Facts Show the City Has One of the Toughest Dating Scenes for Singles; Local Matchmaker Weighs In on the Dating Struggles
Anyone who has lived in Colorado Springs has heard someone complain about being single and how hard dating is in the city. Many people who are unhitched find it hard to meet someone and some argue that dating is harder in Colorado Springs than it is in other cities.
And, many seem to think that it is harder for men to date than it is for women. But, others say that dating is hard no matter who you are. In fact, two women from Colorado Springs started a podcast called “Single in the Springs,” which talks about the dating struggles they have experienced. The podcast was started by Madeline Hoeppner and Megan Thomas who is also the founder of the local food blog Springs Native.
In an article published by Springs Magazine in 2019, the author Thomas talks about her struggles with trying to date in the city. She also interviewed several single people in the area and got their take on how effective the different dating websites were. But Thomas gives accounts of how people have had problems with just about all forms of online dating apps.
In addition to personal accounts of dating struggles, there is data that supports the claims. According to a 2014 article published by KDVR Fox 31 in Denver, data collected by Facebook showed that Colorado Springs was the relationship capital of the United States, meaning that there are more people in relationships than any other city. The article also said that the city is the third worst to live in if you are single; Denver sat just below it on the list.
According to CensusReporter.org, 51 percent of people who live in Colorado Springs are married. The data also shows that 36 percent of the men in the city have never been married versus only 27 percent of women in the city have never tied the knot.
Local Matchmaker Says Dating Struggles are Hard Everywhere
However, despite all the personal accounts and statistics saying that dating is harder in the Olympic City, Donna Shugrue, owner of Perfectly Matched Dating in Colorado Springs disagrees. According to her company’s website, Perfectly Matched has been helping singles find people to date for the last 30 years.The website states that Shugrue is responsible for 700 married men and women.
Shugrue said that she hears often that it is harder to date in Southern Colorado than other places, but she doesn’t think that is the case. “I don’t know that it is harder in Colorado Springs than it is anywhere else,” the matchmaker said. “It’s hard in general to find the right person and the way people do it sets them up for failure. Because, they base their choice mostly on physical attraction, which of course is important it has to be there. But, what I do in my business is just the opposite. I start with the things that matter.”
Six Major Areas of Compatibility
Shugrue said that her prospective clients first take a compatibility profile test that defines six major areas of compatibility. Next, she looks for long-term goals, shared interests and activities, and other lifestyle factors such as whether they smoke or drink, education, and income. She then comes up with matches based on how each person answered the questions.
However, the matchmaker did say that dating can be harder in the city for people in certain demographics.
“Colorado Springs is definitely more difficult for men in their 20s and 30s, because of all the military bases we have around here,” Shugrue said. “There are a lot more young men in those age ranges than there are women. And in general, under 35 I always have more men and over 55 I always have more women. And since the pandemic, I have great activity in the 60’s and 70’s.”
She said that older women seem to have similar problems as younger men in the city. “The ladies have the advantage in the beginning and the men have the advantage in the end,” Shugrue said. “One thing I could use right now is some more men in their 50s. The whole time I have had my business I have always been well balanced in the 50s, but in the last year or pretty much since COVID, I am finding I need more men in their 50s.”
Are MeetUps a Good Way to Meet Someone to Date?
After having bad experiences trying to date by going to bars or using online dating apps, many singles have turned to using the MeetUp website to connect with people. The website contains several MeetUp groups organized by city.
For example, in Colorado Springs people can join MeetUp groups like the hiking group, the bitcoin MeetUp, or the singles and friends 50 years old and up group. Many like the idea of participating in a MeetUp group because they can find others that have similar interests.
However, according to Shugrue, dating through a MeetUp group may not be as easy as it sounds. “Those are great for people who are looking to share activities in common like hiking or whatever the activity might be,” she said. “I think there is a slim chance that you are going to meet somebody that is a romantic match for you. Like the speed dating things, those are fun little things, but I don’t think they generate effective results.”
For those struggling in the dating scene, anyone can take the Perfectly Matched Dating compatibility test at PerfectlyMatchedDating.com to get started with the city’s only matchmaking service. After taking the test, Shugrue will schedule a meeting with the person and then charge a rate based on how many matches she can come up with.
