Colorado Springs
Founded in 1871, Colorado Springs, Colorado's second-largest
city, has evolved from a quaint Victorian spa resort to a
sophisticated city with a charming "small town" ambiance. The
Colorado Springs Metropolitan Area (CSMA), encompassing El Paso
County and Teller County, has a population of nearly 650,000 and
has experienced incredible growth over the last two decades. With
over 50 attractions, Colorado Springs and the Pikes Peak region are
the gateway to Southern Colorado's "Outdoor Adventure Play Land."
Located 1 1/2 hours east of world-class skiing, Colorado Springs is
a vacation mecca, drawing over 6 million visitors annually. The
natural physical beauty of the area, situated at the base of Pikes
Peak and with an uninterrupted view of the Front Range, offers
residents spectacular scenery. This scenery inspired Katharine Lee
Bates to write the poem "America the Beautiful" after her visit.
Colorado Springs features a mild climate, boasting an average of
300 days of sunshine per year. With over 150,000 acres (230 square
miles) of open space, El Paso County is a year-round sports
paradise, offering hunting, fishing, camping, mountain climbing,
hiking and much more. Other recreational parks and outdoor
attractions include Pikes Peak National Park, Garden of the Gods,
United States Air Force Academy, Golden Gate Canyon State Park,
Cheyenne Mountain State Park, the Royal Gorge, Cheyenne Mountain
Zoo, and much more. In 1990, El Paso County had 398,000 people,
which translates to a 67 percent increase in population in just 25
years. This is largely due to the city's low cost of living, access
to recreational and cultural amenities, strong business climate and
local military bases. The city is also home to numerous colleges
and universities including Colorado College, University of Colorado
at Colorado Springs and the United States Air Force Academy.
Kiplinger's recently rated Colorado Springs as the 5th best city
for college graduates. Located south of Denver, Colorado Springs
draws thousands of businesses, residents, and tourists from the
sprawling city. Colorado Springs is only 80 miles from Denver
International Airport (DIA), the 5th busiest airport in the country
and one of the busiest in the world. DIA offers well over a dozen
flights into Colorado Springs each day, providing easy travel into
the city from around the globe. Over the past 15, years a large
majority of the residential, retail and commercial development in
Colorado Springs has been in the northern part of El Paso County.
The significant amount of available land along the North I-25
corridor continues to support growth towards Denver. This expansion
has resulted in approximately 10,000 cross commuters daily and
allows companies with a large presence in Denver to office in
Colorado Springs as well. Such firms include Oracle Corporation,
AT&T, United Healthcare, JDS Uniphase, and Zurich Insurance,
among others. The proximity to and growth towards Denver makes
Colorado Springs a cost effective location for both corporations
and employees.
Colorado Springs boasts a highly educated and industrious
workforce that has been ranked as one of America's 30 smartest
cities, offering employers a diverse, highly educated labor pool.
Colorado Springs was recently ranked by Forbes as the #12 best
place for business and careers, beating cities like San Diego, Los
Angeles, Boston and New York City. There is a labor force of over 3
million people within an hour radius of the city. Colorado Springs
consists of nearly 30 Fortune 500 companies and offers an
extraordinary quality of life with a cost of living that is 70% of
that in coastal communities. The Colorado Springs economy thrives
on the military, defense, aerospace, software/ IT, and tourism
industries. Colorado Springs features four military bases
including: Fort Carson, The US Air Force Academy, Peterson Air
Force Base (AFB), Schriever AFB, as well as the North American Air
Defense Command (NORAD). Colorado Springs is also home to US
Northern Command (USNORTHCOM) located at Peterson AFB, a major
driver of government contract work. Additionally, Colorado Springs
is a Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC) beneficiary city. Fort
Carson received thousands of new soldiers and families under this
act and has been rapidly expanding, adding over 11,000 full-time
soldiers since 2005. The continued growth of Fort Carson is a
positive development for the permanent population growth of the
area. Fort Carson, as well as the Air Force Academy and NORAD, have
helped push annualized growth within the city. The military employs
one fifth of the work force in the city while infusing nearly $6
billion into the local economy every year. Colorado Springs is also
home to the Combined Services Space Center and the Consolidated
Space Operations Center, which are involved in the Strategic
Defense Initiative and handled military missions of the Space
Shuttle. Nearly every major defense contractor in the US has a
presence in Colorado Springs, including Northrop Grumman, Lockheed
Martin, Boeing, ITT/Exelis, Honeywell, General Dynamics, L-3, and
Raytheon. Another related facility in Colorado Springs is the Space
Foundation (global nonprofit). The spectacular climate and central
location also make Colorado Springs a choice location for software
development, semiconductor manufacturing, data centers, and
telecommunications. The high-tech industry is the second highest
employer in the city, attracted to the well educated and
experienced workforce. Additionally, the telecommunications systems
the military has installed to support programs such as the Space
Command makes Colorado Springs a very logical choice for call
centers and data centers. Colorado Springs was recently rated as
the 7th best city in America for data centers by Information Week
Magazine. The data security and storage industries also have a
strong presence due to the amount of defense and military
contractors in the region.
Colorado is consistently one of the top visited states in the
country. The tourism industry is one of the largest employers in
Colorado Springs, with an average gross income from tourism of
nearly $1 billion annually. Major draws to Colorado Springs include
Pikes Peak (over 6 million annual visitors), Garden of the Gods
(over 2 million annual visitors), and the world-renowned Broadmoor
Hotel. Colorado Springs is also home to the US Olympic Committee
headquarters, the Olympic Training Center, and over two dozen
national governing bodies including USA Hockey, USA Swimming, US
Figure Skating Association, USA Boxing, and USA Basketball.
"Colorado
Springs downtown" by Jasen Miller is
licensed under CC BY
2.0