Colorado College
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Far from being a college town, Colorado Springs is largely a working-class city, as well as one of the most important military centers in the country. Economically, the city depends largely upon the military population, which may explain the ideological makeup of the community. Colorado College is part of the liberal core of this sprawling conservative area. The town-gown dynamic creates both positive and negative consequences for CC students. Positively, the local crowd provides a contrast for what can otherwise be an overwhelmingly liberal, upper-middle-class bias on campus. For instance, locals who often show up to hear speakers invited by the CC political science department are sometimes vocal about their own counterarguments and disagreements. One way students have been negatively affected by the conservative mentality of the surrounding area is that Colorado Springs has some of the lowest taxes in the state, meaning that off-campus services like police and road maintenance have been on the decline. On the non-academic side, residents, especially younger inhabitants who have been known to show up at parties only to cause trouble, often don’t take well to CC students. Townsfolk have been known to be openly hostile towards CC demonstrations, and sometimes the general feeling is that the College might as well not exist.

Colorado Springs is a city of 500,000, but its decentralized design creates a less metropolitan atmosphere than other cities of similar size. Downtown is comprised of eight or nine blocks, which, while offering several rows of tasty restaurants and coffeehouses, do little to spice up the dismal nightlife. There are, however, plenty of opportunities to explore the outdoors. In addition to the usual activities associated with living near the mountains, such as hiking and skiing, there are opportunities for horseback riding, whitewater rafting, and mountain biking.

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Local Atmosphere at Colorado College

gmt

'12

Philosophy

3.1

B-

Only Because...

Only because of Colorado Springs' mountain biking am I giving it a B+. It's easy to leave from campus, ride some spectacular trails, and ride back home. Otherwise, this "city" is merely suburban sprawl with too many chain restaurants--it's a dismal cultural black hole, the painfully sharp consequence of having vibrant Denver is only 60 miles north.

Most townies dislike CC students, and vice versa. Most townies also perpetrated a shameful act of conservative ideological purity when--in the face of $12 million in potential cuts to the budgets of police, fire, public transit, and parks--they voted down a minimal property tax that could have saved what limited public services we had. Now there are none.

The Garden of the Gods is close and fun for biking, climbing, shenanigans. If you are into military bases and megachurches, there are plenty of those too!

Aug 11, 2010

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Local Atmosphere at Colorado College

patty.moynihan

'09

Physical Sciences

3.5

B

Near the Mountains

It is a fifteen minute drive to the base of a 14er and the incline where you can do a quick but tough hike up part of Pike's Peak. There's tons of biking, hiking, and walking through cool areas like canyons and Garden of the Gods. Ski areas are not that close but close enough, Breckenridge is about 1.5 hours away. The thing about Colorado Springs is that you have to seek out cool stuff to do, but if you do it is a nice break from the campus. In the small but close-by downtown area there are restaurants, art museums and other museums, funky shops and theaters. The Pike's Peak Center and World Arena have some big hit concerts, esp country and the Black Sheep is a smaller concert venue about 5 minutes away. The Broadmoor and its restaurants are a nice break and fun for an occasional night out.

Mar 01, 2010

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Local Atmosphere at Colorado College

ktb673

'11

4.6

A

A Midsize Town With Lots of Variety

downtown Colorado springs may not seem like the most vibrant place, but there are plenty of fun and different places to go if you put some effort into it. Plenty of outdoor activities: hiking, fishing, Pike's Peak is the best part about the springs.

Mar 01, 2010

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