Niwot (Denver, Boulder, Longmont: buying a house, neighborhoods, buying)

[frogandtoad]

Does Niwot have a community feel to it or does it feel more like Lafayette or another suburb? I know it has a cute downtown and has parades, summer music, etc. and got the feeling it had its own community feel to it but...I was just talking with someone (who admittedly does not live there) who felt it probably did not have a community feel at all...that it probably feels really bland, more like a suburban bedroom community.

Thoughts?

Also, are there any kids' summer swimteams/clubs anywhere near Niwot (nor rec center but swim clubs like Boulder Country Club but w/o the golf)?

Thanks.

OK, I'm going to start another thread too, on Gunbarrel

[Katiana]

Originally Posted by frogandtoad

Does Niwot have a community feel to it or does it feel more like Lafayette or another suburb? I know it has a cute downtown and has parades, summer music, etc. and got the feeling it had its own community feel to it but...I was just talking with someone (who admittedly does not live there) who felt it probably did not have a community feel at all...that it probably feels really bland, more like a suburban bedroom community.

Thoughts?

Also, are there any kids' summer swimteams/clubs anywhere near Niwot (nor rec center but swim clubs like Boulder Country Club but w/o the golf)?

Thanks.

OK, I'm going to start another thread too, on Gunbarrel

What makes you think Lafayette has no community feel? I live in Louisville, do a lot of business in Lafayette (hairdresser, dentist, etc) and I have always had the feeling Laf. had a lot of community spirit. Ditto Louisville. I don't know about Niwot. It has its old town, and its more suburban areas.

[frogandtoad]

I don't know--maybe b/c Lafayette is so big and spread out? I just didn't get a community feel there--at least not the kind I'm looking for....it seemed more like a suburb of Boulder than a town in and of itself. Kind of sprawl. That's just how it felt to me. For Louisville, I know there is a great little old downtown and that area would be really neat but the homes right there (the older ones) are too small for us. The rest of Louisville was too cookie cutterish and again felt like sprawl. As for Louisville, I know people LOVE it and Money Mag. rated it one of the best places to live, so of course it must have a lot going for it, but I didn't connect with it/with the style of homes so we continued looking elsewhere. Luckily there's a great place for everyone--just trying to get a feel for different places....

I love the downtown of Niwot--love old downtowns. But don't really want a bedroom community so I wonder whether people feel like they are really part of a great little town called Niwot or whether they feel like they are a bedroom community of Boulder. Or both maybe...

Thanks for responding though--I appreciate all input!

[Katiana]

I jut looked up Lafayette's stats: 8,85 sq mi., 24,000 population. That is not "big" or "spread out" to me. Population density is rated "average". All this information is available on City-Data. Niwot is not incorporated; it's not really a "town" at all. Yes, it's a bedroom suburb, I mean, they all are, even Boulder, which has a lot of people working in Denver.

[frogandtoad]

Right, I mean the "feel" of it more than anything. I understand the sizes/populations. Whatever the stats, Lafayette did not have a feeling of a tight-knit town to me. Maybe it is, that's fine, but it's not for me--didn't grab me although certainly some of the neighborhoods were beautiful.

Niwot has a really neat old downtown so my question is whether the people in the area there focuses on the town at all or purely on Boulder.

It's OK though....I appreciate the help. I probably just need to spend some more time there and see how it feels......

[Katiana]

Originally Posted by frogandtoad

Right, I mean the "feel" of it more than anything. I understand the sizes/populations. Whatever the stats, Lafayette did not have a feeling of a tight-knit town to me. Maybe it is, that's fine, but it's not for me--didn't grab me although certainly some of the neighborhoods were beautiful.

Niwot has a really neat old downtown so my question is whether the people in the area there focuses on the town at all or purely on Boulder.

It's OK though....I appreciate the help. I probably just need to spend some more time there and see how it feels......

Well, most of the working people there work in Boulder or Longmont. The schools are part of the St. Vrain Valley SD. Niwot has its own high school, Niwot High.

[NiwotLiver]

Hi -

I live in Niwot - it's fabulous. I lived in Denver for years, but much prefer Niwot. It's a bit removed from things - if you want to get in to Denver it's a bit of a drive. But, in 15 minutes we can be in downtown Boulder. If we want to just stay in Niwot, we can walk in 10-15 minutes to 2 coffee shops, a small market, a yoga studio, Curves, barbershop, several excellent restaurants, a wine store, liquor store, post office. A very small town living feel. The light rail will go in a few miles away in a few years, which will make the commute to Denver or the airport much easier. There are absolutely jobs in Niwot - as an example, it's home to Crocs. A huge IBM plant is just 1-2 miles outside of Niwot. Then there are the fabulous walking/biking trails that connect into Boulder. I'm older and don't have kids, so can't really speak to that point . . .

[frogandtoad]

Thanks Niwotliver, I appreciate the input. That is exactly what I was wondering--does it have a community feel of its own. Job isn't important--that's lined up and does not involve commuting. It's just choosing where to live....

Do you happen to know if there are any running groups which go out of the Triathlon store there? I saw the store but didn't have time to stop in. Not critical but just curious!

Thanks again.

[NiwotLiver]

Don't know about running groups organized out of that store - but there are so many in the Boulder area that I don't think you'd have any trouble finding one.

I might add that Niwot is pretty quiet. No nightlife to speak of. For that you'd need to go into Denver or Boulder. But, there are Thursday night concerts in the summer outside, parades on holidays, lobster fests, etc. The Niwot Criterion bike race was this last weekend. It's nice to sit out on the patio at the gourmet restaurant (which focuses on locally grown, organic food) here and have brunch while watching. The town has a very quiet, rural feel. If that's not appealing, it wouldn't be a good fit. If you like quiet, want to be able to walk to all amenities, love to hike/bike/ski, it's a great place.

[Shuffler]

Bring a fat pocketbook if you plan on buying a house in Niwot. It's not affordable to anybody with low to moderate income. They're selling McMansions right along the Diagonal Hwy next to railroad tracks starting in the $600s . Only a person with more $ than common sense would spend that kind of money to be next to an extremely busy road and blaring train whistles every hour of the day.