I don’t get why COS has such a bad rep (Denver: crime, home)

[katiev111]

I moved here this year from Texas (was there for 3 years for work) but I am a Montana native. I was worried a bit first because people from Colorado told me don’t move here, it has a horrible reputation, it’s crime ridden, etc. after living here for awhile, I honestly don’t understand why it has a bad rep. Sure, every place has negatives but I genuinely don’t see a lot of the negatives people rant about. Even in the “bad” areas I’ve never felt unsafe. People also say it’s bad because of all of the military but I just don’t see it. Maybe because the military presence doesn’t really bother me? I do live in Northgate but I go to downtown area quite frequently. Yes there are homeless people but not as bad as other places. Idk, I honestly love springs.

[otowi]

I didn't know it had such a bad rep. I have never heard of the Springs described as 'crime ridden'.

I think the people in the northern part of the Front Range sometimes look down their noses at anything south of them, perhaps, but don't really know what they're talking about because they don't actually come down here. Having the military here has its positives and what negatives it brings seem to be pretty slight overall. Not everyone likes the idea of it, but when it comes to practical effects, mostly the military seems to be a positive factor here.

Clearly a lot of people want to live here and find it a desirable place to be. And no place is perfect. If it isn't someone's cup of tea hopefully they can move on to some place they do like. Glad you're happy here!

[orngkat]

When I told my western slope brothers I was moving to Colorado Springs, they said I would regret the decision. Four years on, I do have some regrets but I wanted to live in a large city (not Denver) with amenities one doesn't find on the other side of the mountain. No regrets - it has many good things about it but the general "vibe" feels kind of lackluster. One's perception really depends on where you came from.

[Mike from back east]

Lived in COLO SPGS for 11 years; bottom line: It's fine, you'll love it and you'll love Colorado.

The city was sometimes a laughing stock in the media for a few reasons that don't change the viability of COLO SPGS as a fine place to live:

1. A few extreme religious zealots like James Dobson (Focus on the Family) who made ridiculous statements on his radio program like Sponge Bob Square Pants is gay; extreme evangelical "Reverend" Gordon Klingenschmitt (a former Navy chaplain who was kicked out of the Navy), and Ted Haggard who was fired from a huge megachurch for sneaking up to Denver for gay sex with a male hooker while he preached hell's fire against homosexuality (you can't make this stuff up). There are a lot of religious organizations that make their HQs in the city, but the followers of these outfits are all over the nation, not flocking to the city.

2. Turning off its street lights, selling off the police helicopters and not watering the parks during the Great Recession made national news. A majority of citizens voted against raising their property taxes by about $200 / year so the city had no choice but to cut things to the bone. There is still a strong anti-tax sentiment in the city but I've seen a few cases where people is some school districts do vote for a few more bucks to keep schools worth attending.


These issues have kept COLO SPGS in a negative light with some people, but my 11 years there were fine.

Crime is not that big of an issue. Be sure to get a home with a garage and use it for two reasons; to prevent car break-ins and to protect the car from frequent summer-time hail storms.

[otowi]

I think there is a misconception that COS is very skewed politically.

The detailed breakdown of the county is below, but basically, 41% are Independents who might vote R or D or something else, 36% registered Republicans and 21% registered Democrats. In the past election 43% percent voted for Biden and 54% voted for Trump. That is more red than some counties to the north, but also less red than others. It is hard to describe it as greatly skewed one way or the other, imho.

Political Party Registered Voters Percentage Party Designation
American Constitution Party 1,780 0.395% Minor Party
Colorado Democratic Party 92,847 20.6% Major Party
Colorado Republican Party 162,215 36.01% Major Party
Green Party of Colorado 1,057 0.23% Minor Party
Libertarian Party 6,557 1.45% Minor Party
Unaffiliated 185,398 41.1%
Unity Party 375 0.08% Minor Party
Approval Voting 307 0.06% Minor Party
Total 450,536 100.00%

[COcheesehead]

I agree with Mike. I lived in the Springs for awhile and I think the national stories about the far right groups and the city government gave it a weird reputation.
I don’t think it has more or less crime than any other city it’s size. It’s a pleasant place to live.

I moved to the western slope and live in Grand Junction. GJ also has a somewhat undeserved reputation of drugs and crime. There are some “bad” parts of town, but anyone coming from the Front Range would laugh at really how little crime there is.

I say use the reputation to your favor and get in while the get’n is good. As soon as a place is “discovered” it’s too late.

[phetaroi]

Originally Posted by orngkat

When I told my western slope brothers I was moving to Colorado Springs, they said I would regret the decision. Four years on, I do have some regrets but I wanted to live in a large city (not Denver) with amenities one doesn't find on the other side of the mountain. No regrets - it has many good things about it but the general "vibe" feels kind of lackluster. One's perception really depends on where you came from.

I would agree with you.

I lived in COS for about 9 years, and I didn't see anything particularly negative about it. But on the other hand, I didn't see anything particularly great about it, either. People rave about the views of Pikes Peak...well, that gets old rather quickly.

As far as crime and negatively go...i was totally unimpressed with Pueblo.

[TCHP]

If anything, I'd say Cos has a highly variable reputation. Some see it as positive, some as negative, some as too conservative, some as too military, some as too evangelical, some as more mountainous than it is, some as more green than it may be, some as more snowy than it is...really, its all over the place and what you hear can pretty easily be countered by someone else's opinion. All of that is just within in a modern framework. Historically it has also been all over the map as well.

[katiev111]

Originally Posted by COcheesehead

I agree with Mike. I lived in the Springs for awhile and I think the national stories about the far right groups and the city government gave it a weird reputation.
I don’t think it has more or less crime than any other city it’s size. It’s a pleasant place to live.

I moved to the western slope and live in Grand Junction. GJ also has a somewhat undeserved reputation of drugs and crime. There are some “bad” parts of town, but anyone coming from the Front Range would laugh at really how little crime there is.

I say use the reputation to your favor and get in while the get’n is good. As soon as a place is “discovered” it’s too late.

You know, I actually like the grand junction area. Didn’t realize it had a reputation of crime. My husband was the foreman on a job out there recently and I went out to see him ans we drove out to grand Mesa. Just a gorgeous area.

[Phil P]

As others have stated, I think there's a nuance between national reputation and Denver / Boulder reputation, which views the city more negatively than its national reputation. It's a fairly touristy city and a lot of military members passed through, many end up staying hence the growth. Denver views the city as the evangelical gun toting McMansion trumpland dixie version of Colorado, and they've hardly been there, from my experience with Denver co workers. The people from the city and who visit more often have more realistic views, some really liked it and others didn't. To be fair, COS does have it's fair share of weirdness like others stated, but it's more of a cross cut of the nation and more diverse than anywhere else in the state.

The feelings go the other way too, with Springsers trashing Denver, although they've had more experience, because everyone goes to the airport or sports games or some sort of convention downtown.