Confirm or deny: Woodland Park. (Denver, Colorado Springs: fit in, how much, new house)

[gonzo_ishmael]

NY teacher here, but have been contemplating a move to CO for many years with wife and two kids (10, 7). Been looking into Woodland Park, as there is a job available at the high school. Here's what I think I know from lurking on this board and doing research online. Please let me know what sounds right...

1) WP is a very heavy-handed Christian town. Possibly oppressively so? (We're not church people, just laid-back accepting types).
2) Decent amenities, drive to CO Springs is manageable
3) Reports on schools are ALL over the place. Some glowing testimonials, others saying to run far, far away: high school run by incompetent admin, drugs, etc.
4) Winters are long and cold


Any other specific info would be greatly appreciated! Honestly, we're probably better suited for a town like Manitou but there is no available teaching jobs there at the moment and it seems much more expensive. We love hiking, camping, all outdoorsy stuff, art, live music. Just wondering how we would fit into a town like WP....

[otowi]

1. No. WP is not a particularly religious town. Neither is Colorado Springs. There are a few religious institutions that have headquarters around here, but they are not particularly representative of the local population.
2. Yes. There are occasions when the drive to Colorado Springs could be a bit of a problem in bad weather, but usually it is manageable. As for decent amenities, that might depend on perception. There is enough in WP to generally get what you need without having to go that far. But you're not going to find a mecca of fine dining or shopping, etc.
3. Schools are average - some pros, some cons.
4. Well, if you're coming from NY, that's relative. In some ways, winters are nicer here than they are in parts of NY. But WP being at elevation does get more snow and more cold than down in Colorado Springs.

[gonzo_ishmael]

Thanks for the quick reply!

Having to make a decision based on Internet research is definitely unnerving. Cold is definitely not a problem for us - we're used to Great Lakes winters.

[Kathy884]

I will be interested in following your post and hearing what others say about Woodland Park, as we are intrigued by Woodland Park too (beautiful setting it looks like and lovely home and lots for the money). I think though with the Evangelical Christian factor and remoteness (even though the place has plenty of great amenities and is only 18 miles from COS), that COS is probably a better fit for us.


I was dismayed to see that there is a conservative bible college being built in the area or already in the area. Charis Bible College - Ministry Training on Campus or Distance Learning | Charis Bible College I'd love to hear people's thoughts on that, and if you think my reaction is over blow.


Wild how hearing that made me say -- I probably shouldn't even look at the area due to that. Maybe it's an overreaction, but I have a son who is gay who might be moving out with us and don't want an unwelcoming environment. (Wild how big a turn off Evangelical Christianity is to me, and I'm actually active in the United Methodist church where I live (love going to an adult education book study group in my area Sunday mornings), but would be considered liberal / universalist / someone who looks at the bible as a metaphorical narrative, etc. -- not anything close to an Evangelical Christian) // Actually I love talking to people from different backgrounds who have different beliefs than I have when they are open to discussion (It's often eye opening.) And I have to admit that I have a perhaps unfair perception / stereotype of people on the religious right, just because I found people who I have met of that persuasion to have very black and white perspectives on the world and issues and found they weren't into discussing nuances or listening to people with other ideas. Having met so many people like that I assume that most Evangelical Christians are like that.

[MsMetal]

IDK about WP specifically, but in general COS is a huge evangelical Christian town. In another thread I just posted about how after a several year absence, I had missionaries again. When I first moved here (16 yrs ago) they were constant! That said, there are enough people here & many who have moved here in the last decade from out of state, so that it's got a bit more laid back attitude. Ok, well, no, I'd never call it laid back. It's still super Christian & super conservative, but it's big enough that you will find all kinds of people & you can easily find others who view things similar to you, even if you're a liberal agnostic ;-) I know several people with gay kids.

I also like to have discussions with people who believe differently, etc & have had some great neighbors I could do that with. But I also have had people tell me that my community was super safe b/c "God has a big fence around it" & weird stuff like that. I'm thinking...oh, so "God" doesn't have a fence around the next community over & all bets are off if I live there? LOL.

IDK anything abt the schools in WP, but I do know several ppl who commute to the Springs daily or almost daily & it can be a challenge at times. It's all downhill coming into COS & uphill going back. Winter of course, can be dicey BUT there are plenty of mild days in winter, both here & in WP. Summer storm season can also be dicey b/c due to some severe floods several years ago, the only highway, can close. They have the system working better now, than in years past & it's more sophisticated, with shorter closing times, but Hwy 24 can still close at times during the monsoons or Spring storms. While that seems inconvenient, if you had seen the floods, it IS for the safety of those who may get trapped there.

[otowi]

I strongly disagree that Colorado Springs is a 'huge evangelical Christian town' from 42 years of living here. It is less religious than the U.S. on average. Only a very small portion of the population is evangelical, and most people don't even go to church here. Everywhere in the country has missionaries. There are not particularly noticeable here. Other than seeing LDS missionaries riding bikes around town, I haven't had an encounter with a missionary in a decade. I may talk to one only once every 10 years or so. Big deal. Colorado Springs is also not particularly religiously conservative in any practical way. People do whatever they want and believe whatever they want. I find nothing particularly religious about the community in Colorado Springs or Teller County at all. Yes, there are some religious people, but there are more that aren't than are. Only about 1/3 of Colorado Springs/Woodland Park people even claim a religion at all.

Here is the religious breakdown of Colorado Springs (Woodland Park is essentially the same):
34.62% of the people in Colorado Springs, Colorado are religious, meaning they affiliate with a religion regardless of whether or not they practice. 8.88% are Catholic; 3.12% are LDS; 10.26% are another Christian faith; 0.15% in Colorado Springs, Colorado are Jewish; 0.33% are an eastern faith; 0.05% affiliiates with Islam.


Percent claiming a religion - first number is Colorado Springs, second number is U.S. average:

religious of any kind: 34.62% 49.42%
Catholic 8.88% 19.69%
LDS 3.12% 2.06%
Baptist 3.37% 8.17%
Episcopalian 0.42% 0.64%
Pentecostal 1.15% 1.90%
Lutheran 2.04% 2.36%
Methodist 2.45% 3.99%
Presbyterian 2.25% 1.65%
Other Christian 10.26% 6.72%
Jewish 0.15% 0.74%
Eastern 0.33% 0.54%
Islam 0.05% 0.85%

[MsMetal]

That's cool, we can disagree. I have lived in a number of cities & have never met this many religious people in my life. Nor have I ever seen so many churches. When I first moved here, the missionaries were a weekly thing. Often, more than once a week. I found it to be very religious & ultra conservative, moreso than I was even warned. But, I lived a mile away from both New Life & Focus & I'm sure that had some bearing on it. I'd never even heard of those orgs before moving here. I've lived mainly in big cities & some as a kid, where I didn't focus much on religion. I moved here from a very liberal city, where even the word "Republican" was spoken in hushed tones, so I guess they existed, but I'd never met one. Now, things have changed even there :-)

I do feel the religion affects the politics & of course all these huge landowner churches don't pay taxes, etc. I do feel the general vibe is religious, but again, part of that may be being up north. I have no reason to doubt your statistics, but I'm just going by what I've felt around me, for the last 16 years.

But I agree that there are all kinds of people here & someone moving here will have no trouble finding people they can relate to, religious or not. I've even managed to find some non-conservatives, but not up in my neck of the woods. I am still ribbed, 2 elections later, for having had an Obama sign in my yard. It REALLY stood out up here. If you live in on the west side, things may be different.

[TCHP]

You location up north could be a factor in that. Gotta say, the Cos I live in has never shown that side of its self to me, but the furthest north I've ever lived is just south of Woodman but that was back when Briargate was new and Air Academy was the only D20 high school. Sure, I've had some LDS and JW ring the door bell, but IMO, they aren't any different than any other solicitor. Large evangelical organizations, all headquartered up north, don't seem any different to me than any other large corporate organizations that also reside in town. I never felt obligated nor pressured to buy HP, TI, or Apple products (all former corporate residents here) anymore than I feel obligated to attend any mega church services.

Cos has a former woman mayor who's post political life has been as Director of Gay and Lesbian Fund non-profit agency. We have had and may have again a councilman and former vice-mayor Richard Skorman who's always been a reasonable voice in progressive mindedness and tolerance. We have Pride Day parade, we have several large metaphysical book stores and organizational centers, we have a womens' roller derby team. Most on here have not been here long enough to remember back when west Cos and Manitou in particular was home to a large percentage of self claimed witches and warlocks and odd night time going ons around some of the numerous mining remains was not an unheard of event. How about the annual Emma Crawford Coffin races that bring out the goth and zombie in everyone that attends.

Cos can present very different faces to many different people. It all depends on where you hang and who you run with. Oppressively religious, not necessarily so, but I guess it could be.

[Vision67]

I've lived here for about 40 years. We live in north Colorado Springs near Rampart HS.

The concerns about the religious nuts is overblown. Most of them seem to associate only with members of their own tribe; few go out to recruit new customers. When they discover that you are not a member, they leave you alone. A "no solicitation" note on the front door works for me.

The only problem we had was with our children's school friends telling our kids that they would "go to hell" because we didn't share their beliefs. I guess those kids learned bigotry at an early age; it's the primary reason I eschew organized religion.

As for Woodland Park, I've know several friends who moved up there and then returned to Colorado Springs. A few cold winters seems to do the trick. Also, for those who must commute to the springs, you are driving into the sun in the morning and also in the evening. I've know several friends who have ended up wrecking their cars for that reason.

I do have one friend who is retired and built a new house up there after his home burned to the ground in the Black Forest fire. He wanted a similar forest environment for his new house. Because he's retired, the commuting is not a problem.

His biggest problem is with the bears and deer constantly eating up his landscaping.

[TCHP]

Agreed, commuting from WP can have its challenges. Its not impossible, as there are a lot of people who do it, but the common route to Cos is via Highway 24. This highway has be known to get closed due to weather, irregardless of winter or summer. Snow storms are an obvious issue, but spring and summer rains, auto accidents, and wildfire events have all lead to closures. The only other method to WP from Cos is a long, multi-hour round about route through south Denver and the mountains or Pueblo and the mountains.

Charis has a large campus in Cos way back in an industrial area. Perhaps they have abandoned it for Woodland Park, but it still has all their signage up. How much does this campus impact the 7500 or so residents, I'm not sure. Charis doesn't divulge student body numbers and its relocation of fairly recent. For decades it was a funky little bedroom town to Cos where people moved to avoid the hustle of Cos but still have access to reasonable shopping and dining. Like all of CO, it has boomed the last two decades and has grown.