I think cornsnakes are the nicest colubrid one can keep due to their usually wonderful demeanor and overall adaptable keeping characteristics, you can never go wrong. In captivity, I agree, 3 yrs minimum is usually best.

A few years back I was looking to get into more exotic species that were comparable to cornsnakes in terms of housing, feeding and heating. I tried Childrens and spotted pythons, and I am hooked. Fabulous snakes. If only they had cornsnake paint jobs.