moving to colorado springs from maine and very very scared (Denver: living, dangerous)

[LHS79]

Originally Posted by wilberry

hey, remember when lots of young people wanted to move to COS ? now that NO ONE can afford it where are they moving to?

TABOR bad bad bad- maybe Pueblo West?

The commute to the Amazon Warehouse is not so bad (!)

[Wittgenstein's Ghost]

Originally Posted by kjbcre

I agree with most of the posters here; the area of town you live in dictates the social atmosphere more than anything else. It seems to me that more of the conservative, political crowd tend to live in the suburbs to the east of the city, whereas the downtown and west-side neighborhoods tend to be more liberal. Don't let things like Focus on the Family and New Life Church scare you away, they really are quite easy to ignore. I also come from the Baltimore / Washington area, I grew up in Rockville, Olney and Adams Morgan - there are certainly a lot of things I miss about being in a big city, but there are a lot of great things that are appealing about the Springs as well: Little to no traffic, our incredible geographic setting, proximity to ski/snowboard resorts, incredible climate, etc. I had traveled through every state in the Continental US by the age of 21 and would consider Colorado one of the only 5 or so regions I would ever live.

I agree with all of this. In my experience, the Springs varies by area more than most cities its size. You can have totally different experiences depending on where you live. When I lived in OCC and worked downtown, I thought the Springs was quite liberal and wondered how on earth it had gotten a reputation as being conservative.

[StcLurker]

Just pointing out this is a zombie post from 2012

[chiluvr1228]

Originally Posted by wilberry

hey, remember when lots of young people wanted to move to COS ? now that NO ONE can afford it where are they moving to?

I just visited my son in COS last week and thought it was a beautiful place to live but it is very crowded and growing like crazy. I was shocked at the home prices. My son and his partner bought a tri-level house for around $240K but it has already jumped to over $300K in the 6 months since they purchased it.

I don't like where I'm living but since I'm semi-retired I don't wish to be house poor at my age.

[mtngigi]

Originally Posted by chiluvr1228

I just visited my son in COS last week and thought it was a beautiful place to live but it is very crowded and growing like crazy. I was shocked at the home prices. My son and his partner bought a tri-level house for around $240K but it has already jumped to over $300K in the 6 months since they purchased it.

I don't like where I'm living but since I'm semi-retired I don't wish to be house poor at my age.

Are you looking for other options aside from a house? Like a condo or townhouse? I ask because recently and out of curiosity, I was looking at what condos are selling for, and found a few reasonably priced options.

[COCountrygal]

Are you sure this is the decision for you?
Prosperity comes in many forms, including friendships, family, mental health, happiness....
No one should rush a monumental decision like that. Can you ask for more time? Or stay where you are and consider what you want out of life.

I am from CT; I moved here but miss my family and friends and thinking of returning. And I miss the small town vibe very much too... (although there are a few places in CO you can find that). Many of the restaurants are chains and I personally prefer the restaurants in New England; less chains and more diversity. But you should find good restaurants. And the arts scene is good in COS and you can find many places offering arts courses. But I would not call COS quaint, except maybe downtown.

It will be a change: you have traffic, almost constant growth, the city life... but if you like the outdoors, as I do, you can enjoy living here.
And when I moved here, I took advantage of the arts and sporting opportunities at the local colleges and universities, as well as US Air Force Academy. And I have enjoyed that too.

Denver is only 1 hour away and there are extensive spiritual events that way, like kirtans, sound healings (gongs), and similar. COS has the Center for Spiritual Living and a few other New Thought churches which would offer similar. And yoga is easy to find in COS.

So, COS has some of what you seek, but again, ask yourself: what is prosperity to me? And go for it, wherever it is, in COS or elsewhere!

I hope that helps.

[phetaroi]

Originally Posted by COCountrygal

Are you sure this is the decision for you?
Prosperity comes in many forms, including friendships, family, mental health, happiness....
No one should rush a monumental decision like that. Can you ask for more time? Or stay where you are and consider what you want out of life.

I am from CT; I moved here but miss my family and friends and thinking of returning. And I miss the small town vibe very much too... (although there are a few places in CO you can find that). Many of the restaurants are chains and I personally prefer the restaurants in New England; less chains and more diversity. But you should find good restaurants. And the arts scene is good in COS and you can find many places offering arts courses. But I would not call COS quaint, except maybe downtown.

It will be a change: you have traffic, almost constant growth, the city life... but if you like the outdoors, as I do, you can enjoy living here.
And when I moved here, I took advantage of the arts and sporting opportunities at the local colleges and universities, as well as US Air Force Academy. And I have enjoyed that too.

Denver is only 1 hour away and there are extensive spiritual events that way, like kirtans, sound healings (gongs), and similar. COS has the Center for Spiritual Living and a few other New Thought churches which would offer similar. And yoga is easy to find in COS.

So, COS has some of what you seek, but again, ask yourself: what is prosperity to me? And go for it, wherever it is, in COS or elsewhere!

I hope that helps.

Well, the Denver is only a mile away routine got very tiresome for me very quickly. That "hour long drive" often gets you from the center of Colorado Springs to the southern suburbs of Denver, not central city. That's another 15 or so miles, and that traffic those last 15 miles is often horrendous. Almost every time I'd drive up to Denver I'd later wonder if it was really worth it.

[COCountrygal]

Originally Posted by phetaroi

Well, the Denver is only a mile away routine got very tiresome for me very quickly. .

I had to do it (67 miles) for a job for 6 months. Eventually it wore me down. Now though I will go for that special occasion (a baseball game) or hike in the area. But I do not feel the need.

Some people do not mind the drive though.

You are right on the timing; on average, it takes me 1.5 hours to get to downtown area (or thereabouts). The work between Monument and Castle Rock has also slowed traffic too.

[wilberry]

my best friend drives from Littleton to boulder every day ,1.25 hours one way

[phetaroi]

Originally Posted by wilberry

my best friend drives from Littleton to boulder every day ,1.25 hours one way

which in my view is a stupid life style. been there, done that, just in a different location