Stuart Scott Ltd Newsletter

NEWSLETTER, May 2011

Still Friendly

by Stuart Scott

Susie and I rolled into Colorado Springs in our navy blue VW Hatchback about four decades ago. The sun was starting to set behind those mountains that, to this day, make me stop to gaze in wonder. As we headed south, with the Air Force Academy to our right, there was hardly a light to be seen until we travelled the two lanes of I-25 past Pulpit Rock, where the new “north” neighborhoods were beginning around Garden of the Gods Road.

The city that evening was in the middle of an economic boom. Ying having its yang, however, the forces wanting it to stay dark from Monument to the Fillmore exit won out, and a gas moratorium was put in place to slam the door on that overheated economy. Never has an attempt to slow growth worked so well….the building stopped, much to the delight of those who wanted their little burg to stay a little burg.

In those days, those who supported growth counted among their motivations the hope that their children would be able to grow up and find the city’s economic base sufficient that they could find a job and stay in Colorado Springs if they wanted to. Oh, and they hoped more good restaurants would follow…..they complained that there just weren’t enough Luigi’s and Mission Inns. And, could they have a few music venues?

Since that time, we’ve seen another recession or two, hitting the .coms and the oil business, and, of course, real estate. An interesting variable during those ups and downs was the community’s reaction to growth. When unemployment hovers under double digits, it seems businesses, including home construction, are looked upon much more favorably for the livelihoods they provide for our citizens (and the restaurants that stay open).

Through all these ups and downs, while we’ve added lights all the way up I-25 to Monument, there has been one common thread. For the hundreds of families we’ve worked with who’ve spent their first day in Colorado Springs, their reaction is near unanimous…. even during the growth years… a genuine surprise and appreciation for how FRIENDLY you are. Through the years many have arrived here expecting to be overwhelmed by one point of view or another…. but when people get here they pretty much find a friendly, Western mentality. Strangers smiling at strangers, helping with directions, letting them into traffic…..good markets or bad.

When the questions comes up….”how do you handle having THOSE PEOPLE here (whoever they think those people are), my response is that everyone treats me as I treat them. My rights end where your nose begins. I can believe whatever I want, stand up for those beliefs in whatever forum…as long as I don’t impinge on your rights. If you’ve always lived here, it’s not like that most other places, you know.

Let’s keep it that way! Thankfully, both of our kids were able to come back to Colorado Springs to live. We have countless choices for dining or entertainment of many kinds.

As our economy recovers it’ll mean more folks coming from other parts of the country and the world. I trust that, after their first day of seeing our city, they’ll still come to me and say…..wow, everyone here is so FRIENDLY!

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