Springs Compared to Everything North of Denver (Colorado Springs, Fort Collins: transplants, transfer)

[deadhead948]

Hello everyone! Sorry if there's another thread on this subject, I'm not aware of one. I lived in both Thornton and Windsor for a total of 10 years. My job allows me to transfer and live in just about any midsize or large city in the U.S. I left Colorado to help with my ailing father who has since passed. I hate being away from Colorado and it looks like I'll have the opportunity to return this summer. I'm familiar with Denver, all it's surrounding areas and northern Colorado, (Ft. Collins, Loveland, Greeley), but never got to know Colorado Springs. The few times I went down that way were for the mountains. The closest thing I did to being in the city itself was an afternoon at Garden of the Gods. For those who have live the area from Denver to Ft. Collins as well as CO Springs, how do they compare? If I love the whole region north would it be safe to assume I'd do well in the Springs?

[Phil P]

The big difference outdoor wise is that the Springs has Pikes Peak right at it's doorstep, but Pikes Peak and the Springs is quite isolated from the rest of the Rockies. The Continental divide is much more handy north of Denver for things like skiing. Don't know what activity you do. For hiking, Pikes Peak and the general COS area has a lot more for weekday jaunts. If you want to hop around and explore multiple ranges, N of Denver just has more closer. It's basically 2.5 hours to the rest of the mountains from COS, which is almost too much driving for even a full day trip. One downside to Ft. Collins area is it got smacked with 2 huge fires either side of the divide, so that's a real bummer for the area.

Vibe wise, Colorado Springs has a more contrasts and lifestyle diversity, so you can probably find what you like, but there's probably going to be people that annoy you there too . The military element makes COS different (It annoyed me as a guy in my 20s), but assuming that your not in your twenties, it won't be as big of a deal. There's very cool communities as well. I don't particularly care for the Powers Corridor in COS, but the rest of the city has good areas. It's bigger as well, so traffic and things are going to be more noticeable, and that's increasing quite a bit from what it used to be 15 years ago.

Canon City is a real hidden gem outdoorwise as well if that's in the running! And it's still affordable. If it fit my demographics, I would have moved there being remote. Sangres are the best I must say .

Santa Fe is better outdoor and climate wise than either N of Denver or Colorado Springs, but it's pricey and has a very distinct vibe.

[otowi]

I have always lived in Colorado Springs but I went to college in Fort Collins and have been up north now and then for various things. Here are my thoughts:

1. I think the north gets more snow/precip and has more water in general like in ponds and reservoirs - that's just my perception. I do think sometimes south gets it while north gets dipped, but I think a lot of the northern cities, especially Fort Collins and Boulder, tend to have more accumulation. South of the Palmer Divide you are at the northernmost extreme of the "southwest" and this starts to show up in precip, flora, fauna, etc., increasingly more so the further south you go.

2. I think the north tends to feel a bit more yuppy-ish (if you are aware of that 80s term) - higher housing cost, more work-from-homers, more big universities driving the local economies and cultures of the towns, etc.

3. I think you're closer to a lot of outdoor rec in the Springs and get to avoid the i-70 corridor usually. A lot of state news seems to be Denver/north-centric, so the Springs and south (and the rest of the state) is kind of the rest of the country compared to NYC/California in that regard - we tend to feel like the northern Front Range feels like they're the whole state and drives a lot of its government so we feel a bit second-class. The Springs is big, though, so it is a close second, and far distant for everyone else.

4. Related to #3, I feel like we're a little bit behind northern Front Range when it comes to infrastructure and development funding.

5. You might notice the military presence in the Springs more than up north - it is a big economic piece here.

[wilberry]

In Colorado springs you are very close to the Pueblo Chilli festival ! but sadly there is no more Trinidad blues festival but you are close to the Caveman music festival at Monument lake !

[TCHP]

COS is certinaly dryer and higher in elevation than Denver and points north. Like Denver, many here are transplants so the general population tens to be pretty friendly. PhilP and Otowi both have good info in their posts.

Cos tends to be politically and fiscally conservative. Socially they are much more liberal than many might think. All major religions and some minor ones can be found here. High concentrations of liberals tend to be found downtown and on the west side, so there is some balance. Manitou is like that funky, eclectic relative you liked when you were a kid and when you really want something different, its right next door.

Some sites for you to peruse...for recreation and touristy propaganda - https://www.visitcos.com/ For resident information - https://coloradosprings.gov/

Lots more we can break out for you if you want to get into more specifics questioning.

[StealthRabbit]

CoS is much closer to less crowded mtns.

There are LOTS of people in NoCo (and Denver) accessing Mtns via I-70 and 285 and 40.

CoS gives you a few more choices and less crowds. But... it's further from WY +/- And DIA / DEN ...more frequent escapes from CO.

[Wittgenstein's Ghost]

If you want to ski fifteen or twenty days per year, that's tough in Colorado Springs unless you have a cabin in a ski town. It's not impossible, and I have friends who do it. But it's not as easy.

However, for just about everything else in the outdoors, I'd take our location over the areas north of Denver in a heartbeat. Mountain biking, climbing, hiking....it's better here. And there's some really great stuff in town or on the edge of town that can be done in a free afternoon.

The Springs has been getting bluer in recent years, and I think we should safely be considered a moderate place politically at this point. Jared Polis won the city, and our current mayor is an independent (although he is a relatively conservative independent). But we are "moderate" because we have some very red parts and some very blue parts. You can probably find your preferred scene on that stuff.

[mrshadow914]

Colorado Springs is still way too conservative, as long as the military remains a huge part of the city's culture it will remain conservative.

[TCHP]

Please define how you mean "too conservative". Yes, the military is a large part of the culture here. Yes, we have evangelical organizations here. Yes, the city was founded by a former Quaker with temperance leanings. However....

As I pointed out previously, the city tends to be politically and fiscally conservative, but tends to lean socially liberal. The city often votes in Republican candidates, yet maintains an open and active Planned Parenthood chapter and is host to the longest running women's film festival in the US hosted by one of the highest rated liberal arts colleges in the western US.
Yes, there are evangelical headquarters here, but we also have a very large New Age contingent and host one of the countries largest New Age fairs and have a higher than average number of people who claim no religious affiliation at all. Yes, we have a lot of military station here, and that population supports a dozen different adult bookstores and exotic dance clubs within the city. So while there is a lot of surface noise about how conservative the city is, the reality is it is more centric operating than many would believe. In my experience, I have spent time in more liberal leaning states where access to any of the above was nearly impossible.

Regarding northern CO, I'd also point out that while there are areas of liberal Democratic enclaves here and there, the predominate percentage of rural farm lands surrounding those areas to to be far right in political affiliation. Usually much more conservative in more aspects than what are found in Cos. Ft Collins and Greeley are blue dots in a sea of red.

For skiing, yes there are more resorts that are moderately more accessible from the north, but not by a huge measure, IMO. The traffic of I70 is brutal. and while places like Eldora, Winter Park, Loveland are close by to NorCO, SoCO offers easy, albeit longer drives, with easy access to Ski Cooper, Monarch, Crested Butte, and Summit County.

The Arkansas River offers great access to fishing and rafting. The Wet Mountain area provides access to some great dark sky areas. The Great Sand Dunes and the Durango area are easily 60-90 minutes closer than most points north as well. Some very challenging hikes and summits of various 14ers can be found in the Sangre de Cristos. Mountain biking access is easily available and growing within Cos proper and the Ring the Peak trail is nearly complete with only a few sections that aren't finished yet.

There is a lot more going on down here than a casual glance would reveal.

[mtngigi]

Originally Posted by mrshadow914

Colorado Springs is still way too conservative, as long as the military remains a huge part of the city's culture it will remain conservative.

So what? There are also many, many not-so-conservative folks who call the Springs home. I don't understand what this has to do with anything. The military has never affected my way of life, and as far as I can tell, is not a "huge" part of the culture here.

And not all people in the military are conservative. One of the best neighbors I ever had lived right next door to me in laid-back Manitou Springs, and we were the best of buddies - he may have been career military, but he was most certainly not conservative. Despite a lot of bad (mostly untrue) publicity, the Pikes Peak region has a "live and let live" vibe, as does pretty much all of Colorado.