Boulder vs. Burlington, VT - can anyone compare/contrast?

[suzco]

Originally Posted by cinnamon_toast

Interesting stuff. I didn't realize skiing/boarding was such a distance from Boulder. How far would I have to go to get to some decent hiking? . . .

No need to travel at all for great hiking, the "in your backyard" hiking and climbing in Boulder is superb.

[vter]

cinammon...it doesn't take us 8 hours to travel from BTV to DIA. More like 5. 2 hours to Chicago, an hour layover, then 2 hours to DEN. Of course this is without delays which these days does not happen often. That being said though, Denver certainly is a MUCH busier airport with more direct flights. BTV is a small regional airport, but has a good variety of flights for its size and its really easy to navigate.
Someone asked about Burlington being fitness crazy...I would say it is, but not on the scale of Boulder. But then again Boulder is much bigger population wise so its kinda hard to tell.
Regarding skiing/boarding, I feel that the skiing/boarding is generally overall better in CO, but as someone noted above, Burlington is a bit closer to the goods than Boulder and there is no traffic to deal with (like what happens on I-70).

[cinnamon_toast]

Hmmmm... Travelocity shows the average travel time at about 7-8 hours. It's comforting to know it could be done in less. I love the idea of Burlington being so easy to get in and out of and low congestion, though. However, I just don't think I can ask DH to commit to almost a full day of travel on each leg of his trip or Sunday departures. He's gonna be one cranky guy!

[expatvermonter]

You are from Minnesota? PLEASE move to Vermont. I have met many genuine people from MN and the midwest in general. Burlington is very open to people moving here from out of state as long as they don't come from New Jersey or Massachusetts! Perhaps if you buy a home it will be one more housing unit that will not be filled by the aforementioned state residents. I know midwesterners are not into turning beautiful rural sates into some version of vinyl sided suburbia, and fighting harmless wind towers on the ridgelines!

[Katarina Witt]

Originally Posted by vter

cinammon...it doesn't take us 8 hours to travel from BTV to DIA. More like 5. 2 hours to Chicago, an hour layover, then 2 hours to DEN.

That adds up to 8.2 hrs, if I'm doing my math correctly.

Originally Posted by cinnamon_toast

Hmmmm... Travelocity shows the average travel time at about 7-8 hours. It's comforting to know it could be done in less.

See above. Obviously, it will be at least 8 hrs. Plus, there are always delays going through Chicago. It doesn't matter what the weather is.

Originally Posted by expatvermonter

You are from Minnesota? PLEASE move to Vermont. I have met many genuine people from MN and the midwest in general. Burlington is very open to people moving here from out of state as long as they don't come from New Jersey or Massachusetts! Perhaps if you buy a home it will be one more housing unit that will not be filled by the aforementioned state residents. I know midwesterners are not into turning beautiful rural sates into some version of vinyl sided suburbia, and fighting harmless wind towers on the ridgelines!

Funny, we get a lot of midwesterners out here (California-bashing notwithstanding) and many people complain about that very thing happening to CO.

BTW, I know this is old and the OPs have probably already made their decisions.

[PSUguy]

Katiana - Heard you have some great info on the Boulder area.

Can you send me a DM? Got some questions about the county...schools/bars/resturants/nightlife/family activities.

Thanks

[Not2bforgot10]

I would like to keep this post alive! Lets compare Burlington, VT and Boulder, CO, and if you'd like, throw Asheville, NC in there

I'd love to hear everyone's experiences on these cities and how they compare and contrast with one another!

This is a rough draft of kind of what I'm looking for:

Progressive, liberal, artsy, walkable, educated, racially diverse, natural beauty,

Where: Sense of community, kayaking, camping, thrift shops, charm, health food stores, politics, activism, bookstores, libraries, health: good air & water quality, low-crime, cool summers, little sun exposure

you'll find a similar love for nature, beautiful surroundings, and progressive attitude in both towns.

Quaint, Trains, steeples, churches, historical, progressive, health conscious, organic, culture, racially diverse, arts, community, activism, creeks, ponds, lakes, trails, kayaking, camping, musical concerts, arts/theater, cabins, horseback riding,

Thanks!

-Em

[qfrost]

Originally Posted by Not2bforgot10

Progressive, liberal, artsy, walkable, educated, racially diverse, natural beauty,

Well that's pretty close to perfect as you could want - but I'd add in one more key ingredient - a thriving job market. After all, that's the only reason I'm not typing this from some Boulder location....

[fromlosangeles]

Boulder is nicer but it's in the middle of nowhere except for being near Santa Fe and Albuquerque (which are nice). Burlington is nice too but it's closer to big cities like Montreal, Boston and New York. I went to CU Boulder and returned after college and got really bored of the town and there wasn't anywhere else to move nearby. I find a lot of the surrounding areas are creepy and people followed me in my car or shouted at me in the Denver area or near Ft. Collins. If you're already in Boulder (given this post is like seven years old or something), I would recommend the beef noodle soup at You and Mee Noodle House (coming from LA I find it's the most comparable to the soup there) and also I liked the espresso at Trident Cafe on Pearl Street. The best coffee I've had in the US is at Cranknstein in Fort Collins. I think Boulder is better if you're a student or you have some sort of professional affiliation there or if you like hiking. I found Colorado too dry and I missed the trees on the east coast.

Burlington is nice but there's not a lot of authentic food and it's kind of depressing. I got really tired of Boulder so I wanted to move back east (I lived in NJ before LA). I wouldn't stay in Burlington so we're thinking of moving to a larger city next. I'm surprised how different the climate in Burlington is even from Brattleboro or New Jersey, even during the summer.