Report on our Weekend in Boulder (Denver, Longmont: transplants, real estate, rentals)

[VioLynn33]

SO, DH and I made it out to Boulder last month to check it out and see if it would be a good fit for us and our family. I thought I'd offer an overview of our trip and our opinions.

First let me say, I know it's impossible to get a full picture of a complex town in one weekend. I'm not saying we have it figured out by any means, but this was the best we could do in a short amount of time. I'm sure some folks will disagree with me; I'd love to hear another person's take on our observations.

We stayed at the Boulderado which was great. Our room was in the original sectin of the hotel--per our request--and was one the 5th floor. It was so small we had to leave the room just to change our minds (ba-dom boop). But we loved it, it was full of charm and we found it romantic.

We checked out the Waldorf school in town; it was well-run, the people were friendly, but some of the buildings were dilapidated. As we were driving through the neighborhoods to get there, we kept asking ourselves, "Is this the student section of housing?" We saw many homes that looked unkempt with overgrown lawns and yards. We were pretty surprised at the lack of aesthetic beauty. Natural beauty, yes. Architecturally interesting, no.

For dinner, we went out for sushi on the Pearl Street Mall. A few things really struck us at once. First, how many young (young!) couples there were pushing baby strollers. As if we were in Utah. They looked like they were between 18-22. Our realtor said that some of these kids (yes, I know I sound like I'm 100, I'm in my mid-30's) were independently wealthy and married young and started having kids young. Not sure how true that is, but DH and I kept noticing it.There was lots of people watching to be sure, but it was a very young, college crowd, lots and lots of tatoos, and well, a little....skeevy.

The next day we went to the Farmers Market and it was AMAZING. The food! All natural, all organic and delicious. We ate both breakfast and lunch there. This was a much more comfortable feeling from the night before on the mall--people were extremely friendly, very helpful and we just loved the atmosphere. The Farmer's Market alone made me want to move there.

But then...we went out with our realtor to look at houses. Ugh. I thought we'd have a bit of sticker shock (this forum has warned me) but wow. We were looking around $500k, hoping to simplify things from the very expensive area where we now live. No way to do it in Boulder and have something comperable. We barely left the foyers of the houses we walked in they were so bad. This is where that grungy housing question kept coming back: I swear it looked like student housing that we were looking at. Very unkempt, very VERY small. And there was not a whole lot of "pretty" areas. The homes in Boulder proper were rough and the ones outside the city were very suburban tract homes.

We wouldn't have been surprised in the least to have seen a couch on the front lawn, or a keg on the porch for a lot of these homes. When our realtor took us into the Historic District, we said "Oh! This is more our style! These homes are beautiful!" and he said "sure, it's only 1.3 M." Ouch!

Here's my theory on the housing situation: people from where we're from (Chicagoland) are very house proud. They spend a lot of time on and in their homes: they entertain there, have large family gatherings there, and hide in them during the horrible winters. In Boulder, people use their homes for....shelter and to come home and shower and change after their morning bike ride and before their afternoon hike. Their yards look like that because they're too busy being out: in the parks, on the trails, DOING something. They don't have TIME for things like yardwork or housework. To them, the entire Boulder area is their backyard. Their homes aren't as important as just being in Boulder, period. At least, that's our theory to explain the grunge factor.

We rented bikes and rode everywhere. That was the best part: we were literally outside the whole time. We ate all our meals outside and walked and biked everyhwere. We loved Chatauqua Park. That was where we really saw the beauty that everyone speaks of. Honestly, we were underwhelmed with the beauty of Boulder. It was very flat, very brown, very unremarkable--until you got to the foothills. That was disappointing.

In other ways, though, we felt like we were visiting a futuristic society: solar panels everywhere, the most amazing recycling available. The people were so friendly, really kind. Even the little things, like a box along the trail to stuff your used, plastic newspaper sleeves so others could use them to scoop their dog's poop! Unbelievable! We loved that aspect of Boulder. We felt we would fit right in and it was great to be around like-minded people in that regard.

But honestly, I consider myself a very liberal, progressive person and I found myself feeling a little uncomfortable with the grungy-hippy element. We worried about raising our kids here: is there any way to raise kids in Boulder and not have them be scruffy hippies? It seems a little extreme there. And seriously, the lack of "care" for the homes did bother us. It was very much a college-town feeling.

I know this is long; thanks for reading and hopefully adding your two cents. Please know I mean no disrespect to Boulder--it really is lovely, I'm just telling it from our perspective.

[Neditate]

Your perspective is... interesting.
I had written a long reply then hit the wrong key and it was deleted. Probably for the best.
It sounds like Boulder is not the place for you.

[POhdNcrzy]

VioLyn33, much of what you write is so spot on correct. Trust your intuition and the conclusions you make because your observational skills are great! I like how somebody chimed in about how consciousness of the need for water conservation explains many of Boulder's ragged and overgrown lawns. Those folks represent what I would call "old Boulder". These folks don't outwardly look so much like hippies anymore, but much of the counterculture and "expanded consciousness" lives on. These people are kind-hearted, educated, intelligent, non-conformist, and many other good things too.

Other explanations for the ratty homes and raggedy lawns:

1. VioLyn33's theory about Boulderites too busy having fun to worry about that stuff....YES YOU ARE CORRECT !

2. Many of the nastier houses are rentals inhabited by "kids" and college students. (Do I need to explain myself further?) Also, Boulder landlords and property managers who oversee these houses tend to be very negligent and tight-fisted concerning repairs, IMHO, lots of what real estate appraisers call "deferred maintenance", etc.

I want to mention BTW one thing I really miss about Boulder. The pundits say Boulder has a highly educated population and lots of intelligent residents. One thing I've noticed living elsewhere (SoCal and RI), is how much "dumber" other places seem to be, judging from shopping in stores, grocery stores, natural food stores, etc. Back in Boulder, I always could find everything I needed shopping in town, and was often surprised with new experiences, products, services, etc. as well. Even the King Soopers grocery store chain in Boulder is much more intelligently stocked and operated than other grocery stores in the US. Here in RI I need to drive all over the place to many different stores to get the stuff I want or need. SoCal was real bad in that way, 2 grocery stores on every block but nobody is selling the stuff you want and need!? In Boulder, the buyers, management, even the clerks and cashiers, tend to be much more intelligent and better at doing their jobs. It may sound elitist, but I've realized that is a real benefit to living in Boulder. Now don't get me wrong, Boulder still has plenty of idiots living there, too, LOL !

[RangerDuke08]

Interesting indeed, Boulder may not be my favorite place but I find it rather beautiful and have been out to the great lake region myself many times. Boulder is perhaps the most educated city in the country 66% with college degrees, 33% with grad degrees. As you may know we do get a fair share of transplants, many kids move here to start off a new life, many who do move here with a significant other, jobs in the high tech field still seem plentiful. Likewise you point to Utah, the keeping up with the Jones attitude is very much present in much of the Denver/Boulder region. To me it really isn't much of a liberal hippie feel as much as it's a yuppie feel. Thing do change significantly once you get to the mountains and rural Colorado, its a totally different vibe however the greatest export of rural Colorado is its kids, like myself, who eventually move out to one of the cities, in state or out of state. Likewise I spend plenty of time in Boulder socializing, but would worry myself about raising a family in much of the Denver/Boulder region. Safety is not a concern, certainly safer than Chicagoland, but more about those around with everything given by mom and pop and having my kid work for what they want. That's just my 2 cents, I'm sure many would disagree, but you should go with your feel, good luck!

[Noahma]

you might fit best just outside boulder in Longmont, Lafayette, or Louisville. You will find more pride of ownership in these areas (not to say that Boulder does not have this in areas) Did they show you anything in Dakota Ridge Village in the north west corner of Boulder? I believe there are some town homes that are in that price range.

[chilaili]

I'm surprised to read about houses with that kind of appearance. Most of the housing I see in Boulder is owned by very house-proud people with fabulous gardens, but I guess it depends a lot on the neighbourhood. I'm sure certain areas (eg; around CU) are a little more rundown? Certainly your price range will limit the areas you can look at and frankly, the nicer, better maintained ones are a lot more expensive than what you want to pay. Did your realtor take you to Gunbarrel? You might find something up there. Are you only looking at houses with gardens or townhomes too? As already suggested, you might have better luck outside Boulder such as Louisville or Lafayette.

And certainly not everyone in Boulder is a "grungy hippy". Spend enough time there and you'll see lots of yuppies too, along with plenty of other characters. You mustn't assume we all walk around dressed in 70s clothes and dreadlocks.

Did you walk along the Boulder Creek at all? Or visit the Historic District? I think you got a very small, limited viewpoint of Boulder, especially on Pearl Street. That place is full of all ages and personalities every night of the week.

[sumgai187]

I agree with the Longmont/Lafayette/Louisville suggestion.

However, maybe you should check out some Utah towns. Clean cities, affordable & well maintained homes, young families, good place to raise kids, beautiful scenery, very active & fit residents, etc. Plus, you'll feel like you're a lot more liberal there.

[Neditate]

Now that I have "calmed down" a bit... I still find your post insulting.
This paragraph really got to me:
"For dinner, we went out for sushi on the Pearl Street Mall. A few things really struck us at once. First, how many young (young!) couples there were pushing baby strollers. As if we were in Utah. They looked like they were between 18-22. Our realtor said that some of these kids (yes, I know I sound like I'm 100, I'm in my mid-30's) were independently wealthy and married young and started having kids young. Not sure how true that is, but DH and I kept noticing it.There was lots of people watching to be sure, but it was a very young, college crowd, lots and lots of tatoos, and well, a little....skeevy."

What did you mean by "as if we were in Utah"? I guess it is some kind of slight toward Utah but I am not sure. Why would young LOOKING parents bother you so much? (BTW, my niece is 31 and has 3 kids, but she could easily pass for 21.) I don't get it.
Pearl Street Mall is more or less a popular tourist attraction. I would guess that many of the people you observed there were not Boulder residents. Yes, there are a lot of young people in Boulder... Boulder is a college town. The mall is a popular place for kids to hang out. Not exactly an accurate representation of the population of Boulder.

"I consider myself a very liberal, progressive person and I found myself feeling a little uncomfortable with the grungy-hippy element. We worried about raising our kids here: is there any way to raise kids in Boulder and not have them be scruffy hippies?"

That has to be the most ridiculous statement in your post.

The Boulder that you want is out of your price range, unfortunately for you. Keep looking and good luck.

[TropicanaRose]

is there any way to raise kids in Boulder and not have them be scruffy hippies?

Most kids in Boulder are not ""scruffy hippies."

As a native of Boulder and a mom/aunt to many Boulder kids (some now grown and quite wonderfully so) I find that remark off-putting to say the least.

You seem to have a lot of pre-conceived notions while having done little research- you should have known that you couldn't possibly afford a historic district home. That said, I do think there are some lovely homes that are in your price range in several different neighborhoods. I'm quite curious to know which neighborhoods you looked in. I'm also wondering if you knew that there is more than one Waldorf school in Boulder County? On the other hand, you just don't sound like you would be happy here.

If you found Boulder too scruffy you won't like Longmont or Lafayette, and Louisville is a few miles to the east- further away from the mountains- though you do have nice mountain views. Perhaps you would do better to look for a pretty town in the south.

[VioLynn33]

Thanks for all of your perspectives!

About the water restriction: that isn't what I was refering to when I spoke of unkempt lawns. I understand and appreciate water conservation; this was unmowed lawns or untended lawns, not dry or unwatered lawns.

Of course not everyone is a hippy in Boulder! But there was a very similar look to a lot of the younger population and that is what got DH and I wondering about raising kids there. We also noticed the very intelligent and open-minnded people, like we said: almost like time-traveling to a more advanced city in the future!

Yes, absolutely we walked and biked along the creek and loved it! As I said, we were outside the entire 3 days. And of course we only had a limited experience of Boulder; unfortunately it was all we could swing for the time being. That is what first impressions are about--sometimes they are accurate but sometimes they miss the mark. No one can really know what a place is like to live in until...you live there! That's what makes moving so difficult.

Hopefully, talking about our weekend experience in Boulder can help others who are in the same boat as us--looking for a move, not sure what to expect.