visiting my aunt in Englewood. COS mountains look different than Denver's, but still pretty.

[DougStark]

Are you folks in COS what a mess the expansive soil has done to the DIA airport? My brother worked on the project. It's literally costing Millions to fix the problems caused by the expansive clay soil. Very sad.

[Mike from back east]

Originally Posted by DougStark

... I'm a conservative in spending, but fairly liberal in social issues.

One thing I'd miss is Denver's mountain views since I have fond memories of them when I was a kid visiting my aunt in Englewood. COS mountains look different than Denver's, but still pretty.

Ditto on my own fiscal conservatism and social progressive outlooks.

In Denver, the mountains are 20 miles west of town, the views are long distance.
In COLO SPGS, we are ~5 miles from Pikes Peak and the Rampart Range, and the views are local. Best views of Pikes Peak are from the downtown area. Many homes on the west side of town actually back right up to the foothills.

IMO housing here is half the price of Denver and coming from the DC area I keep telling people that there is no traffic here to speak of.

FWIW: My opinion is that COLO SPGS is one of the best hidden gems in the country. As prices in Denver keep rising the prices here will attract attention, the way dirt cheap prices in Baltimore have become a big draw for buyers seeking relief from the insane prices in the DC area. What makes Baltimore so attractive is there are not one but two rail lines offering daily commuter runs between the two and it is heavily patronized.

[DougStark]

Originally Posted by Mike from back east

Ditto on my own fiscal conservatism and social progressive outlooks.

In Denver, the mountains are 20 miles west of town, the views are long distance.
In COLO SPGS, we are ~5 miles from Pikes Peak and the Rampart Range, and the views are local. Best views of Pikes Peak are from the downtown area. Many homes on the west side of town actually back right up to the foothills.

IMO housing here is half the price of Denver and coming from the DC area I keep telling people that there is no traffic here to speak of.

FWIW: My opinion is that COLO SPGS is one of the best hidden gems in the country. As prices in Denver keep rising the prices here will attract attention, the way dirt cheap prices in Baltimore have become a big draw for buyers seeking relief from the insane prices in the DC area. What makes Baltimore so attractive is there are not one but two rail lines offering daily commuter runs between the two and it is heavily patronized.

Good perspective, Mike. I think you're right. There's a point where people cannot afford Denver metro (like me.)

The biggest bummer for me is all my family is in Denver metro, so I'll have to make the trek over the divide to visit them. My other choice is looking at homes in south Aurora (a little cheaper than the rest of the metro area.)

Does COS have plenty of water? I like to have a lawn and a lush garden.

[smdensbcs]

Originally Posted by Kar54

El Paso is over twice as large as Boulder County in population, as a percentage of voters it is not more Democrat.

Well, yes, but the observation was simply that there are ALOT of progressive/liberal types in El Paso County, in even higher numbers than in "famously liberal" Boulder, notwithstanding the presence of a vast conservative swath of territory in northern and eastern El Paso County. Many (if not most) of the progressive/liberal types in El Paso County are concentrated in the central, west, and southwest parts of town, which makes it feel very balanced if you live in and mostly frequent those areas.

The point is that everyone on the Colorado (and other) boards are always painting Colorado Springs as this monolithic "everyone there is a conservative evangelical nutjob" when that's simply not anywhere close to accurate. If that perception keeps our community in a "moderate growth" mode rather than being overrun with traffic/congestion/unaffordable housing, then I guess it might be a silver lining. Still, it gets old hearing the same thing over and over which I have personal experience of being not true.

lf the assertion being made is: "Colorado Springs and El Paso County always sends a Republican to Congress" then yes, it will be a long time which before that isn't true. But that's not what is being asserted. Rather, the comments tend to be that "everyone down there is a mindless evangelical conservative wacko." That's as offensive as it is wrong, and I have 200,000+ compadres around here who agree.

[Mike from back east]

LOTS of water now that a major pipeline is now in place to bring it here from Pueblo Reservoir. Lush lawn is nice but will be expensive to water; garden is a good idea but check community covenants before buying any home with an HOA.

Most of our relatives are 1700 miles back east and we don't miss them. Being ~1 hour from family shouldn't be a deciding factor for you, though a consideration depending on family circumstances such as caring for an elder that would require multiple trips per week to care for them. If it's just social visits then how frequently does one need to visit when there are tons of new friends to make here and tons of activities to enjoy.

Saving $1500 a month on a house payment seems a worthy goal if the other aspects of your due diligence are in order.

[Kar54]

Originally Posted by smdensbcs

Well, yes, but the observation was simply that there are ALOT of progressive/liberal types in El Paso County, in even higher numbers than in "famously liberal" Boulder, notwithstanding the presence of a vast conservative swath of territory in northern and eastern El Paso County. Many (if not most) of the progressive/liberal types in El Paso County are concentrated in the central, west, and southwest parts of town, which makes it feel very balanced if you live in and mostly frequent those areas.

The point is that everyone on the Colorado (and other) boards are always painting Colorado Springs as this monolithic "everyone there is a conservative evangelical nutjob" when that's simply not anywhere close to accurate. If that perception keeps our community in a "moderate growth" mode rather than being overrun with traffic/congestion/unaffordable housing, then I guess it might be a silver lining. Still, it gets old hearing the same thing over and over which I have personal experience of being not true.

lf the assertion being made is: "Colorado Springs and El Paso County always sends a Republican to Congress" then yes, it will be a long time which before that isn't true. But that's not what is being asserted. Rather, the comments tend to be that "everyone down there is a mindless evangelical conservative wacko." That's as offensive as it is wrong, and I have 200,000+ compadres around here who agree.

Agreed. There's also this assumption that El Paso county is just "soooo conservative". However, we run 60/40 that way, while Denver/Boulder can run up to 80/20 liberal but that seems to generate nary a concern.