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Moving here from 90095, huh. Yeah, Colorado Springs is most certainly not like the UCLA area. However, it can be whatever you make of it if you come in with the right mindset. Typically in these scenarios, I try to post helpful advice and temper perceptions with counter examples, but in this case I think this needs a response in kind.
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Originally Posted by Cali on my Mind
I am completely freaking out. Read MOST of the threads here. Here are my impressions after reading the threads:
- bad infrastructure (terrible roads, etc)
- most people don't care about the environment - someone just posted a pic of fracking in the middle of a residential neighborhood. How was this allowed by the residents?
- guns, guns, guns.....
- crime is rising
- ugly run down homes/complexes/streets -- especially in SW COS
- people don't have jobs ---> contributing to crime
- fundamentalists in NE
- hippies in SW
- in downtown, you can smell MJ everywhere and also liquor
etc.....
So, you read MOST the threads in here and that's all you gathered from them? If those are all key representatives of our city, its amazing that we have 3% unemployment and a population that is increasing 15-35% a decade, has been growing since its founding, is home to the Air Force Academy and the Olympic Committee as well as a number of Fortune 500 companies, one of the finest liberal arts colleges in the central US and one of the fastest growing colleges in the west. Must be a lot of delusional people living here, but then again, we're drunk, stoned, and proselytizing on street corners in between gun fights and spending binges with our fracking money, so I guess most of us missed out on that.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Cali on my Mind
Can someone help me with the following?
1. What's the BEST of the BEST neighborhood to live in (best means safe, clean, most expensive). Read some threads -- some were outdated. Some said Briargate??? Can you give examples of apartment complexes? We will be renting an apartment/house first before we decide on buying one. Is the downtown THAT bad? How is Cheyenne canyon?
Obviously you need to be in Cedar Heights, Kissing Camels, or Stratton Preserve. These are high end gated communities with security teams and patrolled grounds. You will need this to keep you safe from all the gun toting drunkards. Oh wait...I'm sorry, there are no apartment complexes in those areas because they are high end. They don't want to live next to the rental rabble. There are numerous new, high end apartments on the west, north-west, and north sides of town.
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Originally Posted by Cali on my Mind
2. What's the best car to drive in the midst of all these pot holes I am hearing about?
Military spec Humvee. We all have them. Pot holes swallow Hondas. Nobody simply drives a car here. How did you miss that?
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Originally Posted by Cali on my Mind
3. Other than the SE part, any other neighborhoods I need to stay away from?
I'd recommend those that start with the zip code 809xx.
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Originally Posted by Cali on my Mind
4. Best gym for workout? (I don't do crossFit).
No idea, I go outside for recreation and work outs.
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Originally Posted by Cali on my Mind
I think my life is over.
No need to tell me how pretty the mountains are --> I don't hike, I don't bike, I don't ski..... mountains don't do much for me. Don't know what I will be doing on weekends. Probably will be watching Netflix and gaining weight.
Yea, probably. But look at it this way, you will learn how to accesorize your wardrobe with kevlar in designer colors. You'll find new recreational release by joining the city gun league and learning competitive shooting skills. This will provide handy discussion topics while attending 3 a week church services that we encourage for all residents (except the hippies, of course. They are kinda smelly and are constantly looking for munchies). Since the mountains don't do much for you, you are already head and shoulders above us, literally, because you can now avoid the potential sunburn and skin damage the rest of us are absorbing when we are out and about in our mile high atmosphere. You also will have the distinct pleasure of avoiding the western exodus that occurs every Friday evening and eastern traffic jam that is every Sunday afternoon as we migrate to and from the mountains. Come to think of it, your Netflix routine will also save you the embarrassment of gasping for oxygen in our rarified atmosphere while you're at the gym. Nothing could be more degrading than to have some unemployed hippie trying to give you mouth to mouth after you fall off your bike during your spin session.
In all seriousness, Cos can be a great place. Is it utopia for everyone, absolutely not and I wouldn't pretend it is. But whatever the duration of your stay here, it will most definitely be what you make of it. You can suck the lemon or make lemonade. Your choice.
Most expensive, safe, "best" from what I've gathered are areas around the Broadmoor in S/W area of town. Also some areas of Briargate and farther north, Flying Horse are pricey as well. Not sure about the first two options but there is only 1 apartment complex somewhat near Flying Horse because it is expensive and these areas tend to not want apartments near them.
Seems silly to come on here and bash our city then ask us for recommendations.
You're right, you won't like it here.
Not bashing at all. If you read my post, I said this is what I GATHERED reading COS residents posts in this forum. I have not experienced the place myself and hope it is the opposite of my current impression. That's all. Thanks for the info though.
Husband and I are moving to COS from California since he got his dream job. We are in our 30's. No kids.
I am completely freaking out. Read MOST of the threads here. Here are my impressions after reading the threads:
- bad infrastructure (terrible roads, etc) Good streets/roads in terms of capacity to handle traffic; rush hour is a breeze; but, the potholes are TERRIBLE...worst I've seen after having lived in western NYS, Maryland, and Virginia...all of which had more snow and freezing and thawing than COS.
- most people don't care about the environment - someone just posted a pic of fracking in the middle of a residential neighborhood. How was this allowed by the residents? I don't think people are any more or less careful of the environment here.
- guns, guns, guns..... In the 6 years I've lived here, I've heard a lot about guns (it's a Colorado "thing"), but have yet to see one.
- ugly run down homes/complexes/streets -- especially in SW COS Again, no more so than other places I've lived.
- people don't have jobs ---> contributing to crime
- fundamentalists in NE
- hippies in SW "hippies" are in Manitou Springs mostly. So what?
- in downtown, you can smell MJ everywhere and also liquor
etc..... Not that I've noted.
Can someone help me with the following?
1. What's the BEST of the BEST neighborhood to live in (best means safe, clean, most expensive). Read some threads -- some were outdated. Some said Briargate??? Can you give examples of apartment complexes? We will be renting an apartment/house first before we decide on buying one. Is the downtown THAT bad? How is Cheyenne canyon? The North End downtown is very nice and historic. Briargate is upper middle (at least for COS).
2. What's the best car to drive in the midst of all these pot holes I am hearing about? A tank.
But there are at least glimmers of hope that there will be more....
I'll never understand why people move from the broken down, debt ridden California to Colorado, and wish for all of those problems to come here. There is a reason why people are fleeing CA in droves. CA is a beautiful place, so it has nothing to do with the land itself (California has amazing landscapes just like Colorado). The economy and politics have driven people away from CA. If Colorado ever becomes like that, I might just have to move again. If native Californians truly want more liberalism, why not just stay in CA? It has all the liberalism you will ever want, including all the problems that come with it.
Moving here from 90095, huh. Yeah, Colorado Springs is most certainly not like the UCLA area. However, it can be whatever you make of it if you come in with the right mindset. Typically in these scenarios, I try to post helpful advice and temper perceptions with counter examples, but in this case I think this needs a response in kind.
So, you read MOST the threads in here and that's all you gathered from them? If those are all key representatives of our city, its amazing that we have 3% unemployment and a population that is increasing 15-35% a decade, has been growing since its founding, is home to the Air Force Academy and the Olympic Committee as well as a number of Fortune 500 companies, one of the finest liberal arts colleges in the central US and one of the fastest growing colleges in the west. Must be a lot of delusional people living here, but then again, we're drunk, stoned, and proselytizing on street corners in between gun fights and spending binges with our fracking money, so I guess most of us missed out on that.
Obviously you need to be in Cedar Heights, Kissing Camels, or Stratton Preserve. These are high end gated communities with security teams and patrolled grounds. You will need this to keep you safe from all the gun toting drunkards. Oh wait...I'm sorry, there are no apartment complexes in those areas because they are high end. They don't want to live next to the rental rabble. There are numerous new, high end apartments on the west, north-west, and north sides of town.
Military spec Humvee. We all have them. Pot holes swallow Hondas. Nobody simply drives a car here. How did you miss that?
I'd recommend those that start with the zip code 809xx.
No idea, I go outside for recreation and work outs.
Yea, probably. But look at it this way, you will learn how to accesorize your wardrobe with kevlar in designer colors. You'll find new recreational release by joining the city gun league and learning competitive shooting skills. This will provide handy discussion topics while attending 3 a week church services that we encourage for all residents (except the hippies, of course. They are kinda smelly and are constantly looking for munchies). Since the mountains don't do much for you, you are already head and shoulders above us, literally, because you can now avoid the potential sunburn and skin damage the rest of us are absorbing when we are out and about in our mile high atmosphere. You also will have the distinct pleasure of avoiding the western exodus that occurs every Friday evening and eastern traffic jam that is every Sunday afternoon as we migrate to and from the mountains. Come to think of it, your Netflix routine will also save you the embarrassment of gasping for oxygen in our rarified atmosphere while you're at the gym. Nothing could be more degrading than to have some unemployed hippie trying to give you mouth to mouth after you fall off your bike during your spin session.
In all seriousness, Cos can be a great place. Is it utopia for everyone, absolutely not and I wouldn't pretend it is. But whatever the duration of your stay here, it will most definitely be what you make of it. You can suck the lemon or make lemonade. Your choice.
I started laughing so hard I fell off my couch where I sit and watch Netflix all day....
Great post. You gave me hope. So much info, where to begin...
* Yes, I hate change, and so prob read all the negative nancy threats... perhaps... I don't know.
* I am glad COS is growing -- better for me and my job.
* I hope I can bring my Krav Maga skills to these gun fights to speak of. Skillz so awesome they might, just might, halt the gun fight all together.
* Am looking for rental just so I can figure out which neighborhood best will suit me before I purchase a home. Boulder is AWESOME... but that will be a hell of a drive to COS every morning.
* So I will be needing a Humvee? I was hoping for a horse and carriage. Damned!
* Kevlar suites? Hell yes. You are very fashion forward. Who knew, I would come here for moving advice and get an amazing fashion advice as a bonus.
* Yes, will def need to join the gun league, right after I join my Gluten free Kale club.
* 3x/week church service is not enough. To repent all my sins I have gathered living as a Californian, I am going to need extra sessions. I am thinking 3x/week + 5weekends/month.
* A hippie can give me a mouth-to-mouth anytime I pass out, as long as that said hippie has brushed his/her teeth that morning with a fluoride free organic cruelty free toothpaste.
But in all seriousness. I loved your post. I am HOPING I would love the place since I don't think we are going anywhere anytime soon. Hoping people will be friendly and i will make friends easily (although read some posts about how tough it is to find friends in COS). As for the lemons, I will prob choose to suck the lemons instead of making lemonade since Cali people HATE adding sugar to organic food.
I started laughing so hard I fell off my couch where I sit and watch Netflix all day....
Great post. You gave me hope. So much info, where to begin...
Excellent! IMO, you've got nothing to freak about. Yes, this will be a big change for you, but reading your reply certainly made me laugh. You obviously can roll with the punches and that will go a long way to helping you get settled.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Cali on my Mind
* Yes, I hate change, and so prob read all the negative nancy threats... perhaps... I don't know.
* I am glad COS is growing -- better for me and my job.
* I hope I can bring my Krav Maga skills to these gun fights to speak of. Skillz so awesome they might, just might, halt the gun fight all together.
* Am looking for rental just so I can figure out which neighborhood best will suit me before I purchase a home. Boulder is AWESOME... but that will be a hell of a drive to COS every morning.
* So I will be needing a Humvee? I was hoping for a horse and carriage. Damned!
* Kevlar suites? Hell yes. You are very fashion forward. Who knew, I would come here for moving advice and get an amazing fashion advice as a bonus.
* Yes, will def need to join the gun league, right after I join my Gluten free Kale club.
* 3x/week church service is not enough. To repent all my sins I have gathered living as a Californian, I am going to need extra sessions. I am thinking 3x/week + 5weekends/month.
* A hippie can give me a mouth-to-mouth anytime I pass out, as long as that said hippie has brushed his/her teeth that morning with a fluoride free organic cruelty free toothpaste.
Yes, change is no fun. Its easy to zero in on negativity when faced with uncertainty. Like I said, this isn't utopia, but once you get past the shock, I bet you might find yourself getting comfortable here.
Colo Spgs and CO in general are growing very rapidly. Depending on your source, we are a top 10, 15, or 20 contender in growth with all the positives and negatives that entails.
Krave Maga...had to google that one. You very well may diffuse that gun fight. A quick search turned up 5 dojos(?) for that discipline, so we have places for you to look into.
Rentals, there are some very new and very nice units on top of the mesa near Fillmore and Centennial. I've not looked into them to know exact features, but I'd imagine they have a gym, pool, and clubhouse. They also are very centrally located which may help as get your your bearings on where you want to look for housing. They have great city views to the east and views of Pikes Peak and Garden of the Gods to the west. As others have said, most of what is north of Woodman is less than 20 years old and will also have the newest construction and most contemporary offerings in both rentals and homes. However, Colorado Springs growth has not been linear and there are pockets of new development as well as some high end older developments throughout the city so when you are looking for your home, don't discount some more central locations like University Park, Country Club Acres, Patty Jewett, or the Old North End.
Still can't help you with a gym as I haven't been a member of one for quite a while. I can say the Pikes Peak YMCA organization is large, well established and very popular. The downtown facility might even be called the undercover networking hub of a number of local power brokers who tend to be more frugal. Not to say there are some major country clubs here as well such as Cos Country Country Club, Gates CC, Garden of the God CC, and of course the newer ones in Northgate and Flying Horse. Sorry, most my life is conducted south of Woodman so I have less knowledge of things north than most newcomers will.
Speaking of which, IMO, you should have no trouble meeting people. What you will find when you get here is nearly all the people you will meet are from somewhere else. From 1990 to now, the population here has almost doubled, and that isn't because the natives don't believe in birth control.
Boulder...we are kind of the antihesis of Boulder in many ways. With that said, however, we do have farmers markets with local produce, a local artists coop and store, a very well respected local theater company that does regular productions, a number of guest speakers on a variety of topics at Colorado College, a number of local festivals and the occasional national one that rolls through, expanding science, engineering and healthcare programs at Colorado University, we have a number of craft brewers, a good number of local restaurants and a pretty darn good park and trail system.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Cali on my Mind
But in all seriousness. I loved your post. I am HOPING I would love the place since I don't think we are going anywhere anytime soon. Hoping people will be friendly and i will make friends easily (although read some posts about how tough it is to find friends in COS). As for the lemons, I will prob choose to suck the lemons instead of making lemonade since Cali people HATE adding sugar to organic food.
Cos has long been a vacation destination. We have a lot of local activities that may help you become a bit more mountain tolerant. We also have things that aren't going to involve them at all and will allow you to stay in town. We also have Denver and Boulder right up the road a way. You'll find a sample of all types of people here. While Cos does tend to be more fiscally conservative (hence the pot holes-which are in the process of being repairs thanks to a recent sales tax approval) and is home to a number of military installations and evangelical organizations (most of which relocated from California), we also have the funky artistic west side and Manitou Springs, the old money areas of Old North End and Broadmoor, Black Forest for trees and more trees, the Tri-Lakes area that a lot of people like to locate close to, and the eastern plains where you can buy acres of open space. A few links for you to look through; Cos Visitors site Colorado Springs Vacation Planning & Tourism Information | Colorado Springs, Colorado Colo Visitors site Colorado Things to Do, Attractions & Official Travel Guide | Colorado.com Pikes Peak Realty Assoc for rentals and homes PPAR.com - Trusted And Accurate Real Estate Listing Information
In any of the forums you will see posts about the negatives as well as the positives (including where you live now!). Colorado Springs is no different - works for some people, doesn't for others. Since it sounds like you are on your way here, search out the things you like here and I hope if works out well for you.
Cali on my Mind, I think you'll like it more than you think. I seriously doubt much weight gain will occur.
Location wise it really depends on where your driving to and how much driving you'll do, as CO Springs takes 45mins to cross. There's places all over but the area along the north end of Powers Blvd. would fit good. Real close to 2 mega gym places. The bad part of town, which isn't really that bad, is limited to a small sized central south portion.
As far as cars, the potholes are annoying, but not a safety hazard. They just make for an unnecessarily bumpy ride. If your concerned about it, my Mazda 6 sedan takes them much better than mom's honda oddessy minivan or dads dodge truck does. Small and light. Your best bet though is to get a motorcycle and swerve around them.
Denver has way more run down 60's looking homes than CO Springs does (at 2x the price too!). CO Springs generally has a lot newish big, although somewhat generic homes.
It's true there's a lot of churches, and ones that are very active, but they aren't Westboro and there's a significant amount of non-church goers. It's a weirder/more diverse mix than the rest of the country, but it is a mix.
Finally, you completely overlooked the one of the best thing which is the HUGE COL savings your getting by getting out of CA. That money really will go a long ways and you'll have more of it.
...It's true there's a lot of churches, and ones that are very active....
Just to note that "churches" does not necessarily mean bigoted. I am aware of more than a few churches that are very welcoming to LGBTQ folks.
There are other flavors of "Christian" than just the judgmental ones.
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