CS looks beautiful why not more people there (Denver, Colorado Springs: transplants, mortgage)

[kristie73]

COS airport can't even get decent flights out. Southwest isn't there. I hate flying out of COS only to fly to Denver to connect to another city!

Concerts - at least the big acts all go to Denver. That's too bad. We could have a great venue here and attract bigger stars, but World Arena just won't cut it.

Those few things frustrate me about Colorado Springs, but it's not enough of a reason for me to move to Denver.

I moved from San Diego and at one time or another San Diego was that small city up against LA. Kind of like Colorado Springs and Denver. And now SD is a pretty big city on it's own.

Colorado Springs will grow steadily, but I don't see it as large as Denver. Or like Houston and Dallas. We aren't going to get another NFL team here.

[denverian]

Originally Posted by iknowftbll

I think the fact that Colorado Springs is so close to Denver is why it hasn't grown into a much larger city. I think this is fine. It's a nice city that even at its current size has some catching up to in terms of infrastructure.

Colorado Springs metro has about 650,000. Several states have nothing even close to this size. (Wyoming, Montana, etc...) It will probably continue to grow at a steady rate over the next few years. From 1990-2000 and again from 2000-2010 El Paso County added over 100,000 people. If this continues this decade, Colorado Springs will continue to be a nice mid-tier city, but I don't ever see it rivaling Denver in terms of size or attractions.

That always amazes me when I think about it... that there are more people in the city of Denver than the entire state of Wyoming. If I see several cars with WY plates, makes me think half of WY is in town.

[smdensbcs]

Originally Posted by kristie73

Colorado Springs will grow steadily, but I don't see it as large as Denver. Or like Houston and Dallas. We aren't going to get another NFL team here.

For many of us who chose to live in the Springs rather than Denver, this is the whole point of living here. It is a "legitimate" metro area capable of supporting a reasonably viable, diverse economy (1000+ doctors, etc.) but it is not (yet) so congested that getting from point A to point B is a form of trauma. Our points A and B by definition cannot be so far from each other as they are in a Denver (including suburbia, which now includes Boulder) or a Los Angeles, Houston, or Dallas. We have a three-lane "freeway" (I-25) each direction not a 5 or 6 lane monstrosity of congestion each direction. This is what the vast majority of us want and its why we're here, along with amazing proximity to nature and open spaces. Continued growth is fine, but I certainly hope it doesn't pass the 1 million mark in my lifetime. When I want a megalopolis, it's an hour (depending on traffic) up the road.

[georgekds]

Simple. There are no jobs here anymore. 10 years ago there were lots of big companies like HP, Intel, MCI, Worldcom, etc. Even Current Checks had lots of employees. I remember the current checks parking lot were once full. I used to work there, when we go to the office around 9:30, we had to park way far. Now it is empty.

So - Yes. It is beautiful but we need jobs. There are only a handful of companies here.

[Userdavey]

Hi, I work for a structural engineer here in the Springs for over 10 years now and it's true the construction pretty much shut down here in Jan '09. It's been slow ever since with some spurts. Just enough to keep you optimistic really. So the economy is pretty sluggish around here.

But the question you've posted is "Why are there not that many people here?" like in Denver, for example.

I can tell you from experience that Denver on a fun scale blows the crap out of the Springs. My wife is from Denver and I have been all over the whole Denver area 100's of times. I've been to the mountains, downtown, the suburbs, the restaurants... everywhere up there. It's way funner and happier.

The way I see it, the problem with the Springs is the weather and topography. It's hilly and the wind blows a lot.

Also, the Springs has this whole "Homestead, no taxes for me, Ford Super Duty, overly Christian or military or both" mentality that kind of well, sucks.

FACT: Colorado Springs Population = about 500,000

The military installments?
1.UNITED STATES AIR FORCE ACADEMY
2.FORT CARSON
3.N.O.R.A.D
4.PETERSON AIR FORCE BASE
5.SCHRIEVER AIR FORCE BASE

That's a lot of military and that means a lot of temporary people here.
Denver has military bases too, although not as many and the population is like 2,500,000 or so. (five times the Springs population, although it feels ten times bigger)

Go to Denver and you'll see fifty times more people, money, culture, fun, nicer weather etc.

Let me explain:
Denver nightlife 96 (out of 100)
CS nightlife 32

Denver economy 84
CS economy 54

Denver weather 66
CS weather 50

Denver things to do 90
CS things to do 51

Denver love it? 100
CS love it? 21

There's just something about Colorado Springs that really is a turn off to me and probably other people too. It's too conservative and the people look inbred sometimes.


Compare the radio stations and the restaurants and the cops and the roads and the scenery and the local news anchors and the weather. Denver wins big in every category.

You'd think that the weather is the same in the Springs and Denver, but Denver has more humidity (The Springs' dry climate turns your skin white and gives you sore throats), it's warmer and WAY calmer as far as the wind goes. There's also more lakes, rivers, streams, creeks, and ponds etc. There is also a really flowery sweet smell lots of the time that the Springs doesn't hardly ever have.

The only thing that might be better about the Springs is that there's a little lower traffic volume and the cost of living (mainly the housing) is cheaper. Other than that, move to Denver.

[719inhere]

Why don't more people live here? Its basically because the job market isn't good here. The unemployment rate is close to 10% and it seems like the only jobs here are call center jobs or contracting jobs conected to the military in some way. The weather is nice, the people are generally nice. Im a young adult, but not into nightlife so I can't really comment on it, although I hear it isn't very good. Sometimes we get labeled an overly religous city, and it kind of is. But in my experience I've never had people try to push their beliefs on me. Im religous myself and I don't try to do that to other people. Its also labeled a conservative city, which again I'd say is true. But when I talk to people the topics of religion and politics rarely come up. Its close to beatiful scenary and your also close to Denver. Really I kind of take the city for what it is. Its an overgrown military town. Its nice and laid back, but it doesn't really have a big city feel.

[otowi]

Temporary people and people "look inbred" - I don't think you can really have it both ways. Obviously you don't like the Springs, but your arguments are also clearly biased. People make up their minds and then see things according to their made-up minds. Glad you like Denver so much. Personally, I can't stand it - way too crowded, traffic sucks, goes on forever suburbia, creepy downtown, mountains too far away, characterless, better but fewer radio stations, news anchors, etc. My arguments are clearly biased as well, but it just makes the point that people see things according to their made-up minds.

The real reasons CS is smaller than Denver were already adequately explained earlier and have more to do with history, geography, geology/hydrology than anything else.

[GUTTERMOUTHED]

I, too, am from a suburb of north county San Diego. It was a huge leap moving from there to here, but when you're unemployed, $1.00 there vs $1.00 here is like $.50 to a $1.00.

This city has so much to offer a budding family like mine. Every weekend bring something new to share with my son, and best of all..... Most of it is free.

At the end of the day though; through all off the 150 or so job applications that I've submitted ( for jobs I am over qualified for to under qualified), there is no end in sight for this unemployment..... Denver is starting to really good.

[smdensbcs]

Originally Posted by otowi

Glad you like Denver so much. Personally, I can't stand it - way too crowded, traffic sucks, goes on forever suburbia, creepy downtown, mountains too far away, characterless, better but fewer radio stations, news anchors, etc.

The "inbred" comment was funny. This is terrible to speak about aloud but I grew up in West Los Angeles and literally went east of Downtown LA only once or twice, which meant I was exposed to virtually ZERO (ahem I'll use the generic term) "WT" before I moved to Denver in the mid 90's, where I met/encountered so many WT it felt like the dueling banjo scene from Deliverance. Point being, it's all relative. Denver has its fair share of "inbreds" and so does any place houses cost less than $500K or so.

I agree Denver is more "fun" but the traffic is Los Angeles bad and the sprawl, as you point out, goes on forever. I've lived in the Springs almost ten years now raising a family and the very idea of moving back to Denver and all that traffic/commute time makes me shudder. Every time we visit Denver it reminds us how fortunate we are to live near the mountains in the Springs. So if some people love living in Denver (or LA or any congested monstrosity of a city), more power to them. It may be I'm going "inbred" but the Springs, on the whole, is like the Baby Bear's porridge, Just Right (even with its various little imperfections).

[Terytee]

I'm always a lil amused when folks describe a heavy military presence as a big negative. Hmmmm....clean cut, able-bodied, gainfully employed, hardworking people that serve our country, and inject millions of dollars into the local economy, housing market, job market, and local industry.....what a negative.

Also, as far as being transitory.....yes, military folk move...but many military folk retire or leave the service and stay in the area to make up a big part of the local population, and that is also the case in many towns with a big military population. They often stay behind or even return.

If those bases were to close, the town would go under....sure hope that doesn't happen in my lifetime.