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I was wondering what cities and towns in Colorado are probubly going to do very well in the next decade and beyond and ones that will fizzle a bit.
Denver- This city is really doing very well, once they get the huge light-rail extention completed and the high-density high-rise devolopments downtown completed it will be even better. I guess they are even looking at alot North-central Denver now for high-density residential devolopment. They still have lots of room and industrial areas in Denver to improve on and increase the tax base with which is great. Overall, they really seem to know how to do things right planning wise in Denver. Downtown just keeps getting better and better
Aurora- This town is in deep trouble. Not to get political but it has had a massive influx of immigrants it is very, very unprepared for. Its tax base is not nearly as healthy as alot of cities but then again with Aurora it can always annex some more. It just seems like a deeply fragmented community with no clear objective. I never thought of Aurora as nearly as bad as people in metro Denver say it is but the city just is going down-hill very fast. I have even seen some boarded-up places which for metro Denver is incredibly, incredibly rare.
Boulder- In a decade it will mainly be a city of the rich as if its not already which means it'll be the same ole' Boulder, I am sure they will gentrify South Boulder which is the only middle to upper-middle class area left. I dont think CU will expand though because Colorado doesnt spend much on higher education. Overall, Boulder probubly will not change much in the next decade.
Fort Collins- Larimer County will probubly continue to be very, very fast growing as they have lots of land and many, many people want to live up there and its a nice, clean city overall and university towns are very popular at the present time also. I would venture to guess in a decade Fort Collins will become much more expensive compared to where its at now, nothing on the level of Boulder but just much more expensive in the city proper and probubly lots and lots devolopments and sprawl in the next 10 years for the other areas of Larimer County. I wonder if Weld and Larimer counties will be competing for fastest growing county status?
Colorado Springs- This city is about to tank I think. I am from Colorado Springs and its economy is just crappy now and I just dont think it has the motivation or willing to cough up to businesses that want to relocate. This city is in bad shape, it was in excellent shape a decade ago but has been doing horribly for 5 years and will continue to be very stagnant overall. It seems like its economy is going back to where it was increasingly dependent on military as opposed to high-tech.
Colorado Springs has a crappy infrastructure also which doesnt improve the situation it just seems very behind the times. It has some advantages a nice downtown for such a small metropolitan area and get recreational oppurtunities and its very clean.
I think Colorado Springs should try to build as many 55+ communities as they can because the employment situation is crap and if they increase property taxes in their case it would be best to go to infrastructure rather then public schools.
Pueblo- Pueblo seems to be the regions punching bag, but it seems to be doing much better/not as bad as of late. It is at a big advantage in its very, very low housing costs, it has lots and lots of available labor because its very, very cheap and the people of the city would be more willing to sales tax for business incentives.
I wouldnt be suprised if Pueblo becomes popular amongst retirees either.
Grand Junction- Ive never been there, but the whole Western slope seems to be doing very well but thats probubly because of all the natural resources.
Aurora- This town is in deep trouble. Not to get political but it has had a massive influx of immigrants it is very, very unprepared for. Its tax base is not nearly as healthy as alot of cities but then again with Aurora it can always annex some more. It just seems like a deeply fragmented community with no clear objective. I never thought of Aurora as nearly as bad as people in metro Denver say it is but the city just is going down-hill very fast. I have even seen some boarded-up places which for metro Denver is incredibly, incredibly rare.
Aren't those buildings and hotels at the intersection of 70 and Pena in Aurora? Don't they add a lot of tax money to Aurora? (One of the buildings is a Boeing building and I see jobs on the Boeing job board as "Boeing-Aurora").
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Originally Posted by MattDen
Colorado Springs- This city is about to tank I think. I am from Colorado Springs and its economy is just crappy now and I just dont think it has the motivation or willing to cough up to businesses that want to relocate. This city is in bad shape, it was in excellent shape a decade ago but has been doing horribly for 5 years and will continue to be very stagnant overall. It seems like its economy is going back to where it was increasingly dependent on military as opposed to high-tech.
Colorado Springs has a crappy infrastructure also which doesn't improve the situation it just seems very behind the times. It has some advantages a nice downtown for such a small metropolitan area and get recreational opportunities and its very clean.
I think Colorado Springs should try to build as many 55+ communities as they can because the employment situation is crap and if they increase property taxes in their case it would be best to go to infrastructure rather then public schools.
I hope you are wrong. (But if you aren't I hedged by bets and chose to live near Monument so I can get to Denver for a job if I need to....)
If COS has a limited future, then why are developers seemingly investing so much in the north and east sides? I'll admit, it seems like they just keep building; Where do they expect everyone to come from? Fort Carson? California? Wouldn't they have done their homework?
There were two new hospitals built in the north side. Those hospitals are configured for big time expansion too. There are plans to build big medical office buildings adjacent to them. (Right now all the doctors are located in north central Colorado Springs like near Union/Circle and not much further north than Woodmen.) Those medical facilities will provide tons of new jobs. I've heard there is a nursing shortage too.
There are a lot of retail centers being planned on/near the Powers corridor. Monument is building all sorts of retail and community centers (new YMCA, new high school). There's also an interest to build a water park "resort" near Baptist and I-25.
I think the mayor said he was planning on upgrading the downtown and central parts of Colorado Springs, or something like that. He did mention that he wasn't going to upgrade the north end because the developers were essentially doing that themselves.
Powers is being upgraded with bridges at Woodmen and over some of the other main streets (future). I-25 is being widened. Woodmen is being widened. Hodgen is planning on being widened. Baptist Road and it's bridge over I-25 are being widened. County Line Road (Douglas/El Paso County) is going to be straightened and leveled. Marksheffel is going to be widened and developed to the extent that it will be a "mini-Powers" retail corridor. There's an initiative out to build a toll road from I-25 near Northgate, coincident with Powers south and Woodmen east to past Marksheffel then on a new road south (Banning Lewis Parkway??) past the airport and then reconnect with I-25 south of the airport area.
Palmer Lake is going to have an upgraded "downtown". Falcon is building all sorts of housing developments and shopping areas. I keep reading about Banning Lewis Ranch.
True it seems the positive growth is military/federal government and this could be a risk after the next election too. But besides that it is worth mentioning: Northrop Grumman and Aerospace Corporation are moving to huge new business parks being built near the COS airport. Schriever is expanding and adding lots of on base housing. There's been a lot of press lately on NORAD/Peterson/Cheyenne/Schriever (not too sure what it's all about though).
I do read of risks with the availability of water in some parts around Colorado Springs - those places that people rely on wells like here on the Palmer Divide and out east of Colorado Springs.
Though I have frequently disagreed with some of MattDen's posts on city-data, on some of this, I have to agree.
As a Colorado native, and one who has watched Colorado change over a nearly a half-century, I am not optimistic about the state's overall future. In many ways, it reflects what I believe are some dangerous trends and problems that plague the whole nation--but Colorado also has some unique challenges of its own, nearly all of which the state and its residents are unwilling to confront.
Coloradans are as guilty as any Americans of engaging in a resource-gobbling lifestyle with no regard towards conservation for the future. Colorado's addiction to the automobile and automobile-enabled suburban (and now rural) sprawl is as pernicious as anyplace in the U.S., and the results are going to being every bit as catastrophic in Colorado as they will be in the rest of the country--if not worse.
Colorado has also followed the rest of the U.S. in "de-industrializing" its economy. The list of manufacturing companies that actually produce tangible products has shrunk substantially, and the companies of that type that still have Colorado operations are often only a shadow of their former selves. It has decimated its agricultural industry, as well. While coal mining and gas production have increased, other forms of mining have nearly ceased to have relevance in the state. Colorado's tourist economy is totally reliant on the airplane and the automobile, neither of which faces a rosy future in a petroleum-deficient world.
Colorado also faces its own unique problems. First and foremost, most all of its development in the last 30 or 40 years have focused their impacts on agriculture and open space. Thousands upon thousands of acres of wetlands and irrigated agricultural land have been dried up to water suburban lawns. Sprawl has been particularly vicious in devouring some of the state's most productive farmland. In short, Coloradans are devouring the state's most precious resources (land and water), not for any productive purpose, but for pure consumption and soft living. So, modern Colorado has a lot in common with ancient Rome--and unless it changes course, it probably will wind up at the same inglorious end.
Some will point out that it all will be OK because--after all--the state is still growing in population. The dark question no one asks is when that population growth will reach the "tipping point"--the point when neither the economy nor the ecology of the state can support its population, and the crash ensues. My personal theory, based on my experience of a number of years of study of both the Colorado economy and ecology, is that Colorado is dangerously close to reaching that tipping point, probably sooner than anyone would like to think. And, sadly, I don't think it is just Colorado that is in peril--I think the whole country is about to enter a dark and dangerous era--one that few Americans are equipped to handle.
As to what areas would fare better than others, I think they are all going to be hurting. I think that the suburban areas, where most of Coloradans now live, may hurt the worst. In an era of increasing scarcity, it will likely be the least sustainable over time because it is the lifestyle most dependent on plentiful money and resources, neither of which is likely to be plentiful.
My personal theory, based on my experience of a number of years of study of both the Colorado economy and ecology, is that Colorado is dangerously close to reaching that tipping point, probably sooner than anyone would like to think. And, sadly, I don't think it is just Colorado that is in peril--I think the whole country is about to enter a dark and dangerous era--one that few Americans are equipped to handle.
You will get no argument form me...only agreement! You seem to be well attuned to what is happening, and you've pointed it out very well. I'm wondering if you have any proposed solutions...just what are we to do...any suggestions, ideas, etc? Please note that I'm not demanding or expecting a solution from you....just curious what's on your mind. Becoming aware of a problem is usually a good first step.
I appreciate your analysis and it will be interesting to see how things work out.
Personally, I am not nearly as pessimistic as you on the future of Colorado Springs. Economically, I think Colorado Springs will be fine, but it is frustrating to see the Springs area repeat Metro Denver's mistakes in embracing the "sprawl-and-mall" pattern of development and allowing growth to get ahead of necessary infrastructure improvements. For example, where is the Springs' plan for mass transit? Where is the Springs plans for an I-25 reliever route? (That was supposed to be Powers, but the Springs city council foolishly let Powers be overrun by strip malls). The Springs will unfortunately be playing catch-up in 5-10 years in these areas.
However, I don't think that Intel's plant closure is necessarily a sign of an impending economic collapse -- Intel's plant was strictly a manufacturing facility (no engineering), with a very small scale and out of date equipment. It was sad to see them go, but I don't think that you should read too much into that. I think the Springs has all the right elements for economic growth in the future and will weather these ups and downs all right.
As for Fort Collins and Larimer County, I actually think that you'll find that Larimer County will shortly enter into slow-growth-mode. Centerra in Loveland, I believe, is the last great greedy land/sales-tax grab that we'll see there. I believe the story of the next 10 years will be all Weld. Weld will grow at double or triple the rate of Larimer, with little to no central planning as the county attempts to pass off all the costs of growth onto a TABOR-constrained state government. That's a formula for gridlock, as the state has no money to handle these kinds of problems. The sooner Weld County can get into DRCOG and some shared sense of planning and responsibility, the better.
I believe the story of the next 10 years will be all Weld. Weld will grow at double or triple the rate of Larimer, with little to no central planning as the county attempts to pass off all the costs of growth onto a TABOR-constrained state government. That's a formula for gridlock, as the state has no money to handle these kinds of problems. The sooner Weld County can get into DRCOG and some shared sense of planning and responsibility, the better.
Didn't Weld County just take the award for the highest percentage rate of foreclosures per capita in the entire nation? Or something similar? I saw it on CNN. Housing prices plummeted there, particularly in Greeley.
And Greeley is disgusting. I'm sorry, but having lived in Fort Collins for 3 years, trips to Greeley made me want to vomit (smell aside). The city is just ugly.
I have lived in Aurora for 17 years. I can tell you that Aurora for the most part has a very bad rap. Which is sad because the only "bad" parts of Aurora are probably the central area that borders on Denver. That is bad, high crime, riddled with Gangs, drugs and prostitution. BUT.... that is a very small hub of Aurora. As you move south Aurora is basically no different than any other subburb you will find in America. Lots of 1970's developments. Architecturally, not very interesting but for the most part SAFE, Inexpenisive and extremely diverse. People that live in Colorado have the most narrow minded view of what "Aurora" is about - and for the most part dont live anywhere near Aurora! I can tell you that in the 17 years i have lived in Aurora, i have never been attacked, robbed, harrassed, or stalked. My home is in a blue collar/working class nieghborhood and is probably considered "low end" as far as real estate appreciation is concerned. We love it. We have tons of parks, retaurants, shops and everything close in. Also since they have put the light rail in (about 5 miles from my house) access to downtown is so easy.
I myself am having a hell of a time trying to find work in high tech. I was laid off back in January from a well known DoD contractor. Looking back in retrospect, I remember how there was a boom especially from 1998 to 2000. I know a this time, it is not a good idea to sell my house with a down real estate market. I lived here for 13 years and love living in Colorado but unfortunately, I am looking at relocation to something like the DC area. That is the only place right now that has some work. I have no desire to live on the East Coast and don't like their lifestyle, that is, work, work, work and nothing else and you have to be much formal as in dealing with people and dress. That is what I like about here, you can go to 99% of the places to eat in jeans and t-shirt and no one cares as long as you have money to pay.
I don't know what it will take to bring in good paying jobs to COS but the leadership in the city is less than desired. They are more concerned about giving speeding tickets and getting revenue from that (at the same time, pissing off the motoring public) versus bringing in decent paying jobs where the tax base can expand.
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Originally Posted by MattDen
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Colorado Springs- This city is about to tank I think. I am from Colorado Springs and its economy is just crappy now and I just dont think it has the motivation or willing to cough up to businesses that want to relocate. This city is in bad shape, it was in excellent shape a decade ago but has been doing horribly for 5 years and will continue to be very stagnant overall. It seems like its economy is going back to where it was increasingly dependent on military as opposed to high-tech.
Colorado Springs has a crappy infrastructure also which doesnt improve the situation it just seems very behind the times. It has some advantages a nice downtown for such a small metropolitan area and get recreational oppurtunities and its very clean.
I think Colorado Springs should try to build as many 55+ communities as they can because the employment situation is crap and if they increase property taxes in their case it would be best to go to infrastructure rather then public schools.
Colorado's tourist economy is totally reliant on the airplane and the automobile, neither of which faces a rosy future in a petroleum-deficient world.
I disagree with this statement. There is no petroleum dificiency in the world. Oil is now down to $97 per barrel from a high of $150. There is abundant reserves of oil, natural gas, coal and oil laden shale. Its just being allowed to get it and refine it, but its there. Your doom and gloom scenario is unrealistic.
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