boulder questions (Denver, Longmont, Broomfield: to rent, condos, how much)

[goose7]

Hey everyone

I have been researching Boulder as I have heard its a beautiful place to live. I am currently living in Phoenix and am hoping to be able to move next summer. I had some questions related to Boulder that Im hoping people will be able to shen some light on

1. Does Boulder get alot of snow/ice in the winter?
2. What is the job market like for RN's
3. Roughly how much would a 2/3 bedroom house cost to rent per month?
4. Is there a lesbian population in Boulder

Thanks!

[Brain Drain]

Originally Posted by goose7

1. Does Boulder get alot of snow/ice in the winter?
2. What is the job market like for RN's
3. Roughly how much would a 2/3 bedroom house cost to rent per month?
4. Is there a lesbian population in Boulder

Thanks!

1. Compared to Phoenix we get a ton of ice and snow! You can find all sorts of discussions if you search the forum about Boulder weather, but the short answer is that we get very little ice/sleet while we get more snow. The snowiest months tend to be March, April, and November. By the time you get to March and April, even though we average more snow in those months than in Jan and Feb, the days are longer, the sun is higher in the sky, and hence the streets get dry pretty quickly. We average about 80 inches of snow a year but it generally tends to melt in a few days after it snows. As you head east, the snow lessens quite a bit to about 40 inches/year in Longmont. These totals can vary a lot from year to year.

2. Don't know about the local RN job market, but have read posts that it is not as good in Boulder proper as in most of the rest of the country. This may change if you drive 15 miles into Longmont or toward Broomfield. Would like to see other comments on this.

3. 3BR house in a decent part of Boulder proper would average about $1700/mo, while a 2 BR could perhaps be found for $1300. Look on craigslist as it's the best source around here. It's cheaper as you head out of town. Condos are in more plentiful supply and are usually cheaper than houses.

4. There is a decent population of lesbians in Boulder and there are welcoming/open churches in the area if that's your thing.

[Katiana]

1. Boulder's snowfall is actually more like 60"/yr.

2. The RN job market in Boulder is not the greatest. Boulder itself has only one hospital, Boulder Community, which has two in-patient locations, both of which are fairly small. There is one large medical office in Boulder, Boulder Medical Center, and a number of small offices. Longmont has one small hospital. Broomfield does not have a hospital; it does have a Kaiser office. Louisville and Lafayette both have hospitals, Avista and Good Samaritan respectively. Avista is fairly small, Good Sam is a bit larger and there is a Kaiser office on-site. The real RN job market is in the Denver area.

[Brain Drain]

Originally Posted by Katiana

1. Boulder's snowfall is actually more like 60"/yr.

Boulder really gets a lot closer to 80 inches a year, at least according to the Western Regional Climate Center -- they say 82.7 inches.

BOULDER, COLORADO - Climate Summary

Denver's closer to 60 and Longmont is under 40 inches a year. The amount of snow received varies tremendously by how far you are from the foothills.

[livecontent]

Originally Posted by Katiana

1. Boulder's snowfall is actually more like 60"/yr.

2. The RN job market in Boulder is not the greatest. Boulder itself has only one hospital, Boulder Community, which has two in-patient locations, both of which are fairly small. There is one large medical office in Boulder, Boulder Medical Center, and a number of small offices. Longmont has one small hospital. Broomfield does not have a hospital; it does have a Kaiser office. Louisville and Lafayette both have hospitals, Avista and Good Samaritan respectively. Avista is fairly small, Good Sam is a bit larger and there is a Kaiser office on-site. The real RN job market is in the Denver area.

Just to point out that the Broomfield Kaiser Office was closed, a few years ago, when the opened the Kaiser facility adjacent to the Good Samaritan Hospital in Lafayette.

If I was a medical professional I would look at Kaiser Permanente. Kaiser has recently closed their regional offices in Texas. They did shut down their medical care in Texas, a few years ago, but kept the operation offices. They have relocated many of these positions to Colorado. In addition, Colorado has annouced that they are expanding in Southern Colorado, in a number of Counties, which would not only create jobs south but in the Denver Operation Center.

Livecontent

[Katiana]

Originally Posted by Brain Drain

Boulder really gets a lot closer to 80 inches a year, at least according to the Western Regional Climate Center -- they say 82.7 inches.

BOULDER, COLORADO - Climate Summary

Denver's closer to 60 and Longmont is under 40 inches a year. The amount of snow received varies tremendously by how far you are from the foothills.

The National Weather Service lists Boulder's and Denver's stats together. The reporting station Brain Drain showed must be just inside the western city limits, still in the foothills. I"ve never seen that much more snow in Boulder than in Denver.

Denver Snowfall Statistics 1882-2008

I was not aware the Broomfield Kaiser office closed. I'm pretty sure the Boulder office closed when the Rock Creek facility opened next to Exempla Good Sam.