25 Things You Should Know Before Living In Colorado Springs

Some live in Colorado Springs for the outdoor recreation, some for a job, and some for the affordable homes for sale and low cost of living. If you’re thinking of making Colorado Springs your home here are 25 things you should know.

Kim Jong-un wants to make the city go boom

Kim Jong-un, the supreme leader of North Korea, has evil plans for Colorado Springs. According to a 2013 North Korean propaganda video, the city was singled out as one of four targets for a potential missile strike. Luckily, North Korea’s geography skills are terrible, and the map had Colorado Springs surprisingly located in Louisiana.

Alien invasion preparedness

If aliens invade earth, like in the 1996 film Independence Day, Colorado Springs and its three area Air Force bases will provide the firepower to fight back. Fort Carson, Peterson Air Force Base, and the U.S. Air Force Academy are all nearby. The abundance of military aircraft could be the cause of the next item on our list…

Possible UFO hotspot?

According to statistics from the National UFO Reporting Center, Colorado Springs is the site of more than 11% of all UFO sightings in Colorado. Perhaps this is why UFO Phil (pictured above) has announced plans to construct a full-sized limestone pyramid and power plant atop Pikes Peak. Despite a design he claimed was given to him by aliens he was unable to recruit enough volunteers to haul the necessary 2.3 million limestone blocks to the top of the mountain.

Great place to start a new life

Thousands of people have made new lives for themselves in Colorado Springs, but none so famously as Dr. Quinn Medicine Woman. The popular TV series starred Jane Seymour as Dr. Michaela “Mike” Quinn, a physician who leaves her Boston life behind for one in the Wild West town of Colorado Springs. Despite hardships, she keeps her heart open and somehow loves finds its way… in the form of a rugged outdoorsman named Sully.

The restaurants have odd names

Colorado Springs has a wide variety of restaurants, and an abundance of burgers and barbecue. In addition, the city is home a number of eateries with unusual names, including Drifter’s Hamburgers, Skirted Heifer, Omelette Parlor, Coal Mine Dragon, Wild Goose Meeting House, Bean Bandit, Dogtooth Coffee Company, Mayo’s O’Taste & See, The Principal’s Office, and Bite Me Gourmet Sausages.

Looking to meet single Olympic athletes in your area?

Do you have what it takes to win a gold medal in the sport of love? The city is home to the Colorado Springs Olympic Training Center, a 35-acre complex that provides housing and training facilities to more than 500 athletes and coaches at a time. This abundance of future Olympians provides your best chance to meet the next Lolo Jones or Ryan Lochte.

It’s got some nicknames

Colorado Springs goes by a number of monikers, including City of Millionaires, Strip Mall of the Gods, Little London, Newport in the Rockies, Lil’ Smokey, The Springs, The Not-So-Irish Springs, the Evangelical Vatican, Ol’ Dusty, Rocky Mountain Shadow, Olympic Village, and The Anti-Boulder.

So much sunshine

Colorado Springs’ climate is generally sunny and dry, with limited precipitation, hot summers, and cold winters. The one constant is the erratic nature of the weather, with dramatic changes being fairly routine. Also, the frightening amount of lightning the city sees will convince you the town has angered Zeus, but it’s a small price to pay for all that sunshine.

Garden of the Gods

Speaking of the gods, the city is near the Garden of the Gods Park and its towering sandstone rock formations. The park has miles of trails for biking and hiking, lots of pretty rock formations to photograph, and ample rock climbing routes. Not a bad thing to have in your backyard.

The air up there

With an elevation of 6,035 feet, Colorado Springs is located over a mile above sea level and is even higher than Denver (just in altitude). While this means locals are closer to the moon, it also means there’s less oxygen. This is great if you’re training to be an endurance athlete, or if you like to get drunk on fewer beers, but it also means you have to drink more water and get more nosebleeds.

Baking recipes foiled

Now that you’ve perfected your chocolate chip cookie recipe you can start over from scratch in Colorado Springs. Due to the altitude, baking measurements have to be altered. You’ll have to fiddle with the ratios until you get it right, or else you’ll be forced to buy your baked goods from one of the city’s many tasty bakeries.

Pikes Peak

Located mere miles from downtown, Pikes Peak is a 14,115-foot mountain that towers over the city. The mountain is named for Zebulon Pike, an American explorer who didn’t even reach the summit. If you find your way to the top you can make a strong case that the mountain should be named after you.

Variety pack of colleges and universities

Colorado Springs is home to a wide variety of four-year colleges and universities, including Colorado College, the United States Air Force Academy. Colorado Technical University, Nazarene Bible College, and Paul Mitchell the School Colorado Springs. So whether you want to be a minister, a fighter pilot, a stylist, a diesel mechanic, or a poet/barista the city’s diverse higher education scene can set you on the right path.

The Goose is loose somewhere in Colorado Springs

Hall of Fame pitcher Goose Gossage was born in Colorado Springs and continues to make his home there. During his 22-year baseball career, he pitched for nine different teams, struck out 1,502 batters, and cultivated the kind of iconic facial hair people these days can only dream of.

El Paso County

Colorado Springs is the county seat of El Paso County, which is named for the Spanish word for “the pass.” It is not named for the popular brand of Mexican food products, but one can imagine there’s a lot of opportunities for a brand partnership between the city and this maker of crunchy taco shells and salsa.

Fairly conservative for a city

Cities tend to be liberal bastions, but Colorado Springs has traditionally been more conservative. In 2013, the city was named the 2nd Best City for Conservatives to Live by Estately, but in recent years the area’s Democratic voters are growing in number faster than Republican ones. Much of the the downtown area and westside votes Democrat, but the city still has many conservative bonafides…

• Conservative organization Focus on the Family is headquartered there and its founder James Dobson calls the city home
• Leonard Peikoff, heir to the Ayn Rand estate, lives there
• Conservative author and commentator Michelle Malkin moved there recently
• Wisconsin Governor and presidential candidate Scott Walker was born there
• In the 2012, Republican primary El Paso County was won by Rick Santorum. In the general election the county voted 58.9% for Mitt Romney, and just 38.54% for Barack Obama.

All kinds of guns

A firearm and ammunition shortage is not an issue in Colorado Springs. According to the Yellow Pages, Colorado Springs has 38 stores in town selling firearms and ammunition. Compare that to Boulder, Colorado, which has only six.

Gun violence

Violent crime is relatively low in Colorado Springs, but that doesn’t mean you’ll never hear shots fired. In April, a local man was cited by the police for taking his computer into the alley and executing it with eight shots at close range with a handgun.

The great, great outdoors

Colorado Springs routinely shows up on lists of the best cities for outdoor recreation. Its abundant sunshine and low cost of living make it far easier to get out and enjoy the nearby wilderness, skiing, whitewater rapids, towering mountains, multisport trails, and more. This article could have easily just been 25 Amazing Outdoor Activities Within Miles of Downtown.

Abundance of females

If you seek the company of women then you’ll find them in relative abundance in Colorado Springs. While the majority of Colorado’s population is male, Colorado Springs is a whopping 51% female.

Support when you need it

Should your finances and marital life suddenly hit the skids, there’s a local shopping center nearby that can handle it all, including providing the liquor to drown your sorrows. If that all looks like a country song come to life then the next item on the list won’t surprise you…

7th most “country” city in America

According to a recent Estately study, Colorado Springs is the seventh most “country” city in America. Local residents’ enthusiasm for country music, fishing, and barbecue helped push them into the top ten.

There’s a restaurant in an old airplane

Located in a Boeing KC-97, The Airplane Restaurant is the ideal eatery for someone looking to enjoy a plate of chicken wings while working to get over their fear of flying.

Employment

While the military is the largest employer in the city, there are a number of Fortune 500 companies and other private firms with operations in the area. Many are in aerospace and defense, but there are others in tech, financial services, customer support, nonprofits, high tech, and advanced manufacturing. Progressive Insurance has large customer support and data center operations in town so this could be your chance to finally meet the legendary Flo.

Buying a home in Colorado Springs

Colorado Springs real estate is far more affordable than many other larger urban areas in the state. The median home price is Colorado Springs is about $218,000, while in the Denver-Aurora Metropolitan Area it’s $338,000, and in the Boulder Metropolitan Area it’s $442,200.

If you’re looking for a home in Colorado Springs check out Estately.com.