Is Colorado Springs a better place to live today than it was 10 years ago? (Cortez: low income, apartment complex)

[Frihed89]

I lived there 1962-1966 and married a girl from there. We visited a lot, from 1967-1996 when we divorced. We watched the city grow from a small place into dumpsville. Fortunately, she lived near the Broadmoor, and the neighborhood close to it, and around CC, hasn't changed very much since 1967.

[mtngigi]

Originally Posted by Mike from back east

I added a poll to this thread to keep score; please vote.

I wish there was "some, but not all, aspects of it" as a choice.

[Mike from back east]

Originally Posted by mtngigi

I wish there was "some, but not all, aspects of it" as a choice.

Done.

[mtngigi]

Originally Posted by Mike from back east

Done.

Thanks Mike.

Guess I'll try and see if voting more than once is allowed.

Nope, not allowed.

[Mike from back east]

Originally Posted by mtngigi

Thanks Mike.

Guess I'll try and see if voting more than once is allowed.

Let me know which column to subtract your earlier vote and in which column you want me to move it.

[Vision67]

Better now than it was in 2008? Heck yes!

Back then, the economy was heading down. For example, the low in the S&P 500 was in March 2009 at 666; it's now at 2810 (+321%). Colorado Springs was impacted by that event and we had a lot of housing foreclosures, vacant retail shops, and layoffs. By 2009 our unemployment rate was very high although I don't remember the exact number.

Now we have record low unemployment but rents and house costs are going up much faster than wages. If you own a home free and clear, the rents don't impact you. But if you are a renter, I'll bet you feel that things are getting worse, not better because wages have not kept up with rents.

I live north of Woodman Rd and we've had a lot of good development since then. Just about everything I need exists within about a 2 mile radius of my house. One especially good thing is expanding Medical facilities nearby. Both Memorial Hospital and St Francis Hospital systems are now adding new facilities to their medical campuses. As a retiree, having access to excellent medical care nearby is essential.

There are very few houses for sale nearby. I think that's an indication of satisfaction of living in this area. If people didn't like the area they would leave.

The one negative for me is increased traffic. To avoid it I mostly do shopping during the week and venture out only very early.

[Colorado Rambler]

Originally Posted by Vision67

Better now than it was in 2008? Heck yes!

Back then, the economy was heading down. For example, the low in the S&P 500 was in March 2009 at 666; it's now at 2810 (+321%). Colorado Springs was impacted by that event and we had a lot of housing foreclosures, vacant retail shops, and layoffs. By 2009 our unemployment rate was very high although I don't remember the exact number.

Now we have record low unemployment but rents and house costs are going up much faster than wages. If you own a home free and clear, the rents don't impact you. But if you are a renter, I'll bet you feel that things are getting worse, not better because wages have not kept up with rents.

I live north of Woodman Rd and we've had a lot of good development since then. Just about everything I need exists within about a 2 mile radius of my house. One especially good thing is expanding Medical facilities nearby. Both Memorial Hospital and St Francis Hospital systems are now adding new facilities to their medical campuses. As a retiree, having access to excellent medical care nearby is essential.

There are very few houses for sale nearby. I think that's an indication of satisfaction of living in this area. If people didn't like the area they would leave.

The one negative for me is increased traffic. To avoid it I mostly do shopping during the week and venture out only very early.

The renter vs. the home owner thing seems to be the crux of the issue. If I still owned property in the Springs, I'd be much more excited about moving back. However as a renter, I feel scandalized at prices in neighborhoods that once upon a time were affordable, safe and scenic. It now appears that the only neighborhoods I could still afford to rent in are places that I would never have considered back in the day. I must say that it also puts me off when I read through threads like the one about the current NIMBY movement in Broadmoor Bluffs against Greccio's proposed affordable housing project.

Seriously?

Broadmoor Bluffs has become that swank? Greccio's properties were always well built and well maintained back in the day. Now home owners in the Springs don't want "those people" in their neighborhoods? Maybe "those people" don't want to live next to YOU Mr. or Ms. Broadmoor Bluffs. I just so happen to qualify for senior housing in an affordable unit like those built by Greccio. If my neighbors are going to spit on my shoes, I'm not going to move back just to experience that. Try spitting 400 miles Broadmoor Bluffs.

[mtngigi]

Originally Posted by Mike from back east

Let me know which column to subtract your earlier vote and in which column you want me to move it.

Well, I voted no ... but that's not how I really feel. It's just that "yes" didn't reflect how I feel about how the Springs has changed. When I moved here from the western slope in the early 1980s, the size of Colorado Springs was my perfect cup of tea.

So, there are aspects that are better, and other ways, not so much. That's why I suggested another category. The one you added would be how I would have voted.

Thanks.

[mtngigi]

Originally Posted by Colorado Rambler

The renter vs. the home owner thing seems to be the crux of the issue. If I still owned property in the Springs, I'd be much more excited about moving back. However as a renter, I feel scandalized at prices in neighborhoods that once upon a time were affordable, safe and scenic. It now appears that the only neighborhoods I could still afford to rent in are places that I would never have considered back in the day. I must say that it also puts me off when I read through threads like the one about the current NIMBY movement in Broadmoor Bluffs against Greccio's proposed affordable housing project.

Seriously?

Broadmoor Bluffs has become that swank? Greccio's properties were always well built and well maintained back in the day. Now home owners in the Springs don't want "those people" in their neighborhoods? Maybe "those people" don't want to live next to YOU Mr. or Ms. Broadmoor Bluffs. I just so happen to qualify for senior housing in an affordable unit like those built by Greccio. If my neighbors are going to spit on my shoes, I'm not going to move back just to experience that. Try spitting 400 miles Broadmoor Bluffs.

Yeah ... it appears that to some people, "affordable housing" is a four-letter word.

[BornintheSprings]

Originally Posted by mtngigi

Yeah ... it appears that to some people, "affordable housing" is a four-letter word.

As someone who grew up in Broadmoor Bluffs and recently moved away I think alot of the people there are low key racists.