Why Is Boulder Snobbish, Cliquish, And Racist? (Colorado Springs, Victor: fit in, cliquey)

[CCCVDUR]

Sorry to read these posts in this thread:
http://www.city-data.com/forum/bould...g-boulder.html.
They describe Boulderites as being ultraliberal Vegetarians who shout you down if you present a dissenting viewpoint. They also describe the social scene as being cliquish to the extreme. They also say that Boulderites refuse to welcome newcomers. And, one person from a foreign country was discriminated against.

In trying to find a mountain town in the S.W., I'm afraid that it's the same way in Flagstaff, Santa Fe, and Ashland, Oregon. Why, Boulderites, is this the case? Are these posts describing the minority of Boulder residents, or the majority? I hope it's the minority. Would someone like me who eats meat and doesn't conform to rich, elite liberal standards in terms of vegetarianism and clothing styles and is also somewhat Libertarian still fit in? At least I can say that in economically depressed Flagstaff, it's about as Bohemian as you can get, yet still quite Libertarian in many ways, probably more so than Boulder and Santa Fe but I'm really not sure.

What do you think folks? Should I return to Seattle, the most friendliest and welcoming city in the US?

Let me know if this is really the way things are. If so, respectfully, we do not share the same values, and I will not move to Boulder and stop asking questions on your forum.... Thanks so much....

And this comment from the thread is particularly sad. Is it accurate?
http://www.city-data.com/forum/185360-post20.html
"Boulder folks are the most liberal in Colorado, and yet, where are minorities represented in their town? They don't have minorities in Boulder. Why don't the rich liberals in Boulder encourage minorities to move in to their town by creating affordable housing? Nah, they push minorities into towns away from theirs. Why do you think they wanted to restrict growth in Boulder? Yeah... to keep the "undesirable minorities" (like me, I am latino from Argentina) away from them....

"Boulder residents are the elite of America, living in ivory towers. The Boulder types are the ones who call everyone a racist and call for "sharing the wealth", but is that what they do? Nothing! They also condemn non-vegetarians and verbally attack anyone who they disagree with! Voice something they disagree with and you will be shouted down."

[Vision67]

Why? Because birds of a feather flock together.

Years ago, Boulder passed very restrictive zoning laws to limit sprawl. The result is very expensive housing. That makes an education at CU very expensive; my daughter paid $6K per year to rent a 100 sq ft room in a crappy rental house.

Expensive housing is a big detriment to people of limited means; hence few minorities.

If you want to live among libertarians, move to Colorado Springs. It's the home of Bible thumping, tax hating, gun loving, Bush loving, government hating CONservatives.

[POhdNcrzy]

Tom Lane, it's funny, it seems your rather specific postings reveal some of the limitations of this forum. You obviously need to come visit Boulder and take a look around 'n stuff.

Surely there are people in Boulder who share your outlook on life, etc.

The main thing to understand is Boulder a very affluent community, mainly as a result of the housing bubble, which does not seem to be "deflating" in Boulder.

The people who "run the show" in Boulder are a rather homogenous bunch of white upper-middle class progressively-oriented Americans, many seeming to come from a Midwestern background. These are people who vote the Democratic ticket but are basically center-left and hold what I prefer to label as neo-Victorian values. They like to think of themselves as "progressive", and they enjoy seeing government helping out the poor and less fortunate a bit. They support the established status quo and don't mind government regulation of personal behavior and proscription of individual liberties by the government. Only a fraction of these Boulderites would vote for someone like, say Kucinich or Ralph Nader. However, in Boulder, you will find more people who've voted for Kucinich or Nader than in many other American towns of a similar size.

There are Libertarian voters in Boulder and numerous staunch conservatives, even. There are far-left radicals, bohemian free-thinkers, spiritual new age mystics, and assorted local oddball groovers.

Anyway, it seems you would really benefit from a trip up to Boulder to visit. It's not very large, so you could take it all in a few days.

[subsound]

I would never say Boulder is racist, though you get people at the university from all over, but certainly cliquish and snobbish. Mostly because people are wealthy, often choose to come to an area that thinks the same way (at a big premium), and often really cheer for the little person.

[Katiana]

I live in Boulder County, not Boulder proper, but I have never gotten the idea that Boulder is particularly "cliquey". There are lots of people moving in and out all the time, for jobs at the University and/or the Federal Labs (NIST, NCAR, UCAR, etc).

Yes, housing is expensive. My daughter (or rather I) paid about $500/mo to share a tiny (I think 600 sq. ft) two bedroom apt. There was not enough room in the bedroom for her double bed; we had to use our spare single bed; there was no counter space AT ALL in the kitchen, save for a tiny spot next to the sink for a dish drainer. So yeah, that's student living. I've certainly seen intellectual snobbery ("he doesn't even have a PhD"), and a "keep up with the Joneses" attitude towards outdoor activities pursued (# of 14ers climbed, blah, blah). People tend to travel to very exotic locations. Taking a vacation to Virginia Beach, as I did this summer is a little lowbrow. But you know what? I don't care. I had fun there visiting my friend.

I agree that you should come out and take a look around. Go to some coffeeshops and talk to people. Definitely read the Boulder Daily Camera (local paper). Honestly, I think you'd fit in.

[chilaili]

Admittedly there are a lot of people in Boulder who think their s*** don't stink but there are also a lot of regular, down-to-earth people who've lived there their whole lives and are just as normal as anyone else. They go to work, pay their taxes, send their kids to school, stand in line at the supermarket and behave like ordinary people. You just need to look for them.

[DressageRider]

Originally Posted by Tom Lane

They describe Boulderites as being ultraliberal Vegetarians who shout you down if you present a dissenting viewpoint. They also describe the social scene as being cliquish to the extreme. They also say that Boulderites refuse to welcome newcomers. And, one person from a foreign country was discriminated against.

This has not been my experience at all.

[Bideshi]

A place is the way it is because of the people that live there.

[chilaili]

Originally Posted by Tom Lane

Sorry to read these posts in this thread:
http://www.city-data.com/forum/bould...g-boulder.html.
They describe Boulderites as being ultraliberal Vegetarians who shout you down if you present a dissenting viewpoint.

This comment always cracks me up. Haven't any of these people walked down Pearl Street lately? Just take a look at restaurants like Old Chicago, West End Tavern, the Walnut Brewery, Cheesecake Factory, Pasta Jay's - locales that are not exactly known for their vegetarian cuisine!

[jkcoop]

Originally Posted by chilaili

Admittedly there are a lot of people in Boulder who think their s*** don't stink but there are also a lot of regular, down-to-earth people who've lived there their whole lives and are just as normal as anyone else. They go to work, pay their taxes, send their kids to school, stand in line at the supermarket and behave like ordinary people. You just need to look for them.

I've been saying this for ages as well. We've met snobby, clickish people in every place we've lived. It's not unique to Boulder. And the majority of people we have come across in Boulder, as chilaili mentioned, are normal, hard working people.

My husband worked in Boulder for 8 years. The majority of our friends live there because we met them through my son's sports interest. And even though he doesn't do that sport any longer, we have remained good friends with most of those families.