Do I need to be nervous? (Denver, Colorado Springs: fit in, low crime, home)

[PandS]

My husband and I are hoping to move to Woodland Park in a couple of years (sooner if we can swing it), but a few people had said to be careful of the Colorado Springs area because of crime.
Well, we're moving away from Austin, TX to get out of the big city and get away from that. My question is this: is it really that bad, or just normal? And because we'll be in Woodland Park, will it matter?
Thanks for your help.
Pol

[PokerMunkee]

I think COS is a safe city. Just like any city, there is crime and bad parts of town. I have never felt unsafe in the 3 years I have lived here. COS had 16 murders in 2009.

WP is very safe, one of the reasons we love living here.

[froggin4colorado]

LOL!! Lots of other posts about this topic- but Woodland Park is a small community and doesn't qualify as a city IMHO. Does anyone recollect the last time Woodland Park made the news for crime? Seriously because I have been absent for a year and something could have happened in the past year but I don't recall anything in the 14 yrs I was there.
Colorado Springs crime...again in the 14 yrs I lived there I often complained (STUPIDLY!!!) about not having any news and when something did happen, they talked about it what seemed forever or until something else happened. I say this but when we were ready to move in August of 2009, there seemed to be a string of crime for about a week and my DH and I commented, "WOW! What is going on with your city? This is so unusual for COS!". Now that I am on the east coast in the Hampton Roads area in VA, lots of horrible things don't make the news because the news has to pick which crimes will be broadcasted- double and triple shootings/murders, political corruptions, numerous building/business/church fires, school shootings (why don't they make national news?? I don't understand that one...) etc. It was definitely a shock and hence why we don't like it.
I knew a couple people who came from Austin to Colorado Springs and there were mixed feelings. They loved the moutains, the climate, the people, but disliked the amount of things to do. They were the younger couples (20s). The older couples (older= 40s LOL!!!) loved it.
But others might be able to fill you in more.
PS. I think Woodland Park is one of Colorado's best kept secret- in the mountains, has that romantic mountain feel, has all the community amenities of shopping, hospital, and only minutes from a large city.

[Fullback32]

Coming from Austin, you honestly have nothing to be concerned about. While crime has increased in the past year (or at least seems to have), it is nothing compared to cities like Austin, San Antonio or Denver. Woodland Park is nice, but it snows a lot up there. If that isn't a problem, then you'll love it.

[mtngigi]

Conversly, sometimes it's snowing in the Springs, and the sun is shining up in Woodland Park. We'll be under gray, cloudy skies, and I'll head up the pass and get "above the gloom" and into the sunshine.

[Marcy1210]

Woodland Park's (the self-proclaimed "City Above The Clouds"), most serious crime is the 9 year old kid who lifted a Snickers bar from City Market. Or maybe the 90 year old who ran a stop sign. It's a quiet little town with nothing going on past about 9:00 p.m. on any night of the week.

[Userdavey]

Yes, "The City Above The Clouds" is pretty accurate. It will be snowy in Colorado Springs and sunny in Woodland Park. And the crimes in Woodland Park are few and far between, unless you count the bears.

I once stumbled out of a bar in Woodland Park, and, worried about finding my keys or driving in a straight line etc, I didn't notice the momma bear foraging near my Subaru. My heart stopped...I practically wet my pants and ran as far as I could. In about three minutes I was at the city limits. Oh and the bear? She got distracted by some drunk people dancing to the country music playing in the saloon next door.

This could have also happened in Buffalo, NY, or Eugene, OR.

Woodland Park is a small city 17 miles west and fifteen thousand feet above Colorado Springs, which itself is already way too high and snowy. And you want to live there? Sheesh!

[PokerMunkee]

Big plus is in the summer, when it's 90F+ in the Springs, it's 10 degrees cooler up here. It barely gets over 80 in WP during the warm months, which is fine by me No one has central A/C up here, don't need it! Definitely more snow in the winter than down the mountain, but it makes it feel like a mountain town! The sun comes out and melts it away the next day.

[SYS]

In crime report, Pueblo ranks highest in Colorado | crime, colorado, pueblo - Public Safety - Colorado Springs Gazette, CO

This newspaper article, based on the findings of the "City Crime Rankings 2010-11: Crime in Metropolitan America," reports that CS has the highest rape crimes in the state and the 11th in the nation. This is really surprising, as it has been my impression over the 8 years of my residency, that CS has a low ranking in all crime categories. Apparently, the category of rape crime is an exception.... Yet the city has been declared the "holiest city" in the recent study, so go figure...

As for Woodland Park, I wouldn't hesitate to move there. However, there's no place on the planet earth that's crime free. It can happen anywhere, any time, and it's up to each individual to take all necessary precautions and safety measures at home and out about. CS has very low crime areas and higher crime areas -- like any other city. I'd feel a lot safer living here than Austin, TX or any other comparable city.

[Matt314159]

WP is not crime free (Google the 'texas seven', or read the articles about the woman found dead behind the high school just a day or two ago - Google 'mindy lee woodland park'), there are the common 'bored teenager' crimes like smashed mailboxes, bb gun holes in windows, a stolen statue now and then, stuff like that, but it's nothing you don't come across anywhere else too. It's a safe, small town. Psychologically, there's nothing in common between COS and WP...the distance is great enough that it's a whole different world up here.

As far as COS goes, I've never thought of it as being a high crime area, sure there are worse neighborhoods than others, but I don't think there's anything unusual there as far as crime goes.

EDIT - I should clarify, that part I added about Mindy Lee, at this point I don't think they know if there's foul play or not (it's been very cold lately, so who knows what the cause was). It's just that finding bodies behind the high school seems to fit into the same mentality of concern as 'crime', regardless of the cause.