Granted, the Springs barely made the grade, squeezing in at number fourteen on Finance Buzz's list, ahead of Tulsa, Oklahoma, on the snooze scale, but behind such scintillating burgs as Lexington and Louisville, Kentucky; San Antonio and Corpus Christi, Texas; Columbus, Ohio; Sioux Falls, South Dakota; Oklahoma City; Albuquerque; Phoenix; Memphis; and the Florida twosome of Tallahassee and overall boredom champion Jacksonville. But the ranking still rankles, if only because it gives an inaccurate impression of an extremely complicated place.
Located about seventy miles south of downtown Denver, Colorado Springs is a sprawling military town full of chain eateries, far-right Christian influences and people who love to complain about the city's one popular music venue — the Ford Amphitheater, which opened last year. Moreover, the Springs couldn't keep its alt-weekly alive, even though the daily is owned by billionaire Phil Anschutz, which makes it pretty easy to be an alternative to the Gazette. (RIP, Colorado Springs Independent, aka The Indy.)
However, none of these factors appear in the Finance Buzz blurb about the community. The item reads: "While there are plenty of outdoor adventures and scenic beauty, Colorado Springs has little else going on. Lack of nightlife, food diversity and a remote location make it lack the zest of other parts of the country."
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That explanation is a lot more dull than the real Colorado Springs — and dubious to boot.
The report's scoring criteria included factors such as population makeup, culinary scene, nightlife, access to outdoor adventures and recreational activities — and clearly, Colorado Springs excels in the last two categories. Garden of the Gods is flat-out spectacular, Pikes Peak inspired the "purple mountain majesties" line in "America the Beautiful," and the scads of nearby hiking and biking trails are among the best our nation has to offer.
When it comes to food diversity, the folks at Finance Buzz have a point, though. Although there are a number of well-regarded eateries in the Springs, including the Zagat-winning Carlos' Bistro, the city's top-rated restaurant according to Trip Advisor is The Melting Pot. 'Nuff said.
But the nightlife claim is quite suspect. Colorado Springs boasts plenty of large-scale event spaces — not just the Ford Amphitheater, but the Broadmoor World Arena and the Pikes Peak Center, as well as notable smaller venues and music clubs such as the fabulously dank Black Sheep. And the downtown area is lively and very walkable.

Cheyenne Mountain Zoo was named the second-best zoo in the country by USA Today.
Courtesy Cheyenne Mountain Zoo
The isolated-location claim is equally bogus. Colorado Springs is just over an hour's drive away from many parts of Denver and has such an efficient airport that some travelers prefer to fly in and out of it instead of trekking to and from Denver International Airport. Which is pretty damned remote by any objective measure.
Simply put, "boring" doesn't fit Colorado Springs — but many other colorful terms do. Like these ten:
"Pious"
CauseIQ estimates that Colorado Springs is home to nearly 1,100 religious organizations, churches and megachurches of the sort that bloomed after city leaders first campaigned to attract faith-oriented institutions decades ago.
"Jesus-centric"
More than half of the aforementioned outfits are Christian nonprofits.
"Ultra-conservative"
Operations such as Young Life, Focus on the Family and Andrew Wommack Ministries push a form of Christianity built on what they see as traditional values — and what critics consider to be a starter set for white nationalism and backwards thinking that should have gone out of style centuries ago.
"Hypocrite-friendly"
Spiritual guides in Colorado Springs don't always live up to the standards they attempt to impose on their flock. Take Ted Haggard, who was asked to leave his post as chief evangelical at New Life Church in 2006 after admitting to "sexual immorality" in his dealings with Denver masseuse Mike Jones. More recently, New Life ousted three pastors who reportedly knew that Robert Morris, founder of Dallas' Gateway Church, had sexually molested a twelve-year-old in the 1980s but failed to blow the whistle on him.
"Repressive"
Among the many activities the powers-that-are in the Springs have tried to ban is smoking recreational pot.
"Militaristic"
Last year, the Home Front Military Network estimated that around 100,000 military-service members, veterans and associated family members reside in Colorado Springs — hence the incredible prevalence of crewcuts, camo and toxic masculinity.
"Hate-susceptible"
Unfortunately, no city is immune to violent crimes, including mass assaults based on no clear motivation. But over the past decade, Colorado Springs has been the site of two shocking tragedies whose multiple victims were targeted based on right-wing ideology pushed to psychotic extremes: the 2015 Planned Parenthood shooting and the 2022 attack on Club Q. More recently, the man behind the fiery blitzkrieg against peaceful pro-Israel demonstrators on Boulder's Pearl Street Mall hailed from the Springs.
"Creepy"
The folks at the Visit Colorado Springs tourist agency have compiled a list of thirteen haunted places in and around the city limits. "With a history of tuberculosis and the debauchery of the Pikes Peak or Bust Gold Rush residents, spirits are lurking around many corners," they warn/promise.
"Celebrity spawning ground"
Loads of onetime Colorado Springs dwellers have became famous: silent-film star Lon Chaney, Gilmore Girls actress Kelly Bishop, Aerosmith bassist Tom Hamilton and many more.
"Apocalypse refuge"
The Cheyenne Mountain Complex features a bunker that's built to survive a 30-megaton nuclear explosion striking just over a mile away. The idea of hiding inside it as the rest of humankind dies in horrible fashion has become a pop-culture staple. Look no further than the current Peacock series Paradise, in which Sterling K. Brown leads a cast of survivors living in a modified Pleasantville deep inside Colorado rock.
None of these descriptors encompasses all that is Colorado Springs. But this weird blend of characteristics gives a much better sense of the place than "boring."
At least Colorado Springs can take solace in the fact that when the WalletHub website identified the most fun cities in the country, the Springs finished in the 70th slot, beating out Aurora, which limped to 130th. Denver came in 13th.