Whoever coined “the great outdoors” may have been talking about Colorado Springs. Nestled at the foot of the Great Rocky Mountains, the city stays humble to its roots as a resort town giving tourists and residents alike an incredible natural palette within which to frolic. Residents can marvel at the incredible rock formations at the Gardens of the Gods and the 14,000-foot Pike’s Peak. It’s called “Little London” because so many immigrants from England moved here in the 1900s but more importantly in 2018, US News & World Report named it the most desirable place to live in the United States.

The weather is so perfect for hikers, skiers, and those who appreciate natural beauty, but it’s murder on those who are sensitive to high, altering altitudes and dry climates. It’s so dry that one should test it out before moving here. 



Proximity to the Rockies is Key

LookyLOO Review of Colorado Springs?

While there is a downtown area in Colorado Springs, and plenty of people enjoy going out here, the lifestyle most notable is built around the outdoors. The mountains, rivers, and thousands of trails and foothills means hiking, biking, skiing, snowboarding, fishing, rock climbing, camping and just living in the shadow of Pikes Peak and a short drive to the Rockies is central to the adventurous spirit of those who live here. Moving here for the bars and restaurants and growing cultural scene seems to miss the point (although good to know they’re available). Take advantage of those for sure, but move here for the rest of it. 

If you want to see what locals get up to during the year then check out the [**Colorado Springs calendar of events**](https://www.coloradosprings.com/events/#!/).


Lifestyle

Colorado Springs was recently cited by Brookings as the fastest-growing city for Millennials in the country. There are plenty of reasons for this growth but one of them is that it is rated by a Thumbtack annual survey as the fourth most business-friendly city in the country. The largest local employer base is the military and defense industry. In particular, the military industry is focused on space and missile defense and so the aerospace industry is a high flyer here. The high-tech and tourism industries are also prominent, with the manufacturing of electronics components a core piece of that employment base. Many of those manufacturing jobs are shifting overseas and the service industry is taking over some of that for job opportunities. 

The Springs is also home to the US Olympic Training Center and 24 different national federations for Olympic Sports. This heavy sports influence reinforces the health, fitness, and outdoor lifestyle culture of the area. 


Worklife

[**Colorado Springs School District No. 11**](d11.org) is the city's primary school district. It receives a [**"B" on niche.com**](https://www.niche.com/k12/d/colorado-springs-school-district-no-11-co/) with higher grades for Teachers, Clubs & Activities, and Diversity.

The district assigns schools based on neighborhood by residents may submit a Choice Open Enrollment Application to any school to seek alternatives in STEM, IB or Dual Language Immersion. 

The highest-ranking schools in the area include:

-[**Odyssey Early College and Career Options**](d11.org/earlycollege) is an [**"A" ranked school on niche.com**](https://www.niche.com/k12/odyssey-early-college-and-career-options-colorado-springs-co/) that gets A's for Academics, Teachers, and College Prep. 
-[**Coronado High School**](d11.org/coronado) earns a ["B+" on niche.com](https://www.niche.com/k12/coronado-high-school-colorado-springs-co/) and receives high scores for extracurriculars/Clubs & Activities & Diversity. 

Schools

Colorado Springs offers a decent life. It’s relatively safe, has highly rated schools and provides a degree of comfort from the rest of the world. The weather is fairly mild and schools are good. If you are conservative or politically independent you will feel at home. While more progressives are moving into the area to escape the costs of west and east coast cities it remains a more conservative choice than Denver or Boulder. 



It's Decent

Why You Should Move Here Now?

**Giozos1100**
Living in Colorado Springs
1y ago
✭✭✭

Lack of good food or fun nightlife stuff to do, but I'm not much for going out.

People are friendly and the weather is better than anywhere else I've lived.

Rent and car insurance is expensive. A lot of homeless in the area are likely due to higher than average cost of living.

The view is better than Denver imo. You can live in smaller towns for a better view, but it's a good middle ground between city size and mountain view. COS is also a great place to stay if you like traveling the state as it's centrally located to everything.

Very politically mixed, which I see as a positive.

It has its ups and downs, but I love it here.

For more reviews of what living in San Francisco is like from locals check out: [**The Reviews**](https://lookyloomove.com/locations/colorado-springs/review).

s


The Air Up There!

Reviews of Colorado Springs from Locals

**The Best Thing About Colorado Springs?**  Proximity to the Rocky Mountains

Whoever coined “the great outdoors” may have been talking about Colorado Springs. Nestled at the foot of the Great Rocky Mountains, the city stays humble to its roots as a resort town giving tourists and residents alike an incredible natural palette within which to frolic. Residents can marvel at the incredible rock formations at the Gardens of the Gods and the 14,000-foot Pike’s Peak.

**The Worst Thing About Colorado Springs?**  The air

The weather is so perfect for hikers, skiers and those who appreciate natural beauty, but it’s murder on those who are sensitive to high, altering altitudes and dry climates. It’s so dry, in fact, that one should definitely test it out before moving here. 

**How You Living?** Outdoors

Colorado Springs is lovely. It’s picturesque and provides endless trails. Though it is relatively low in crime, Colorado Springs, like other similar-sized cities, has seen a recent rise. It’s also a very conservative place, home of Focus on Family and banning the sale of recreational marijuana -- available at dispensaries over most of the state. 

**Why You Should Move Here Now?** 

Colorado Springs offers a decent life. It’s relatively safe, has highly rated schools and provides a degree of comfort from the rest of the world. The weather is fairly mild and schools are good


Colorado Springs is part of what is called the Front Range urban corridor. This is a region of cities located along the eastern face of the Southern Rocky Mountains. It runs along the I-25 highway corridor from southern Colorado to Cheyenne Wyoming. It is called this because the Front Range is the mountain range you first encounter when you’re heading east from the rest of the U.S. Colorado Springs is only an hour’s drive south of Denver so locals craving a bigger city can scoot up pretty quickly. You’re also just about 2 hours from Wyoming and 4 from New Mexico so if you’re hankering to get out of the state it’s all pretty close. 


The Area

Knob Hill is the Urban Arts District of downtown Colorado Springs. A huge push of culture, arts and music has turned this into one of the hotter neighborhoods in the city. Plenty of new cocktail bars, microbreweries and classic dive bars make it the place for those looking for serious nightlife. Downtown/Old North End is another prime choice. The area is filled with classic Victorian homes, some of which were converted to offer reasonable apartment rentals, and interestingly, house a lot of the commercial district - restaurants/bars, coffee shops and boutique shopping.  
- Knob Hill
- Downtown
- Old North End
- Briargate
- East Colorado Springs - DINKS
- Powers - Dinks


Young Professionals

Knob Hill

Old North End is a very cool choice for couples who want to live amidst beautiful Victorians built with gold-rush money in the 1900’s. It’s located near Colorado College, so you get some of that youth vibe but without the frantic bar scene of some college neighborhoods. The neighborhood has apartments for entry level living but also condos and full homes for purchase as you move up in the world! Patty Jewett is another popular choice for couples and singles looking for a fun neighborhood and some commercial district, but want to avoid the intense bar scene of downtown. The homes in this neighborhood are smaller than the Victorians of Old North End but have similar old school charm as many were built in the early 1900’s. 
- Old North End
- Patty Jewett
- Powers


DINKs/SINKs

Old North End

Colorado Springs doesn’t really have a dedicated LGBTQ neighborhood like other bigger cities. Briargate is an upscale neighborhood on the north side of the city that comes closest. It’s a bit more popular with the LGBTQ community than others but living here ain’t cheap. Politically, Colorado Springs is conservative and also deeply religious and that has likely held back some growth in the LGBTQ+ community. Population growth from the coasts is changing things however, to the chagrin of some locals and to the joy of others. Some locals claim that the Springs is less about being Conservative and more about being Independent (live and let live) so perhaps there’s hope for all!


LGBTQ+

Briargate

Briargate is one of the most popular neighborhoods in Colorado Springs for virtually all demographics but in particular families are flocking here. Located in Northeast, which is blowing up with new homes, shopping and family amenities, this is where a lot of families start their search. The Northeast area has one of the best school districts in the county, is extremely safe, and offers a short commute downtown and a shorter drive to Denver if you’re making that commute. Woodmen and Northgate are other Northeast neighborhoods pulling in families that should be your starting point if you’re looking for a suburban lifestyle within the city confines. 
- Briargate
- Woodmen
- Northgate
- Palmer Park


Families

Colorado Springs is a popular retiree city, particularly among the military family community. There are plenty of 55+ and retirement communities but as with many cities, empty nesters and retirees often choose Downtown as a more active alternative. This is where the action is and being able to walk to restaurants, bars and year-round events make it an increasingly popular choice for those ready to get out of their suburban home and live in the middle of it all. 

Living downtown also gives retirees close access to some of the best healthcare in the state. Combine that with an extremely active community across all age groups and you get a perfect combination for empty nesters/retirees who seek active and healthy golden years. 

Colorado Springs

Downtown

**Giozos1100**
Living in Colorado Springs
1y ago
✭✭✭

Lack of good food or fun nightlife stuff to do, but I'm not much for going out.

People are friendly and the weather is better than anywhere else I've lived.

Rent and car insurance is expensive. A lot of homeless in the area are likely due to higher than average cost of living.

The view is better than Denver imo. You can live in smaller towns for a better view, but it's a good middle ground between city size and mountain view. COS is also a great place to stay if you like traveling the state as it's centrally located to everything.

Very politically mixed, which I see as a positive.

It has its ups and downs, but I love it here.

**JusticeBurrito**
Living in Colorado Springs
3y ago
✭✭✭

The best part of living here is being adjacent to the outdoors. If you like hiking/biking or getting away into the mountains then it's a great place. The air is relatively clean here (though it's getting worse).

Those are pretty much the highlights in my opinion. Arts, entertainment, and food are all significant downgrades from CA (or Denver). Our roads are a disaster. The city sprawls from horizon to horizon. There's no city planning. Very few water features. Loads of homeless and lots of property crime. For some reason those have gotten way worse since COVID. Having just come back from a trip to Phoenix I realize that this subreddit is right - our drivers are some of the worst.

To sum it up - we're a small town that has grown way beyond it's social, criminal justice, and hard/physical infrastructure and you will absolutely feel that. But the people are mostly friendly, the views are great, and we have ready access to the mountains.

**frawstyfresh**
Living in Colorado Springs
1y ago
✭✭✭

As someone who came from the Northeast, NJ specifically, and moved right before covid hit, I really enjoy the small town feel of what is a considerable size city. It feels slower out here compared to the Northeast, which I really like. Everybody is kind of just doing their own thing and I feel like there's less of this competitive vibe that's feels so present in NJ. In like a egotistical kind of way. Also, people in NJ are kind of assholes. Not everyone obviously but just like a lot of people ive known and met. It's kind of part of the culture and I never really understood it or fit in with it. I feel like people out here are a bit kinder, not to say that this place is anywhere close to perfect.

I am a queer individual so the overtly Christian influence and Club Q shooting was and has been unsettling. But I also really love the queer community here and find it incredibly supportive and friendly. I know a lot of people complain about the food and traffic but it's honestly not that bad. There are some really terrific restaurants I love: Sherpa Garden, Monse's Pupuseria, Little Nepal, Adam's Mountain Cafe, Poor Richard's, Slice 420, Azada Mexican Grill, Heart of Jersusalem, Ola's Juice Bar.

I feel more connected to nature here than I did on the east coast. This is not the place to be if you really like a vibrant nightlife, but thats not something thats important to me. Im not a partier and I prefer peace and quiet and take walks and hikes on the beautiful natural trails that are here. Every place is going to have its problems and this place is absolutely no exception. I know people who are from here hate change and don't want more people moving here. But I appreciate the diversity that I have learned has taken place in the last decade. Lots of people with different backgrounds, different ideas and perspectives and experiences. I am grateful to call this place home for now.

**AwayMammoth6592**
Living in Colorado Springs
1y ago
✭✭

People who say the traffic is bad here have never lived in a place with traffic. It’s all relative. If you’re from Chicago, Dallas, Austin, Houston, Denver, NYC, Atlanta, or any west coast city…there is no traffic problem in Colorado Springs. It’s what you make of it. Try to live in the interesting areas with some cool history, not the crackerjack boxes. The view is great, the parks are great, trails are so accessible. It used to be all Christian MAGA but it’s definitely changing. Lots to do. Could use some updating. I like it quite a bit.

Colorado Springs, Colorado

Window To The Rockies

Looklyloo Score: 87

We're on it!