PROS & CONS of Living in Colorado Springs CO

Let's chat about the UPDATED pros and cons of living in Colorado Springs CO. Things are going to be so different in 2023. We have a lot of transplants. We'll talk about things to hate about living in Colorado Springs and will that outweigh the things to love?

Top PROS AND CONS of Living in Colorado Springs CO. I absolutely LOVE living in Colorado Springs CO, but it's not for everyone. This is my honest review of Colorado Springs CO after being raised here and raising my family here.

Living in Colorado Springs Pro

So many people love living in Colorado Springs for the mountain views and the nature and outdoor lifestyle. When you can go hiking and biking pretty much almost every day, it just feels good for your soul. People like the city vibe while being able to feel like they're on vacation as well and hide in comfort of their homes when the day is done.

Colorado Springs Communities

Living in Colorado Springs has many perks including our tight knit communities. Almost everyone knows everyone else if you're a native. The military community is big here and we love our soldiers! Have you ever lived in a city where really cool military aircraft and vehicles are often visible? The kids love it. Feels so patriotic. So if you're military, you'll fit right in.

Mountain Views from Black Forest CO

Traffic in Colorado Springs

I remember the moment when the traffic in Colorado Springs changed. I went from freely changing lanes to having to actually plan my route strategically so I didn't miss my exits or turns. It feels different now to have to be such a defensive and organized driver these days, but for being the second largest city in Colorado, I guess I can't complain. It could be worse!

Restaurants in Colorado Springs

The food culture in Colorado Springs has changed greatly for the better! So many new restaurants have popped up and I'm here for it! The food trucks out here are fantastic and not super expensive. If you're a foodie I post a lot on Instagram. You can follow here as well as the #coloradospringsfoodie to learn all the best spots to eat in Colorado Springs.

Colorado Springs Weather

The Colorado Springs weather is beautiful. Although I hate being cold, I can appreciate that most days are sunny here. Average temperature during the winter is usually between 40 and 50 degrees. As long as the wind is "chill" I can handle it. Some people love cold weather, I prefer spring and summer. You do get all seasons here, so that's great. I do wish we had more moisture.

Houses in Colorado Springs

The homes in Colorado Springs are super cute. We have a variety. If you like cabin feel or modern, we have it all. With lots of new construction updating homes, you're sure to find a house you can live in forever. Many of the homes will give you mountain views and mature trees, but the further west you go, the prettier the mountains, especially Garden of the Gods, Broadmoor, and Manitou Springs areas. Check those homes out in this video → Top Luxury Homes

The Keys 🗝️

Colorado Springs is a great place to live if you love all four seasons (including cold), mild weather, a variety of homes (outdated or country vibe, too), bad traffic sometimes, good food, incredible views, and amazing communities. Just keep in mind the altitude, cold and dry weather and you'll be good!

Need help relocating to Colorado Springs CO?

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IRIS BURTON | REALTOR®

RE/MAX PROPERTIES, INC.

102 SOUTH TEJON STREET

COLORADO SPRINGS, CO 80903

719.315.5016

IRISBURTON.COM

LIVINGTHESPRINGS@GMAIL.COM

Colorado Springs Neighborhoods Map

Colorado Springs Neighborhoods MAP

From the Colorado Springs Government Website:

The Neighborhood Framework Map provides a graphic framework for our vision of Vibrant Neighborhoods. This map is intended to further the City’s focus on neighborhood planning based on logical, manageable, and inclusive areas. This map is expected to be a living and evolving graphic as neighborhoods grow or change. The City and neighborhoods can use this map to determine available resources and opportunities to leverage them.

All areas of the city have been identified by neighborhood name and typology for the purposes of generalizing a development pattern. This map is not intended to strictly define neighborhood boundaries or create neighborhood identity. In order to realize the full spectrum of neighborhood identification, representation, advocacy, and planning needs, more refined neighborhood boundaries based on neighborhood identity will be necessary. For purposes of broader identification and strategy, smaller neighborhoods may be combined into larger macro-neighborhoods (e.g. all of Briargate or all of the Westside).

Learn more at https://coloradosprings.gov/plancos/book/vibrant-neighborhoods-framework

Moving to Colorado Springs 2022 | 7 Things to KNOW

If you might be moving to Colorado Springs in 2022, you’re going to have to know these seven things! These seven things I’m about to share with you may help you decide if living in Colorado Springs is for you or not for you.

I’m Iris with eXp Realty and a local here in the Colorado Springs area. I come from an army background as a kid, so we’ve lived everywhere from Korea to Kansas and of course right here in Colorado. I sell homes to great people like you watching this video/reading the blog, and I’d love to help you make your move to Colorado Springs and start building wealth and equity in the city of millionaires.

There’s so much to unbox here but I’ll start with these seven things I think people should know when they move to Colorado Springs.

Colorado Springs Weather

If you’re coming from a climate like California or Florida, beware. It’s cold! The nice thing though is that it’s not cold every day. Most days are sunny. For example, today's weather is warm but it's supposed to snow tonight. And it’s been this way for several days. But when it does get cold you will not catch me outside. I will be inside with several layers in front of my fireplace with a hoodie and my slippers. I hate being cold. I get instantly irritated. So, even though I was born in December and I’ve lived here since third grade, I am not getting used to it and I don’t think I ever will. I mean I put my seat warmer on in the summertime. I love the sun which is why California is one of my favorite places to vacation. The cold weather is pretty bearable for me for the most part right up until about February. Then it starts to get on my nerves.

Things to do in Colorado Springs

Unless you’re the outdoors type and you love to hike and bike, you might get bored. I’m a homebody so I don’t get as bored as most people would. I’m ok just to just be in my house and watch Netflix or Keeping Up With The Kardashians or make these videos and blogs for you guys. Colorado Springs is getting better with things to do, but with inflation it’s so expensive. To take our family out you don’t want to know what it costs. We would have to get two hotel rooms to visit Great Wolf Lodge or something like that because the suite is always sold out. Same with Mount Princeton. But that’s 4 hours away. Our kids love it though. They always want to go in the hot tub but are never old enough or it’s frowned upon because they like to splash too much. And we all know a hot tub is not for splashing. But in Mount Princeton, it’s perfectly fine. We did have fun taking a day trip to Scheels and they like the trampoline places but you can only do that so much. We’re cooped in the house half the year because of the weather but when it’s sunny and warm out we can go to the parks. The kids love to explore Red Rock Canyon or other hiking areas with interesting things to look at.

Diversity

It almost feels sometimes like we are just a melting pot of other states. There are so many people from everywhere. With the military bases here, we get a lot of new faces that are either stationed or passing through.

Colorado Springs is generally friendly

It's true. There are groups of people who are frustrated with transplants moving to Colorado Springs, but that’s mostly on social media. But, even still, you will find others in some of the Facebook groups that are also transplants. You just have to find the groups where you feel you’ll fit in. People joke that Colorado Springs is closed and there is no vacancy. It’s true that some people are upset at how big the city has gotten. People are still kind and friendly. Much more friendly than most places I’ve visited actually. There are plenty of people willing to help a neighbor or lend a hand to others needing help.

Colorado Springs Airport

Even though it may be a little bit expensive, we can fly in and out of Colorado Springs. This is so much easier than flying from Denver. You can just take an Uber to the airport or have a friend or family member drop you off when you travel. It’s just less complicated and we in Colorado Springs still have plenty of places to fly to. The airport is nice and clean and easy to park and the ability to get to your gate quicker is a huge plus.

Snow in Colorado Springs

Colorado Springs weather is so up and down. One day it’s sunny and bright and warm in the middle of winter and the next day there’s a snowstorm. This is because of the mountains apparently. Somehow it affects the weather this way. We get a lot of snow, typically about 57 inches whereas the national average is 28 inches per year. In regards to rain we get less than the national average of 38 inches of rainfall per year and that’s 18 inches. And some areas get more snow than others. All of this is ice and snow yet in other areas there may not be anything on the ground.

Housing in Colorado Springs

With the median housing price being almost $100,000 more than the national median price, affordability is making it difficult for those who want to buy a house in 2022. Anything less than $400k on the market is getting multiple offers with appraisal guarantees making it even harder for people to compete financially. For example, if you want to buy a house listed at $380k, you will need to offer about 4% higher if it’s a new listing and provide a guarantee if the home does not appraise at the offer price. This means you could be forking out another $15k in cash American dollars in addition to what you were already going to put down and any closing costs you may have. Though appraisers are doing better with the housing demand and the reality of the housing crisis making appraisal amounts higher, it’s still not a risk you should take when considering your offer. And don’t get me started on rent. Rents have soared over the last few years. You’re still looking at about $2,000 or more to rent a house in Colorado Springs. I guess they don’t call us the city of millionaires for nothing.

So that’s all I have for you today about the seven things you need to know moving to Colorado Springs in 2022. Feel free to learn more about the cost of living in Colorado Springs by tapping on the video on the screen. Don’t forget to subscribe and I’ll see you in about seven days!

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Iris Burton, Colorado Springs | REALTOR®

Prosperity Group, eXp

irisburton.com

irisjburton@gmail.com

719.315.5016