Move to Boulder area (Denver, Greeley: middle-class, apartment complexes, rental)

[Winnie1123]

Hi just read a magazine that talks about the boulder area, it is suppose to be a great place to retire. Can anyone tell me about this area? weather, industry, jobs, people. thanls

[2bindenver]

Boulder is expensive with regards to housing prices. I would look at Ft. Collins/Greeley or Broomfield (Anthem Ranch) an area specifically over 55.

[guidonia]

Boulder is way overpriced, but you can live 15-20 minutes away for a lot less. Try Longmont, Lafayette, Erie.It's mostly because they have worked very hard to control growth and sprawl, reaking havoc with supply and demand, pricing the middle-class out and making the sprawl really intense as soon as you're out of the city limits. There are at least 50,000 people who commute to Boulder for work everyday, in a city with 90,000 people.

Weather: 300 days of sunshine. Winters have been very mild and not very snowy the past few years. It can get really cold, but usually doesn't stay so for long. Summers are hot & dry. The sun makes it very pleasant, though.

Industry and jobs: big tech industry-IBM, many other companies. Natural food and sports clothing are other industries (Wild Oats, Celestial Seasonings, Silk soy milk, all here). The University is a big employer.

People: I've posted my cynical view on their politics in another post (on the subject Looking for Eden, Erie, Mead, etc.). But overall i have to say people are friendly.

Outdoor activities and fitness are very big here.There is a whole different understanding of what it means to be physically fit. 4th of July we climbed Mt. Sanitas, and it was funny, the visitors were huffing and puffing from the get go, and could hardly take a step, said they'd never done anything so psysically challenging in their lives, while dozens of Boulderites were trail running up.

I find the attitudes provincial and smug in some ways. It's an unintended consequence of the well-intentioned growth policy, but sadly it has turned Boulder into a largely weathly and elite (ist) community. There are a few relics of the hipple past, and ocassionally you'll see Buddhist monks walking down the street, but many more yuppies. And did I mention smug? People will say very aggressively that they refuse to eat in chain restaurants while carrying a Whole Foods bag. Or carry a sign that says "no blood for oil" and drive home in their SUV. You can only laugh.

However, no one can deny that it's a gorgeous town, and very pleasant. You can walk from downtown into the mountains. Hiking trails and bike paths are well maintained and almost limitless. Violent crime is very rare. Sometimes the biggest issue in the local paper is nasty relationships between drivers and bikers. There are good restaurants. I suggest coming to visit. If you're looking for a more normal town, Ft. Collins is really nice, too, with the same outdoor activities as Boulder, but much more of a real, middle America kind of feel and people.

[arrege]

Yet another person from So CAL looking at Boulder.

We (wife and I) live in the LA Area (Valley) and we've decided to try something different for the next 9-12 months. I realize we're heading into the fall season, but we've taken that into consideration already. After that time period, we may decide to move again or stick around Boulder if we like it.

A bit of info about us will help get better responses. We are in our 30s, self-employed (traffic/rush hours don't matter) and no kids (schools don't matter). We generally eat healthy and enjoy exercising regularly (gym or outdoors)...and that is an important part of our life.

We are looking to rent in parts of Boulder that have a similar age group. We do not want to be around the College crowd...but rather working professionals in their 30s...hopefully quiet, safe neighborhoods that are relatively close to restaurants, stores and theaters.

Can anyone suggest what parts to concentrate on and which ones to avoid?

My questions may be a little odd because LA is so huge and so diverse in terrain and populace that every area here is different from the next one.

Look forward to your responses.

[2bindenver]

Boulder is a college town. Look at Lowry, Stapleton, Wash Park.

[Micktooth]

We recently moved to Louisville. I would recommend Louisville,Superior or Broomfield. About 10 miles south of Boulder and 20 north of Denver. Good shopping,dining and the safest I've ever felt. I've lived in NY, new orleans,dallas.

[kljackso]

Hello,

Are you looking to rent? What sort of housing do you prefer? If you want to live in Boulder itself, I'd suggest either South Boulder or North Boulder (avoid 'the Hill' and surrounding areas where many college students live). I'm a 26 yr. old graduate student and I've lived all over Boulder and have never had any problems with noisy neighbors, parties, etc. Of course, it's more expensive to rent in Boulder than in surrounding towns, and houses/apartments are generally smaller and older, but can be very nice as well.

If you look out in Lafayette, Louisville, Broomfield, Superior, or Gunbarrel (my favorite b/c it's quiet and has lots of open space and trails), you'll often find nicer housing for less money if that's what you're looking for. Of course, you'll be a few miles further from downtown Boulder (restaurants, theaters, etc) and the mountains, but the view is better from a little bit farther out anyway! Rather than just the foothills and flatirons, you can actually view the ranges behind them, which I think is spectacular!

For the record, I currently live in a house on Spruce St. in central Boulder. I feel like I should mention this since I didn't suggest living in central Boulder. I feel like most of the apartment complexes near downtown Boulder are 70's style, small, dark, expensive, and not very interesting from what I've seen. Additionally, I've found that the car traffic can be a bit loud until you get used to it (I guess you live in LA so you're probably used to this sort of thing!). After living just off of pearl st for the last few months, I sometimes wonder why I haven't lived closer to all the action for the last 5 yrs! Realistically, you should probably just visit and decide which portions you like the best for yourself

Keep us posted on what you decide!

[petenadi]

Seems like all the smart Californians are leaving, the even smarter ones are looking at Colorado.

[arrege]

Dear KLJackso,

Thanks for the detailed reply. Yes we are looking to rent since we're not going to buy in an unfamiliar area.

When you mentioned the neighboring towns, I am curious as to how close they are to the downtown Boulder area. We don't eat out often...usually weekends, but getting access to a 24 Hr fitness gym is pretty important.

Does any one of these towns have more people in the 27-35 age group of working professionals?

Ideally, I'd like to be about a 15 min drive from the 'action' in Boulder.

You see, where we live in LA, we are about 25 miles from any 'action'...but it always takes about 45-55 mins to get to the 'action' because of traffic
Where we live in LA is more like a suburb...too quiet..mostly empty nester type families and a very 'low/slow energy'.

In the end, you are right about having to come over ourselves to take a look around...which will probably happen mid September.

Look forward to your responses.

Thanks
Arrege

[kljackso]

Hi Arrege,

All of the towns I listed are between around 3 and 10 miles from Boulder. Gunbarrel, for instance, is maybe between 2 and 3 miles out (I lived in North Boulder and jogged out there all the time - literally a stones throw from Boulder). You can reach downtown Boulder in between 5 and 15 minutes from any of these towns. I looked at some rental condos in the Powderhorn complex in Gunbarrel last month and they were really, really nice. Additionally Powderhorn has a great pool w/spa, tennis courts, trails, etc. I really liked it!

Honestly, I'm not extrememly knowledgeable about which towns have the most late-20 to mid-30 somethings, but I think you can find them anywhere! Boulder is full of young people who are active and motivated, so I don't imagine you'll have many problems finding them There are tons of clubs/groups you can get involved with - rock climbing, mountain biking, running, kayaking, golf, fishing, road biking - you name the activity, you can find groups of people (mens, womens, or co-ed) online that you can join up with to meet people while doing your favorite things.

What else...oh yes, the gym situation. There is a 24 hour fitness in east boulder (which is really close to louisville, lafayette, gunbarrel) and there is one in Broomfield (which is about 5 miles outside of boulder towards denver). If you're not really specific about which gym you go to (although i'd understand if you were loyal to 24 hour fitness - they're great!), I'm sure you can find something really close that will fit your needs. I haven't looked around too much for gyms because i typically use the university fitness center, so I'm maybe not the best source on this one.

But all in all, if you live in any of these other towns (or of course in Boulder), you can easily go out to eat, have a drink, see a concert, etc. anytime you wish, weekends or otherwise - it's very close. Boulder traffic gets progressively more congested every year, but it won't stop you from getting around quickly since Boulder's not very large. Also, if you have a bicycle, it seems to be the preferred method of transportation of lots of people - I read that Boulder has something like 250 miles of trails withing the city limits.

If you have any more questions let me know. Good luck!