Daily life
The Springs
thuh springz
What everyone in Colorado calls the city. Saying 'Colorado Springs' in full marks you as new, or as someone from out of state.
America's Mountain
—
Pikes Peak, the 14,115-foot summit that fills the western horizon. It is visible from most of the city, and locals navigate by it — 'west' means towards the mountain.
The Academy
thee uh-KAD-uh-mee
The US Air Force Academy, on the northern edge of the city. Its chapel is a landmark and its grounds are partly open to visitors, subject to base access rules.
The Mountain Post
—
Fort Carson, the US Army post immediately south of the city and home of the 4th Infantry Division. Its rhythms — deployments, PCS season, artillery you can hear — shape the whole south side.
719
seven-nineteen
The area code for the whole of southern Colorado, used locally as shorthand for the region the way the 303 is used in Denver.
Culture
The Incline
thee IN-kline
A former funicular railbed in Manitou Springs turned into roughly 2,700 railway-tie steps climbing about 2,000 feet in under a mile. Doing it is a local rite of passage and a genuinely serious effort at this altitude.
Fourteener
for-TEEN-er
A peak above 14,000 feet. Colorado has 58; Pikes Peak is the one you can drive or take a cog railway up, which makes it the most-climbed and most-underestimated.
Guardian
GAR-dee-un
A member of the US Space Force, which has its largest concentration of people here at Peterson and Schriever. If someone says they are a Guardian, they are not being metaphorical.
Business
Clearance
KLEER-uns
Security clearance. In this city it is a routine hiring question rather than a specialist one, and for a non-citizen it is the single most consequential word in the local job market.
Transport
Powers
POW-erz
Powers Boulevard, the north-south arterial through the fast-growing east side. 'Out on Powers' means the newer, cheaper, car-dependent half of the city.
Monument Hill
MON-yoo-ment hil
The Palmer Divide climb on I-25 between here and Denver. It gets its own weather, closes in winter storms, and is the reason a 70-mile drive can take three hours.
Emergency
Hail season
hayl SEE-zun
Roughly April to September. The Front Range gets some of the most damaging hail in the country and roof and car claims are a normal part of life here — check your excess before you need it.
Some of this may be out of date. Spotted something inaccurate? Help us keep it right for the next newcomer.