The following article shows one of the many reasons that I love living in Colorado Springs and helping people find homes by working as their Colorado Springs Real Estate Agent.

The economy shed 651,000 jobs in February and 4.4 million since the recession began in December 2007. Only a handful of metro areas have escaped falling employment over the past three months. Yet there are still some places out there that remain attractive to businesses.

“Austin, Boulder [Colo.], Fort Collins [Colo.] and to a lesser extent Raleigh all have a lot of high-tech investment,” she says. “We think that is one of the first things that comes back once the economy does recover.”

Our 11th annual ranking of the Best Places for Business and Careers features clear winners in North Carolina and Colorado, home to a combined 10 of the 20 top metro areas.

Leading the way is Raleigh, N.C., which grabbed the top spot for a third straight year on the strength of strong job growth (both past and projected), low business costs and a highly educated workforce.

Employment is expected to fall during 2009 in Raleigh after jobs were added at a 4% annual clip the past five years. But the job picture is expected to brighten in 2010 and 2011, and the three-year projected annual employment gain is 1.4%. according to Moody’s Economy.com, 15th best in the country.

Helping fuel Raleigh’s strong economy is the Research Triangle Park, one of the oldest and largest science parks in North America. It is located between Raleigh and Durham and is home to 170 companies employing 42,000 people. Big employers include Biogen Idec (nasdaq: BIIB – news – people ), Cisco Systems (nasdaq: CSCO – news – people ) and IBM (nyse: IBM – news – people ).

“Raleigh is holding up better than any other place in North Carolina,” says Matthew Martin, an economist at the Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond, Va. He cites the significant higher education presence and low manufacturing base in the area for Raleigh’s steady economy.

 
Keeping Raleigh company at the top are fellow Tar Heel State metros Durham (ranked third), Asheville (sixth), Wilmington (13th), Winston-Salem (18th) and Charlotte (19th). 
 

Our rankings looked at the 200 largest metropolitan areas in the U.S., which range from the New York metro and its 11.7 million people to Olympia, Wash., with a population of 241,000. We examined each on 11 different criteria. Economic research firm Moody’s Economy.com supplied data on job growth over the past five years and projections through 2011. Economy.com also provided business and living cost data as well as income growth and migration trends.

We also turned to Bert T. Sperling, city researcher and co-author of Cities Ranked & Rated for some labor supply and quality of life information. Sperling furnished data on college attainment, crime rates, local colleges and cultural and recreational opportunities in the area.

In a nod to the current economic climate, we added two new categories this year: projected job growth and subprime mortgages as a percentage of total originations over a three-year period. This change helped boost several metros in the rankings, most notably Austin, Texas, which ranked eighth this year, up from 47th last year. Austin’s projected annual job growth rate of 2.3% is fifth fastest in the country, and its subprime mortgage exposure clocked in at 13th.
The city has a fan in the Charles Schwab Corp. (nasdaq: SCHW – news – people ). “The city of Austin is extremely business-friendly. They have bent over backwards to accommodate us,” says Glenn Cooper, head of real estate at Schwab, which expanded its Austin presence in 2007 when it purchased the 401(k) Co. Cooper highlights the political environment, culture and cost of living as draws for Schwab to Austin.

Bringing up the rear of our rankings are the troubled spots in California. The Golden State had its worst showing ever in our tally. It is home to six of the seven lowest-rated spots, and Riverside was the only one of its 21 metro areas (among the country’s 200 biggest) that cracked the top 100. Most California metros are burdened with sky-high living and business costs, and the job outlook is week. The unemployment rate in 199th-ranked Merced, Calif., is expected to hit 21% in 2010.

The current recession is too deep and widespread for even our best-rated cities to escape damage. Yet when things do turn around, expect many places ranked at the top to be at the head of the pack, notes Marisa Di Natale, an economist at Economy.com.

 

Forbes Top Ten cities for businesses and careers

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“Raw mortgage application volume rose 21.2 percent for the week ending March 13, according to a survey published Wednesday by the Mortgage Bankers Association. It was the second consecutive week of increased raw activity, while refinancing applications continued to rise, surging 29.6 percent over the previous week. Purchase application activity also rose slightly, coming in 1.5 percent higher than last week, when it had posted a 7 percent increase. …

… rates eased across the board in the week, with 30-year fixed rates down to 4.89 percent from 4.96 percent a week earlier. Meanwhile, 15-year fixed rates slipped down slightly to 4.52 percent from 4.54 percent the week before, and one-year adjustable-rate mortgages averaged a 6.2 percent interest rate, down slightly from 6.21 a week earlier.”

Click here to read the entire article regarding last weeks average mortgage rates and activity.

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Dick Bratton’s rustic house in the small town of Green Mountain Falls sits hidden behind a stand of ponderosa pines. Nearby, Catamount Creek splashes boisterously on its way downhill.

Fifteen miles to the east, Karin White lives in a tri-level ranch house in Pinon Valley, a neighborhood northwest of Colorado Springs. She’s minutes from shopping and a 12-minute drive to downtown. But her small backyard adjoins a city park with trails favored
by mountain bikes as well as mule deer, bobcats, and black bears.

Twenty-five miles further east, Dan Anderson lives in a five-year-old manufactured home on 35 acres in the unincorporated community of Peyton. The wind-swept prairie stretches to the east; an unobstructed view of Pikes Peak fills the horizon to the west. From his deck, Anderson can see the rooftops of the nearest conveniences—grocery stores and gas stations—but the surrounding
landscape still has the feel of the Old West.

Locals call these areas simply “the mountains,” “the Springs,” and “out east.” While strikingly different in vegetation, elevation, and orientation to Pikes Peak, they have a common thread: easy access to the natural world. Whether residents live in the foothills or far enough away to gaze at the sprawling 14,115-footer, few describe their neighborhoods without mentioning the mountain.
“People are drawn here by the lifestyle the region offers,” says Craig Casper, transportation director for the Pikes Peak Area Council of Governments, a voluntary group of 15 municipal and county governments. “Its location has a lot to do with that.”

About a half-million people call the Pikes Peak region home. They came because of the mountains, the mild weather, and the sunshine—an average of 300 sunny days a year. They came because of the promise of a mountain lifestyle combined with all the conveniences of Colorado’s second-largest city.

“I chose Green Mountain Falls because it’s quiet, laid back,” Bratton says. “I have Colorado Springs just minutes away, but
then I can escape the city in a pristine mountain environment.”

Pike National Forest wraps around Green Mountain Falls, a town of 935 in the winter and 1,400 in the summer. “There are three miles of hiking trails within the town, a beautiful lake and gazebo, and great restaurants,” Bratton says. “And then there are our neighbors, the foxes and the mountain lions.”

White chose her home for its location. The northwest part of Colorado Springs is dotted with rock outcroppings and stands of piñon and ponderosa pine. Newer neighborhoods surround her 25-year-old home, but the rugged bluff of nearby Ute Valley Park helps maintain the mountain character.

Much of the growth is to the east. Projects such as Banning Lewis Ranch, a 21,000-acre planned master community, capitalize on the city’s projected growth. Development of Banning Ranch’s first village, Northtree, began in 2006. Close to 100 homes are occupied or under construction, joining a recreation center, charter school, park space, and trails.

“We believe in carrying on the tradition of Ruth Banning and ‘Pinky’ Lewis, who in the 1920s were married, accumulated about 38,000 acres, and ran one of the best Hereford cattle ranches in the country,” says John Cassiani, the vice president of project operations. “The flavor of our development is about community and family values.” Houses are designed with front porches; interconnecting trails let residents walk to parks and other amenities.

Dan Anderson lives not far from Banning Lewis Ranch in Peyton. When he moved here from a northen Chicago suburb a year ago, Anderson knew just the kind of lifestyle he was looking for.

“We wanted to live where we wouldn’t be on top of our neighbors. We wanted someplace that was peaceful and quiet,” he says.

Anderson’s house sits down a dirt road across from several hundred acres of grazing land. “When we first moved in, we would meet pronghorn at the mailbox,” he says. Late at night, “you might hear a distant coyote, and you see a sky filled with stars all the way down to the horizon.

“It’s like you are in the middle of the universe, looking out.”

Lay of the Land

• Pikes Peak forms the western border of Colorado Springs and its neighbor Manitou Springs. Falcon, Peyton, and other unincorporated communities grow to the east.

• Past Manitou Springs, U.S. Highway 24 heads west into the mountains to the towns of Cascade, Chipita Park, and Green Mountain Falls.

• Twenty miles up this corridor, Woodland Park is built in a ponderosa pine forest at 8,437 feet. Its nickname: “The City Above the Clouds.”

• Fort Carson sprawls over more than 38,000 acres on the southern edge; the Air Force Academy covers more than 18,000 acres to the north.

 Source: hemispheresmagazine.com

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In the Pikes Peak region, “city park” takes on a whole new meaning. Children’s playgrounds welcome to the sit in full view of one of the world’s most famous mountains. Picnic tables perch near the banks of bubbling streams. And walking trails, winding up mountains and past massive rock formations, are shared by the occasional mule deer or black bear.

Colorado Springs boasts 14,000 acres of parkland—151 parks with 160 miles of trails, 47 open-space areas, and 105 miles of urban trails. More public land sprawls just outside the city limits in county parks, a state park, and the more outdoors than 1 million acres of Pike National Forest. A two-hour drive takes skiers to a number of the state’s 22 ski resorts. Drive less than an hour to world-famous rafting and kayaking on the Arkansas River, the most rafted river in the country.

And top it all off with Pikes Peak, one of the world’s most popular destinations, which offers a vast collection of forests, lakes, canyons, and meadows frequented by hikers, campers, and anglers.

“We have a fabulous system and location,” says Dan Cleveland, executive director of the nonprofit Trails and Open Space Coalition. “We have incredibly benign weather that allows us to recreate all year long.”

That makes life enjoyable for Cleveland, a runner who says he seldom has to bundle up for his daily workout, even in the middle of winter.

Here are some favorite parks

Garden of the Gods Park. Visitors are drawn here by the rock formations— vertical fins of sandstone, limestone, and shale that date back 70 million years. Some guests drive through, stopping to photograph the rock walls that glow in the sunlight. Others linger, climbing the
wind-and rain-scarred formations or hiking and exploring the 15 miles of trails that wind through tangles of pinon and juniper trees.

Cheyenne Canyon. Garden of the Gods appeals to sun worshipers; Cheyenne Canyon beckons to those who crave shade. This mountain refuge of shaded streams is criss-crossed with log bridges, remote caches of rare lady’s-slipper orchids, and dense stands of aspen, spruce, and pine. A road through the canyon leads to hiking trails, picnic spots, and waterfalls.

Red Rock Canyon. Sandstone formations shape this area that is a favorite of climbers, hikers, mountain bikers, and runners. This mini-Garden of the Gods has 14 miles of trails, which are also open to horses. The centerpiece is a glassy man-made pond ringed by grasses and frequented by Canada geese and great blue herons.

Stratton Open Space. Bird watchers and dog walkers are equally enamored with this open space that connects to Cheyenne Canyon on the city’s southwest side. Ponderosa pines provide welcome shade, and in the spring and early summer, wildflowers are attention-getters.

Fountain Creek Regional Park. Majestic great blue herons build their nests in cottonwoods that frame the creek; they’re among more than 250 species of birds seen at this park. Built around the creek and a series of spring-fed ponds, the park offers a glimpse of healthy wetlands.

Paint Mines. Clay formations are the centerpiece here. Think natural sculpture garden in candy colors—butterscotch, lemon-drop yellow, bubblegum pink. Clay spires and knobs painted by minerals have been eroded by wind and water to form the canyon, a surprising slash in the
rolling hills.

Cheyenne Mountain State Park. Our newest state park sprawls at the base of its namesake mountain, which is best known for housing the underground headquarters of the North American Aerospace Defense Command. The park is a favorite among hikers and wildlife watchers who
are often rewarded with glimpses of wild turkeys or the frantic activity of a black-tailed prairie dog colony, on alert as a golden eagle soars overhead.

Mueller State Park. Hikers and mountain bikers can spread out on the 50 miles of trails that wind through dense stands of aspen and mixed conifers, including ponderosa pines, Douglas firs, and ancient bristlecone pines. The valleys hold clues to the past—remnants of miners’
cabins, mining glory holes, and homesteads dating from the 1800s.

Rampart Reservoir Recreation Area. Mountain bikers love the loop around Rampart Reservoir. The reservoir is part of the Colorado Springs water storage system, but the land surrounding it offers a playground for cyclists, hikers, campers, and anglers. Locals walk the short Rainbow Gulch trail to the water’s edge, where they can pick up the loop trail to see miles of forested hills and hidden coves, some with views of Pikes Peak.

Pikes Peak. To reach the summit (and not by train or car), a pair of hiking trails offer stunning views and breath-zapping elevation gains. The Barr Trail heads uphill from the town of Manitou Springs, challenging hikers with a 7,400-foot elevation gain over 13 miles. An hour’s drive west on the backside of the mountain, the Devil’s Playground Trail is shorter (8.5 miles with a 4,100-foot gain) but equally spectacular, with alpine wildflowers and marmots standing guard.

More ways to play

The oohs, ahhs, and beeps of digital cameras belie the name, but the Temple of Silence deep inside Cave of the Winds rewards visitors with its limestone stalactites and stalagmites. The caves make a popular attraction, one of dozens that entertain the region’s 6.1 million visitors each year.

Less than an hour’s drive from Colorado Springs, Cripple Creek became famous at the turn of the century with the discovery of gold. Today, 14 casinos lure visitors here. Tourists can travel underground at the Mollie Kathleen Mine, tour the area on the historical Cripple Creek & Victor Narrow Gauge Railroad, and immerse themselves in the region’s history at the new Pikes Peak Heritage Center.

The mix of historical and natural attractions draws visitors to the region, says Terry Sullivan, the president and CEO of Experience Colorado Springs at Pikes Peak, the convention and visitors bureau. About half the visitors may have passed through the region before, thanks to nearby Fort Carson or the Air Force Academy, Sullivan says, and 86 percent of visitors plan to come back. (The academy is an attraction itself, drawing visitors to its distinctive chapel and other campus sites.)

On Pikes Peak, elevation gained and lost makes for much of the excitement. The Pike’s Peak Cog Railway carries passengers up to the summit year-round, but it’s especially popular during two venerable events: the Pikes Peak Marathon and Ascent in August and the Pikes Peak International Hill Climb. The grueling footraces lure the best trail runners in the world. The hill climb is the second-oldest motorsports race in the country. Spectators line Pikes Peak Highway to cheer on their favorite drivers in 11 classes, from motorcycles to 8,000-pound big rigs.

Another favorite, Seven Falls, amazes visitors with a cascading series of waterfalls, viewed best during a walk up 224 metal stairs on the water’s edge. Close by, Cheyenne Mountain Zoo gives its more than 750 residents rooms with a view. Unique to the zoo is its chairlift-style ride with sweeping views of the zoo, mountains, and city below. —Deb Acord

Source: Hemispheresmagazine.com

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In 1893, poet and writer Katharine Lee Bates boarded a train in Massachusetts headed to Colorado Springs. Escaping the sweltering New
England summer, she planned to enjoy the region’s dry, mild climate and serve as a guest lecturer at Colorado College. During her stay, Bates made her way to the top of Pikes Peak and stood in awe of the scenic grandeur of the surrounding mountains and plains. The view from the summit inspired her to write the poem “America the Beautiful.” Once set to music, her vivid descriptions of “purple mountain majesties” and “amber waves of grain” became, for many, our national anthem.

Bates was one of countless people over the centuries to draw inspiration from Pikes Peak. The oral tradition of the Ute people says that they have always lived close to the mountain. They call it Ta-Wa-Ah-Gath, or “Sun Mountain,” for the way it collects and reflects the morning’s rays. The Spanish, who settled in northern New Mexico and explored the area in the 16th century, called it Almagre for its vibrant red coloring.

The first American official to encounter the mountain was a dashing young Army lieutenant named Zebulon Montgomery Pike. In 1806, as Lewis and Clark were returning home from their expedition, Pike was dispatched to explore the southwestern boundary of the newly acquired Louisiana Territory. Pike named the mountain Grand Peak when he first caught a glimpse of it looming in the distance. A few weeks later, he attempted to climb the peak to survey the surrounding landscape and chart the rivers. Deep snow deterred him from the summit, but in 1810 he published an account of his expedition and literally put the mountain on the map. As a result, his name is forever attached to the peak.

The discovery of gold spurred the first permanent settlement in the region. In 1859, bold businessmen established Colorado City at the lower end of the Ute Pass trail, which led to mining camps in the central Rockies. Their rugged and wild supply camp sold goods and equipment to eager miners on their way west. Old Colorado City is still a distinctive community on the west side of Colorado Springs with its own personality, quirky shops, and unique restaurants.

Today’s incorporated city of Colorado Springs sprang from the lively imagination of one man. General William Jackson Palmer, a Civil War hero and railroad magnate, established the city in 1871. A planned community from its beginning, the city was without an industrial or manufacturing base, but it prospered just the same. Palmer used the area’s enticing scenery, nearby mineral springs, and other amenities to attract residents. He laid out the broad streets, hauled in 10,000 trees to make the city green and lush, set aside thousands of acres of parkland, and built lavish buildings with a European sense of style.

Colorado Springs was no frontier boomtown. It attracted wealthy residents and capitalists as well as intellectuals, artists, inventors, and writers such as Bates. The city served as a destination for health seekers who hoped that the community’s abundant sunshine and fresh air would cure their tuberculosis. After the 1891 gold rush in Cripple Creek, just to the west of Pikes Peak, even more wealth came to Colorado Springs. For a time, the city had more millionaires per capita than anywhere in the country.

Entrepreneurs and visionaries continue to add intricate layers to the economy. Colorado Springs is an art colony, college town, military installation, destination for the high-tech industry, and home to the U.S. Olympic Committee headquarters. Peel away those layers and you still find Palmer’s healthful, attractive community with an extensive park system, trails galore, red sandstone spires, and that ever-present mountain. The Pikes Peak region is a cultural and geographic confluence. It’s where the mountains meet the plains, where the Southwest joins the heartland, where ancient cultures converge with 21st century society, and where the past informs the future. For some, it’s stirring enough to inspire poetry.

Matt Mayberry is a historian and cultural services manager for the city of Colorado Springs. He oversees operations of the Colorado Springs Museum and Rock Ledge Ranch and interpretive programs in Garden of the Gods and North Cheyenne Cañon.

Source: hemispheresmagazine.com 
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 The Broadmoor. This expansive resort is known as one of the most elegant places to stay in all of Colorado. It’s also one of the region’s most storied historical attractions. Spencer Penrose, a gold and copper miner from Philadelphia, bought the property in 1916 and expanded it to include a Donald Ross designed golf course and Italian Renaissance style buildings. Renovated and expanded many times over the years, the resort is set on 400 acres encompassing Cheyenne Lake and featuring stunning views of Cheyenne Mountain.

Penrose was instrumental in promoting the Pikes Peak region as a destination. Along with his resort, he built the Pikes Peak Road leading to the summit, established the Cheyenne Mountain Zoo, and bought the Pike’s Peak Cog Railway.

First-class recreation meets first-class lodging at The Broadmoor, which just hosted golf’s 2008 U.S. Senior Open. Three courses offer 54 holes of play; the tennis club is nationally ranked. Travelers feel at home in any of the 700 elegant rooms and suites, the infinity swimming pool on the lake’s north end, world-class spa, and 18 restaurants. 1 Lake Avenue; Tel: 866-837-9520; broadmoor.com  

photography /the Broadmoor

The Cliff House at Pikes Peak. History abounds here. The Cliff House has been open to guests longer than Colorado has been a state. Formerly a stop along one of the most famous stagecoach runs in the West, the inn originally accommodated overflow guests in tents beside its then 20-room structure.

Now grown to 50 rooms, the property retains a Victorian charm, presiding over the mountain village of Manitou Springs. The inn’s wide front porch beckons guests to dine or just kick back a bit. Inside, find regal amenities such as two-person spa tubs, towel warmers, and gas fireplaces.
Good reason to celebrate: an anniversary discount in dollars equal to the number of  years a couple has been married. 306 Cañon Avenue, Manitou Springs; Tel: 719-685-3000; thecliffhouse.com

Cheyenne Mountain Resort. A variety of dining options, function space, and full access to the Country Club of Colorado make this resort an excellent choice for a corporation or family. Windsurf, sail, or fish on the 35-acre lake or tee-off at a golf course designed by Pete Dye. photography /the Cliff house at pikes peak

Each room features a balcony with a view of breathtaking Cheyenne Mountain. 3225 Broadmoor Valley Road; Tel: 719538-4000; cheyennemountain.com

Holden House. A bottomless cookie jar. A 200-year old tea set from South Whales. An 1898 oak parlor stove. An authentic Van Briggle tile fireplace. These areamong the many treats offered by Holden House, which bills itself as the only bedand-breakfast to win the Historic
Preservation Alliance Award of Excellence for preservation and restoration. Built in 1902, the property features eight guest suites in the restored Victorian, an adjacent 1898 home, and the carriage house. Don’t miss breakfast favorite German puff pancakes with spiced apples
or the beautiful view from the Victorian cottage garden. Guests are a quick walk from the shops and restaurants of Old Colorado City. 1102 West Pikes Peak Avenue; Tel: 719-471-3980; holdenhouse.com

—Christopher Collier and Brianna Pellicane

Dine Fine or Family Style

Choose Upscale experiences at The Broadmoor and The Cliff House or new, fresh takes on local ingredients at favorites in town.

Let’s start at the top. The Broadmoor boasts the state’s only AAA Five-Diamond experience, the Penrose Room. Impeccable service and views of Cheyenne Mountain complement your foie gras, dessert soufflé, or fine European wines. The resort also offers the slightly less formal Charles Court, with its focus on Colorado ingredients, and Summit, an American brasserie.

Upscale dining also is the order of the day at The Cliff House at Pikes Peak in Manitou Springs. Here, surf and turf is a buffalo filet with lobster ravioli. Start with the seafood cakes appetizer and choose from more than 700 wines to accompany your meal.

Also in Manitou, check out the Craftwood Inn, which has for years specialized in “wild” game dishes, including elk, antelope, bison, quail, and pheasant (most farm-raised for quality control).

Walter’s Bistro and Plate World Cuisine in downtown Colorado Springs have the same owner but very different menus. Walter’s is upscale; Plate made City magazine’s top 101 American restaurants last year. Plate offers mini-menus representing various cuisines. If you want a fine steak but your spouse is craving French or Pacific Rim food, this is your stop.

Eric Viedt, recently voted the city’s top chef, runs the kitchen at The Margarita at PineCreek. It sounds like a Mexican restaurant but offers much more. The Margarita’s menu changes daily, depending on what looks freshest to the chef. Find typically a beef entrée, a seafood entrée, and a third dish featuring poultry or wild game. Vegetarians are always accommodated, and almost everything is organic.

For trendy diners, The Blue Star is a must. Its menu reflects the latest ingredients and techniques. Daily specials feature duck, veal, and ahi tuna. Few restaurants serve such elegant vegetables as those that accompany your lamb chops or grilled fish at Marigold Café & Bakery—save room for the crusty French bread and lush desserts.

 The city’s favorite new restaurant is Nosh, located in the Fine Arts Center Modern Museum. Nosh has embraced the tapas craze with a wide assortment of selections. The Famous is the place to go for steaks, and Phantom Canyon brews some fine beers with pub food to match. If your tastes run more to rustic, sit family style and pass the fried chicken at Juniper Valley Ranch. Or dive into a plate-size burger at Conway’s Red Top, which has been featured in numerous guidebooks.
B y L i n d a d u V a L
Source: hemispheresmagazine.com

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I have successfully managed many corporate relocations including Oracle Corporation and Digital Equipment Corporation. It was because of my experienced professionalism and love of Colorado Springs that both companies achieved such high percentages of recruitment. I also had a hand in managing relocation services for HP, McLeod USA, Principle Financial Group, MCI and Quantum.

Whether you are an individual or a company, and have been thinking about relocating to Colorado Springs, I am able to offer the following services.

Pikes Peak Relocation Package - Each candidate or transferring employee will receive a customized area packet including school, neighborhood, cost of living comparisons, and other vital community information.

Presentation for Group Moves – Quality of life and informational presentations are available for group moves to enable potential transferees to evaluate the new area. One-on-one counseling for transferring families is also available.

Home Finding and Selling Services – I will help your transferree find the perfect home; and, through my network, I can assist with the sale of their current home in the city from which they are departing.

Family Needs Analysis - I will interview each client and customize information to meet their specific needs.

Discounts on Services – Through my network of service providers, I can help your transferee find the best cost on high quality service providers such as appraisers, home inspectors and movers, including a 60% discount with Graebel movers.

Temporary Living Assistance – I work with several area hotels, corporate housing companies, and property managers to provide your candidate with a temporary housing solution.

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