Where to move near CO Springs, nature enthusiats (Colorado Springs, Manitou Springs: apartments, for rent)

[SuperMarioFreak]

Hello, my wife(20) and I(22) currently reside in Florida and are planning a move to Colorado. My wife will be transferring stores with her current employer and I have lined up a job at a medical marijuana dispensary in Colorado Springs. Neither of us enjoy city living, but would still like to be close enough to go out on the town occasionally. We prefer living away from densely populated areas, closer to nature. We absolutely love the outdoors and enjoy hiking through trails and wilderness, cycling, mountain biking, camping, etc..

I have been hearing a lot that the springs is highly conservative and filled with fundamentalist wackjobs who like pushing there religion on folks who do not share their beliefs. If this holds any validity, we prefer to steer clear of areas like this and be in more of a liberal social atmosphere.

Which towns close to colorado springs would be more tolerant of marijuana use? I have been reading Manitou Springs or Old Colrado City might be good choices? We don't want to be further than about 40 minutes away from the Springs because of work.

I would like to thank in advance, anyone who takes the time to read my post and give any information or opinions.

[Mike from back east]

Our reputation for religious zealotry is well overstated, though we are a conservative area in general.

Manitou and OCC are fine for you, as would be much of the central area of the city.

[SuperMarioFreak]

Thanks for the reply Mike

[smdensbcs]

Originally Posted by SuperMarioFreak

I have been hearing a lot that the springs is highly conservative and filled with fundamentalist wackjobs who like pushing there religion on folks who do not share their beliefs.

Agree with Mike here. Generally stay west if I-25 and south of Garden of Gods Blvd (roughly) and you should find yourself in a pretty diverse area close to many outdoor options. One suggestion: if possible, you'll generally benefit from cutting back on using broad generalizations like "fundamentalist wackjobs" in casual conversation. Virtually all "fundamentalists" are, if you ever got to know one, basically decent folks, nowhere close to being "wackjobs." In ten years of living here, I've never had one try to shove their religious or political beliefs in my face or belittle me if I politely disagree. You don't want to do to them (overgeneralized hate speech) what you'd appreciate them not doing to you, if that makes any sense. And who knows, you might be one someday!

[SuperMarioFreak]

My statement was in now way intended to be insulting. I was simply paraphrasing what I have read on other forums and was just wondering if those statements were at all valid. I have known plenty of fundamentalists throughout my life. Some in my family hold these same beliefs. Almost all of my encounters with such people have included them rambling about jesus and the bible, even when I have made it politely clear that I do not, and will not share those beliefs. If you want to hear real "hate speech" try bringing up homosexuality to a fundy. Everyone that knows me personally would tell you that I am a kind, open minded person, who does not "hate" anyone.
I did not come to this forum to start some sort of religious argument. I simply came to seek help from others who were willing to take some of their precious time to read my post, and share any information they could(whether they be opinions or facts). For this I would like to thank you smdensbcs, for your input

[bongo]

I lived in Manitou & loved it. I could walk the hills in town for exercise, climb Pikes Peak, hike in the Garden of the Gods, eat health foods at Adams Mountain Cafe, shop at the natural market. Felt liberal, not conservative there.

[SuperMarioFreak]

Thank you bongo!

[Carrera32]

Mario - As the others have posted, while there is a strong fundamentalist religious presence here (Focus on the Family is headquartered in COS, along with some large churches, such as New Life), I think you'll find that once you make it clear (politely) that you're not interested, you won't be bothered. I've lived in COS (downtown in Old North End) for more than two years, and maybe twice someone's knocked on my door to pass me a leaflet advertising their church or particular brand of religion. They were polite to me, I was polite in return, they moved on, no problem. It should not be a problem for you either. As Mike advised, stick to the west side, including OCC and Manitou, and you'll probably never encounter anyone pushing their religion on you.

However, from a political standpoint, this is a very conservative area and a lot of the local pols tout their social and political conservatism creds, even though our local elections are ostensibly nonpartisan. They often get elected, and some of those philosophies (which may or may not be rooted in their religious beliefs, though I suspect in many cases they are) will be reflected in their political decisions. Those decisions will impact you. For example, while marijuana legalization passed in CO, there's a provision that local governments may opt out. So, despite the state passing Prop 64, El Paso County has decided to opt out, since a strong majority of the county residents voted against passage. While that decision doesn't directly affect the city of Colorado Springs, one of the COS city council members (who's up for reelection) has come out publicly in favor of the city opting out because a (strong) majority of the district she represents on the city council voted against it.

[SuperMarioFreak]

Thank you Carrera32 for your informative response. I read about El Paso county opting out in an article just the other day and it has me a bit worried about the job opportunity I am looking to pursue. We still have about 4 and half months to get everything in order. Does anyone happen to know which areas are better for renting?

[lurtsman]

The religious thing has been vastly over emphasized. In the 8 months I've been here it has not been an issue for me once. No one asks where I go to church, or tries to talk about religion. We do have a focus on the family location, but the over all city is not so different. No billboards (to my knowledge) for strip clubs, but you might see a couple christian billboards loudly proclaiming their views. I don't really look at billboards, so I could be missing something.

People won't care about pot use, and you could be pretty far from the city and still within 40 minutes. That is enough time to cover a long distance out here.

Best places for renting depends entirely on your budget for rent and your needs. Camelback pointe has the best apartments in the city (in my opinion--which is thoroughly researched), but they will cost you significantly more per square foot. You'd need to shell out a grand a month for a 2bed 2bath. If you have a higher price point -- there isn't really an apartment that is significantly nicer, even if you offered to up the rent by 2 to 3 hundred per month. If you need a lower rent, specify the rent and bed/bath requirements and I'm sure several members can provide recommendations.