Another key thing to remember about Colorado Springs, for some reason we've seen a rapid growth in the last year(close to 15,000 new residents) and our average cost per home has now shot up to $268k(still affordable but going up) Price of rent here in the Springs has shot up as well. Cheaper to buy a home, than rent one. Our real estate is a seller's market. Homes will be for sale for a few days and they are sold fast. People are getting into bidding wars over homes(least this is what I've been hearing from some folks).

They say our population is right at 700k but I think once you factor in Monument and Woodland Park/Cascade/Chipeta Park, we are close to one million in population. Colorado Springs is bigger than you might think. Our water services reach people out east towards Ellicott and west up hwy 24 to Chipeta Park.

Banning Lewis Ranch is slated to add homes for another 35,000 residents. Southern Delivery System was put in place in order to handle the water demands of our rapidly growing city.

Another big "con" that I would say detracts from our city, is Marijuana and the influx of homeless it's brought into the city.

Everyone is flocking to Colorado to get high and now we are really starting to see the effects of it. I really see it downtown, you can't go anywhere without seeing someone stoned out of their mind or just running across very shady looking folks.

We saw a guy today at the intersection of Cimmaron and Nevada, with only shorts and socks on. Walking in circles and scratching his skin and swatting at the empty air. You could tell he was on something bad. He was yelling and just acting completely tweaked out, and the guy had to have been in his 20's.

I see people talking to walls, to trees, to people that aren't even there, all the time. Saw a younger woman last week by the Bum N' Go(I mean Kum N' Go) on Nevada and Las Vegas, having a serious and pissed off conversation with herself. We see people stagger out into traffic all the time, walk in cross walks when they aren't supposed to and these people are oblivious as to what is happening around them.

The other problem with Marijuana now is that there is a dispensary on every corner it seems. You can't go anywhere in the city without smelling this stinking sh*t in the air.

So while Colorado Springs somehow seems to make the high quality of life ratings year after year and get rave reviews for Garden of the Gods, Red Rock Canyon, Pikes Peak, etc. I really think the quality of normal every day life(for normal people) has gone down with the inception of legal marijuana and massive influx of bums. The other problem with bums is they seem to be on every street corner, begging for money with some crappy sign. There are even reports of them starting to get belligerent in some parts of town when people won't give them anything.

I live on the very outskirts of the city on Marksheffle, where I can still see real prairie, and if I had it my way I'd be way out east on about 100 acres. I'm getting tired of all the BS that seems to be happening in CSprings.

Our nice areas to live in are all over. Briargate, Broadmoor(obviously), Village Seven, Holland Park, Rockrimmon, Stetson Hills, some Black Forest areas and Palmer Park has some nice areas.

Places to avoid: anything on Academy south of Platte. Murray and Pikes Peak/Airport area(couldn't pay me to live here), Fountain and Chelton area(very high crime). South end of Academy and Hancock(very high crime). Stratmoor Hills(B Street side) and Stratmoor Meadows(this leads into Southgate and downtown, really busted ass neighborhoods). I'd avoid anything on the Westside just because the people are so weird. Cool and old buildings and homes but just weird ass people. Then again, if you like Manitou you'll like the Westside. The Westside is like Manitou, just less weird. I only go to the Westside for Surplus City on 28th, and only go into Manitou because of work, otherwise I avoid Manitou like the plague.

Some other honorable mentions for some nice areas(but they are small areas) are Fountain, Security and Widefield. For the most part these are really heavy on G.I.'s so you'll always get dickheads in them.

Income taxes are so so. State tax is around 4%. But city to city, the taxes vary. Colorado Springs has a 8.64% sales tax at the moment. Property taxes aren't bad really and for an average $200k home, you'd be in the $1000 range per year.

If you don't like urban sprawl, then Colorado Springs and Denver aren't for you. That's all these two cities are, sprawl from one side to the other.

Can't really speak to Pueblo, nothing really good to say about Pueblo. It's the one city of the big three in Colorado that never really grew or improved. Colorado Springs has exploded because of the view, the military bases and certain industries. Denver has always been huge, and because it's the capital city.

Pueblo has always been the runt of the three cities. It's an old steel city that never moved on.

The main difference in crime between Colorado Springs and Pueblo are homicides. Springs tends to have double or triple the homicides but Pueblo is really high on other violent crimes. Seems all anyone does down in Pueblo is stab each other. Their stabbings have always been high. Guess their bad guys can't afford guns like Colorado Springs bad guys, so they stab or bludgeon each other.

Another thing, not super important is Politics. Colorado Springs is traditionally Republican/Conservative, whereas Denver and Pueblo are heavily Democrat/Liberal.