SustainLane 2006 US City Sustainability Ranking

Colorado Springs: Growing Up Smart

Nestled in the evening shadow of Pike's Peak, Colorado Springs has long been a place to kick back and enjoy the Rocky Mountain scenery. Set up in 1871 as a resort town, today Colorado Springs has over 360,000 people and a steady stream of visitors. Many of the area's early arrivals came to cash in on gold discovered at Cripple Creek and Victor in 1891. Many of those who hit pay dirt built monumental homes in the North End, still a posh section of town.

By 1917, the gold was gone. The next big economic boom came during World War II. Following the Pearl Harbor attack, Camp Carson was built, marking the beginning of a military boom-bust cycle-expansion during wartime, followed by decline. The military presence was cemented when the United States Air Force Academy was sited here during the 1950s, and in 1963 when the North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) bunkered itself inside nearby Cheyenne Mountain.

Colorado Springs has experienced tremendous population growth and development in the past 20 years. Now among the 50 largest US cities, it has only recently begun to experience typical urban problems such as congestion, rising crime, and deteriorating neighborhoods. The city has an excellent opportunity to take advantage of its compact size and Rocky Mountain location to create a healthy place for its present and future residents.