Best in the Mountains: Colorado Springs, Colo.
| AT A GLANCE | |
| Population | 444,776 |
| Median Home Price | $227,500 |
| Average Property Tax | $1,100 |
| Unemployment Rate | 4.7% |
Sun-drenched Colorado Springs may best be known for athletic and outdoor pursuits. In the shadow of 14,000-foot Pikes Peak, the area is home to the flagship U.S. Olympic Training Center and hundreds of miles of stunning hiking and biking trails along the Colorado Front Range.
But the high-altitude city (6,035 feet) is also enjoying a high-speed economy, with employment increasing at the fastest clip since 2000, outpacing the rate of growth in the rest of Colorado—and in the rest of the country. A lot of those jobs are in the field of aerospace; with the U.S. Air Force Academy and NORAD nearby, it’s no surprise that Fortune 500 names including Lockheed Martin, Northrop Grumman, and Boeing have a significant presence here.
That has paved the way for growth in other high-tech areas. “We’re one of the top five markets in the country for cybersecurity,” says Al Wenstrand of the Colorado Springs Regional Business Alliance.