Colorado Springs

kerosene · 12-05-2003, 09:47 AM

Since so many people have told us about their cities, I thought I would post about the Springs.

Surrounded by Peterson Airforce Base, The Airforce Academy, The Army base (I forget the name) down south and Norad to the west, this city is comprised primarily of military. I think everyone I work with has been affiliated with one of the armed forces at some point and to some degree...except for perth and I. Many of the jobs in this city require candidates to possess an active security clearance, which doesn't seem to be a problem for employers. This puts us civilians at a disadvantage in the job market, but we manage.

We bought a house here a few months ago. We have a gorgeous view of Pike's Peak. The whole city is spread over the foothills of the Rockies. It really is beautiful here. Population is probably around 300-400k. The north part of town is seemingly more affluent. This is where the most sought after school district resides and houses become alarmingly expensive as one travels further north in Colorado Springs. There is a good mix of people here, but for the most part, the majority of viewpoints fall into the conservative camp. The Focus on the Family headquarters is up in the northern area, which is surrounded by numerous complex-style churches. I have yet to find the more "laid back" section of the population, here. I am sure they exist, so I haven't given up searching.

There seems to be an energy here. Everywhere I go, it feels like something could erupt at any moment. It feels as if there are so many people who are holding so much restlessness and angst, that it seeps out and permiates the air. It feels like a constant buzzing, like being near a power plant.

For the most part, it is comfortable, though. The traffic isn't horrible. The scenery is beautiful. There are a lot of good restaurants. We keep to ourselves, mostly. But we tend to like it that way, anyway. We moved here a year and a half ago, because our jobs (both at HP up North, in Loveland) were in danger of going away. We both had opportunities to transfer here, so we decided to give it a chance.

Beestie · 12-05-2003, 10:13 AM

Sounds interesting. As far as the "buzz" goes, it sounds like the beginnings of a Steven King story where everyone is possessed or in on some secret except you

Sounds like you just moved there - what brought you there?

kerosene · 12-05-2003, 10:19 AM

The "buzz" is a little creepy. I sometimes wonder how long it will be until someone snaps.

We had lived in Fort Collins, which is about 2 hours North of here (very, VERY different from here.) We worked at the HP site in Loveland and there were rumors that our division was going away. Faced with the prospect of competing with 300 of our peers for jobs in a diluted job market, we decided it would be a good idea to transfer within the company. Our managers were actually encouraging people to find other jobs, so it was pretty plain to see we weren't going to have our jobs much longer. The division still exists, up there, but it is dwindling pretty quickly, now. Of course, we still see a lot of layoffs in the Springs, but the groups we work in are more secure. Its always a gamble anyway, I figure.

wolf · 12-05-2003, 12:36 PM

Hopefully april's arrival will not push the "buzz" over the edge.

The way you describe the energy it's almost like a bunch of people moved from the east coast to get away from that hectic sense of needing to be everywhere/thing at one time, and took that feeling with them. (this makes sense in my head. read it another two times and you'll see where I'm going with it.)

kerosene · 12-05-2003, 01:02 PM

I see what you mean, wolf, but I don't think that is the case here. I have my theories, but they are sort of half-baked.

wolf · 12-06-2003, 02:48 AM

My actual theory regarding that ...

The mountains around Colorado Springs were sacred to the local tribes. There's an abundance of spiritual energy there, and the addition of TONS of people who do not honor that energy, in an area that should have remained unoccupied does not help. Oh yeah, and raping the mountain (carving out the NORAD complex, for example) hasn't helped, because the stone aids the stability.

(And you thought YOUR ideas where half-baked??)

insoluble · 12-06-2003, 03:03 AM

I have driven through CO twice, and each time I was in the western part of the state or in the mountains (I'm just trying to exclude the Denver area) I felt a very serene calming energy. Very Nice - I would love to live there, and very well may sometime. Everyone I have met from CO seems to carry that peacful sort of feeling with them - I like it a lot.

bmgb · 12-06-2003, 03:04 AM

When I read this thread earlier, I was reminded of the "hum" people in Taos, NM complain of.

Just now I see the NY Times has a story about these mysterious hums, but I didn't read it, because I don't want to register at their site.

So I found this other story about the Kokomo Hum.

kerosene · 12-06-2003, 01:09 PM

Wolf, you pose some very interesting ideas! I never actually thought about it in that context. But now that you say it, it makes perfect sense (half-baked or not.)

I always thought it might have been a combination of the unbalanced proportion of males to females and the extremely prevalent fundamentalist vigor. I don't know how else to describe it, so I hope this doesn't sound like an insult to anyone, but there are high emotions in this city, and much of the emotional tension seems to be like a dam holding a large mass of aggression. I have yet to visit a retail store and be greeted with sincere welcome. Most retail workers in this town treat me suspiciously, as I am sure they treat everyone. This may also be skewed perception because I am not yet completely at home here, but I have heard others comment on the lack of warmth.

wolf · 12-06-2003, 03:21 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by case
I have yet to visit a retail store and be greeted with sincere welcome.

Wow, not even at Megalomart?

I think also that a lot of people who are not originally from rural areas confuse the "helping out your neighbor" imperative with being friendly. Personal reserve, politeness, and a strict code of honor can be misinterpreted as being standoffish, when in fact, if someone sincerely likes you, the warmth will be quite obvious. In larger city areas, everybody's your buddy, everybody's your friend, everybody's hugging ... but if something REALLY happens, like your house burns down or you're involved in a major auto accident, or even if you need a ride to the doctor, it's amazing how few real friends you have.

Too often we confuse "acquaintances" with "people we know" with "friends".

kerosene · 08-04-2011, 08:54 AM

It was really interesting to come back and read this thread. I think I started it before I really started to hate living there.

grynch · 08-04-2011, 08:58 AM

as I said in the sushi thread I spent about two months living there in 1989 ... one of my days off I decided to take a little drive up Cheyenne Mtn ( NORAD ) .... I got pretty close to the main gates I think ( ignoring several warning signs ) before a marine in full camo. gear stepped into the road and ordered me in three words " turn around now ! "

toughest looking woman I ever saw.

they'd probably just shoot me and be done with it now... no warnings.

12-05-2003, 09:47 AM	#1
kerosene Touring the facilities Join Date: Nov 2002 Location: The plains of Colorado Posts: 3,476	Colorado Springs Since so many people have told us about their cities, I thought I would post about the Springs. Surrounded by Peterson Airforce Base, The Airforce Academy, The Army base (I forget the name) down south and Norad to the west, this city is comprised primarily of military. I think everyone I work with has been affiliated with one of the armed forces at some point and to some degree...except for perth and I. Many of the jobs in this city require candidates to possess an active security clearance, which doesn't seem to be a problem for employers. This puts us civilians at a disadvantage in the job market, but we manage. We bought a house here a few months ago. We have a gorgeous view of Pike's Peak. The whole city is spread over the foothills of the Rockies. It really is beautiful here. Population is probably around 300-400k. The north part of town is seemingly more affluent. This is where the most sought after school district resides and houses become alarmingly expensive as one travels further north in Colorado Springs. There is a good mix of people here, but for the most part, the majority of viewpoints fall into the conservative camp. The Focus on the Family headquarters is up in the northern area, which is surrounded by numerous complex-style churches. I have yet to find the more "laid back" section of the population, here. I am sure they exist, so I haven't given up searching. There seems to be an energy here. Everywhere I go, it feels like something could erupt at any moment. It feels as if there are so many people who are holding so much restlessness and angst, that it seeps out and permiates the air. It feels like a constant buzzing, like being near a power plant. For the most part, it is comfortable, though. The traffic isn't horrible. The scenery is beautiful. There are a lot of good restaurants. We keep to ourselves, mostly. But we tend to like it that way, anyway. We moved here a year and a half ago, because our jobs (both at HP up North, in Loveland) were in danger of going away. We both had opportunities to transfer here, so we decided to give it a chance.

12-05-2003, 10:13 AM	#2
Beestie -◊\|≡·∙■·∙≡\|◊- Join Date: Feb 2003 Location: Parts unknown. Posts: 4,081	Sounds interesting. As far as the "buzz" goes, it sounds like the beginnings of a Steven King story where everyone is possessed or in on some secret except you Sounds like you just moved there - what brought you there? __________________ ♠ ♥ ♣ ♦

12-05-2003, 12:36 PM	#4
wolf lobber of scimitars Join Date: Jul 2001 Location: Phila Burbs Posts: 20,774	Hopefully april's arrival will not push the "buzz" over the edge. The way you describe the energy it's almost like a bunch of people moved from the east coast to get away from that hectic sense of needing to be everywhere/thing at one time, and took that feeling with them. (this makes sense in my head. read it another two times and you'll see where I'm going with it.) __________________ wolf eht htiw og "Conspiracies are the norm, not the exception." --G. Edward Griffin The Creature from Jekyll Island High Priestess of the Church of the Whale Penis

12-06-2003, 02:48 AM	#6
wolf lobber of scimitars Join Date: Jul 2001 Location: Phila Burbs Posts: 20,774	My actual theory regarding that ... The mountains around Colorado Springs were sacred to the local tribes. There's an abundance of spiritual energy there, and the addition of TONS of people who do not honor that energy, in an area that should have remained unoccupied does not help. Oh yeah, and raping the mountain (carving out the NORAD complex, for example) hasn't helped, because the stone aids the stability. (And you thought YOUR ideas where half-baked??) __________________ wolf eht htiw og "Conspiracies are the norm, not the exception." --G. Edward Griffin The Creature from Jekyll Island High Priestess of the Church of the Whale Penis

12-05-2003, 10:19 AM	#3
kerosene Touring the facilities Join Date: Nov 2002 Location: The plains of Colorado Posts: 3,476	The "buzz" is a little creepy. I sometimes wonder how long it will be until someone snaps. We had lived in Fort Collins, which is about 2 hours North of here (very, VERY different from here.) We worked at the HP site in Loveland and there were rumors that our division was going away. Faced with the prospect of competing with 300 of our peers for jobs in a diluted job market, we decided it would be a good idea to transfer within the company. Our managers were actually encouraging people to find other jobs, so it was pretty plain to see we weren't going to have our jobs much longer. The division still exists, up there, but it is dwindling pretty quickly, now. Of course, we still see a lot of layoffs in the Springs, but the groups we work in are more secure. Its always a gamble anyway, I figure.

12-05-2003, 01:02 PM	#5
kerosene Touring the facilities Join Date: Nov 2002 Location: The plains of Colorado Posts: 3,476	I see what you mean, wolf, but I don't think that is the case here. I have my theories, but they are sort of half-baked.

12-06-2003, 03:03 AM	#7
insoluble developmentally disabled rear end headwear Join Date: Oct 2003 Location: syracuse, ny Posts: 207	I have driven through CO twice, and each time I was in the western part of the state or in the mountains (I'm just trying to exclude the Denver area) I felt a very serene calming energy. Very Nice - I would love to live there, and very well may sometime. Everyone I have met from CO seems to carry that peacful sort of feeling with them - I like it a lot.

12-06-2003, 03:04 AM	#8
bmgb Master of the Domain Join Date: Jun 2003 Location: MN Posts: 231	When I read this thread earlier, I was reminded of the "hum" people in Taos, NM complain of. Just now I see the NY Times has a story about these mysterious hums, but I didn't read it, because I don't want to register at their site. So I found this other story about the Kokomo Hum.

12-06-2003, 01:09 PM	#9
kerosene Touring the facilities Join Date: Nov 2002 Location: The plains of Colorado Posts: 3,476	Wolf, you pose some very interesting ideas! I never actually thought about it in that context. But now that you say it, it makes perfect sense (half-baked or not.) I always thought it might have been a combination of the unbalanced proportion of males to females and the extremely prevalent fundamentalist vigor. I don't know how else to describe it, so I hope this doesn't sound like an insult to anyone, but there are high emotions in this city, and much of the emotional tension seems to be like a dam holding a large mass of aggression. I have yet to visit a retail store and be greeted with sincere welcome. Most retail workers in this town treat me suspiciously, as I am sure they treat everyone. This may also be skewed perception because I am not yet completely at home here, but I have heard others comment on the lack of warmth.

08-04-2011, 08:54 AM	#11
kerosene Touring the facilities Join Date: Nov 2002 Location: The plains of Colorado Posts: 3,476	It was really interesting to come back and read this thread. I think I started it before I really started to hate living there.

08-04-2011, 08:58 AM	#12
grynch the big Cheese Join Date: Jul 2011 Location: Switzerland Posts: 390	as I said in the sushi thread I spent about two months living there in 1989 ... one of my days off I decided to take a little drive up Cheyenne Mtn ( NORAD ) .... I got pretty close to the main gates I think ( ignoring several warning signs ) before a marine in full camo. gear stepped into the road and ordered me in three words " turn around now ! " toughest looking woman I ever saw. they'd probably just shoot me and be done with it now... no warnings.

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