I've got my mind set on Colorado Springs. Is this the best place to live in Colorado? (Denver: appointed, ski resorts)

[treedonkey]

Originally Posted by dhsubs

Any information on boating? I didn't notice many lakes when I came to visit.

I have a Google Earth file (KLM) with all the boatable lakes that I know of in the state of CO. I can send it to you if you want but I will only do so by PM request now. (I took pains to export and post a public version in the past but apparently no one ever bothered to use it or even to say thanks)

[Bevg]

As a former New Yorker, we moved to Colorado Springs almost four years ago. Some of the things we love are the views, but it's been tough finding a job especially if you aren't military. And yes, the humidity is low, and on days that can be great, but it can be rough on your skin and nose for sure. Another thing, if you don't like to drive in snow, you will hate it even more here in the Springs. The plowing isn't great and the side roads sometimes don't get plowed. Services have been cut and there aren't enough plows to do a good job.

Another thing to consider, the Springs is have a huge budget deficit, which means even more services are being cut. It can be a consideration if you plan on using some of these.

And as another poster mentioned, get used to wearing long sleeves into June, because it can be cold, it can snow, and the wind is horrible. Outside dining can be impossible many evenings because of the wind. We do miss the many lakes of the northeast and some of the humidity in the winter.

As everyone else mentioned, come for a visit first, travel I25 during rush hour, and see what you think. Other than that, enjoy the views.

[Maynerd]

Originally Posted by Bevg

And as another poster mentioned, get used to wearing long sleeves into June, because it can be cold, it can snow, and the wind is horrible. Outside dining can be impossible many evenings because of the wind. We do miss the many lakes of the northeast and some of the humidity in the winter.

You sound miserable here. Sure, you occassionally need a jacket in June, but we also have days in January and February where shirt sleeves are all that's necessary, rather than parkas. It's calm much more than it's windy, and on those calm days, dining outside is a dream, due to the lack of bugs. When I lived in upstate NY, dining outside was always impossible, unless you brought everyone inside some sort of screen house.

[Bevg]

Not totally miserable. It's the job thing so at least its not lonely in my corner. And I totally agree, I love the fact I have probably never seen a mosquito since I've been here. I don't even own bug spray. When I lived in New York, you never sat outside without the stuff or else you'd be bitten all over.

[froggin4colorado]

Its this type of weather that I just love! I am loathing about the notion of possibly having to move to VA. I am not a beach fan...I love mtns! I like dry, not humid! I love cool, not hot! And I love no bugs! Although these moths are starting to get on my nerves...so I am encouraging the birds to stuff themselves

[dafinsfan]

Originally Posted by cosublady

Oh and BTW Boulder is VERY LIBERAL. I did some research on Idaho and Utah. Idaho was my second choice and Utah my third. However, they are or just did build a Mexican Consulate in Boise.

What's wrong with a foreign consulate being built in Boise?

[lane_change]

My family and I are planning a trip to COS in March. I want to see what the snow/winter feels like in COS before we look too much into a possible relocation. We are a younger family, late 20's, with 2 small children. Currently we live in Houston, TX which is just ugly, flat, hot, humid, etc...but has a great cost of living and we like the mild winters. We are from San Diego and are used to pleasant weather, but the cost of living and trying to raise a family there is just out of the picture for us. Houston has everything you could want to do indoors, but nothing to do outdoors...it is just so flat, and the summer months are nothing but heat, humidity, and bugs. We are looking at a possible relocation to Colorado but to be quite honest, we are not snow people...cold is ok, but I am not a fan of midwestern winters (went to college at Iowa State and University of Missouri), so hopefully with the low humidity and ample sunshine, Colorado will offer us a different vantage point for winter life. We both love to ski/snowboard, and normally we vacation to see snow, and live at the beach...this would be the polar opposite (pun intended), but the idea of low humidity, beautiful scenery, and the ability to allow our children to experience 4 seasons and a multitude of outdoor activities from skiing, white water rafting, hiking, camping, etc...might allow us to accept the colder snow months that we are not looking forward to. So, we are going to plan a vacation to COS in March, and we may look at southern Denver as well just for job oppurtunities in case COS is as bad as I have read. My wife works from home and can perform her job from anywhere in the US, so relocation for her career doesn't matter...so we will at least have 1 career in place wherever we move. I just have to find a job for myself when we get wherever it is we are going.

We are a fairly conservative family, but not neo-conservative or religous. We just mostly have financial and civil views that lie on the conservative side of the platform more than the liberal side. I grew up in a military family until college and have lived all over the world, but I want to find a home for my children to grow up in. I don't want to move them around every 3 years like I did growing up. I think it will be nice to find a place to establish roots for them. Since they are young enough now, we are wanting to do our homework and find a home, not just a house. We have just recentlty had a house built in Houston, which we may rent out if we decide to move, but the more I live here, the more I realize that I don't want to raise my children here. I wish I wouldn't have built a home now, but oh well...times change. Or maybe the winter will be too much for us, we'll see. I just wanted to take a moment to say hello to COS, and hopefully the winter will be acceptable and the town will be beautiful and the people will be friendly...but we'll see. Thanks and see you guys around.

-Scott

[Mike from back east]

Scott: I think you guys will love Colorado, especially along the Front Range (I-25 corridor) from Fort Collins to COLO SPGS.

COLO SPGS is very affordable but most of the culture, arts, shows, museums, jobs, pro sports, etc, are found in the Denver metro area. Your job is key to where you could live. What field are you in and could you transfer here?

[lane_change]

Currently I work as an Operations Manager for a telecommunications company and have been in telecommunications for 7 years now. I know Denver has the Dish Network headquarters in Littleton, CO on the South side of Denver, so I may look there, but I would not mind trying a different arena as well. Telecom has been a very up and down industry since the economy took a hit last fall. I am just not sure what fields are prosperous in the Springs area, since my background is in people management and business strategy implementation. I have never worked in retail or sales of any kind, and looking for "management" on monster or careerbuilder is simply a nightmare, and for some reason if I enter "telecommunications" in the search engine, I get nothing but telemarket bs about working from home.

I have also been monitoring job oppurtunities with Serco. It may require me to take a step back in my career path due to limited available positions, but the growth potential within that company is great.

[meganb19]

Hey all, I'm Megan from Cleveland, OH. At this moment, I'm 22 years old and engaged. My fiance and I are looking to move out of Cleveland, we cannot stand the weather and the lack of outdoor activities to do. I am going to school right now to be an LPN and he is going into computers. The plan is to probably rent an apartment in Colorado Springs, but I would like a smaller city and a house with some land. Is the job market good in Colorado Springs? I'm born and raised here, but he is originally from Idaho. Were looking for a place that has a lot of outdoor activities and also a football team that can actually win a game (if you know Cleveland Browns...we suck.) Just wondering if Colorado Springs or any other city around there would be nice for the two of us. No kids yet but we will be having children after we are married, are there good schools here? Also looking for a place with low crime rate. I am actually in a city called Parma right outside of Cleveland, but living that close to the city is starting to take impact on our town. Not being racist, but a lot of black gang shootings are on the rise lately and I don't want to raise my children around that. I know I am asking a lot of questions but I also want to know if there are any lakes or bodies of water you can swim in? How is the weather there? We have four seasons here but its horrible. Long, snowy, icy winters and short humid summers, yuck! Last question, are there any close shopping areas and grocery stores nearby? Thanks for taking your time to read this..I'm sure I'll be visiting Colorado Springs before I make my final decision, but I want somebody's insight that actually lives there. Sorry I posted my questions on here...nobody was responding to my other post?!