My husband and I are thinking of moving to Colorado Springs/Pikes Peak. If you live near there, could you tell me a little bit about it. Are there jobs around? What's minimum wage, etc.? Thanks!
Colorado is expensive. You will have sticker shock. Why the Springs? Minimum is a national gig $5.15? $5.25? I'm at $10 or so, so I don't remember. Most non-fast food places start a bit better. What do you do? Here's the local big paper: http://www.gazette.com/ the not as mainstream paper: www.csindy.com and some economic info: http://www.colorado.gov/employment.htm
With all due respect, WTF. Colorado Springs Colorado is cheap as fuck. 4 bedroom, 4 bath 1/3 of an acre of land was in the $100,000 range in the early to mid 90's. Good paying jobs, great veiw of the mountains (You'll always know which direction west is). Check out Cub Foods for savings on food. Excellent school system, natural red rocks (check out the Garden of the Gods). Only problem is the natural dirt is sand so you'll have to buy alot of topsoil if you plan to grow anything. Summers never get too hot, and winters toughen you up. Anything here now seems like nothing. The air's a little thin, and the dry climate causes your elbows to get dry, so you'll need to buy big bottles of lotion. Another problem is, being so far from water, "fresh" seafood isn't; but you'll larn to stop likeing seafood. lots of beef avalible, nad even bufullof (good) in many stores. I lived in Colorado (Briargate, Colorado Springs, Colorado) for 8 years, from 1992-2000. Of all the places I have lived, it has been my favorite. I hily recomend you and you husband move there (and posibly raise kids there).
i am going to CO in the fall 2005 to find a job at least for the winter. what i would like to know is how to train/learn about opportunities with any resort's ski patrol. i hope to get a lift operator job and try to come back every winter and show dedication and love of simply being outside in the mountains. honestly if they provided housing, small check for food, i would do it for 50 cents an hour. growing up in suburban midwest hell, i have always been intrigued by mountains. i finally figured out how i can be happy. anyways any info about outdoor resort or mountain oriented jobs would be appritiated. thanks Brad T
as for WTF, The Springs is expensive. Not so bad as Douglas County or the Mountains, but I came from Oklahoma, where I had a line on a $52,000 house, three years old, good neighborhood with 2 acres, about 40 miles from my then job. I'd assume the price difference would be similar to N KY. The Springs is not very hip, Focus on the Family is firmly entrenched and moving for ever more political power. Cub went belly up, too. the seafood is flown to restaurants, so if it is a high turnover such as sushi, you are good. Trout is big. Most is farmed in state. Lots of veggie places, too. Brad, I don't ski, but when I went up to Eldora to write a story, almost everyone was from somewhere else. Start looking on resort websites in June-July. Eldora has definite bennies: close to a music scene and Nederland-Boulder-Denver...you could catch Red Rocks shows in the spring and housing is well, not cheap, but possible. hope you like roomies. As you get into the bigger ersorts, the $$$ to live and distace you'll have to commute increase. Remember, Leadville to Aspen is 45 minutes in summer. It's 2 to 3 hours in winter. Independence Pass closes early in season.
