COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. — Allen Burbidge has lived in Colorado Springs since the 1980s.
"I was with Texas Instruments in Dallas, and then they moved up here," he said.
He says with how the city's grown, its infrastructure needs to keep up.
"More public transportation, like they've talked about a train running down Nevada (Avenue here," Burbidge said.
According to the state demographer, by 2050, El Paso County will surpass one million people, a number well above the Centennial State's most populous counties.
Longtime resident Troy Matos said people certainly have reasons to come here and it needs to stay that way.
"We moved here for work 26 years ago," Matos said. "We should try and spread people out, not build one on top of the other."
With more growth predicted, Tim Vanderhoof, the Vice President of Economic Development for the Colorado Springs Chamber and EDC, says 'smart' economic growth needs to follow.
"We're targeted," he says. "We don't want to see development for the sake of development."
Vanderhood says the Chamber and EDC are is working to bring more industry to Colorado Springs, and when he talks about "smart growth" he means:
"The jobs and the type of employers that are paying above a median wage, a job that requires having a more skilled acumen."
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The Unproven Claim at the Center of a 'Zero Tolerance' Crackdown
A "Zero Tolerance" crackdown in Teller County is being partially justified by the Sheriff's claim that immigrants are responsible for a crime spike. However, the Sheriff's Office has not provided direct evidence, and both the Forest Service and ICE have declined to comment on the specifics.
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