Gay Friendly Areas (Denver, Colorado Springs, Fountain: middle-class, rentals, crime)

[Ageinco]

All,

Looks like my partner and I will be relocating to the Springs from Denver. Are there areas that would be considered more gay friendly than others? Are there areas that you would avoid? We will be buying in the next couple of months. I couldn't find an existing thread, but please feel free to direct me to a previous post if this question has been asked recently.

Edit: Our budget is very flexible.

Thanks,

Age

[Mike from back east]

Here are some 4-year old postings that may help.

Originally Posted by Pjoy15

pcarr - My partner and I moved to the Springs from DC 3 years ago and have had a great experience so far...we live downtown in the Old North End right near Colorado College - We love it!! We looked in Manitou as well and decided we liked downtown better - we have an 11 year old son - he is doing awesome as well. We have several military neighbors and all of them are great! We aren't really big bar people .....but have dogs and are always out running them - going to great resturants downtown...hiking is amazing...any questions - just ask! COS gets such a bad rap - we have a nice population of lesbians...is a good place to settle down

BTW - we walk down the streets holding hands everyday - i wouldn't live anywhere we couldn't do that!!

Originally Posted by lalahartma

Manitou Springs is very inclusive!

Originally Posted by Mike from back east

IMO the city is not all that gay friendly. ... Still, there is a gay community here that seems to get along just fine. Most people here have a live and let live attitude.

Here's a link that may be of help.
- Gay and Lesbian Fund for Colorado | Committed to Colorado

For homes or rentals, look at ppar.com

[Carrera32]

I don't think much has changed since the original posts. I'd still look at Old North End, Patty Jewett, Shooks run and Manitou Springs.

[CharlotteRJ]

Maybe add in Old Colorado City?

I have noticed gay couples in all areas of town, FWIW, but I'm not sure I'd call them all "gay friendly".

[Carrera32]

Agree. Add OCC.

[Miss Hepburn]

I'm not sure why people say Old North End, but ok.

Downtown, esp around CC, Colorado College, that would be south of Uintah, esp.

Old N End pretty much begins north of Uintah up to Fillmore.
Actually they just placed a sign to that effect.
That's where I live now.
Lived years around CC...too many perping on college students down there
bec everyone knows the young are trusting and don't lock doors and leave bikes out.

Manitou is half gay isn't it? Not just gay friendly. OCC, easily. But, be careful of the expanding soil.
Places to avoid would be Rockrimmon, Briargate...well anything North, wouldn't you all say?

Never SE bec of crime....oh SW...that would be south of Cimarron west of 21st...Skyway and Cheyenne Canyon
are very liberal and open fun people.
The Canyon is too forest fire scary tho...and has had problems with flooding.

Oh, Ivywild is a great place ....the gateway into Chey Canyon....beautiful homes and lesbian couples there.
Ask your realtor about Ivywild...find out about the Ivywild restaurant bar scene.
There aren't any gay bars left that I know of....oh, The Q? Club Q?
I forget the name now.
You could go to any restaurant downtown on Val Day as a couple and no one would bat an eye...unless they
came from the Christian suburbs of out East and North of town maybe.
Half of the wait staff downtown is gay.

I know many wonderful realtors to work with, also.
Fun, happy women, sorry, not gay , but that could be a good thing! Ha!
They really know this town and have good reputations...know a lot of people.

THEN, when u get here don't go to a dentist or a veternarian, massage person, chiro,
acupunturist, hair person without asking me first.
I'm a Gemini and know most everything. I know the best of the best.

[Miss Hepburn]

Age, don't miss the last 2 things I added on later to my post.

[leavingIL]

Originally Posted by Miss Hepburn

Never SE bec of crime....oh SW...that would be south of Cimarron west of 21st...Skyway and Cheyenne Canyon.

This is just wrong. And ignorant. The SE is NOT crime-ridden as most of the sheltered white folks here seem to believe. Literally ANY SINGLE STREET in the southeast of the city would be considered a safe, family-friendly environment in a Midwestern/East Coast city. Any. Single. One.

People who tell you that "the southeast is full of crime" have either a.) never lived there, b.) knew someone who lived there, read the police blotter too much, and then dispersed ridiculous hyperbole about the "crime" in the southeast springs, or c.) think that more brown people automatically means crime. Yes, kids in the SE springs DO wear baggy clothes, and crank the **** out of their subs, and some are probably sellin drugs and shootin each other when deals go bad, but it's n-o-t-h-i-n-g compared to any real city's neighborhoods that would be considered "just fine." I like to hang out on the streets at night with my neighbors, girlfriend, whatever. Thats just what we did back home, so its what I do here. And i'll tell you that I have seen some guys doin hand-to-hand, and like one fist fight in a year, but the idea that you're ever in danger ANYWHERE in the Springs at ANY time of night, just because you're in a "high-crime" area, is sheltered, insane and uninformed.

That said, I would think that most of this city is pretty gay-friendly. Especially Old Colorado City, the area by the Colorado College Campus, and then just east of downtown in Knob Hill is really not bad either. Nothing really gay-oriented in that section of town, it's just real densely populated and basically everyone blends in there. Manitou Springs, however, is REALLY gay-friendly. These people fly rainbow flags just about anywhere they can fit one. My dad made a joke one time, when visiting us, that if we played a drinking game and took a shot every time we saw a rainbow flag flying in Manitou, we'd be sloshed in 8 minutes. Manitou is a straight mecca for 30-60 year old hippies and other weirdos. So I'm sure if being gay was your only not-of-the-norm quality, nobody would ever even almost give it a second thought.

Just my two cents. Hope you like it here. The mountains are way closer than they are in Denver and that part is awesome.

[Miss Hepburn]

Southeast Colorado Springs...
It is pretty easy...get police reports for the area you might want
to buy in.
During the day it may look very pleasant.
Find out what goes on at night before you buy, ladies.

Sorry, I am definitely not ignorant about the SE area.

Sure there are "ok" , lucky blocks...no crime in years, no booming cars at 3 am.
Sure.
But it is nothing like where I live in the Old North End.

We can compare police reports, I suppose, from my area North of Uintah south of Fillmore, (ON End),
vs Murray, Fountain, Airport, Chelton, Jetwing reports.
Or they could listen to the local News.

We may have a diff level of safety standards, sorry to offend you.

Oh, and I'm not insane...had to add that.

And, ladies, yes, Patty Jewett area is very desirable, not cheap...it is
called that bec of the Golf Course there.
Don't think I have seen chain link there, LOL.

[leavingIL]

you would probably be absolutely terrified in what is called Middle-Class around Chicago, then.