I've got my mind set on Colorado Springs. Is this the best place to live in Colorado? (Denver: crime, new construction)

[Mike from back east]

Originally Posted by skog74

Thanks everyone! I really appreciate the responses! Mike, as far as work goes, my wife stays home with the kids and I work for a homebuilder (scary huh). I've been looking for jobs as a land development superintendent and/or estimator on the civil engineering side of things. I don't build the homes, I oversee the civil improvements before the houses are built. Are these types of jobs in Colorado Springs or Pueblo? At this point though, I'm willing to do anything (no joke). I'm just hoping to find an income that's similar to what I make now so my wife can continue to stay home with the kids. Thanks again for the info!! KEEP IT COMING!!

You're welcome, glad to help, we all are. Wish C-D was here when I started looking around in 2004 for a place to retire to.

Bound to be land development jobs here, though surely slow, but there is still a lot of stuff being built here, not to mention several billion dollars of construction work at Fort Carson from 2006-2012. Billions. I'm not in the loop on all the firms in the area, but names I see on big projects are Bryan Construction, Dwire Excavating, Cornelia Brothers, etc. I've seen Dwire and Cornelia both having 12-15 pans moving dirt on some projects, even now. Big home builders here are Keller, Classic, Richmond American and a host of others. When I was home hunting in 2005, I recall those 3, plus Acuff, Cambell, Symphony, Laing, and more. Laing is gone now from the area, some of the others maybe too.

[dlyve]

Colorado is a nice place to be, but you mention the spanish where you were you might want to ask some of Colorado people how it is there because it is a melting pot an it is not racial divided we Colorado people don't see color we have a melting pot here.

[reginhild]

Originally Posted by skog74

Thanks everyone! I really appreciate the responses! Mike, as far as work goes, my wife stays home with the kids and I work for a homebuilder (scary huh). I've been looking for jobs as a land development superintendent and/or estimator on the civil engineering side of things. I don't build the homes, I oversee the civil improvements before the houses are built. Are these types of jobs in Colorado Springs or Pueblo? At this point though, I'm willing to do anything (no joke). I'm just hoping to find an income that's similar to what I make now so my wife can continue to stay home with the kids. Thanks again for the info!! KEEP IT COMING!!

Your best job bets are likely to be in Denver. Colorado Springs had gangbusters growth but that stopped with the housing crisis - Smartmoney Magazine did rate Colorado Springs as #6 in the nation to come out of the housing downturn first but I wouldn't put all my eggs in that basket - Denver metro is just much larger. I keep recommending Castle Rock for those looking for jobs because it is right outside Denver but not too far from Colorado Springs - gives you the ability to play both markets for jobs while being closest to the largest market, Denver.

[CS-Urbanist]

Originally Posted by reginhild

Smartmoney Magazine did rate Colorado Springs as #6 in the nation to come out of the housing downturn first but I wouldn't put all my eggs in that basket

That's interesting... Who was on the list ahead of CS?

[springshomeblog]

Originally Posted by CS-Urbanist

That's interesting... Who was on the list ahead of CS?

Albequerque was #1, followed by Birmingham, AL; Buffalo, NY; Charlotte, NC; Cleveland, OH; and then Colorado Springs. The next few were Columbia, SC; Dallas, TX; Denver, CO; and Des Moines, IA.

Carrie

[Lainy]

Don't rule out Fort Collins. Virbrant small city full of families. Lots of culture because of the University. Not nearly as big as CO Springs or Denver. Close to skiing and lots of outdoor activities and they are building all up and down I-25 around there so there should be jobs. Speaking of, there are not many jobs available in CO Springs. I think it would be a tough time to move here. I'm moving away in the fall for work. I've been here 12 years and am glad to make a change. The traffic in CO Springs is horrible. No one planned a major east/west thoroughfare and it can be a nightmare getting across town. I would move to Fort Collins in a heartbeat if i could. It's not liberal like Boulder so that might be a plus for you as well. Good luck!

[cosublady]

We are also moving to Colorado Springs to raise our family. We are a very conservative famiy and that's why we chose Colorado Springs. There are more conservatives than Democrats and it is a very family oriented/Christian city with a lot of family things to do and religious organizations like Focus on the Family. Also, when we went to visit for four days to make our decision we saw very few hispanics. I know what you mean when you say not to sound racist but where we live it is mostly mexican and they do not speak or understand English but get free welfare. (only in America) Stay away from the Citadel mall area. You would like Monument, Black Forest or the Briargate area.
When are you moving? We are moving this Summer and are starting a new business in Colorado Springs or Woodland Park area.

Originally Posted by skog74

I have lived in California my whole life. I am 34 years old, married, and have two children....2 and 7 months old. My wife and I have lived in the San Joaquin Valley our entire lives and are sick and tired of it . We want to move BADLY, and definitely want to move to a different state. I've done a lot of research on Oregon, Idaho, and Colorado. I had my mind set on Oregon for the longest time, but decided the rain and cloudy weather would get to us. After a lot of research I've decided that Colorado Springs sounds like a great place to live and raise a family. I hear you get 4 full seasons (awesome) and it's pretty conservative (which we are). The thing about living in the San Joaquin Valley is the air quality is one of the worst in the country, the gangs are getting worse, only about 9 inches of rain a year, and the summers are HOT!! A couple of years ago we broke a record....18 straight days of 105 or higher. Fresno, which is 45 minutes north of us, got up to 118 during that span. We hardly have a spring or fall. It will go from 70 degrees to 90 in about two weeks and then summer is hear to stay. One more thing....I'm not trying to sound racist, but the whites are a minority now. We have so many non english-speaking hispanics in this area. A lot of the gangs we have are hispanic and asian. We want to get away so badly . I want to raise my kids in a better area. Can you please help me in my decision process? Is Colorado Springs the way to go? What about Pueblo, Boulder, Fort Collins, or any other city? I REALLY appreciate the help. We've never been to Colorado but it sounds amazing. We don't need a lot of rain....just more than 9 inches a year, and the average high in the summer of high 80's sounds wonderful to me. I'm sorry I'm rambling as so scatterbrained. THANK YOU AGAIN FOR HELPING!!

[cosublady]

Oh and BTW Boulder is VERY LIBERAL. I did some research on Idaho and Utah. Idaho was my second choice and Utah my third. However, they are or just did build a Mexican Consulate in Boise.

Originally Posted by cosublady

We are also moving to Colorado Springs to raise our family. We are a very conservative famiy and that's why we chose Colorado Springs. There are more conservatives than Democrats and it is a very family oriented/Christian city with a lot of family things to do and religious organizations like Focus on the Family. Also, when we went to visit for four days to make our decision we saw very few hispanics. I know what you mean when you say not to sound racist but where we live it is mostly mexican and they do not speak or understand English but get free welfare. (only in America) Stay away from the Citadel mall area. You would like Monument, Black Forest or the Briargate area.
When are you moving? We are moving this Summer and are starting a new business in Colorado Springs or Woodland Park area.

[Amy WJ]

I was raised mostly in NorCal and have lived in Stockton, and I think I understand your concerns very well. Personally I'd pick Col Springs because of the way it "feels" to me. Are you looking to get away from the dry, hot, flatland atmosphere where you live now? Pueblo and Fort Collins are flat and dry, IMHO. Boulder is beautiful but definitely not conservative nor affordable. Denver is a big city but has some advantages due to its proximity to the mountains. By the way, not all of Oregon is rainy and cloudy. But I'd still pick CO over OR because of job opportunities. The cost of living is probably higher in OR than CO as well. On the downside, you likely won't find jobs in CO that pay the same as CA but if you assess the relative cost of living you may not need to make as much in CO as you do in CA. Whatever you do, be sure to check out CO before you decide to do anything. And you do need to be willing to accept the idea of snow. It's really not as scary as some Californians think but you got to get your head in the right place first. Good luck!

[momojojo]

Like OP, I'm in the SJ Valley and want to get out. We're putting Colorado on our list. We want somewhere that is clean, has the 4 seasons (but not a lot of snow), has hunting, fishing, amenities.. we'll be pre-retirement. Where should we go?