Inside the Olympic City, What It Is Like Living Near Team USA

Colorado Springs has a nickname most cities would love to claim. Officially, we are Olympic City USA.

It is not just a slogan on a welcome sign. It is baked into daily life here in a way that still catches newcomers off guard.

What Olympic City USA Actually Means

Since 1978, the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee has been headquartered right here, and Colorado Springs is one of only two official training center campuses in the entire country, the other being Lake Placid, New York.

The training center itself sits on 35 acres and can house more than 500 resident athletes at a time. Swimmers, wrestlers, gymnasts, and shooters all train, eat, and live within a few blocks of downtown.

A 2024 city survey found that 88 percent of residents know about the Olympic City USA brand, and nearly two out of three said they genuinely feel pride in it. That kind of number is not something a marketing campaign manufactures. That pride comes from actually living alongside it.

You Can Actually Go See It

Here is the part that surprises people the most. You do not need a special connection or a media badge to see where Team USA trains.

The training center offers public guided tours Monday through Saturday, running hourly, with no reservation needed for groups under ten. The walking tour takes you past facilities like the Aquatics Center, the Wrestling Gym, and the Strength and Conditioning Center, and depending on the day, you might catch actual athletes mid workout.

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I always tell clients touring here for the first time, do not expect a show. Athletes are training for real, not performing for visitors. That is exactly what makes it feel special, you are watching real work toward an Olympic dream, not a staged exhibit.

Athletes Around Town

It is not only the training center. Colorado Springs has quietly become a hub for figure skating too, with athletes training at the Broadmoor World Arena Ice Hall. Following recent Olympic success, local coaches have talked about how personal those wins feel here, since some of these skaters trained on that very ice long before ever stepping onto an Olympic rink.

Ask around and you will hear stories. Someone's neighbor is a shooting coach. Someone's kid plays rec league with a Paralympic swimmer. Someone bumped into an Olympian buying groceries. It is not a daily occurrence, but it happens often enough that most longtime locals have a story of their own.

The Museum Downtown

If the training center is where the future gets built, the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Museum downtown is where the history lives. The museum recently refreshed its Winter Games Gallery ahead of the 2026 Milano Cortina Games, adding new artifacts and exhibits celebrating past Winter Olympians and Paralympians.

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This is one of my go to spots for out of town guests. It is downtown, it is walkable, and it gives visitors an actual feel for why this city calls itself what it does.

Why It Matters If You Are Thinking About Moving Here

Not every city gets to claim this kind of identity. Colorado Springs does not just host the Olympic movement, it lives alongside it, in the gyms, the ice rinks, the grocery store lines, and the everyday pride residents carry for something bigger than themselves.

If you are picturing a life somewhere with that kind of energy built in, I would love to help you find your place here. Reach out anytime.