Explore Colorado Springs in Colorado

Visit "The Springs", a city that combines Gold rush charm with vibrant growth and stunning natural beauty.

Ranked 5: Colorado Springs, Colorado Population: 604,444 Median Household Income: $53,468 % of Workforce in Creative Class: 34% Hi! This is Jessica Anderson of Kiplinger’s Personal Financing, Colorado Springs, Colorado, one of our best cities for 2008. Downtown, the people are friendly, the streets are un-crowded and the view can’t be beat. A few blocks away, you’ll find the Fine Arts Center where a recent renovation added more space for traveling shows and a permanent collection. See work by glass board by Dale Chihuly or taken a theater performance. Living downtown, Colorado Avenue leads you straight to the heart of old Colorado City. Small shops and galleries grace the wide avenue. Grab an outdoor table and enjoy a cone of Pikes Peak Trail ice cream at the Colorado City Creamery, yum. A few miles down the road, you’ll enter Manitou Springs, nestled against the base of Pikes Peak, Manitou is best known for the natural springs that you can taste and are sprinkled throughout the town. Manitou maintains a gold rush area charm with heavy, hippy influences that stem from the supposed healing powers of the waters. Across town, the five star Broadmoor Hotel and Resort exudes a different kind of charm, one of elegance from top to bottom. Just beyond the Broadmoor lies the Cheyenne Mountain Zoo. It’s America’s only zoo that’s built into a mountainside. Resting grandly behind it all is Pikes Peak while the springs as it’s known to locals sits at 6000 feet above sea level. The peak rises to more than 14000 feet. As you drive the toll road to the top, stunning vistas surround you and so does history. In the latter half of the 19the century, more than a 100,000 people pass through the area looking for gold. To keep Pikes Peak highway open to the public where as much of the year is possible, great snow blowers are used to clear the road to the top. Here I am at the summit where it’s just a few degrees ever freezing compared to the 65 degrees down below. Returning to ground level, you can take a horseback ride through the famous Garden of the Gods. It is filled with red rock formations and miles of trails to explore. The natural beauty of Colorado Springs is what draws visitors here and stays with them after they leave. In addition to a thriving economy and a laid back atmosphere, you couldn’t ask for more picturesque setting for one of our best cities. That was my trip through Colorado Springs. This is Jessica Anderson from Kiplinger’s Personal Finance.