It’s been 18 months since my wife, Judy, and I moved to Manitou Springs and, I have to say, it’s been a fantastic experience. The climate, the people, the natural environment — it’s all been a total revelation to us coming from the Deep South.
I know this will come as no surprise for those who have lived here a while, but the difference between a place like Manitou and, frankly, everywhere else I’ve lived is remarkable. This community exudes a sense of openness that borders on feeling like family and that’s a rare thing in our increasingly polarized society. It’s something to cherish, relish and, most importantly, to nurture.
This community exudes a sense of openness
One of the really pleasant surprises for us has been the Pikes Peak Bulletin. The fellow we bought our house from had a subscription and said we absolutely should maintain it. I wasn’t really sure about that; after all, it’s a small local paper and I thought “eh, we’ll see.”
But he was right. A paper like the PPB really helps knit together our little community. Sure, the internet is a source of information, and the PPB has a presence there that is quite welcome. But the internet is, let’s be honest, a bit of a mess and it’s a lot to weed through many sites and Facebook groups that may touch on a single element or two of what’s happening here.
And there is so much happening here, all the time and all over the place … it’s not like that everywhere.
The PPB has been a great way for Judy and me to get a sense of what’s going on, to learn about the people in the community we haven’t met yet, to get behind the Mustangs as they compete across the state and so much more.
Manitou has so many wonderful qualities, but it has challenges like any place does and being able to keep up with the City Council, city planning and upcoming meetings via the PPB has been a great way for us to really get a sense of where we are as a community and where we are heading.
Our house’s previous owner had some … interesting … ideas and tastes but he was right about one thing: We definitely love the PPB and look forward to reading it each week!