Figured this would be a good spot to ask.

What's the forum's thoughts on Colorado Springs? Looking for a place to grab a house so I can put the kiddos in private school in a number of years, and am starting to sniff around looking at different towns, schools, and churches. Colorado Springs jumped out at me and house prices seem reasonable on Zillow. Demographics looked good too. I don't mind long drives, so I assume as a resident of CO I'll be pretty much able to hunt elk and deer every year in some part of the state? Or is it all locked up in draws?

Any thoughts would be appreciated.

I like Colorado Springs! Its a beautiful town and you would be just a few hours drive some some great hunting be it in the high country or the plains. If you decide to fly down and look around look me up

We moved here April of this year from Eagle River. Very nice climate, but we live just east of the Springs and it is usually very windy. Super intense sun since we are at 7,000 feet. So far I have never had to shovel the driveway and my snow blower has been unused. Prices of everything are a lot less than Alaska with the exception of vehicle registrations. Rough guess is it will cost you about 2% of what the car is worth for tags for one year. $25K car will cost about $500 to register. Houses are cheaper by roughly 25%. The market is super slow and its a good time to buy. The house we bought was on the market for awhile and two homes close to us went on the market in June and they are still for sale. Our current home is 1/3 bigger than the one we owned in Eagle River but the electric and natural gas is about 40% of what we paid in Alaska. To give you an example our present home is 4,200 square feet and this month the electric was $110 and gas was the same. Today gas was $2.97. Also add sales tax and state income tax.

Hunting? So far I noticed most people here are a lot more closed mouthed about where to go hunting than they were in Alaska. Lots of permits, points to accrue, etc.

I guess if you met the right bunch of guys hunting would be OK. But there are a ton of bunny huggers around here. For example, there are nine homes on the cul-de-sac where we live and not one hunter among them. Pretty happy that we moved out but was expecting more in the way of hunting. But that's ok, I have a buffalo hunt scheduled in SD in a couple of months and its less than a days drive to get there. Then next year we will be deer hunting in Tennessee.

Were you around when Colorado passed all of their recent gun control bills?

Good number of illegal immigrants as well in the Springs if it matters. It isn't as nice as when I was stationed there, but still a nice place. Some of what used to be the nice area is the slums. There are some monster mulies along the freeway and ofcourse the USAF accademy. It deffinetly will be a change from Alaska and the tax rate is high. Used to be where I wished I was. I like the Fort Collins area better myself, but wehat do I know I live in NM?

Thanks! Didn't realize you moved there. Glad to hear about the cost of living first hand. That's a big factor of making my plan work. Not looking for a huge house though. A smaller house or a nice condo is what I want. Looks like around 120k for a 3 bedroom condo right now.

I guess I should add that I will be keeping my home in AK, and returning with the family every summer to fish. (how I get my income) Now that I got to thinking about it, I'll be really borderline on which state I'll be a resident of. My wife/kid will be CO, but I'll be up here fishing for about 6mo a year.

I have been here since 1974, moved from New Mexico. It's big city now
The SE corner of town is pretty bad crime wise Gangs,drugs ,etc. The rest of town is OK. I live outside of town,about 25 miles NE when I moved, now more like 12 miles.

I am not a city person so I could not live there.
If I was looking to move to Colorado, I would look towards Grand Junction and vicinity.

You might look on the outskirts , further out, maybe towards Elbert, in Elbert county. Keep out of Douglas county as taxes are higher. If you like warmer, look into Penrose, SW of COS

Calvin,
As far as a retirement area I would vote no on the Springs area. To big and to busy. But if you go west for more space then you are facing colder winters and somewhat higher prices for fuel, utilities and a place to live. But being west would give you easier access to better hunting.

We did not pick Colorado per say but it picked us as my wife is employed by the Feds and the plan was to get moved anywhere in the lower 48 so we could find a place we wanted to retire to. After all, it is much easier to travel the lower 48 from the lower 48 compared to living in Alaska.

We are in the process of buying a 42 acre parcel of land in Tennessee that has never been timbered off complete with a lake, deer, turkey and small game. Low property taxes to the tune of about $300 a year for the property. No state income tax but a high sales tax. Overall the cost of living is much lower than CO. We also considered northern Arkansas as land was a little cheaper than TN but most of it was timbered off. It is a juggling act to find a nice area without having excessive humidity and high summer temperatures yet moderate winters. Like you, we are planning on returning to Alaska in the summers once the retirement home is built.

My wife and I are both shocked that we don't miss Alaska. Think after 35+ years we just got to burned out on the weather and isolation. Of course we miss our annual Koyukuk moose hunts and trips to Kodiak for black tails as well as the fishing in the summer, that can not be equaled anywhere. But most of the trips became so expensive the last couple of years it just became a cash drain. Ocean boat, river boat, $6+ per gallon of gas on the Yukon, etc. The Bison hunt I have scheduled for this winter is actually cheaper than our Koyukuk hunts.

Gun laws in CO? We got here after they passed the last rash of BS and frankly I don't see what the complaints are. I can go into any store and buy any gun with the proper ID and clearance check.

You couldn't pay me enough to live there. Big cities suck!

If you're going to move to Colorado, there are definitely worse places to be than CO Springs. My good friend that is a fisherman/outfitter out of Cordova wintered in the Springs for many years, but just recently sold his house there and moved permanently to Cordova. As for hunting, yes, if you're in the state, you can hunt elk every year with an OTC bull tag. The units usually aren't that stellar, but at least you're hunting. If you put in for points, you can hunt some better units in limited license areas. Deer are all limited licenses, so you have to put in for those. There are many hunting opportunities if you look close enough.

If you don't like the big city, then CO Springs, Denver and suburbs, and Ft. Collins are not for you, but like Saddlesore, it isn't too tough to find a place on the outskirts of any of those that gets you away from the city for the most part. Grand Junction/Clifton area is worth looking at. Grd Jcn is growing and becomes more "city" every year, but it doesn't have the "cosmopolitan" feel to it and doesn't try to pretend it's something it isn't like Denver.

Cost of living: Co Springs and surrounding areas are probably less than any place on the front range. I would think that the western slope (Grnd Jctn) would be the cheapest, but I'm not sure about taxes, etc. There are some very nice, smaller towns on the western slope like Montrose and Paonia, and even Gunnison, but you're more isolated and travel (flight) becomes more involved.

Hope that helps.

I've been there a few times. My daughter lives there. As small cities go, it's not bad .. but it IS a city with typical city considerations. I haven't hunted there. We went up to Boulder to a rifle range to shoot with some friends of mine and I saw a lot of p-dogs. Got my interest. Good hiking opportunities in / around town. Some fishing.

I'm really a small town person but if I had to move into a city, especially outside Oregon, Colorado Springs would be very high, if not the top, of my list.

Tom

snowwolfe said ". But if you go west for more space then you are facing colder winters and somewhat higher prices for fuel, utilities and a place to live."
Not true for Grand Junction. It is considerably warmer

Thanks for the advice. I've got some time to think it over, and watch the housing market. As I mentioned earlier, a good private school and a good church is the motivating factor to making a seasonal move. My heart will always require me to be in Ak during the summers grinding it out on the fishing grounds, but wouldn't mind a little change of pace during the rest of the year. Momma sure wouldn't mind it either.

I hear you about the costs of AK hunts getting out of control. Given I live in SE AK, a good moose hunt in the Koyo region runs me over 5k..and up to 8k depending on the transporter. Pretty crazy, eh? I wouldn't mind the colorado residency, and then just grab a few Sitka Blacktail tags at the NR rate in AK and get my fix in the alpine before I head south.

There's better choices than the springs.

Rush hour.. Like I'll have a job. (grin)


I hate traffic, so that is noted.

Traffic is a bish in downtown Elbert or Kiowa, too.....

I grew up in the Springs and lived there many years. I left because I wanted to live in a smaller community but there are definitely things that I miss about Colorado Springs.

For a community of that size it is pretty good. Decent economic opportunity, better than average schools, infrastructure has pretty well kept up with growth so you will see less traffic than other similar sized communities, very comfortable climate, a lot to do in the local area. Real estate values fluctuate are a little bit "boom and bust" but much better than they used to be. At least they increase over time (unlike some other places).

I have noticed that in CO, AK, WA, MN if you ask someone where they�re from about 80% of the time their answer is one of those other 4 states. It�s kinda like the type of person that likes one of those states is drawn to the others.

My son will be graduating from Colorado College this spring with a geology degree. I like CO myself. Went to school at Colorado School of Mines for a couple of years back in the early 80's.

Calvin - what you need to remember is: 300 DAYS OF SUNSHINE A YEAR!!! and probably around 10" of rain. The downside is that you'll lose you webbed feet and gills. Oh yeah, fishing will suck compared to AK.

DIY hunting is a piece of cake compared to AK too.

LOL..I just noticed something. That picture said it was the Springs. Look at it. I'm surprised nobody said anything.

When i've had to go to the springs i've run into that kind of traffic, so I guess the picture shows what i'm talking about, but that picture isn't even in the US.

Calvin,

Check out Fort Collins. Less crowded and hectic but everything you might need is here. Housing is reasonable. If you decide to come out and check it out, I can show you around and put you up for a few nights. Good hunting and fishing all around.

Lefty

I agree and if you come to look in Fort Collins I'll take you guys out to dinner at Nordys

What this guy said!

You could live out east or head north west of Wellington and still be in a beautiful place with less people than CS for sure

A much better choice.

What/where is Nordy's?

Fort Collins is indeed a sweet town. I've loved living there thus far.

Tanner

I don't consider the front range as even being CO. Might as well live in Kansas. The mountains are where it is at. I lived in the Fort Collins area for a couple years, and I like the town ok but it is a 3hr commute to get to anywhere to do anything fun.

Being an outdoorsman and living on the front range is nothing but frustration.

Your in Ft Collins?

It's a BBQ joint my buddy owns. Damn good Q. There is one off of Crossroads Blvd and another one in old town Ft Collins

Have been since August. I'm back in Eagle now for Christmas Break.

Tanner

Makes no sense. The front range is the east side of the Rockies starting at the Continental Divide . That's not in the mountains?

http://www.coloradofrontrange.com/

Dude! You are 10 min from me

I have a brother that lives in the Springs and a brother that lives in FoCo. I live northeast of Denver, but if given the choice, I'd probably choose Fort Collins. We hunt quite a bit in WY, and Fort Collins is very close. Fishing is decent with a little drive from either location.

My wife, on the other hand, would choose the Springs. She likes being close to everything (shopping, etc.) that a larger city provides. She doesn't seem to care for Fort Collins, but she went to CSU and may have gotten bored with the area.

Frankly, I'd have no problem living in or around either city and I visit both almost weekly.

Man I hate it when people start saying come live in Fort Collins. It used to be a nice town but after several years of being voted "The Best Place to Live" under 100K in population, we are now overrun with idiots. And traffic sucks! And you can keep Nordy's BBQ too ....

ok, rant off. Better places to retire to than the front range of Colorado. And yes, I live in Fort Collins and I'm a 4th generation native.....

Expecting the gun laws there to stay the same is like expecting common sense to spew forth from California...

Of course some folks don't care that much about gun rights as long as they can have their old deer rifle, at least for the time being...

So you can still buy an AR and a 30 round mag there in CO? I have no clue as I didn't follow it that closely.

FWIW- in the past two months, the voters of Colorado Springs and Pueblo have ousted two Democrat state senators in recall elections over their support of gun control legislation, and replaced them with Replublicans.
In Westminster district, Evie Hudak, uberliberal senator, decided to resign before petitions for her recall were due to be turned in.
The State of Colorado will continue to be bombarded with liberals, but not everyone in the state is willing to just roll over and accept their liberal agendas.

If you owned 30-rounders prior to the new law, you're grandfathered, if not you can buy AR's with 15 rounders, maximum.

Or you can go out of state and buy the 30 round mags. They can't prove when you bought them.

Yeah, well, you weren't invited to dinner anyway

While I live in IA my oldest and single daughter lived there ten years until recently so we've been in and around CS and the FR including Ft C three-four times a year visiting and hunting for more than a decade now.

While there are much worse than CS, it is sprawling and the traffic can be maddening. It is too big and busy for me to be happy there and while I'm sure Ft C has grown since making some of those lists, it would be my personal choice of the two. For me, though, the whole FR, north to south, from well north of Denver to Pueblo, has become over-populated (no surprise there).

I know nothing of comparative expenses or taxes, just general observations regarding traffic, and congestion. And, yes, even CS has Greenies and Subaru folk, compelled to take the curves and swipes of 24 west from CS at insane speeds, on patch ice, that invariably leaves one upside down road- or creek-side. Those folk are a reality of certain population thresholds I guess.

HS - now my feelings are sooooooo hurt! I like Nordy's, but we had my son's rehearsel dinner there back in October and I got a bad case of montezuma's revenge afterwards. Haven't been back since though it is good food.

The guy that owns it is a great guy and a NoCO native. I like the guy a lot and am happy to see him doing well. If your feelings are really that hurt then you're invited and I'll tell the owner to make you something special and fresh

You have to get closer to the mountains. I live in Buena Vista, and the population hasn't changed in the last 10 years. Nice little town with no crime to speak of. Close to good hunting and fishing.

I lived in Ft. Collins for 5 years while going to CSU there in the mid to late 80's (now I really feel old ). I really liked the place then because it wasn't yet a sprawling huge metropolis. You could still drive across town in 10 minutes. Not that I've spent a lot of time there lately, but I think you'd be doing good to drive across town in 30 minutes now. The place is huge compared to what it once was. I suppose the traffic might be a bit less in Ft. Collins, but Ft. Fun or the Springs would be a wash for me. Would just depend on whether I wanted to live in the north or the south.

I know of BV (nice mountain town) and have hunted with a guy from there who was a young, new outfitter and who gave us a very good time up in the Flattops; he was a good and earnest guy. I think a year or so later he had a wrangler who had a misunderstanding with a horse, suffered a broken leg, and sued for medical expenses. Our young outfitters liability ins dropped kicked him and he went into trucking. I want to say Scott Pelino was his name. Ring a bell?

Not at all, but I don't really know any outfitters.

I agree it's a nice little mountain town. I got lucky when I picked this town to live in.

I visited Crystola a couple years ago. I'd move there in a second!

Yes, the Nordy's owners are good guys, and thanks for the invite . Why did the Nordy's in Old Town FTC close? We always enjoyed eating out on the deck.

I don't know why they shut it down. They would have done good to open one where that new Famous Dave's went as they are always busy but I bet that would have cost an arm and a leg

What it comes down to is- as long as you aren't in Boulder, you're gonna' like it.

Just stay away from Boulder.

Tanner

I dunno, if you want to observe wildlife, Boulder's not a bad side trip......

Unless you like BO, chics with hairy legs and pits, 4/20 celebrations, hippies, peace signs, Subarus and anything Tibet. You like that stuff you'll LOVE Boulder

Some pretty awesome bucks in the Flatirons.

Or were you talking about college girls?

Tanner

Worked out of an office in Boulder for a few years, but lived up in Nederland, an oasis of old hippies and a pretty laid back kind of small town. Of course, I traveled a lot so I wasn't in Boulder every day. I had some good friends, a good tavern where I ate lunch when I was in town and there was a really good gun shop, so I didn't mind the other stuff so much.

A good gun shop, eh? Have to look for that next time through there.

If it's the gun shop I'm thinking of, it is right off of 13th and Arapahoe, or in that general area. I believe one block west from Liquor Mart and on the opposite side of the street. Been a few years since I've been in there, but it wasn't too bad. In the old days (late 80's to early 90's) it was a hole in the wall, but the new owners expanded it and it is pretty nice now. Nice prices too. The owner used to love Sakos and always had a big inventory of those. I used to live in Boulder back then, but I couldn't take the politics or the traffic. Used to travel up to Ned all the time, too. Still work with a guy that lives there.

When I lived there, it was a hole in the wall, but they always had a lot of guns in stock and they didn't mind lookers.

Are we talking Boulder or Nederland?

Keep in mind that if you're not a fan of traffic, the front range is going to be a hellhole of epic proportions. Personally, I'd rather eat a 3 inch load of buckshot than live in that area. Either that, or I would die in a fiery, road-rage induced crash.

It's all relative. If you're from Wyoming or Montana, yes. If you've spent time in a big city (one with an NFL, MLB, and NBA team) then even Denver traffic pales in comparison. Especially if you don't have to drive on the freeways.

I lived in Nederland, but the friends, tavern and gun shop were in Boulder and made having to go to town relatively painless, for the most part. (I have to note that I left Colorado for New Mexico 21 years ago, so this qualifies as ancient history to most of you.)

Or Prince Of Wales Island.

I've spent time in big cities, and still despise driving in these areas. I refer to heading through Denver as "Running the Denver Rapids."

If you don't mind scorched or blackened tree spires, there is probably some cheaper land in Black Forest, 20-25 miles NE of Colorado Springs, after the big fire last year.

Well, that's the beauty of describing things objectively, rather than from your own point of view. It gives a guy the benefit of the doubt, as far as being able to judge for himself.

I lived in Fort Collins for about five years and my wife's family is from the Springs.

I'd take Ft Collins over the Springs.

CS is a big town with big town issues. Traffic, crime, homeless, drugs....Obviously, some areas are much worse than others. I've never really enjoyed it there.

Ft C is a college town. The University is one of the main employers along with local government. HP used to be a decent size employer as well. It is VERY liberal. Lots of OBama stickers.

That said, IMO, it is a much safer place as a whole with good schools. Poudre canyon is right outside of town and lots of recreational opportunity at your doorstep.

I always enjoyed Durango. If jobs weren't the #1 concern, that would be high on my list of Colorado towns to live in.

A big +1. I'd take Ft Collins over the Springs too.

If I didn't need the medical facilities here in COS, I would be gone. Probably move to the western slope.

I strongly discourage anyone from moving here if they have a chance to go elsewhere.

There isn't much on the front range I'd take over the west slope.

Best part of the front range is its proximity to some great bird hunting and biiggg whitetails across the state line.

It is crowded on the front range, but I have to tell you, compared to the East coast, it's not that bad. Went to school in Boulder, no desire to live there again.

Looks like everyones driving on the wrong side of the highway

I don't like the traffic in Thermopolis.

Ha! Yeah, if I have to wait for more than two cars when I pass through an intersection, I consider it a traffic jam.

Montana.....everyone I know who lives in Colorado, say they would rather live here.

Good thing you don't know me, because then you couldn't say everyone.

You think you have better hunting there, than here?

I'd live in Fort Collins every day, all day over Colo Springs.

Buena is nice. I stay just north in Clear Creek occasionally for work.

I could live there, but I doubt it has what the OP is after.

Montana is the place to be if you're doing just one. Doing two, with AK as the other, I'd sooner be in better weather.

We looked into moving there back in 03 or so. Checked the winters and it was too darn cold. So you can count me out too.

Well, you'd have to. If you lived there.

I'd go for Montana, except for the slight inconvenience of having to quit my job.

I like it here for lots of reasons. If I wanted to live in Montana. I'd be there.

That's true. I wasn't suggesting he come here. This is a nice town to live in if you're retired.

Better than the "springs" or the UK?

LMAO!

I said it wasn't in the US. I have no idea why it was in the Colorado Springs pictures. I just grabbed the first one.

Maybe because the traffic is the same.

Thanks for the input guys. I'm going to be patient and watch the housing market for a bit. I'll be down next fall to look things over, and I'm sure I'll be looking at most of the towns mentioned on this thread.

I'd love to go to MT, but hunting isn't the reason for the move. I added up all the time I'll be in AK, and I'll still be an AK resident.

Just flapping gums as usual? Kind of silly offering advice that is useless...at best...

The point was that the Springs has tons of traffic Tipover. The advice was sound, but the picture came from where it didn't belong. I went on to explain in another post that it was the wrong picture, but a picture of the springs would look the same gridlock.

I've been to the Springs many times, and the traffic sucked. that was my advice.

What have you contributed to the thread besides your usual childish trolling?

On par with Los Anchorage, except I-25 works soooo much better than Seward Highway as the primary arterial.

I don't find the traffic down here to be any worse than running from Eagle River to Anchorage or back during rush hour.

This is the Springs. I'm not sure how the last picture got mixed in with the Springs pictures.

Doesn't look near as bad as the last time I drove through there about 4:30 in the afternoon...

What about a different area in AK?

I was a truck driver in the LA area for 25 years. I never want to see traffic again. That's why I picked a small town to retire to.

It has to be a real good reason for me to go anywhere there's traffic.

Not too interested in other areas of AK. Being able to drive to grandparents, buy a house with cash, 30% lower cost of living, drivable access to the western states for outdoor pursuits, etc put a place like colorado high on the list.

Say it isn't so? You're going to be neighbors with Jim Dobson's clan? Wow, that would be cool. Anyway, best wishes on the move to the Lower-48. There's a ton of places to chose from, out West. Colorado might be best, though, since it's centrally located for hunting anywhere west of the Mississippi.

Beats hanging out with Ted Haggard...

Yeah, the Dobson's are actually cool people. Very outdoorsy, too.

Dobson's ministry is a voice of sanity in America as well. Lot's of great Christian people in Colo Springs, including the folks at New Life Church, Haggard's old digs.

Traffic in Anchorage? That has to be a joke, if you want to see traffic, try driving through Seattle or worse yet, Boston.

Alaska traffic is a piece of cake compared to any city in the lower 48.

Calvin, have you thought about or considered Boise? I spent 3 years in Idaho and loved it, if I didn't have the love for Alaska i'd move back there in a heartbeat.

I just now noticed it and after the usual wtf , I was gettin' ready to reply

ny rich, soon to be in CO

Funny you should bring up Boise... that was going to be my suggestion until I noticed the grandparent's part of the equation.

Yeah, downtown Boston -- been there, done that a lot. About as bad as Manhattan.

Boise is nice. Big enough to actually have some culture but yet small enough to be quaint.

Lawdy knows you need some culture....

I found the first rule of driving in Boston : Never look another driver in the eye.If you want to change lanes. Just do it. Put your turn signal on and crank it over, because no one will ever let you in.

I found the second rule: Take a cab.

Ya, if Calvin wasnt set on Colorado i'd say cache valley UT is worth checking out .

One thing about living on the front range in colorado, it will make you really appreciate going back to AK.. One of the smaller towns from Glenwood to Vail CO would be livable to me as well, as would montrose on the western end of the state..

That is the truth.

Yeah, Calvin, if you end up being a resident of Montrose, stop in and see Brad and let him know (again) that he seriously needs to start considering a sheep season along the upper reaches of the San Manuel. I believe he now has his 50 sheep in there, that he wanted.

San Manuel?

Tanner

Miguel ..... Sorry for the confusion ..... But I think you got the gist of it.

Unless Colorado can get their recent stupid azz gun laws reversed with a few more recalls, they'd be way down on my list, and this is coming from a guy who just moved to Oregon.

Was Oregon at the top of your list?

It was above Colorado.

Which specific gun laws are you referring to? Not asking to be a smart ass but we recently moved here and the only weird law I know about is the 15 round mag restriction. And that law is so full of holes it can not be enforced because people who already owned them are grand fathered in.
Even the BX at Peterson still sells 30 round mags. When I asked them how they can do it they said they reside on federal land and are exempt from Colorado laws. But, if you buy one you legally can not take it off base. Like I said, this law is basically unenforceable.

New gun laws haven't affected me one bit.

I'm not worried about gun laws.

I have more 30-round mags than I can ever wear out.

The other "stupid law" is universal background checks. We (gun owners) keep saying the best way to prevent more Sandy Hooks or Virginia Techs or Theater shootings is to keep guns out of the hands of kooks. The law may not be ideal, but how are you gonna keep guns out of the hands of kooks without background checks?

Yet. "They came for the Catholics, but I wasn't a Catholic....."

Wow.

I hunt with a muzzleloader. Even the dummies in Washington realize crimes aren't committed with a ML.

Because you already had to pass a background check if buying from a dealer or online. And it was a felony for a private citizen to sell a gun to a restricted person or felon before anyway. Now the seller has to go to a dealer and get a background check just to see if they were legal to own the gun in the first place, and the buyer has to get one too.

I feel safer already.

I'm adjusting my tinfoil hat.

I'm not reading all the posts, but if Fort Collins area wasn't mentioned you may want to consider that also. If I stay in Colorado, would probably move that direction in next few years. Lot of good waterfowl and fishing up there.

The Colorado gun laws are poorly written and difficult to enforce. It was amateur hour at its finest when those were written and passed. Kind of like Obamacare. So not sure what you mean by adjusting your tinfoil hat, but bad law is bad law.

Irony ain't exactly your strong suit, is it?

Is "the sky is falling" yours?

We moved to the Springs area about 7 years ago. We moved from Ft. launder dale, FL as I was a professor with the Univ. of FL and changed to an industry position.

All this talk of traffic, etc. is subjective at most. I've driven from Anchorage to Homer and what a pain in the a$$ that drive was! CO Springs has nothing on South FL!!!

Growing up in a small town in Oklahoma that doesn't even have a stop light, means this place is a thriving metropolis!

I personally, chose this place over Ft Collins, because of the liberals and cost of living when deciding 7 years ago. That triangle of Boulder-Ft Collins-Longmont is becoming granola central!

There are several places just outside of the Springs one can always look at additionally. We live east of the Springs. There are plenty of place to look, if you want mountains look at Woodland Park, Divide, Florissant, Cascade, Penrose, etc. if you want the plains, look at Ellicott, Peyton, Calhan, etc.

Good luck with your decision!

Thanks. I've lived in downtown phoenix, northern NJ, and clearwater FL. I've seen traffic, and CO Springs ain't gonna even rate compared to the places I've lived.

What's your thoughts on the housing market in CO Springs? It appears to be weakening a bit according to Zillow.

I will admit to ignorance here, haven't paid much attention to background checks since I don't sell guns except through an FFL which of course does a background check. Being a felony and all, I don't want to sell to the wrong person.

So, if I've got this right, the new law requires the current owner of a firearm to get a background check done on himself if he wants to sell it?

No, just the buyer.

Calvin,
If you talk to a relator they will tell you the housing market is doing well but I beg to differ. We contracted for our house in March and closed in May. Previous owner had it for 6 years and they sold it for about $40K less than what they originally paid for it. Plus they put an estimated $30-40K in landscaping, fence, sprinkling system, etc.
One month after we closed on our home two others really close to us came on the market and they are still for sale as of today. I can only recall one of the homes being shown one time.

However, slow sales or not people still need a place to live in and with VA interest rates at 3.25% when we closed it was cheaper to buy than rent.

One thing for certain though, with the Feds changing the money policy rates will most likely go up in the near future.

Not trying to be negative, but the Springs area has seen some bad fires lately.

Thanks for that. I'm not worried about interest rates, but am a bit fearful about buying a house and having it be worth less than what I paid for it. I prefer the buy low, sell high method.. (grin) Down south housing markets are a bit perplexing ad a guy can get hurt in a hurry.

I literally live just across the street from Snowwolfe. I can only give my perspective of what the housing market has done recently with my house because our housing additions are somewhat different.

We bought this house in late 2006, just before the market crash in 2008. So, for a few years we were under the house financially pretty deep.

However, in January 2013 we decided to refinance to take advantage of the great interest rates. When our house was appraised in January, it came in about $10K above what we paid for it in 2006. So, we're back in the black. During this time, we put granite and tile in the kitchen and wood floors in the entire 1st floor. Upgraded the kitchen appliances. We also added an office in the basement for me and A/C for the wife. So, not a whole lot of improvements, but a few projects each year.

We're now at the final stages of getting the rest of the basement finished with another 1100 square feet, additional bathroom, bedroom, game room, wet bar, etc. So, who's to say where we are now with the additional completed square feet.

From my perspective comparing 2006 to 2013, I'm probably ahead or close to even.

Having said that, something good must be happening because it seems as if they are breaking ground on new subdivision each month. So, someone must be buying these new places.

Hope this helps!

Calvin,

I was grew up in the Ft Collins area (Loveland) and if I was raising kids it rates above CO Springs. Less crime, drug, and gang issues.

I would also rate the hunting as better due to the lower population and Wyoming is just 50 miles north.

Hunting in Wyoming, Montana, New Mexico, Utah, ect is really just a day drive in any direction.

I do doubt you will qualify as a CO resident, for hunting, if you are spending the summer in AK.

Quality advice worth considering IMO.

I agree and I would add that I wouldn't become a resident of CO until you get enough preference points to draw the tag you want as a resident. My guess is that the perks of being an AK resident as it pertains to hunting is better than the perks of being a CO resident. Only benefit is most times you draw your tags faster as a resident but I'd be hammering sheep, bou, moose and bear in the meantime

Someone please correct me if I am wrong (I don't live in Colorado anymore, but still go there about twice a year):

I think Colorado's new transfer restrictions (supposedly closing a "gun show loophole") are essentially the same as those proposed nationally by N. Pelosi, but shot down. If I understand correctly, you have to do a formal transfer with the fee and background check when you transfer (even lend) a firearm to anyone other than a sibling, parent, child etc ... (very immediate family). Not doing so is a FELONY.

I live in Virginia right now, and lent my .454 Freedom Arms a couple years ago (without doing an FFL transfer with a background check) to my friend who lives a couple of miles away who was then writing this book: http://www.amazon.com/Big-Bore-Revolvers-Max-Prasac/dp/1440228566
He works at and writes for the NRA and wanted to test it as part of his write-up. If I understand correctly, that would be a FELONY under the new Colorado law. Crazy.

If my 20-yr-old nephew, who is in college and can't afford his own rifle right now, wanted to borrow one of my bolt action rifles to practice at the range before he went deer hunting: we both would be committing a FELONY for doing that.

I used to leave one of my pistols with my uncle in the Denver area (he has numerous firearms and is imminently responsible with them) so that I could just pick it up and have it on my many trips to Colorado. If I did that now, we both would be committing a FELONY.

Stupid, stupid government control. Idiotic. If I'm wrong, someone please correct me. But that is my recollection from reading the new Colorado law some months ago.

Also, consider who is writing and proposing these laws (that sadly pass). The co-sponsor of the bill Rep. (Diana DeGette) was asked about "the efficacy of banning these magazine clips" considering that there are tens of millions of them already in circulation. Her response was: "I will tell you. These are ammunition. They're bullets. So, the people who have those now, they're going to shoot them. The number of these high capacity magazines is going to decrease dramatically over time because the bullets will be shot and there won't be any more available."

If you don't believe a co-sponsor of the bill actually said that, the video is at the bottom of this link: http://www.caintv.com/gun-contol-ignorance-Colorado

So, that's the type of ignorant idiot who is so ignorant of and paranoid about firearms that she is making it a felony for someone to lend a rifle to a cousin or uncle, etc ... (without going through a background check and formal transfer).

MarineHawk, I think you have 72 hours to loan your gun to a family member without becoming a felon and losing your right to vote and own guns.

Brad will be along shortly though to tell you to tighten up your tinfoil hat.

To clarify my earlier remarks, I didn't say that the new law was without flaws, or that it has worked to keep people safer.

My point was and is, lots of ardent 2A supporters agree that we need to keep guns out of the hands of mentally incompetent people and kooks, like James Holmes, Adam Lanza, and Seung Hui Cho (VA Tech shooter).

It's hard to make that argument, and at the same time make the argument that background checks don't need to apply to everybody.

I agree that if I want to transfer a firearm to a relative or close friend that I know well, I don't necessarily need a background check.

I'd also say that there are lots of people out there who do. And I don't necessarily want to put myself in the position of judging someone's mental competence.

The most recent school shooter here, the very opiniated socialist kid, legally bought a shotgun after going through the background checks in Colorado.

With a kid in school at present, I would feel they would be far safer as was proven at Arapahoe with an armed guard on the premises. I would be happier with two armed guards on the premises actually.

Sorry for the thread hijack Calvin.

Right. I just downloaded and read the law again. I each the scenarios above, my family members, my NRA former-Marine friend, and I all would be committing a felony. None of those situations involve a less-than-72 hour lending of a firearm. My nephew lives several hours away from me, and it's not practical for him to return the rifle to me every 72 hours when he would need it for several weeks to practice with it. Even more so for my uncle, who lives (in Denver) 1,800 miles away from me. I lent my FA .454 to my friend for several months.

The hunting exception is really a fraud. In all practical situations, it would not work. You're committing a felony unless you show up at the particular hunting property or public land, while standing on that land next to your relative or friend, hand the gun over, and then the transferor can't leave legal hunting land until you come and get it from him/her. Ridiculous.

None of this would prevent Sandy Hook or any other of rare mass shootings we have in the nation of 310MM people. It's just designed to turn into felons responsible people who want to help someone else hunt.

You use the tin foil comment enough that it's obvious that you have little actual capacity to understand or analyze the relevant issues.

We have morons proffering laws to ban magazines who think those magazines are "bullets." And the laws get passed. In Colorado. Amazing.

I agree that any school would be safer with armed guards.

But I don't agree that just because one kid (or two, or three) was able to pass the background check, that means anyone should be able to purchase a firearm without one.

Glad we agree on the guards, there are many who would still fight that as part of the solution.

I also agree that the part of the law that requires bg checks for family is stupid. I can live with checks at gun shows though.

I just got here and it was not by choice U.S Army said time to leave AK. Im not happy this place is to big to many people and they drive like idiots! When i retire in 4yrs its either back to good ol Alaska or Rigby, Idaho! If you want easy small town living cheap cost of living look at Idaho... rigby, idaho falls