What I don’t like about Colorado Springs (Denver, Pueblo: how much, home)

[vfrpilot]

Michigan-
I can understand your feelings when you feel no one else seems to have the same problems. I would never question what you are saying about the area you live. Stuff like that is scary. I can't understand how the police and the neighborhood in general would allow conditions to deteriorate like that. I have to admit that the neighborhood one lives in can affect the perception of life in general.
While I hope my head is not buried in the sand concerning the negatives here, because there are some, I try to be honest(no BS, really) in recommending areas I'm familiar with, which is mostly the north end of COS and Monument. I guess I can't relate to the crime you see 'first-hand'. After what you describe, I understand your reasons for moving.
-Paul
-BTW- I'll slap Charles side the head the next time I see him for you.
-True story- My neighbor, a friend, was trying to chase a squirell(?) that was getting into his attic. Local cops gave him a visit after another neighbor saw him walking around his house with a pellet gun

[vasiesma]

Just moved here from Richmond VA and LOVE COLORADO SPRINGS!!! I have yet to find anything I don't like about this beautiful city and I am glad to have found it!! Just moved to Springs Ranch a few weeks ago and our family has truly fell in love!! So much to do as a family in CO period! Yet to have found anything I do not like besides the construction through 25... Anticipate football season starting as I have always been a Bronco's fan and can't wait to attend a game!!!

[Maynerd]

Originally Posted by vasiesma

Anticipate football season starting as I have always been a Bronco's fan and can't wait to attend a game!!!

Don't forget about Air Force Football. Not just a strong football program, but pre-game tailgating, the Cadet March On, fly-bys, etc, make the entire day an enjoyable experience.

[jaceepc]

Originally Posted by vasiesma

Just moved here from Richmond VA and LOVE COLORADO SPRINGS!!! I have yet to find anything I don't like about this beautiful city and I am glad to have found it!! Just moved to Springs Ranch a few weeks ago and our family has truly fell in love!! So much to do as a family in CO period! Yet to have found anything I do not like besides the construction through 25... Anticipate football season starting as I have always been a Bronco's fan and can't wait to attend a game!!!

Just wait until you live through a winter when they put sand and gravel on the roads (salt is illegal???) and you have to have your windshield replaced because it's so pitted.

Just wait until the 1st big snow storm when the city practically comes to a halt because there are not enough east-west roads to handle all the slow traffic. (Took me 2-1/2 hrs to get home from work on a snow day - usually a 15 min. drive.) Oh, and they will close Union if the snow/ice is bad so EVERYBODY uses Academy and you will crawl 5 ft every 10 mins. In the city I now live in, there are so many through streets that I don't have to take a main thorough-fare to get home in any weather. Oh, and did I mention there are not enough snow plows to clean the streets in a timely manner. To me, that is a safety issue and the city IS responsible for the safety of its residents. C.S. is very poorly planned.

Just wait until you need a front-end alignment because there are so MANY pot holes that you can't miss them.

Just wait until you consistently have to screech to nearly a halt because some dumb driver pulls out of a parking lot in front of you going 2 mph and you're going the speed limit. They are oblivious to you or anyone around them.

Just wait until you get tailgated at 75-80 mph on I-25. (Pay attention to how many multiple-car accidents there are on I-25 and I-70.)

Just wait until you want to make a left or right turn onto a 6-lane road and someone cuts across 3 lanes to cut you off. And watch out for red-light runners!! They're rampant!

Colorado Springs in particular, and Colorado in general, does not use their tax money wisely. The infrastructure there is pathetic. Drive in any direction out of the state and when you cross the state line, notice how SMOOTH the roads are in New Mexico, Utah, Wyoming, etc.

Just wait until you want to go camping and have to drive for hours to find a spot. Recreation in the mountains of Colo. is NOT close to any city. (I now live 20 mins. from camping, hiking, skiing, fishing, in 3 canyons and I live in a city much bigger than C.S.)

And the worst part about C.S. - it is full of NIMBYs. Just read all the whining in the Gazette.

We are glad to have escaped!!

[jaceepc]

Originally Posted by vfrpilot

-True story- My neighbor, a friend, was trying to chase a squirell(?) that was getting into his attic. Local cops gave him a visit after another neighbor saw him walking around his house with a pellet gun

We had several coyotes running through the green space behind our home. One of them had our beloved cat for dinner. My husband called animal control and found out that it's a felony (that's FELONY) to kill any wild animal (or someone else's pet for that matter) in C.S. - by any means - gun, poison, trap. (Can you say "police state"??)

Oh, and one more thing I forgot to mention - Colorado encourages its citizens to "rat" on their neighbors for anything. Ever notice the signs along I-25 with a phone number to call if you see someone driving erratically or what you "perceive" as road rage? Now you know everyone who lives there is a good judge of others' behavior, don't you?

Watch your back at all times.

Oh, and, vasiesma, you'd better check the pet rules in your part of the city or your home owners association (all areas have those!). If you have pet(s), you could be in violation - and someone WILL report you to a Head Honcho somewhere.

[McGowdog]

Originally Posted by Charles

Here are a bunch of homes in your price range. You'd have to move out of town though.

Doctor Housing Bubble Blog: Real Homes of Genius: Special Edition, Lifestyles of the Poor and Notorious. 10 Southern California Homes that Prove a Gargantuan Housing Bubble.

Dude! That's the ticket! A gated community in Compton!

Hail to Colorado Springs! I might add that they have a fantastic airport. I can get to the parking lot from my doorstep in less than an hour.

[McGowdog]

Originally Posted by jaceepc

Just wait until you live through a winter when they put sand and gravel on the roads (salt is illegal???) and you have to have your windshield replaced because it's so pitted.

Just wait until the 1st big snow storm when the city practically comes to a halt because there are not enough east-west roads to handle all the slow traffic. (Took me 2-1/2 hrs to get home from work on a snow day - usually a 15 min. drive.) Oh, and they will close Union if the snow/ice is bad so EVERYBODY uses Academy and you will crawl 5 ft every 10 mins. In the city I now live in, there are so many through streets that I don't have to take a main thorough-fare to get home in any weather. Oh, and did I mention there are not enough snow plows to clean the streets in a timely manner. To me, that is a safety issue and the city IS responsible for the safety of its residents. C.S. is very poorly planned.

Just wait until you need a front-end alignment because there are so MANY pot holes that you can't miss them.

Just wait until you consistently have to screech to nearly a halt because some dumb driver pulls out of a parking lot in front of you going 2 mph and you're going the speed limit. They are oblivious to you or anyone around them.

Just wait until you get tailgated at 75-80 mph on I-25. (Pay attention to how many multiple-car accidents there are on I-25 and I-70.)

Just wait until you want to make a left or right turn onto a 6-lane road and someone cuts across 3 lanes to cut you off. And watch out for red-light runners!! They're rampant!

Colorado Springs in particular, and Colorado in general, does not use their tax money wisely. The infrastructure there is pathetic. Drive in any direction out of the state and when you cross the state line, notice how SMOOTH the roads are in New Mexico, Utah, Wyoming, etc.

Just wait until you want to go camping and have to drive for hours to find a spot. Recreation in the mountains of Colo. is NOT close to any city. (I now live 20 mins. from camping, hiking, skiing, fishing, in 3 canyons and I live in a city much bigger than C.S.)

And the worst part about C.S. - it is full of NIMBYs. Just read all the whining in the Gazette.

We are glad to have escaped!!

You seem to have made some good points as to the negative aspects of living in one of the largest cities in Colorado.

As far as having a pitted windshield, that's true. Guilty as charged. I'd rather replace my windshield once every couple of years than having a pitted frame. Colorado is also brutal to paint and car interiors.

The roads in Colorado leave a lot to be desired. Kansans and New Mexicans have got the edge there. I seem to see a lot of Kansas and New Mexico plates here in Colorado. I'll ask them about it sometime.

The tailgating is pretty bad along the Front Range and along I-70. That's why we enjoy the infamous Pueblo County. It's kind of a trade-off for us. If they tailgate you and you're not in the fast-lane, that's a bummer. If you are in the passing lane, let them by to clear a path for you and to scout those speed traps up ahead.

Lane cutters and red-light runners are unfortunate. Don't they have a few of those out in Socal and Nocal too? Back east, they have red lights that blink white when they are about to change. Maybe proper traffic design will help with that out here someday.

Using tax money wisely, I'd agree. Poor Minnesota! This is something I think all of North America could look at. God forbid you should have to drive south of the border!

These NIMBY's, that's pretty funny. I'll have to watch out for them as well!

[Charles]

Originally Posted by McGowdog

Dude! That's the ticket! A gated community in Compton!

Hail to Colorado Springs! I might add that they have a fantastic airport. I can get to the parking lot from my doorstep in less than an hour.

COS airport is excellent. Free wireless internet. HSV has it too. I wish all airports had free wireless internet. And the ones that don't (DFW, ORD) are typically the ones you end up having to kill time in. No one waits around in COS and HSV, but they do in Dallas and Chicago.

[Mike from back east]

Originally Posted by jaceepc

..snip...Colorado in general does not use their tax money wisely. The infrastructure there is pathetic. Drive in any direction out of the state and when you cross the state line, notice how SMOOTH the roads are in New Mexico, Utah, Wyoming, etc.

If you're glad you 'escaped' this awful place, so be it. We feel the same way about having 'escaped' the DC area for COL SPGS, which to us is a near paradise compared to the gridlock, sticky summers, bugs, road rage, high housing prices, hurricanes, and all that other wonderful east coast stuff.

As far as other states having smooth roads, they don't have to contend with our stupid TABOR law that hamstrings spending on schools and infrastructure. TABOR has the potential to turn CO into a 3rd-world country. Add to that the ever so slight majority of statewide voters who nixed Referendum D the other year, which would have applied several billion dollars to highway budgets. If you voted for TABOR and against Ref D, gripe to the man in the mirror.

s/Mike from back east

[Leanne23]

summer nights are COLD, you have to wear a jacket in July! and the wind in the spring is ridiculous. those are 2 big drawbacks.