Colorado Springs for us?

[MF001]

Originally Posted by lurtsman

I love it. This is an intelligent, reasoned, and sourced response. Okay good Sir or Madam, I concede that occasionally a gun would be a valid form of defense, because sometimes the victim has a moment to react.

I appreciate the concession, so gracefully given. Accepted in the same spirit. I'm a man, by the way.

With a dog to alert you (by smelling the cat), and your alertness peaked, you would have an increased chance of survival by having a gun ready, assuming of course that you know how to aim and fire in a split second.

Three words: "point shooting practice." What I was taught by old time big game hunters who carried a sidearm for close quarters emergenices against wild beasts was to treat the big bore revolver like a hand shotgun, rather than a hand rifle.

By the way, piqued by reports about mountain lion attacks (about which I knew little before planning to move to COS), I've been reading about white hunters in India who hunted big cats. Several of them considered mountain lions/cougars/pumas/panthers/leopards to be much more dangerous than tigers and lions. Apparently, they are smaller and less powerful than tigers and lions, but are more agile and far stealthier and can make themselve extremely small to hide in the tiniest of cover.

Definitely I think I should have a talk with my children about them should I move to COS. And I may get more dogs. I have only two large hunting breeds right now (had more in the past), but with dogs, the more the merrier!

[ryanek9freak]

Bears you don't really have to worry about, they'd sooner run away than confront you, unless you go and poke it with a stick or something.

I carry a .45 on a drop leg holster when way up in Cheyenne canyon, around jones park, those are know cat areas, but in the foothills around the west side, I think I've caught a fleeting glimpse of one lion in my entire 34 years here.

It's not really something you need to worry about all that much. Pretty much everywhere you go,you're gonna find other people, you just gotta outrun them lol

[MdTigress]

Originally Posted by CharlotteRJ

We just moved here last year from Maryland (Charles County) and we couldn't be happier. I don't miss the heat, humidity, bugs, Lyme disease, poison ivy. We have kids, so schools were a big factor for us, so we're a little different in our outlook than you.

With respect to snow... In Maryland, we'd get a foot or two of snow, but not very often. Here, you will get a small amount of snow on a much more regular basis. I admit, I watched in jealousy as all of my friends back east got dumped on, and we got just an inch here or there.

If you want snow and land, Black Forest area is a good bet.

I registered just to reply to you because I'm looking to relocate to Colorado in 2015 or '16 from Waldorf, Md. You listed all the things we are looking to move away from and I can't wait to get out of here.

[CharlotteRJ]

Hi! It was a good move for us! It's a big change, though, so knowing what you're looking *for* is good, too.

We were in the woods between La Plata and Indian Head. I'm still getting used to having neighbors all around, but if you don't like close neighbors, there are places here to live.

Summers here are absolutely delightful. Winters are a little rougher than Maryland, but at least the sun shines, and we get nice days between the cold ones.

[Mike from back east]

Originally Posted by CharlotteRJ

Hi! It was a good move for us! It's a big change, though, so knowing what you're looking *for* is good, too.

We were in the woods between La Plata and Indian Head. I'm still getting used to having neighbors all around, but if you don't like close neighbors, there are places here to live.

Summers here are absolutely delightful. Winters are a little rougher than Maryland, but at least the sun shines, and we get nice days between the cold ones.

Gads...many years ago I worked in the Navy Powder Plant down at Indian Head...almost 40 years ago.

[kimod74]

I have lived here for 17 years and have yet to see a mountain lion. I have seen black bears and deer (and I live in the middle of town by the University, more cliffs/hills, etc.) There is always the possiblity of running into wild animals if you are up in the mountains out hiking, but usually they are more fearful of you and you won't know it if they are watching you....

Weather: We are SOUTHERN colorado, therefore usually less snow then Denver, but don't worry, winter hangs around and it gets old after awhile. We get bursts of storms usually. We will get 2-4 major dumps from November to March and usually it is melting the next day because our WONDERFUL sunshine comes straight back. The sunshine makes winter tolerable.

We have four seasons. Spring (can sometimes be short lived if we have an EARLY HOT summer), summer is usually hot (in the 90's) and in July we get our rains which we are experiencing at the moment and I love it. We don't get a lot of rain so when we do it's like a treat! Yes the leaves change colors and it's BEAUTIFUL. We get crisp fall days and I love them too. It is a drier kind of crisp. HA HA.

The tourist traps like Garden of the Gods, etc. are a bit crazy in the summer months and I usually won't touch them until after school starts. I fully enjoy them in the autumn and spring months. But yes, busy summers!

You could consider Boulder you just might not be able to afford in the town of Boulder itself. Fort Collins is more north and has more of the winter you are looking for and is a great "small town" atmosphere but it really is a college town. It is nice though, lots of trails and hiking and they have a river.

Fort Collins is still going to be an hour drive into Denver (if you work for a large company in Denver). It depends on what you want.

We are arid and dry. I have lived here for 17 years and have traveled all over the country and world and I love living here. I think COS is beautiful in my eyes. It can get brown and ugly in the winter yes, but i see the beauty in everything. We love our sunshine here and I think no matter where you choose to live in Colorado you will see that Colorado is the best state in the Union!!

Good luck on your search
Kim

[Chiri_2001]

Working and living near Baltimore poses many problems. We're now #1 for heroin, always in the top 10 for murder & violent crime. At times, there are more murders than there are days in the year. And salaries don't match the cost of living.

We'd really just love to have a much shorter commute, decent quality of life, a safer city & mountains for recreation.

Thanks again!

[otterprods]

Originally Posted by Chiri_2001

...a much shorter commute...

That, in itself, is MORE than reason enough. Consider everything else a bonus.