looking for info on longmont (Denver, Fort Collins: income, work, commuter)

[chilaili]

I live in Longmont and commute to Loveland. From the very north end of Longmont it takes me about 25 minutes to get to the centre of Loveland going up Hwy 287. If you live further south in Longmont (eg; down Hover St) it could take longer because of all the stop lights. I don't know much about Loveland itself. To me it seems quite sprawling and growing all the time and I've been told it's quite conservative. HOWEVER, it has great access to Estes Park up Big Thompson Canyon which is a stunning drive and it's very close to Fort Collins and I-25.

[kat1804]

Originally Posted by chilaili

Weather in October is pretty good. The trees are turning colour and will look fabulous, it's not freezing cold but getting a bit windy and possibly rainy. Average temps in October are around 19º during the day and up to 7º at night (Celsius of course!).

Hi,

Thanks for the info. Will have to come prepared for all weathers just in case i think. I'm really looking forward to getting over their now, i'm just looking into what visa would be appropriate at the moment, i'm not sure if i will need a student visa or a holiday one, with it only being for three weeks. I'm going to email the american embassy and see what they suggest.

[iwonder]

hey there - we have been in Longmont for 2 years and we are on our way out. It is a bittersweet decision but here are our reasons...

First, the good things. The weather is unbelievable. July is hellish hot so don't believe it when folks say you don't need a/c. The rest of the year is outsanding. So much sunshine and fair weather - you really can be outside with your children 11.5 months a year!

The people are incredibly friendly and welcoming. From the library to the license bureau - people are kind and pleasant. Must be the sunshine!

The parks offer lots nice playgrounds and wonderful ops to meet other moms and families. We don't do Main St. much though ... I just don't get the downtown vibe. There is still a seedy feel to me...they are working on it. Lots of nice festivals and parades for the kids.

Gangs... there is a somewhat weird feel. My son's little league games and practices have all been moved from Lanyon park b/c of gang activity. I've never seen it but at one practice, which my hubby attended, there was an armed pursuit through the baseball diamond and all the kiddos had to stop and drop. Kinda sad. At least no shots were fired.

Proximity to beauty - awesome. We live near 21st and Francis (wanna buy a house? and can be pitching out tent in Rocky Mtn nat'l in 40 minutes. I have to disagree with the person who rates Boulder or Lyons as a prettier view. We have outstanding views of the entire front range and the snowies...lovely. IMO Boulder and Lyons put you so close you are often looking east to the prairie or just seeing what is very near - not the Panorama.

Here's why we are going. UNAFFORDABLE!!! AND There are just NOT jobs here to support the outrageous real estate prices. And EVERYONE lives on postage stamp sized lots. I want my boys to run and play and explore and live! Most houses are about 15' apart and cars are parallel parked down the streets. It all has a rather run down feel. The exception would be the SW area (i.e. lots are very small but doesn't feel run down). And yes, if money is no object, you can get a nice place - but not land... not for less than .5 mill.

This is a very highly educated and under employed area. The real estate prices are dropping into the basement - our realtor says that things are finally getting "right priced". I HIGHLY suggest renting and scouring around for a deal b/c folks are DEALING!

I will so miss the people. I will miss the sunshine. I won't miss the rocky, cracked ground or the rattlesnake-y areas or the prices. I miss four seasons and green! It is so brown here.

Don't put too much weight in my school op b/c I homeschool. But judging from what neighbor moms say, I have not been overly impressed. I find the library has a very pleasant environment but very few good resources. I've spent a ton on books that were easily attainable at our former library. I've heard the Boulder library is much better

HTH

[elemental]

Brandi,

Outside of Boulder, you will not find a community like it. Do you have children? If so, try Erie, Louisville, and Broomfield. All have many available apartments and houses and with the market still shaky, it would pay to rent and seek out just the right deal. We didn't rent and should have.

What state are you coming from?

[Katiana]

[quote=brandilinn1117;222979]

Does the downtown have a pedestrian feel wth outdoor dining areas, sidewalk cafes, bookstores?

Not really, and it is rather seedy both at the south end and the north end. There is really nothing to buy. I think most people go to the mall and its outlots to do their actual shopping for clothes, housewares, etc.

what other areas are this way around that section?

If you mean what other areas have a downtown, Louisville does, though again there's not much actual shopping there. Boulder does, and ditto. Lafayette, not really; Erie, no.

I need good schools and neighborhoods the kids can play outside running around?

In general, the schools are good in all of Boulder County. Lot sizes are small. The poster who talked about houses 15' apart was not exaggerating. In fact, in Louisville, 5' side yards are the minimum, making it 10' between houses. I have no reason to think it is different in Longmont, judging from the look of the neighborhoods. In the residential neighborhoods, it is generally safe for kids to play outside.

[iwonder]

I don't really like Loveland. It is like many clusters of houses and neighborhoods without a center. There are two main areas: the old downtown and then the I25 growth area. A realtor I interviewed said she felt like Loveland was a very diijointed town with no community cohesiveness. She told me that she did everything in Ft. Collins with her children and that she was never so lonely in her life. She is a life long resident of the Denver to FT Collins corridor so I felt there was some weight in what she said. Also, I've noticed that I often run into moms with their littles at the parks and pools in Longmont who are from Loveland. They have said there is nothing like this near us. FWIW.

Re: commute time. Traffic in Longmont is wonderful joke!!! I live on the north side near 21st and Hover and I can make it all the way south on Friday at 5 in the (rare) rain in 10 minutes max. There IS no traffic. Sure, there are some funky places where it is hard to make a left turn during rush hour but it is NOTHING like we were use to in Chicago or Columbus, OH. I also agree with the apt. recommendations. Anything West of Hover in the Nelson area would feel very safe. The shores up near Lake McIntosh are super but may be out of your price range. You may also care to look into a rent-to-own situation. You may be able to get into a house then and build up your credit at the same time.

Good Luck

[tfox]

SW Longmont along Nelson and around Twin Peaks Mall, is a little bit more expensive because of proximity to Boulder. Up north is a little cheaper. The town is small, so commuting to your office location will be easy no matter where you live. I would try to stay west of Main Street, though -- there is little crime in Longmont, but the poorer neighborhoods are all on the east side of town. One exception to my "east of Main" advice is the Old Town area; anything around there is going to be nice but a bit pricey.

[dustman]

Hi,
for job reasons I am moving to the Denver area and will work in Boulder. Since house prices seem to be easily in the 400k+ range it's too expensive for me.
What do you think about Longmont? There are new development areas and houses are in the mid/upper 200k's.

What is the downside of Longmont? Is there anything a real estate agent doesn't want to tell? What are better alternatives?

Thanks, I'll appreciate any opinions.
Regards
Karl

[chilaili]

I’ll admit, at first I wasn’t too thrilled about living in Longmont. But in the past year it’s definitely grown on me. I always say Boulder has the shops you LIKE to visit but Longmont has the shops you NEED to visit such as Home Depot. The two main local supermarket chains, Safeway and King Sooper, are in several locations around town. It has a couple of decent restaurants (the Pumphouse on Main and Martini’s Bistro on Terry St), a good library, museum, several nice parks, the St Vrain Greenway for walking, running and biking, two really pretty historic districts on the west and east side of town, quite a lot of activities going on during the Summer such as outdoor concerts, and a symphony orchestra (!). People say it has a drug, crime & gang problem but honestly, since last year, there haven't been any reported incidents and the crime rate was actually lower than Boulder's. Longmont is close to I-25, Hwy 119, Hwy 287 and Hwy 66 so easy commuting to Denver, Loveland, Fort Collins, Estes Park or Boulder is available. And it has a pretty good local bus service.

Downside is that it's not as scenic as Boulder or as close to the mountains but they are easy to get to. Also, it is growing very fast with lots of new development - not always a good thing.

There are other towns south of Boulder such as Louisville or Lafayette to consider but I don't know anything about them. I'm sure other people here will tell you all about them.

[Katiana]

Louisville and possibly Lafayette are closer to Boulder than Longmont, depending on where your job is located in Boulder.

Several of us 'regulars' live in Louisville and have made a number of posts about it. You could search both this forum and the Denver forum to see this information. Longmont is in a different school district than the others. Both are 'good' districts, you can check stats on the Colo Dept of Ed page if you google it. Longmont is a larger city than either Louisville or Lafayette.