Colorado Springs

[Blu bi Kong]

So we are really starting to lean towards relocating to Colorado Springs. I'm retired and my wife has a gig working from home which can be anywhere. Our middle daughter is sure to relocate to Colorado in 2 years. The oldest is in Boston and the youngest will stay in Los Angeles until her burial. (and even after that)! The retirement benefits, lower taxes, real people, outdoor splendor, imminent family all point there.
What can be said about a retired guy with plenty of jeep on his hands about that area? I'd like to hear what anyone can tell me about Colorado Springs in general as well if we have some folks from there.
Vic

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[D60]

So terms like big and growth are relative but the Springs has sprawled over the past 20 years.

I pass thru there on I-25 en route to Denver several times per year and it used to be just another thing on the interstate. Now it seems to go on for at least another 15 mi (mostly on the N end) and if you hit it anywhere near rush hour, good night!

It's big enough you can easily find your niche but there are strong Christian leanings so if that's your thing, maybe a bonus. If not, probably not a big deal but something to consider.

There at least used to be a decent U-Pull-It on the S end and there is of course a Harbor Freight, so it ticks those man card boxes for me. Lots of great 'wheeling due West and you're within striking distance of the Collegiate Peaks/BV stuff. Some of the stuff closest to the Springs like Hackett, Longwater and even Eagle Rock can fill up with some world class douchebags on the weekends, which of course is the problem with any trails close to major population centers.

Winter entertainment: go park where you can view Monument Hill on I-25 during a snow day and MARVEL at how few people know how to drive. It's a miracle any of us survive the winter roads.

All in all the Springs would never be for me (too big, too much growth, too conservative) but you might love it. Basically the entire Front Range is dead to me ......oh but, um, the Western Slope is horrible, stay away!

 

[Blu bi Kong]

Great info. Retired, traffic is workable. It sucks here too but I manage well not having commute. Christian activity,hope they don't ask me to leave! Conservatism, coming from here that's almost a welcome word. I've been here my whole life. Talk about watching changes. 4 wheeling close, yeah gotta have quick fixes. Seems I'm much closer to Canyonlands and Moab which are two of my favorite places.
Fact is if we don't leave here im going to go insane!

 

[Blu bi Kong]

Oh, and in another life with another wife I lived in the mountains above LA for 17 years at 5400 ' snow driving every year. That said, my second wife, yeah she's seen snow. In the movies!!

 

[D60]

To the disdain of some of my more liberal friends they did away with emissions testing ~12 years ago, so that's a bonus. Looks like they might require it on "some" oil burners:
https://leg.colorado.gov/content/emissions

edit: the Springs is El Paso Cnty

 

[TRZ]

Politically, Colorado is maybe 20 years behind California, but making up for lost time; we’re losing our purple-ness.

My wife and I are nearing retirement and are thinking of leaving the Denver area for Colorado Springs (less traffic, still plenty of events going on), Utah, or northern Arizona.

One thing to check on is crime rates, the statistics seem to indicate the crime rate is noticeably higher in CS than Denver. If CS is more conservative, I would have assumed the opposite.

 

[Rocket_Matt]

If you're looking for a place to live in Colorado Springs, I would suggest the Northwest or Northeast parts of town.

When we moved here, we lived in town for thew first seven years then after I retired, we moved to the Black Forest area to have a little acreage and quiet.

 

[Blu bi Kong]

If you're looking for a place to live in Colorado Springs, I would suggest the Northwest or Northeast parts of town.

When we moved here, we lived in town for thew first seven years then after I retired, we moved to the Black Forest area to have a little acreage and quiet.

We're visiting the week of july 15-22. Looking around to get some ideas by actually seeing. We're probably 6mths to a year away. Unless we find something irresistible. Our initial plan is to rent a house for a year and take that time to find out where to buy. Your mention of average and quiet is right up our alley. Done living in the fast lane!
Thank you

 

[Lab1]

We're visiting the week of july 15-22. Looking around to get some ideas by actually seeing. We're probably 6mths to a year away. Unless we find something irresistible. Our initial plan is to rent a house for a year and take that time to find out where to buy. Your mention of average and quiet is right up our alley. Done living in the fast lane!
Thank you

Might check out Larkspur- far enough embassy from both Denver and Colorado Springs but yet accessible to both. Quiet, can’t grow too much due to the geography and wildlife at your door. If you’re retired a commute is not an issue which keeps some away from there. Still easy to get to trails when you need too. I kiss Colorado so much but in don’t miss everything that has happened to it over the last 10 years.

 

[Lab1]

Might check out Larkspur- far enough embassy from both Denver and Colorado Springs but yet accessible to both. Quiet, can’t grow too much due to the geography and wildlife at your door. If you’re retired a commute is not an issue which keeps some away from there. Still easy to get to trails when you need too. I kiss Colorado so much but in don’t miss everything that has happened to it over the last 10 years.

It sure if I should blame the suds or just my horrible typing on the phone but this is pretty bad lol. Far enough away and miss Colorado

 

[Rocket_Matt]

Another area to look would be Falcon/Peyton area. Meridian Ranch has a lot of good options, and if you look just to the North of there you can get some nice acreage.

Also get a pretty nice view:

 

[Blu bi Kong]

Another area to look would be Falcon/Peyton area. Meridian Ranch has a lot of good options, and if you look just to the North of there you can get some nice acreage.

Also get a pretty nice view:

Awesome!!

 

[5280Sapper]

Awesome!!

I moved from Peyton and glad I did... worse then living in Wyoming... look into central Colorado buena vista areas away from the people.

 

[D60]

Man living in BV would be great for the 'wheeling life. Definitely a bit isolated, though.

Salida is up and coming, although it's being liberal-gentrified. I feel like Salida is where Durango was 20-30 years ago. Of course if true real estate in Salida would be a great investment - buy that run down shack in town, give it some fresh paint, sell later for $450k as having "character" and within walking distance to the 5 new brewpubs that just popped up.....

....damn I'm in the wrong line of work now that I think about it

 

[Spdu4ia]

Moved to springs about 12 years ago I’ve seen a definite increase in people but still not anything close to Denver . Close enough to almost everything that you want to get to . Denver is about 30min north and mountains are about 15 min west that’s why we moved here . North end is newer area , west side is more “classic springs”, out East is more plains and you can get more land . Don’t go south...

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