The Real Deal on Boulder from Folks Without an Axe to Grind, Please! (Valentine's day, real estate)

[Katiana]

Originally Posted by Scott5280

Boulder is very friendly--the racist, snobby comments are typically posted by people who have never lived in Boulder, and know little about what it is really like..

Agreed!

Originally Posted by ottodog

You do realize that Denver/Boulder and the front range in winter is going to look like crap compared to Portland. The front range is brown and ugly in the winter. There's no comparison between Denver and anywhere in the Pacific NW. Spokane might be close but thats not really PNW. I spent 2 weeks in Seattle for work, and I remember thinking when returning on the plane "man this place looks like hell".

Not sure I'd call Boulder "tree-y", not any more than the rest of the older Denver neighborhoods. Remember the front range really doesn't have many native trees, well cottonwoods maybe, so if they hadn't been planted, they probably wouldn't be there.

Louisville will be quite a bit more blue collar than Boulder, so not sure if a spa would fly there or not.

Never thought of Louisville as particularly "blue collar". It's more conservative than Boulder, but that's not saying much, lol! What kind of services are you planning to offer at your spa? I actually think it might fly in Lsvl, though the economy is getting so bad that may negate starting up such a business.

Originally Posted by Neditate

Lots of good info and advice by previous posters. Just FYI, I would like to add that Boulder has been designated “Tree City USA” by the National Arbor Day Foundation for the 22nd consecutive year (in 2006) and the city of Boulder’s Urban Forestry Division received the “Tree City Growth Award” from them as well. The Mapleton area, Chautauqua, Whittier areas have more trees.
As for your spa idea, there are quite a few day spas and many massage therapists and acupuncturists in Boulder. I'm sure you've done your research. If you have something different to offer Boulder is very receptive to new ideas and concepts.
As for that ridiculous post "why is Boulder snobbish", et al. Every time I see that it makes me cringe. It is unfair and untrue.

Louisville is also a "Tree City USA" town. Neither Boulder nor Louisville is especially large. You could drive around and see which neighborhoods you like. Not as many old, two story houses in Lsvl, lots of miner's cottages and other small houses in old town.

[jjacobeclark]

Originally Posted by Neditate

Just FYI, I would like to add that Boulder has been designated “Tree City USA” by the National Arbor Day Foundation for the 22nd consecutive year (in 2006) and the city of Boulder’s Urban Forestry Division received the “Tree City Growth Award” from them as well.

It's not very difficult to be designated as a Tree City USA, afterall Phoenix has been considered one for 22 years as well.

The only CO cities to receive Growth Awards last year were Durango, Elizabeth, Erie, Fort Carson, Fruita, Grand Junction, Highlands Ranch, Northglenn, Ouray, Parker, Peterson AFB, Salida, Westminster, and Windsor.

Compared to Portland, Boulder has little tree cover and nothing I would label as "lush greenery". Additionally, the dominant style of housing in Boulder is one-story ranch homes.

[Neditate]

Originally Posted by jjacobeclark

Additionally, the dominant style of housing in Boulder is one-story ranch homes.

[Scott5280]

Originally Posted by jjacobeclark

It's not very difficult to be designated as a

". Additionally, the dominant style of housing in Boulder is one-story ranch homes.

Downtown Boulder and central core where OP wants to work/live is very multi storied--hardly any ranch style homes there and new builds will almost all be multi story homes or mixed use...with price per square foot averages higher than most top tier US. cities and resort destinations, building up and not out will continue...Downtown Boulder = 800-1100 psf..Historic Mapleton late 1800s -1920's homes are almost all two and three story...Even the new mega mansions being built
along the Boulder Foothills are typically multi -story--The only issue that might arise for the OP. is moving up substantially in price from Portland to uber expensive central Boulder

[tao]

Besides Boulder and Louisville, you might want to check out Broomfield and Westminster. Both towns are approximately halfway between Boulder and Denver (about a 20-30 minute drive, and a rather scenic drive at that, to Boulder or Denver from either town). I think a holistic spa could do quite well in Broomfield and/or Westminster (with less competition than you'd find in Boulder and even Louisville) if you scout around and find the areas where the more affluent people live. I live in a very nice community in Broomfield close to the Broomfield/Westminster border and know there are very nice areas in both towns with the style of houses you're looking for and where the kind of spa you want to open could do well - plus housing and commercial properties are a lot less expensive than in Boulder. I'm from Florida, where there are a lot of trees, and I don't feel a lack of "tree-ness" here. There's a lot of open land with less trees but beautiful mountain views. In the neighborhoods, for the most part, there are plenty of trees. Believe me, there are plenty of leaves to rake up in the fall.

Also, check out Superior - a suburb of Boulder, located the same distance outside Boulder as Louisville, but on the west side of HWY 36. Superior is pretty "cookie cutter" but all the houses are two stories and have basements and they're less expensive than Boulder and Louisville houses. Superior is considered "snobby" by some but a day spa might do quite well there as I don't think there are many spas there, if any - and a lot of Superior residents have the same holistic/alternative healing philosophies as the people of Boulder do but they wanted a bigger house for the money so they bought in Superior. It's only a 10-15 minute drive from Superior to downtown Boulder/Pearl Street (my husband and I clocked it going the exact speed limit and that's how long it took us) so it's a great option for people who want to enjoy the amenities of Boulder but live in a bigger, newer house.

[Katiana]

I would second Broomfield. My kids did gymnastics for Broomfield High School, and I found a great sense of community there. Westminster might be OK to locate the business; it's not my cup of tea, but a lot of people live there and obviously like it. Superior would work as well. I don't know if there are any spas in the Superior Marketplace, which is basically the only business district in the town.

Frankly, this whole area is into wholistic health. I work in a pedicatric office in Louisville and our patients come from all those areas. Many are doing alternative medicine stuff. I would guess some market research is in order.

[Remember]

Thanks everyone! I keep checking back regularly and I really appreciate all your information and good ideas! It's really encouraging. We're visiting on Feb 7-11 and we'll try to see as many of the recommended places as possible. Then we'll try to come back in May and then October, so we can see spring and fall.

[osman]

Try the martin acres renovation and poptop map for a look at how this neighborhood is progressing from 50's ranch style homes to more modern digs.

Google Maps

[osman]

Louisville will definitely be a tougher market than Boulder for a spa. Although Louisville is progressing, the reality is that Boulder has a much higher volume of visitors. Located somewhere near the St. Julienne would be beneficial I imagine...

[Tom Lane]

Originally Posted by Scott5280

....Boulder is very friendly--the racist, snobby comments are typically posted by people who have never lived in Boulder, and know little about what it is really like..

Yes they are coming from those of us who have never lived there. We are questioning the City-Data Boulder posters about this since we have been stuck among the snobs in economically depressed Flagstaff, Prescott, Santa Fe, and Phoenix for way too long. A lot of resentment.

However, from what I can tell in reading thousands of posts and talking to lots of people, Arizona, New Mexico, and the high desert of California are all MUCH more cliquish than Boulder ! In Boulder, you are lucky to not be experiencing high unemployment right now, since you have a business friendly town !