Boulder Bound (Denver, Longmont, Louisville: middle-class, apartment, renter)

[BigCheeze]

Originally Posted by pittnurse70

Vehicle registration costs are the same statewide. Taxes are similar in Boulder/Boulder Co. to the rest of Colorado. Housing is more expensive there.

I thought you were wrong, but I looked it up and the vehicle registration cost are the same. I do know however that for some reason my co-worker who lives in Boulder was paying more for his registration that I was. And there was no way his suv was worth more than my truck. I'll have to see if I can find out WTF it was that caused his to be more than mine. I know we talked about it because I was commenting on how low I thought mine was, and he called me a few choice words because mine was noticeably lower than his.

Hmmmm.... that really makes me wonder now. Thanks for correcting the information though (even though that I might go insane now trying to find out what the price difference was because he's on vacation for 2 weeks). And just in case anyone is curious where I verified the info it's from here: Colorado Department of Revenue

[seethelight]

Originally Posted by Moving2CO

Long story short... I think CO was always in my subconscious and has finally emerged... I am moving to CO in June from Scottsdale, AZ. I have done a lot of hm work on moving to CO, and I think I am dead set on Boulder... I love a small town feel, the outdoors, and of course mountains, lakes, scenery... everything I read about Boulder, OMG sounds and looks great! I kinda miss seasons, tired of the extreme heat of the AZ desert...

So, I need advise... I am a 35 yr old female, and have a 14 yr old daughter who I must put in a good public school... I was looking into Fairview High... I, on the other hand need to look for work, but not sure if people residing in Boulder have a tough time commuting to say Denver... I am an account manager in the relocation industry, but can work in any business setting and almost any industry... any advice on jobs in Boulder area.

PS. Am I crazy to think I can find a decent job, live in Boulder in a fairly nice place and area of Boulder where I rent a 2 bdrm for ~900-1000/mo?

Also, how's the singles scene in Boulder for the 30 somethings?

Thanks,
Dolly

Not sure about the rents but I do know something about High School in Boulder. My son attends Boulder High which is VERY different from Fairview in a good way, depending on your liberal or non liberal leanings. Boulder High's motto is " a place for everyone", and kids that go to Boulder in no way would want to go to Fairview and vice versa, although both schools are rated as excellent with regard to academics. Since Boulder is an open choice school district, your daughter can attend any High School in Boulder. I would suggest, if you decide to move here to go to both Boulder and Fairview and see which one is a better fit.

[suzco]

Originally Posted by seethelight

Not sure about the rents but I do know something about High School in Boulder. My son attends Boulder High which is VERY different from Fairview in a good way, depending on your liberal or non liberal leanings. Boulder High's motto is " a place for everyone", and kids that go to Boulder in no way would want to go to Fairview and vice versa, although both schools are rated as excellent with regard to academics. Since Boulder is an open choice school district, your daughter can attend any High School in Boulder. I would suggest, if you decide to move here to go to both Boulder and Fairview and see which one is a better fit.

Within BVSD in Boulder there's also New Vista, a smaller high school that appeals to kids who choose a less traditional, more individual, but still academic approach School Profile Page - Boulder Valley School District (http://content.bvsd.org/scripts/profilepage.asp?numsch=350&level=high - broken link)

About Our School

In order to actively engage every student in learning, our program includes:

• personal relationships, built on mutual respect, with all adults in the school;
• an advisor who supports each student from enrollment through graduation;
• choices that allow students to shape the educational program to meet their needs and interests;
• active learning in all classrooms and varied and engaging course offerings;
• credit earning opportunities in the community;
• a school climate that values individuals, community, and learning. Programmatic elements of New Vista High School:
• enrollment by choice and lottery;
• small school size (350) and class size (15-25);
• a culture of revision and practice;
• quarter calendar and block classes;
• weekly time for learning in the community;
• course offerings that respond to student and teacher interests;
• contracts for mentored learning outside of the regular school day and year;
• off-campus learning in technical or post-secondary programs;
• advisory groups;
• heterogeneous and multi-age class groupings;
• a full inclusion approach to special education;
• end of quarter exhibition days that celebrate learning across all disciplines. New Vista's unique graduation requirements expect that each student will:
• fulfill Common Learning Requirements which specify grades of A or B across a range of disciplines;
• write a graduation proposal, convene a graduation committee and complete a Culminating Project.

School Mission and Vision

New Vista is a diverse, supportive and respectful community of learners. The school combines the creativity and commitment of teachers, parents and students with the resources of the broader community. New Vista creates an environment in which excitement about learning enables students to achieve high levels of skill and knowledge. We encourage and support student self-determination and achievement within the school and beyond.

[Moving2CO]

Well I live in Scottsdale, AZ which is the Boulder of CO... it seems apartments would cost me nearly the same i.e. a moderate, not luxury 2br apt would be 1200/mo. although it sounds like I will get less for my money (pool, laundry in unit, etc.)... I am not looking to live near the university at all, my daughter is 14 and will be attending HS... I personally think Pearl or Arapahoe area would be good, close to hiking, outdoors, dwntwn, etc... I may check out Cherry Creek area in Den... I may feel that Den has a small town feel too, not sure...

Question: how much is full coverage/mo on a 2007 Honda (i pay close to $95/mo.) is insurance high in Boulder area? I pay $280/yr for tags in AZ.

You guys are amazing, very helpful on this site, I see your comments all over and it helped me a lot.

[Katarina Witt]

Since Boulder is an open choice school district, your daughter can attend any High School in Boulder.

To attend a school outside one's attendance area, it is necessary to apply to open enroll. All the schools have a cap on enrollments. If there is not enough room at the outside school, you will have to attend the school in your attendance area or open enroll somewhere else. There are two neighborhood high schools in Boulder, Fairview and Boulder, which have attendance areas. New Vista is entirely open-enrollment. There are also high schools in BVSD in Nederland, Louisville (Monarch), Lafayette (Centaurus) and Broomfield. You can find attendance areas at Boulder Valley School District - Home Page

[Moving2CO]

Thanks everyone, so helpfull... I can't wait to go there in March and see all the places I've researched...

What I am torn about is mainly apt rentals... I hope there are decent apts I am not looking for luxury but small and charming, cute, etc... near Pearl and close to a bus line that go to Den. Any advice on this?

[nelumbo]

The B and BX (express B) buses run down Broadway from around Walnut/Pearl. Unless you want to change buses, or park in one of the (free) park n ride lots (Table Mesa, etc), you will want to not get too far north of Walnut, so as to be able to walk to the B. The B/BX run to downtown Denver. They may be the only buses that do so directly, without needing to switch buses at some point. The Table Mesa area would also provide good access to the B, and there is some walkable shopping/restaurants/etc, particularly at Table Mesa and Broadway.

How do you define "charming" and "cute"? In Boston, these were key words in apartment ads that translated to "exceptionally small unit", and were usually not a good thing....

[TropicanaRose]

Hi BoulderBound, I'm a Boulder native, and have lived here most of my life. My husband and I were going to move to the Denver area to be closer to his office, but we just couldn't leave Boulder. That said, Boulder is not the best choice for everyone- it can be hard to "make it" here.

One thing that you really need to consider is the job situation. I would not advise anyone who needs one to come here without a job- it is very competitive. I used to do hiring for a relative who ran a small business, and we would get around a 100 qualified resumes every time a bookkeeping, accounting, or similar position came up! There used to be a joke in town that when you went out to dinner you would try to guess your server's PhD!

You talk about renting on Pearl, or Arapahoe. These streets run East-West, and encompass different neighborhoods- from studenty, to very upscale. It sounds like you would like to be walking distance to the Pearl Street Mall, Mt. Sanitas, and Ideal Market. It won't be impossible to find in your price range, but you will have to do some hunting to find a place that is nice for you and your daughter. As far as places right downtown and West of Broadway, you are probably looking at a 1 bedroom for the rent you want to pay. There are always bargains if you are in the right place at the right time. This will put you in Boulder High. Fairview serves South Boulder.

A friend of mine moved into a 2 bedroom (a couple of years ago) near 28th and Iris and was paying around 900 with heat. I think the complex is Aspen Grove. There's a condo association over there called Winding Trail Village and they seem to come up as rentals pretty frequently. I think they have a pool, and are generally nice, although not luxurious.

Your rent will go a bit further in SoBo, and if you stay walking distance to Broadway, you can hop onto the Skip bus and be downtown in a few minutes. You'll also be close to wonderful hiking and trails.

Don't count on taking the bus to work in Denver. For some people it is a great solution, but there isn't a route for everyone. If my husband took the bus, it would take him two hours each way.

You might also want to look into Lafayette and Louisville. Peak to Peak charter school (part of BVSD) in Lafayette is very highly regarded- but it is K-12, and I don't know how easy it is to get in as a high schooler. Louisville is a great town, and it has that homey, small town feel. Your housing dollar will go a little further there, but it is still pricey. Niwot High is also pretty highly regarded, but again, the area is expensive. It also puts you further from Denver.

Good luck!

[Moving2CO]

Hello everyone... I'll be visiting Boulder/Denver area in March and was wondering if you have any recomendations on places to stay while I visit. I probably wont be in Denver as much as in Boulder as I want to get to know Boulder and vicinitu and visit the high schools, and check out apartments, etc. Any decent places that are not super costly, but a good location to take off from each morning and get to know the place.

Also, I may be asking too much... but do any of you mind advising me on a productive way of seeing and getting to know the place?

[Katarina Witt]

Well, it depends on what you mean by "not super costly". I would suggest a google search for the hotels/motels in the area, then going on those motels' websites to get info about the specific motels. Will you have a car? One suggestion I can make if you have a car is Day's Inn. The address will be listed as either S. Boulder Rd or Table Mesa Dr. (road changes names somewhere near there). It is in SE Boulder, but likely to cost less than places in central Boulder.