Colorado Springs or Loveland/Fort Collins? (Fountain: employment, school districts, college)

[kiki1964]

We used to live in Loveland, are back in Minnesota now. We want to get back to Colorado and were hoping for the Loveland/Fort Collins area. However, there is a great job possibility in Colorado Springs. We come from a small town, so we're not sure how big of an adjustment Colorado Springs will be. Can anyone tell me any comparisons between Colorado Springs and Loveland/Fort Collins, good and bad? I posted a similar thread and have gotten no replies so I'm really hoping for some input here. Thank you!

[otowi]

They just have different feels to them. I think Colorado Springs area is much prettier but it is also bigger. I think the Loveland/Fort Collins area is actually a little more conservative even though it is near a college town. Colorado Springs is more diverse. They're not terribly terribly different, but they have different vibes.

[tfox]

Loveland/Fort Collins is smaller, more so in feel than in actual size. Fort Collins is the bigger of the two, and does have a very nice downtown area, plus a low-key college scene around CSU. Loveland is popular among families and retirees. Schools are uniformly excellent in both Loveland and Fort Collins. One thing about both towns is that there are few, if any "ghetto" areas in either town. One could argue that parts of north College in Fort Collins might qualify, but compared to any city of any size, not likely. I'd say if you were looking at the towns only, Fort Collins/Loveland are nicer towns than Colorado Springs for most.

Colorado Springs is similar in some ways, but different than others. It does lack the campus atmosphere of Fort Collins, and in its place has a big military presence. Military for the most part make excellent neighbors, but there is some rowdiness in the enlisted ranks. Colorado Springs, for whatever reason seems to have grown into some big city problems in parts of town. Southeast Colorado Springs, particularly, is not a desirable area, and there are several school districts in Colorado Springs that leave much to be desired, but there are others that are known to be excellent by any measure. I should point out that the problem areas in Colorado Springs are easily avoided.

Colorado Springs is prettier by a mile, with the best views along the front range and better access to mountain recreation from town. There are actually natural ponderosa pines growing in town in Colorado Springs. The climate, while fairly similar, is better in Colorado Springs year-round: cooler in the summer, less snow in the winter, although please note that there's a huge variation in climate within the colorado Springs area itself (compare monument or black forest, say, with Fountain, and you can see the difference).

One thing to consider is that neither area is known for having a thriving employment sector right now. Colorado Springs does have the stable employment of its military sector, which can provide good opportunities for those with experience in that area. Fort Collins is fairly well represented in high-tech companies, but even in the best of times many people in the field complain of low wages and general underemployment.

My advice to you, actually, is to take the job in Colorado Springs if you have it. Lots of people want to move to Colorado, few have job offers to enable them to do so in this economy.