Manitou Springs

Manitou Springs is located just west of Colorado Springs and right next to the Garden of the Gods, which is an area of beautiful rock formations with hiking, camping, and a visitors center & gift shop. This quaint little town has a very fun feel to it, and although there are a lot of touristy shops it is also fun for native Coloradans as well. My family and I often stop here when visiting Garden of the Gods or when passing through on our way to camping up near Woodland Park.

With a population of just over 5,000 this town has it's own elementary, middle, and high school. All of the schools rate higher than average on state testing standards. The crime rate is lower than national averages which make this a nice town to raise a family. The median home price is $320,000 while the median household income was $40,000. The area is predominantly white.

For visitors one of the best things you can do is go to the Manitou Cliff Dwellings Museum. Although it can feel a bit touristy, the museum has been open since 1907 and has various Anasazi artifacts and visitors can explore traditional Pueblo-style cliff dwellings. The museum also has dioramas depicting life for the cliff dwellers.