I don't get all the hate (Colorado Springs, Air Force Academy: apartments, big house, neighborhoods)

[suzco]

Coming across this surprised me - Colorado Springs made it to this year's Travel & Leisure magazine list of America’s Rudest Cities. The story and listing is odd in so many ways, rating America's favorite places, and at the same time rating rudeness, but here it is:

Rudest Cities in America | Travel + Leisure

In the latest America’s Favorite Places survey, voters ranked big cities (with populations over 100,000) for such cosmopolitan features as their world-class museums, chef-driven restaurants, and cocktail lounges. But the survey also scored some quality-of-life features, like how walkable a city is, how safe it feels, and how cordial (or not) the locals seem. . .

9. Colorado Springs, Colorado

Even if the locals rub you the wrong way, you’ll have no trouble staying entertained in Colorado Springs. The city impressed travelers with its cultural offerings, getting high scores in everything from the galleries and museums to the theater offerings and free attractions — hiking through national parks and outdoor concerts, to name just a couple. . .

[chrissyw]

Originally Posted by davebarnes

I think it is fair.
COS is 500K people.
DEN is 650K.
I am not saying that Colorado Springs should be equal, but just do a quick Yelp comparison.

ummm lmao at yelp comparison, yelp is nothing but bull****, angry employees, disgruntled residents, take what you read on yelp with a grain of salt. Honestly the food scene in denver sucks.

[YouWill787]

Originally Posted by Clam84

I'm a relative newbie to the Springs and absolutely love it here. I love the uncertainty that Mother Nature brings each day and embrace it. The bottom line is when the negatives outweigh the positives you need to move on. I lived in Charleston, SC for 30 years and within 3 blocks of Charleston harbor. There was so much to do there and the restaurants were phenomenal but over time the humidity and bugs just became a heavy anchor that I was not willing to carry around anymore and I moved on. And with no regrets. In my research of Colorado Springs prior to moving I didn't find one person with a negative viewpoint and looked forward to my move with an open mind. Many of my friends and neighbors couldn't believe I was leaving Charleston's Utopia but that's when I realized it's different for everyone. I really couldn't be happier and hope to contribute that positive vibe about this area when I'm out and about! Now where can I get fresh shrimp and oysters lol. (Yes, I'm joking)

I did the sort of the opposite. I moved to COS from rural Ohio and lived there for 3 years before I moved to Charleston, SC. I loved COS, but missed some stuff about the East (or thought I did). I absolutely despised Charleston; the smell, the weather, the traffic (I still wake up from nightmares about that 26 and 526 junction and that damn Don Holt bridge at rush hour), all of it. People were so confused when I told them that I wanted to be back in Colorado. Everyone thought Charleston was paradise. Not for me. The fresh air, mountains, cool nights, lack of bugs, dryness, blue skies, and people make Colorado great, especially the Springs.

I was shocked to read that COS was #9 in rudest cities. I must be super rude then because I fit in better with people there than anywhere else I've been.

[lovecrowds]

Originally Posted by suzco

Coming across this surprised me - Colorado Springs made it to this year's Travel & Leisure magazine list of America’s Rudest Cities. The story and listing is odd in so many ways, rating America's favorite places, and at the same time rating rudeness, but here it is:

Rudest Cities in America | Travel + Leisure

I think it is very accurate. Colorado Springs has went from being a very friendly city in the 1990s to being a city that is extremely rude.

The good times in Colorado Springs were in the middle and late 90s in my opinion. It was a good city then.

Unless one stays in their little bubble in nicer neighborhoods like Broadmoor, Erindale or Rockrimmon or some other neighborhods it is a depressing city.

Denver for being such an arrogant, smug city has far more polite people then Colorado Springs. Despite the traffic in Denver, they are also have far less road rage.

Colorado Springs has such amazing scenery but the culture is terrible. I was glad to see how other newspapers throughout the state published that story very quickly. The rest of the state laughs at Colorado Springs and for good reason.

Colorado Springs also has a very high rate of illicit drug use and a very high suicide rate. There are so many unhappy people who are under retirement age there.

Colorado Springs despite having lots of isolated, beautiful scenic neighborhoods also has some very bad neighborhoods.

Southeast Colorado Springs is just as seedy as the worst neighborhoods in Las Vegas. There is no other place Colorado besides Pueblo that can even compare to seedy, depressing element of Southeast Colorado Springs.

This is from 2013, but the most violent neighborhoods in Colorado are now in Colorado Springs not Denver.

http://inewsnetwork.org/2013/09/10/census-tract-54-00/

The city has it's fair share of friendly retirees that tend to live in certain neighborhoods. But over all the over the top rudeness of many of the non-retiree residents is terrible.

I can say despite Denver traffic, I felt much better about being a pedestrian there then Colorado Springs. So many angry people now in Colorado Springs that will almost try to run a pedestrian over.

Look at this road rage in just the course of about a week.

Man shot during suspected road rage incident in Colorado Springs has died – The Denver Post

Woman accused of pulling gun in two Colorado Springs road rage incidents | News - Home

Police: Road rage in Manitou Springs led to gunfire, crash | Colorado Springs Gazette, News

Family members speak out after deadly shooting at Taco Bell parking lot

This is common in Colorado Springs and it is rare to here about it in Denver.

[mtngigi]

Oh please, Google "road rage Denver" ... I stopped counting after the 7th incident.

[sapphire904]

I've lived in Albuquerque as well as Col. Springs, and as nice as Albuquerque is to visit, it stinks to live there. There are gangs all over and tons of violence and crime, not to mention the lowest rated schools in the country. With that said, I moved to the Springs in 2010 (not directly from NM) and it was great. Beautiful landscape, people were pretty nice, lots of outdoor activity, not much culture but oh well. I moved away for 18 months and just came back and I understand the negativity on the forums.
In the 18 months I was gone, apartment rent has gone up by $300 per month (we're renting at the same complex as before) and the reason is because everyone and their mother wants to move out here. I don't care why, they just are. So the rent prices are increasing. That's one thing. UCCS is expanding their degrees, courses, etc so there are way more young, college kids moving here as well. There are young people moving here because they want to smoke legal wd. With all these young people, there are rude and fast drivers, lots of trashy-looking, unkept homes and vehicles (and people), and just plain disrespect for others. You'll always have the military guys coming in, so that hasn't changed. But I think the quality of people's lives have gone down and Col. Springs is looking more trashy every year. I'm very disappointed in the way the city is run. I had hoped to move away from the city when we came back, but couldn't afford it - yet! I'm saving up and I hope to get out of here soon. It's a shame - the traffic going up to Denver and back every day is horrible! And there's always an accident or two. Why? Everyone is in such a hurry!! Slow down people and look at the beautiful view of mountains in front of your nose! Why bother moving here if you're going to be rude, miserable, and in a hurry everywhere? Move to NY or LA instead, geez...
On another note, if you think that the Springs is environmentally friendly and local-centered, think again. Just because it's an outdoor mecca doesn't mean it cares about sustainability - that's Boulder (or Oregon). The city will continue building apartments, houses, and businesses instead of leaving the land alone because they want to make money. That's all it boils down to. They got rid of the only residential recycling center where people could bring their recyclables to the facility. Now, you have to pay to have the trash company pick up curb-side. That's great if you live in a house, but what about apartment-dwellers? Not all, if any, complexes have recycling bins. So the city makes it really hard for people to recycle. If you want legal pot and a local, sustainable, and environmentally-friendly city with lots of outdoor activity, please go to Oregon and leave the Springs alone. We can't afford more people - it will soon become like Denver, a major metro area if the building and influx of people doesn't stop.

[YouWill787]

Personally, my take on the rent prices is that they were more than past due. When I lived there in 2011, I paid like $620 a month for a one-bedroom apartment in a very good area. A couple of years later I moved into a 2 bed townhouse down the road for $800 a month. In small-town Ohio, I had a friend that was paying $600 a month for a 1/1, and when I say small town, I mean like ~11k population. At the time, I was pretty astounded by how inexpensive rent was in COS. It doesn't surprise me at all that it has gone up. In most other places I've lived of similar metro size, rent for a one bed in a decent area is upwards of $1000+ a month. In Charleston, I paid over $800 for a crappy 1/1 in a not-so-great area, $1200 for a 1/1 in a pretty nice area. In Memphis, I paid over $1200 for a 1/1 in a nice area.

I think COS is a long way away from being like Denver. They would need a lot more job opportunities and large companies. Honestly, I don't even know how people can consider COS to Denver a commute. Maybe South Denver, even without traffic I remember it being 1.5 hours+ to the city center from the North-side of COS. It's weird, I would have bet on Castle Rock on north being the big bailout for high Denver housing costs. If they ever do get that passenger tram hooking up COS to DEN, then that would probably have a large effect on things.

Rent is pretty crazy everywhere. Being a youngin', I know my school loans have been a major hurdle in being able to afford purchasing a home so lots of my friends are stuck renting. I think rent everywhere is outrageous. They are targeting the younger generations/benefiting from the downfall of the middle class.

Hipsters aren't buying up the awesome bungalows in the more seedy areas of COS and gentrifying yet? You would think COS would be prime for that.

[TCHP]

Originally Posted by YouWill787

It's weird, I would have bet on Castle Rock on north being the big bailout for high Denver housing costs. If they ever do get that passenger tram hooking up COS to DEN, then that would probably have a large effect on things.

Yes, Castle Rock was the first stop of the Denver exodus. It is basically a suburb of Denver now and prices are starting to reflect that to a point that Cos is now the budget alternative. If there ever was train service, it would be a HUGE factor. Of course, anyone who has been here for any length of time may also recall the super slab proposal that would have created a private tollway form Ft Collins to Cos. Obviously that has gone no where.

Originally Posted by YouWill787

Hipsters aren't buying up the awesome bungalows in the more seedy areas of COS and gentrifying yet? You would think COS would be prime for that.

Except the growth of the city during the bungalow era means that there are no longer any seedy areas with bungalows for sale cheap. They were mainstream family areas being gentrified long before hipster was even a concept.

[shanen]

I think the Hillside area and the Ivywild areas are going to be gentrified soon. Good looking smaller homes in low income areas. That's just my guess though.

[BornintheSprings]

Originally Posted by shanen

I think the Hillside area and the Ivywild areas are going to be gentrified soon. Good looking smaller homes in low inucome areas. That's just my guess though.

We really need to stop all the urban sprawl in the springs. High density apartments should be built to deal with the influx of new residents. This will also help control the ever rising rent prices.