Colorado Springs vs Boise, ID (Denver, Woodland Park: crime, new home, job market)

[gimme it]

So far, my research has been limited to online, and Boise is starting to look really good to us. Colorado Spriings is also a contender. Can you give me an idea how these two cities are similar and how they are different. I'm thinking in terms of natural beauty, a variety of things to do and the general culture of both places. We are looking at areas that have VA hospitals for a potential job transfer. I know Boise has a hospital and CS has a community based clinic. Otherwise, schools and quality of life are important. Thanks so much.

[dbmargo]

I would recommend visiting both. I have lived in the Springs and I have been to Boise. In my opinion the Springs has a more impressive skyline (with Pikes Peak, Almagre, etc.) and is more beautiful. Boise is also a nice town. My biggest problem with Boise is that it is in the middle of no where. If the Springs does not offer something you can drive to Denver in an hour but in Boise your closest option for a large population center is Salt Lake City - and that is almost 5 hours away.

[Bob from down south]

Make sure to check out the income and property taxes, too. Idaho was one of the places I looked at for retirement, and their tax structure was a significant negative factor (I chose Colorado Springs).

[Userdavey]

Have not been to Boise. Have lived in the Springs for 9 years. Make sure you are prepared for a culturally empty, small town mentality if you want to live in the springs. Also the streets and streetlights just don't work so well. Cost of living is not too bad, and Denver is close. Natural beauty is pretty awesome with Garden of the Gods coming in 1st place. Mountains are really close with Woodland Park and Deckers areas offering fishing and beauty.
Good Luck!

[dpitts]

My brother lives in Boise and he loves it. He likes the many lakes that are in the region. Not many lakes in Colorado Springs area. He says the job market in Boise is depressing many companies have left the area. Although many say it is not to good here in Colorado Springs also.

[treedonkey]

I can't - oh... other than stating that we both have a history of potato-farming.

There's a city-to-city forum on here which would no doubt illicit more response.

[gimme it]

thanks everyone for your feedback. as for the city to city forum, that was where i went first, but got no responses

[treedonkey]

Originally Posted by gimme it

thanks everyone for your feedback. as for the city to city forum, that was where i went first, but got no responses

Yeah, I guess COS vs Boise is a fairly obscure comparison. Have you tried the Boise forum?

I have heard CSO compared to Spokane, WA a few times though, I think because they're similar in size, have easy access to all kinds of outdoorsy stuff, and had fairly-burgeoning hi tech industries before this recession kicked into full gear. I'm not sure if Spokane has much in common with Bose, though since I've never been there (to Boise, that is).

[Terytee]

Originally Posted by Userdavey

Have not been to Boise. Have lived in the Springs for 9 years. Make sure you are prepared for a culturally empty, small town mentality if you want to live in the springs. Also the streets and streetlights just don't work so well. Cost of living is not too bad, and Denver is close. Natural beauty is pretty awesome with Garden of the Gods coming in 1st place. Mountains are really close with Woodland Park and Deckers areas offering fishing and beauty.
Good Luck!

culturally empty and small town mentality? Not sure what that means? Care to elaborate?

[Userdavey]

Well, there aren't many different cultures here. The Springs is about 75% white and up on the north end of town it's even more I am sure. Denver, for example is probably more like 50% white and there is a stronger presence of different races. Typical of big cities. We don't really have that.

As far as a small town mentality, there is a pretty big cowboy feel here, even if there are miles of suburban modern looking housing on the north and east side. You will see plenty of heavy duty pickup trucks from the eastern plain areas and from the mountain areas. The Pro Rodeo Hall of fame is here and there are lots of ranches nearby in most all directions.

Unfortunately this town grew really quickly pretty much starting in the 80's and this is probably why it is hard to get around. Imagine if Leadville suddenly grew like crazy.

Also, it's very hilly and the roads are all curvy. I lived in a house that was at 6,800 feet elevation. My new home is only 1 mile away and it's at 6,400 feet. It's hilly.

The culture comment I made earlier has its advantages and disadvantages. It means that the crime is low, but it also means that the restaurants are somewhat poor. (compared to say Denver, Abq., or Phoenix) But then again, I'm a fan of cool restaurants. It's mainly Chili's, Olive Garden, and other chains here. Pretty generic for the most part.

My recommendation? Live on the west side near Old Colorado or Garden of the Gods or the southwest area. It's a bit more $$$, but when you want to go to the mountains, you won't have to drive through the whole city to get there. Also, these areas are much older and have much more charm than the generic, sprawling north and east sides.

Good Luck!