Colorado Spring, Co

I live in Manitou Springs. I commute a coupe days a week to my store; it's a 50 minute easy run. Anything west of Union is good. The northwest,I think, is better than the southwest. I would not live south of Cheyenne Mtn. Blvd.

The westside is( except down south) not being built like the eastside. Much more open space on the west. But you will get more home for the dollar out east.

In my opinion, the best place is to live on the southwest. Housing is nice, trails are VERY close including Bear Creek, Monument Valley, Pike National Forest, and even Palmer Park (a drive though). All the training that anyone will need is just out the front door on the south west. I do agree that the further you get from Hwy 24 on the north, that it is harder to access trails. Keep Hwy 24 close on the north and be west of the interstate definitely. Living downtown isn't bad, but there are some sketchy areas and a lot of college students - so you have to be picky about where you'd live. Good luck!

I live in Manitou.... it's about 5mi west of downtown CO Springs. Most of the trails at this site (http://inclineclub.com) originate here. I'm pretty sure I could do a 10 or 15 mile trail run from my doorstep every day of the week and barely cover the same ground twice. Plus Manitou is the antithesis of the Colorado Springs conservative mentality (if that's what you're looking for).

I have been seriously thinking of moving to Colorado. My Dad lived in Canon City. I want to be somewhere that I can enjoy the outdoors year round. I lived west of Chicago most of my life. The winters are long, and usually not very pretty. The past two years I have lived in the Raleigh Durham Chapel Hill area of North Carolina. It is pretty here but you have the ice storms in the winter, and it is high humidity from June through October. Would appreciate hearing from anyone who has lived in North Carolina and moved to Colorado as to how they like it.

I've never lived in North Carolina, but I spent a number of years in Virginia (primarily northern Virginia in the later years) before moving to Colorado Springs. The weather in Colorado Springs, in both summer and winter, is much better. My parents still live in Virginia, but -- having visited me a number of times -- now think that Colorado is a much better environment. If they didn't have such strong ties to the community there, they might very well move out here themselves.

"...Would appreciate hearing from anyone who has lived in North Carolina and moved to Colorado as to how they like it."

When I lived in Grand Junction I used to run with a masters guy who grew up in the Blue Ridge. He loved the move West. He was already a Mountain Man when he lived in NC but Colorado seemed to be even more his style.

What's the housing situation in CS? For example, how much would a 2500 sq. ft. home in the better area go for?What is the best high school in the area for running, academics etc.?

Black Ridge Trail wrote:

"...Would appreciate hearing from anyone who has lived in North Carolina and moved to Colorado as to how they like it."

When I lived in Grand Junction I used to run with a masters guy who grew up in the Blue Ridge. He loved the move West. He was already a Mountain Man when he lived in NC but Colorado seemed to be even more his style.

Thanks for the feedback. I know that there are more days of sunshine here in North Carolina than in Chicago area, but I hear that there are even more days of sunshine in Colorado. I love the mountains and nature. I recently took a ski/snowboarding trip to Steamboat Springs and I loved it, it was beautiful. Does the drier air feel better? When I was in Steamboat Springs it was cold at night but it did not feel as cold as I expected.

Out east (say 8 miles from downtown), 2500 sq ft would run about $200K depending on factors like cul de sac, corner lot, upgrades.

In town, I sold my 1000 sq ft house built in the 40s for $140K.

The west side of town is pricy in regards to square footage. If we could have afforded the 2000 sq ft downtown we would have stayed there.

As for the comment about 3 good running stores, I would say you are off by one. Colorado Running Company is the best of the bunch.

There are websites where you can information. Monster.com once had a section of its website that gives the lowdown on cities.

Ellie wrote:

Does the drier air feel better? When I was in Steamboat Springs it was cold at night but it did not feel as cold as I expected.

Yes. In the winter, the cold doesn't feel as cold, and in the summer, the heat doesn't feel as hot. And the air just feels better. In fact, one of the first things that I noticed about the Colorado weather was that, when I'd go out for a morning run, the air felt "crisp," even in the summer.

Wow CS sounds like my kind of place. Can anyone tell me anything about the school districts? I am a p.e./health/coach and am thinking about applying for some teaching jobs in the area. I love running the trails and love the outdoors. What is the Cheyenne Mountain school district like? Thanks for the replies.... What are the local hospitals like and is there a college or University nearby CS? Thanks again.......

Hospitals are good. And we have Universities are in town. UCCS sent both men and women to XC nationals last year. They are Division II. But this does not make the springs a college town by any means. CC also sent a womens team to DIII nationals.

Cheyenne Mountain is a good district. I am not to familiar with the different districts as I don't have kids and probably a good thing.

This thread is what I needed... My brother lives in the Springs, although in Divide for seven years. I'm in south central VA - area. I love the Blue Ridge; very accessible mtns. Very easy - no predatory animals -except a few bears once in awhile. But, there's no athletic or fitness mentality in the area. In seventeen years, I'm basically the only runner on the roads in my area. Now it's just yuppies and good-ole boys in massive trucks and SUVs burning up the back roads. I'm tired of it. I'm trying to convince my wife to make the move to CO. The older I get, the more I want to be surrounded by an athletic mentality. Right now, the favorite past-times in my region are eating and driving - even better if you can combine them.

hey what is the focus of industry at both Springs and Boulder???

The main industries are fast food, Christian bookstores and check-cashing for soldiers. Great roads, trails and weather, though.

I hope you are talking about Boulder. CSprings has a diverse job market. There is plenty of high tech. Oracle/HP/Agilent/MCI and a bunch of support companies for high tech. There is also the military and its' supporting jobs. And yes there are Christian/religious organizations that provide many jobs. There are also a few non-profit groups that hire. And ofcourse the USOC and training center and many national governing bodies.

Yes CS does lack some cultural aspects but the drive to Denver is around a hour drive and the needed fix can be found there. Last night as I ran though the Garden I was happy to be living in CS.

Yes, there are several large hi-tech companies in town, but they are not hiring like they use to 5 years ago. Because of all the military in the area, there are a lot of government contracting companies like Northrup Grumman, Lockheed Martin, Boeing, CSC, Booz Allen, Titan and probably another 2 dozen smaller ones in town. They are always Hiring.

As for the comment about 3 good running stores, I would say you are off by one. Colorado Running Company is the best of the bunch.[/quote]

I would definitely have to disagree with that quote and not just a little. I've been here for and year and Runners Roost downtown is by far the most experienced, professional, and knowledgable crew in town. I just had my gait analyzed at the store and the sales guy had to have spent over an hour finding out why I was running the way I did and what specific would help fix that problem. Even my doctors couldn't help. That extra touch and expertise(along with a great selection of gear) goes a long way in my book! Just have to give props where it is due. Good job to a great store and thanks to them my running related injuries are gone!