Colorado Springs

[crich]

My days are numbered in Alaska and I will move... somewhere... by April 2025.

Colorado Springs is an option where I could potentially control my destiny a little bit and pick an area where I can still hunt. If anyone has some helpful insight on the area Id appreciate it. I know Colorado has its quirks politically but this would potentially only be a 3 or 4 year move until I retire militarily. We have 2 young kids (4 and 2) and the wifes career is on hold currently and most likely for a few more years. I know housing is up thats a given most places.

 

[DmrbigEshotT]

I have the opportunity to move to a couple western cities for work and checked out CO Springs as an option. I was not impressed.

600k homes where people park on their front lawn, aggressive homeless banging on the hood of a car while the driver is waiting in traffic.

We eliminated CO Springs as an option. Now, if it was our only option, that wouldn’t be that bad, but definitely not our first choice.


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[butcherboy]

Maybe Canon City or the vicinity. It’s not too far away from the military base. I went to taxidermy school there and lots of military guys would go to school there as well.

 

[pods8 (Rugged Stitching)]

If it was long term I’d caution cause CO politically seems dicey going forward, but for a few years seems fine. Can’t help on which areas/schools unfortunately.

 

[Mtnmilsurp]

Beware the neighborhood development business model here on the Front Range:

1. sell a few nice homes on 2-5 acres surrounded by beautiful open space with a straight shot to I-25.

2. 2 years later surround the homes from Step 1 with a maze of neighborhood streets with single family homes at about 5 per acre. Add a stoplight every half mile with 2 speed bumps between each stoplight.

3. 2 years later surround the single family homes from step 2 with condos, add 2 new schools and school zones, double the number of stoplights, add a tire shop, rite aid, McDonald’s, Starbucks, and 7-eleven.

4. 2 years later add a dozen 3-5 story 200-unit apartment complexes, widen Jackson Creek parkway, add a car wash, KFC, insert some more stoplights, bring in some panhandlers…

The gray areas on this map are currently in development. 3 years ago there were pronghorn and cattle there. By constantly selling on the edge of the development each lot initially has great views and open space right out the back door. And everyone gets a straight shot to the interstate for the first few months after they move in!

 

[spike camp]

Personally, never the springs.

 

[wytx]

Wyoming

 

[5MilesBack]

I've never been all that fond of the Springs.....it's way too crowded, heavy traffic is the norm (no one has a job apparently, unless driving around town all day every day is their job), the city isn't well-designed or built to handle traffic, water is too ridiculously expensive to have a lawn (or even trees), we're always in a drought, it's getting way too liberal even here, if there's an open spot they're building on it, crime is way higher than it should be, too many homeless........it's a city. Real estate is all over the place......i.e. some homes have appreciated 200% in the last 5-7 years, some maybe 60%, and some barely at all it seems.

The Pro's......summers make it all worthwhile (CO in general), very few bugs, winters aren't bad at all (but I still hate the cold.....i.e. sub 60 temps), low humidity.......

Quite frankly, from an environmental standpoint.....it's a great place to live. The only real weather threat we have is hail.....and we do get plenty of that. But it is a city, and people are the problem.

If I didn't hate the wind and cold so much, we would have moved to WY years ago. I also hate humidity, ticks, chiggers, spiders, bugs, etc, etc.......so in those regards, this is a great place. I've seen one tick in CO in my lifetime......and I was born and raised here, and grew up on a farm.

 

[feanor]

Pretty succinct from the above posts. The further you can be from the urban sprawl, the better. But that depends on how far you want to commute.

 

[Hnthrdr]

Was stationed there from 2014-2017… I was born and raised in Co, only ever lived out of state for school and military training/ deployment. Co is not even close to the same as when I grew up. It is congested, crowded, has done a 180 politically, and seems to be getting worse by the day. Would love another likely solid family who likes the outdoors but I’m not sure I would give the springs a recommendation anymore if you do get orders let me know there are some definitely decent spots to live and so real no goes… like others have mentioned housing prices and even rental prices are nuts, some real shady areas as well. I know it’s not sexy but i wouldn’t over look Ft. Riley and some of the Midwest bases, really good outdoor opportunities for waterfowl, whitetail, turkeys. Nothing will measure up to AK in the lower 48 but there are some cool stuff other there. You likely can’t swing wyo if you are army, but man getting a job as an ROTC adjunct in Laramie would be a great way to end a career

 

[Weldor]

Unfortunately, Colorado is a hard pass now.

 

[spike camp]

I've never been all that fond of the Springs.....it's way too crowded, heavy traffic is the norm (no one has a job apparently, unless driving around town all day every day is their job), the city isn't well-designed or built to handle traffic, water is too ridiculously expensive to have a lawn (or even trees), we're always in a drought, it's getting way too liberal even here, if there's an open spot they're building on it, crime is way higher than it should be, too many homeless........it's a city. Real estate is all over the place......i.e. some homes have appreciated 200% in the last 5-7 years, some maybe 60%, and some barely at all it seems.

The Pro's......summers make it all worthwhile (CO in general), very few bugs, winters aren't bad at all (but I still hate the cold.....i.e. sub 60 temps), low humidity.......

Quite frankly, from an environmental standpoint.....it's a great place to live. The only real weather threat we have is hail.....and we do get plenty of that. But it is a city, and people are the problem.

If I didn't hate the wind and cold so much, we would have moved to WY years ago. I also hate humidity, ticks, chiggers, spiders, bugs, etc, etc.......so in those regards, this is a great place. I've seen one tick in CO in my lifetime......and I was born and raised here, and grew up on a farm.

I get dozens and dozens of ticks every year on my clothing, and maybe one or two dig in per year.

My wife just found a tick in the bedroom last week(we’d hiked earlier that day)

I’m 2 hrs north of the springs.

 

[Felix40]

I don’t know if you can but I’d look into Holloman. I live in the mountains about an hour away. NM is kind of a trashy state but at least it’s not trashy AND insanely expensive like CO. My family from the springs just came to visit and they couldn’t believe how much more clean the Walmart is. Plus the resident hunting opportunity here is really really good.

 

[Hnthrdr]

I get dozens and dozens of ticks every year on my clothing, and maybe one or two dig in per year.

My wife just found a tick in the bedroom last week(we’d hiked earlier that day)

I’m 2 hrs north of the springs.

Central to northern Co front ranger and lifelong co resident, last 5-6 years have been finding more and more ticks… in front range and central co mountians… definitely take precautions now but up till then never saw one for the other 29 years of my life in Co… not sure what the cause is. Maybe they came with all the transplants? Or maybe warmer weather?

 

[Boarmaster]

Back in 2010 or so I was kicking around moving out that way. I had flown into Springs a few times on trips to Colorado. I wasnt interested in moving to Springs but I identified Woodland Park as a possible area of interest. We always went thru there on our way west. Seemed like a descent little town but close enough to Springs for shopping , healthcare and air travel. But that was 14 years ago and things can change.

 

[spike camp]

Central to northern Co front ranger and lifelong co resident, last 5-6 years have been finding more and more ticks… in front range and central co mountians… definitely take precautions now but up till then never saw one for the other 29 years of my life in Co… not sure what the cause is. Maybe they came with all the transplants? Or maybe warmer weather?

I have live on my property between Boulder and Nederland for the past 21 years and it’s been the same amount of ticks for me the whole time.

Some spots are worse than others, and wet springs are super ticky…but we’ve always had a lot of ticks up here.
I do a ton of off trail hiking, so that’s likely why I see so many.
Sometimes there will be 5-7 on
my pants at one time.
I can see them hanging off the edge of bushes, legs reached out looking for a host.

The good thing about lone star ticks in Colorado, they don’t carry diseases.

It’s a myth that Rocky Mountain spotted fever is transmitted, and no lymes disease.
I had/have lymes around 1993 in PA from a deer tick.
Just be glad those little bastards aren’t here, they are impossible to detect.

 

[Hnthrdr]

I have live on my property between Boulder and Nederland for the past 21 years and it’s been the same amount of ticks for me the whole time.

Some spots are worse than others, and wet springs are super ticky…but we’ve always had a lot of ticks up here.
I do a ton of off trail hiking, so that’s likely why I see so many.
Sometimes there will be 5-7 on
my pants at one time.
I can see them hanging off the edge of bushes, legs reached out looking for a host.

The good thing about lone star ticks in Colorado, they don’t carry diseases.

It’s a myth that Rocky Mountain spotted fever is transmitted, and no lymes disease.
I had/have lymes around 1993 in PA from a deer tick.
Just be glad those little bastards aren’t here, they are impossible to detect.

Your backyard is where I have run into them a fair amount, good to hear that it’s been relatively the same, sometimes I think Moosey areas are the worst which is probably because they are moister in general, anywho good to know, who knows maybe I’ll run into you sometime

 

[Fever Buck]

I guess what we’d want to know are what other options you have? The Springs is better than Denver and you are closer to some decent outdoor activities. There are definitely worse places to live and if you are only planning to stay 4-5 years you’ll be able to hunt some before the wolves really take over. And politically it’s terrible here but you could survive for a few years and then bounce. I have a 5 year plan to get to WY from CO but I’m being patient in the mean time.

 

[ReaptheHeat]

Depends if you are AF or Army.

 

[grfox92]

Wyoming

No.

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