How do you like living in Boulder? (Denver, Aurora: real estate market, house) - Colorado (CO) - City-Data Forum

GARDENGAL60 · 10-17-2008, 09:34 AM

Hi, I will be retiring in the next several years and am looking at Colorado. I have visited several towns and like Boulder, Loveland and Fort Collins. If you had your choice where would you live and why? Also, if you have relocated to Boulder how do you like living there? I like the weather and outdoor activities. I also like a pet friendly area and an availablity to organic foods, farmers markets, etc and medical care.
Thanks for all input.

Katarina Witt · 10-21-2008, 05:39 PM

What type of medical care are you looking for? Everything of a routine medical nature is available in Boulder, but the medical "mecca" around here is Denver, where the health science center is located (actually Aurora), and the teaching hospitals.

livecontent · 10-21-2008, 06:25 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by GARDENGAL60

Hi, I will be retiring in the next several years and am looking at Colorado. I have visited several towns and like Boulder, Loveland and Fort Collins. If you had your choice where would you live and why? Also, if you have relocated to Boulder how do you like living there? I like the weather and outdoor activities. I also like a pet friendly area and an availablity to organic foods, farmers markets, etc and medical care.
Thanks for all input.

I did live in Boulder; worked in Boulder, many years ago. I now live in the nearby city of Arvada. I have seen Boulder much over the 30 years that I have been here.

Living in Boulder is excellent for convenient public transit that to me is the one main reason I would consider living there. However, Boulder is much too dense with heavy traffic with too many youth who drive too fast. To me, many areas of Boulder are denser much more crowded than other cities on the front range.

Fort Collins is also a college town but to me it does not have the severe traffic and density of Boulder. In addition, it has a much more quieter lifestyle than the intensity of Boulder. It does have good public transit but not as good as Boulder.

Loveland is even more sedate and quiet, mainly because it is not a college town and is not consider the mecca city like Boulder and Fort Colling. The Public Transit is only fair.

All medical care is more community based but very specialized care comes from Denver for the Front Range.

I did live in North Boulder, near Boulder Hospital and the Ideal Market. This area is very convenient for seniors and is quieter being farther from the University in the South part of town.

However, for my choice, coming to this area I would pick Loveland, near the denser older area town, near 287, for the public transit. Second Choice would be Fort Collins in the north area away from the College, in an area near the Senior Citizen Center.

Boulder is just too rich, loud, and arrogant for my style today--and I am from New York.

Livecontent

GARDENGAL60 · 10-21-2008, 07:39 PM

As far as medical care it would be for a primary care physician. Someone to go to if you get the flu, etc. and close to a hospital with a good reputation if needed. To Livecontent, I'm originally from NJ, lived there for 35 years then relocated to NC for a job transfer. It turned out well, but NC has been building like crazy for the past 10 years and it is starting to become like the NJ building frenzy in the 1980's. I like quiet, with a nice view and the availability to outside activities that Colorado offers. It is truly a beautiful state.

Katarina Witt · 10-21-2008, 07:42 PM

Well, Boulder Community Hospital has a "good" reputation, but it's not the place to go if you are very sick, or sick with something fairly unusual. I work in pediatrics in Boulder County; we send our sickest kids to Children's Hospital at the Health Science Center.

jessicaplayful · 10-29-2008, 12:20 AM

Boulder is extremely convenient, great public transportation, lots of green space and dog parks and good organic grocery shopping. The cost of living is high, the residents are "unique" and they have a high transient population. I've been here 5 years and I love the weather and the topography, but I think the drivers are aggressive and the cyclists annoying.

tao · 11-04-2008, 08:56 AM

Boulder is great but I'd opt for the surrounding suburbs (such as Louisville, Lafeyette, Broomfield, etc.). They are a nice alternative if you want to be close to the amenities of both Boulder and Denver but prefer to live in a quieter area.

We live in Broomfield and love it. When we first bought our house and moved to Broomfield we thought we were moving to what most would see as a cookie cutter suburb (including us - we thought that's what it was but you get more house for the money there so that's where we ended up) but believe me, there's so much more to it than that. There's the Broomfield Events Center which hosted the Cirque Du Soleil last year, for example, and has upcoming concerts like Oasis and Weezer as well as sporting events. There's the amazing new Paul Derda Rec Center. There's a lot of beautiful open space with walking and biking trails and gorgeous views of not only the foothills and flatirons but also the snow-capped Rockies. There are parks everywhere, filled with families and kids playing. There's the Flatiron Crossing Mall which is really nice. There are more shopping and dining and entertainment options in just Broomfield alone (much more than we originally thought)...but you're also close to the towns of Westminster, Arvada (we just recently saw a surprisingly great rendition of the musical Les Miserables there, at the Arvada Center for the Arts), Superior, Louisville and Lafeyette which also have a lot in terms of shopping, dining, entertainment and outdoor activities. From Broomfield, Boulder and Denver are only a 20-30 minute drive away (and the drive either way is rather scenic, or at least I think so - coming from Miami).

Katarina Witt · 11-04-2008, 10:29 AM

I agree with tao about Broomfield. I would also recommend Louisville. I have written many times about Louisville, it's old town, it's bike trails, festivals, etc. Do a search on the Colorado forums for Louisville and you will find posts by me and others. It's sort of an amalgum of small town and suburban living, the best of both worlds!

osman · 11-04-2008, 01:47 PM

Louisville is a great spot. Highly recommended.

One thing to keep in mind is that it's real estate market is far tighter than other areas, including Boulder. Monthly absorption of inventory is often north of 25%. Something to keep in mind as you research places to live.

tao · 11-04-2008, 03:34 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by osman

Louisville is a great spot. Highly recommended.

One thing to keep in mind is that it's real estate market is far tighter than other areas, including Boulder. Monthly absorption of inventory is often north of 25%. Something to keep in mind as you research places to live.

Yep, we wanted to live in Louisville but housing options were really limited and the price range was higher than that of Broomfield for a comparable house. In the end we're really happy because we're so close to Louisville so we can enjoy everything it has to offer but we were able to afford (and find) a much bigger house in Broomfield in a great neighborhood that we really love.