HubTrail to Black Forest CO - Top 10 Jobs and Stargate SG-1

It makes one think about the television science fiction show, Stargate SG-1. And well it should, because the Black Forest-Colorado Springs area Cheyenne Mountain was the HQ of the fictional American Stargate Progam for over a decade of popular shows and DVDs.

The mountain has also been a real HQ. The Cheyenne Mountain complex dates back to 1956, when General E. E. Partridge commanded the US Continental Air Defense Command. He asked for a new underground combat operations center to replace his current outmoded facility. The launch of Sputnik in October, 1957 convinced the federal government that this was a worthy action and the new facility was built inside a mountain, with NORAD (the North American Aerospace Defense Command) at its center. It was glamorous as well as cutting edge for decades. Many of the command operations have moved to Fort Peterson CO.

Cheyenne Mountain is one of the most unusual facilities one can see anywhere. Built 2,000 feet into the mountainside, the command joins the US Army, Navy, Marine Corps, Air Force, and Coast Guard with Canadian Forces in a multinational command. This is, in fact, reflected in related TV show, in syndication - espeacilly Stargate Atlantis.

Civilian businesses operate on top of the mountain, incuding a zoo and a Shrine to Will Rogers. The complex draws thousands of visitors yearly to see the zoo, shrine, and what little they can of the NORAD facility. the Stargate franchise fans - Gaters - are usually among them.

Shriever Airforce Base is an important part of the United States Space (and Missile Defense) Command, with the following units housed on base:

1. 50th Space Wing
2. Essential medical personnel of the 21^st Medical Group
3. 310^th Space Wing
4. Space Innovation and Development Center
5. Missile Defense Agency's Missile Defense Integration and Operations Center
6. 527th Space Aggressor Squadron
7. Space and Missile Defense Command-Space and Ballistic Missile Defense Forces
8. US Army 100th Missile Defense Brigade
9. 53rd Signal Battalion
10. Detachments of 392^nd Training Squadron, Space and Missile Systems Center, and 1^st Space Test Squadron

The governors of Colorado and the neighboring state of New Mexico have partnered to plan and imlement a new type of wildlife protection program. They will build animal migration corridors to allow animals to migrate seasonally without the threat of hunters. This initiative brings reality to talk about sustainability and conservation in the America Southwest. The growing community of Black Forest near Colorado Springs has establlshed its own Community Wildfire Protection Plan, a Preservation Plan, and a Slash-Mulch Program for wildfire mitigation and recycling.

Black Forest is an unincorporated village with only two traffic lights, but it is the fastest growing place in Colorado.and a suburb of Colorado Springs. Its proximity to Colordao Srings places it near the US Olympic Committee (USOC) Headquarters and training compound, and a number of USAF bases, including Cheyenne Moutain, featured in films and the Stargate SG-1 SyFy network series.

The US Census Department estimated 13,072 households in Black Forest for 2010, up 106% since 2000. The village is named for its high-density stands of Ponderosa Pine trees. Black Forrest's unincorporated portion of Larrimie County lies in the Front Range Urban Corridor that is targeted for ongoing business and jobs development by the state and country governments, helping it to become the fastest growing place within the fastest growing county in Colorado.

Black Forest is the fastest growing place in Colorado; however, its job market has been in flux. Each increase in the late 2000s was followed by a period of decline. Still, jobs began increasing in 2nd QTR 2010.

The local market economy is largely based in High Tech Industries and Defense.

Some of the largest employers in Colorado Springs are defense related. the largest hiring companies in BOLD: Boeing, General Dynamics, Harris Corporation, ITT, L-3 Communications, Lockheed Martin, and Northrop Grumman.

High Tech successes include: Verizon Business – Software; Hewlett-Packard (HP); SNIA – SNIA Technology Center; and Agilent.

The column to the right, below, shows the leading companies listing job openings in the Black Forest martket, many in Colorado Springs and some involving government contracts. The federal government and the USAF are larger job listers themselves.

1. Physical Therapists
2. State Tested Certified Nursing Aides
3. Financial Advisors
4. Occupational Therapists
5. Sales Representatives
6. Software Engineers
7. Project Managers
8. Store Managers and Assistant Managers
9. Network and Systems Engineers
10. Sales Specialists

Additional High Demand Jobs

1. Dental Assistants
2. Operations Managers
3. Sr Software Engineers
4. Cost Accountants

Companies in BOLD are also Top Job Listers:

1. Memorial Health Services
2. Penrose-St. Francis Health Services
3. Lockheed Martin Corporation
4. The Broadmoor Hotel
5. Hewlett Packard
6. Progressive Insurance Company
7. Verizon Business
8. Atmel Corporation
9. ITT Industries Inc.-Systems Division
10. United Services Automobile Association