Boulder... accepting to New comers?!? (Denver, Fort Collins: ski resorts, fit in, home)

[pmeyer426]

Sooo... i have decided to move 1000+ miles away from home and I THOUGHT Boulder was going to be it... but I have been reading that it can be quite cliquish and unaccpeting to new comers. Is this the case? I do NOT come from money either, which seems to be important there. I have no idea really, somebody please tell me differently!!

Should I just move to Denver instead? I am a 27 yr F, nurse.

Thanks

[Mike from back east]

Not sure I'd put so much weight on the musings of people on these websites, friendly people do well everywhere it seems.

Boulder is said to be pricey, but if your job is there then that's probably best place, and there is good bus service from Denver metro area to Boulder. One of our best posters on here is a long-time nurse, I'm sure you'll hear from her soon with advice.

[pmeyer426]

OMG i just dont know what to do!! I have been back and forth for so long now... Not I am thinking of just moving to Austin. lol... not a BIG move, but definitely an easier one as I have lived there for 5 years before...

Maybe Colorado will just have to wait for now... :P

[FoRuMRideR420]

Colorado>Texas

[Mike from back east]

pmeyer, while you're young and free and able to move around with relative ease, why not give Boulder (or Denver) a try....give it a year, check out the area, and if you want to go back to TX, you're a year wiser for the effort....

[Hipchik]

Originally Posted by Mike from back east

Not sure I'd put so much weight on the musings of people on these websites, friendly people do well everywhere it seems.

I very much agree with what Mike said!
I don't know where you are from/living now. Austin is a great place if you can handle the HEAT. It's much bigger than Boulder and growing every year. The pop. in 2008 was 1,652,602 compared to Boulder at ~94,000. Since you have lived there before, I'm sure you know the advantages/ disadvantages.
I've only been there as a visitor for the past 15 years and I love it. Not sure if I could live there though. I also loved living in Boulder, but I'm not sure if I'd go back to live there now.
My advice - go where the jobs are!

[sectachrome]

Some of you people are really insecure. If you like Boulder, move there.

[jlprice1]

Help! I can't decide. I'm deciding between Boulder, Fort Collins and Westminster. I don't want a lot of snow or crime, but I want work.

[Mike from back east]

Originally Posted by jlprice1

Help! I can't decide. I'm deciding between Boulder, Fort Collins and Westminster. I don't want a lot of snow or crime, but I want work.

All are good and hard to tell apart; parts of Boulder may be pricier than the others. In this case, best choice is to live nearest to work.

[PhilipBohlmann]

Boulder is a really nice place however it can be pretty cliqueish. I went to CU Boulder for college andhad job here for about 2 years. I left the country for a year and came back to boulder to find that since I had lost all ties with the university I could not make it professionally as a 24yo.

Unless you're closely tied to the university or one of the major science facilities it is really hard to fit in. Most of the people here are either in college or very wealthy mid career folks with families. There is very little diversity (a big downside in my opinion) almost all of the people are rich white folk and that probably creates most of the cliquiness. Most of the people I knew in college have moved on to other areas of the country becuase it is just plain impossible for mid 20s folk unless you have an outstanding resume and if you don't drive a monster truck or a Porsche you'll feel a little out of place. A lot of people live outside of Boulder in Superior, Louisville, Lafayette and Westminster and just drive in to work in Boulder.

All of that being said It's a beautiful place for sure. The mountains are amazing and there are a lot of great outdoor activities here if you're into that. It's a Mecca for rock climbers, there are great hiking trails everywhere and there are so many amazing ski resorts within driving distance that it is basically a mountain man's paradise. Boulder has a really wonderful charm that not a lot of places can offer (and no where else in Colorado for sure). It has a pretty big Tibetan population as a result of Naropa University and when college season hits the population of the town swells by 15,000 or so (just a guess) which makes getting around by car a little tough. But since Boulder is pretty small a bike will get you anywhere you need to go.

I love it to death but have just found it impossible to live here and I'm moving away soon because I need to find work.

There are also a lot of other really cool volunteer groups and clubs in Boulder that would spark anyone's interest.

Hope this helps.