COLORADO SPRINGS : Climbing to the heights of High-Tech.

• Author: COUCH, JAN
• Position: Business information and site of Tech Summit 2001 conference - Brief Article - Statistical Data Included

PIKES PEAK ISN'T THE ONLY HIGH POINT IN COLORADO SPRINGS.

In fact, the once-serene and sedate resort town has given birth to a vibrant metropolis of more than a half million people, all the while racking up impressive marks in terms of quality of life, business climate, economic diversity and community leadership.

Check out recent accolades for Colorado Springs:

* Leads the nation in high tech growth and is the 2nd most "tech savvy" city in the nation, according to the American Electronics Association.

* Named the 10th "best place in America to do business," by Forbes magazine in 2000.

* Listed as the 17th fastest growing city in the United States, according to Census Bureau statistics released in October 2000

* Rated as the 13th "most physically fit" city in the United States, according to Men's Fitness magazine.

* Named 10th "hottest city for relocation and expansion," according to Expansion Management magazine. The publication also ranked Colorado Springs 5th among the Top 25 High Tech Cities in January 2001.

* Rated 6th in the nation for software workforce concentration, according to the Software and Information Industry Association.

* Ranked 2nd in the nation for home Internet access with 65 percent of the population going online and 75 percent owning computers.

* Ranked 2nd for the shortest commute among 60 technology oriented cities in the U.S., according to chamber of commerce data.

* Selected as 2nd in the world, among cities between 300,000 and 1 million residents, for environmental management of municipalities.

No wonder Gov. Bill Owens has selected Colorado Springs to host Tech Summit 2001, an annual event that touts Colorado as one of the high-tech hubs of the world. Last year, Microsoft Chairman Bill Gates gave the keynote address at Denver's Buell Theater, drawing attention from media worldwide. This year's summit, to be held at the Pikes Peak Center in downtown Colorado Springs later this summer, will further the city's reputation as a cutting-edge technology center, according to Chamber of Commerce President Will Temby.

"The summit is a great idea, and quite candidly, we convinced the governor's staff that it would be good for Colorado to hold the annual summit throughout the state," said Temby, who added a division of technology and international trade to the chamber since becoming president in 2000.

Bob Balink holds that position, not only to spotlight high-tech activities but also to develop local companies and small...