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If you are going to stereotype our city and try to find your own version of Portland, you will likely find it in Boulder. Is that the question? Where can we move so that we don't have to blend in with the locals and can continue to pretend you still live in Portland but now have to live here? Boulder is closer to the class field trip to witness a gay marriage ceremony more than any suburb in Denver.
I've only been to Portland once, for a weekend, so I can't comment on it. However, I've lived in Boulder County for many years, and I don't think a class trip to witness a gay marriage would fly even in the City of Boulder itself. I mean what are you going to do? Crash someone's wedding?
I do agree with those who say what is the big concern with a "liberal" neighborhood? I rarely talk politics with my neighbors, never unless they bring it up, as I am of the "old school" that you don't talk about politics or religion socially.
My neighborhood is super social as I've said many (many) times before on this forum. I know my neighbors have a mix of political/personal/religious beliefs but honestly it's really never an issue (this is not to say we don't have neighborhood disagreements--sometimes the neighborhood internet board is burning up with messages but the nasty is kept to a minimum when people know who you are and where you live LOL).
During the last election there were signs for Obama, McCain, and one Ron Paul sign. We have a church as part of the community that some residents attend, other denominations as well, and plenty of athiests and agnostics. Really we don't discuss in any active way our political/personal beliefs at neighborhood events and if there is a discussion people are very respectful of other's beliefs. We have gay couples with children and biracial families who live in the neighborhood who are totally accepted and a valued part of our community.
I agree with other posters that Colorado in general is very live and let live and I would feel comfortable really living anywhere in the state. I've found most people very respectful and friendly (there are of course, always exceptions, some people are just jerks regardless of political affiliation).
I just get tired of people who move to an area and try to make it into the one they just left. My husband got a job here and we moved here without knowing anything about Denver. We moved from Florida and I loved it there, but I don't spend my time complaining about the lack of seafood and beaches or southern Baptists! It's about embracing what is unique about your new city.
Wait till you get to California. Apparently, California is not nearly as cool as anything east of Chicago(including Chicago). The transplants make it a point to tell us all that... a lot. It's the most frustrating thing in the world
I can't think of any suburb here in Denver that would be described as liberal progressive.Many central Denver neighborhoods would better fit that bill..The suburbs outside of Denver however is where you typically find higher rated school districts..Douglas County,Jefferon County,Cherry Creek school districts among the better....Boulder Valley Schools are some of the best..I think Lafayete, Lousville should be strongly considered as well.
I still keep meaning to check out Bradburn - I work in Thornton, so I could probably do it on a lunch break. Stapleton has school crowding issues - I think because there are too many kids at the same age levels. Supposedly another grade school is on its way.
Let me know what you think. Several of the homes, as well as two of the three work / live loft buildings were on my desk during design
Where can we move so that we don't have to blend in with the locals and can continue to pretend you still live in Portland but now have to live here? ...............why do you want to live in the suburbs? Most are filled with Best Buy, Applebees, minivans, carpools, soccer games and people walking their dogs. It seems like someone who's first concern is a "liberal/progressive" area followed by one that has good schools would hate everything having to do with suburbia.
This makes tons of sense to me. Great posts on this thread 3Ds!
I'm not going to try and badger the OP (no pun intended), but there would be nearly no sense in leaving Portland to live in the same type of neighborhood/area in Colorado. The only reason I found the OP ('s husband) wanted to leave Portland was the weather. More power to them, but there's got to be more to it than that. By coming to CO, the OP's husband might decide in a few years he hates the snow, or at the very least, snow in late March .
I personally believe the extent of "liberalism" in both Boulder and Portland is blown waaaay out of proportion. I never thought of Portland as a bastion of liberalism until I came onto C-D. Boulder gets the reputation as such due to the university and the lifestyle of some, along with local media's ability to jump on any pro-liberal story coming out of Boulder, such as the kids who wanted to rename their high school after Barack Obama -- that story might not have gotten the attention it did if it had occurred somewhere else, for example.
I don't think politics matters when it comes to neighborhoods, I hardly even talk to my neighbors, let alone talk to them about politics. I'm far more likely to talk politics at work, so why not come on C-D and ask: "What companies in Denver (that are hiring) are liberal/progressive?" Somehow, a question like that makes more sense.
Quote:
Originally Posted by vegaspilgrim
And from my experience it's actually the "liberals" who are the worst offenders of wanting to section themselves off from everyone else.
I think it goes both ways.
Some liberals move into the city to "search for acceptance", to be around more open-minded people that will be accepting of differences, etc; however, they do want to section themselves off, from the people with the closed minds.
Some conservatives flee to the new suburbs, the places mostly free from diversity, crime, and full of back-to-basics thought that made the "good 'ol days" so great. These folks aren't out searching for acceptance, and just happen to be not all that different from each other, and are mostly well-insulated from the city and it's "problems".
So basically what I'm trying to say is, both parties are guilty. We always get the newbie posts on both ends, those looking for the accepting/diverse/liberal/progressive areas and those looking for super safe/new homes/(long commute)/great schools areas (pretty much goes without saying, said area would most likely be conservative). This OP just happens to want both.
I would go crazy in both liberal enclaves (Boulder/parts of Central Denver/Stapleton), and typical tract-home suburbia that many conservatives seem to enjoy,(Highlands Ranch, Parker, Castle Rock, SE Aurora). Places that seem to mostly have one type of people come off as really fake to me. I prefer to live in a more normal place. No offense to anybody that lives in any of those places.
I believe "people are people". I think I would hate somebody just like me, probably even somebody just mostly like me. But I love me. I've become great friends with people I don't agree with at all, and can't stand to be around some folks that I mostly agree with.
These are excellent points, the3Ds! I've never been able to wrap my mind around people that just have to live surrounded by others who think exactly the way they do. It's almost like they're too insecure about their beliefs to just be an individual. And from my experience it's actually the "liberals" who are the worst offenders of wanting to section themselves off from everyone else.
Well, for some of us, it's necessary. As a gay couple with children, we wouldn't subject our kids to a conservative area where we (and they) would be shunned by Bible thumping conservatives. And I know of one conservative couple who left Stapleton because they didn't like the fact that there were so many gay couples living here, and that everyone else was accepting of that.
Wait till you get to California. Apparently, California is not nearly as cool as anything east of Chicago(including Chicago). The transplants make it a point to tell us all that... a lot. It's the most frustrating thing in the world
Funny- when I was working in Irvine, we had a couple from Boston who moved to OC for jobs, both working in our office. They were looking for a condo to buy and were trying to find a "Cape Cod style" where they couldn't see any palm trees from their windows, so it would look more like home.
This makes tons of sense to me. Great posts on this thread 3Ds!
I'm not going to try and badger the OP (no pun intended), but there would be nearly no sense in leaving Portland to live in the same type of neighborhood/area in Colorado. The only reason I found the OP ('s husband) wanted to leave Portland was the weather. More power to them, but there's got to be more to it than that. By coming to CO, the OP's husband might decide in a few years he hates the snow, or at the very least, snow in late March .
I personally believe the extent of "liberalism" in both Boulder and Portland is blown waaaay out of proportion. I never thought of Portland as a bastion of liberalism until I came onto C-D. Boulder gets the reputation as such due to the university and the lifestyle of some, along with local media's ability to jump on any pro-liberal story coming out of Boulder, such as the kids who wanted to rename their high school after Barack Obama -- that story might not have gotten the attention it did if it had occurred somewhere else, for example.
I don't think politics matters when it comes to neighborhoods, I hardly even talk to my neighbors, let alone talk to them about politics. I'm far more likely to talk politics at work, so why not come on C-D and ask: "What companies in Denver (that are hiring) are liberal/progressive?" Somehow, a question like that makes more sense.
I think it goes both ways.
Some liberals move into the city to "search for acceptance", to be around more open-minded people that will be accepting of differences, etc; however, they do want to section themselves off, from the people with the closed minds.
Some conservatives flee to the new suburbs, the places mostly free from diversity, crime, and full of back-to-basics thought that made the "good 'ol days" so great. These folks aren't out searching for acceptance, and just happen to be not all that different from each other, and are mostly well-insulated from the city and it's "problems".
So basically what I'm trying to say is, both parties are guilty. We always get the newbie posts on both ends, those looking for the accepting/diverse/liberal/progressive areas and those looking for super safe/new homes/(long commute)/great schools areas (pretty much goes without saying, said area would most likely be conservative). This OP just happens to want both.
I would go crazy in both liberal enclaves (Boulder/parts of Central Denver/Stapleton), and typical tract-home suburbia that many conservatives seem to enjoy,(Highlands Ranch, Parker, Castle Rock, SE Aurora). Places that seem to mostly have one type of people come off as really fake to me. I prefer to live in a more normal place. No offense to anybody that lives in any of those places.
I believe "people are people". I think I would hate somebody just like me, probably even somebody just mostly like me. But I love me. I've become great friends with people I don't agree with at all, and can't stand to be around some folks that I mostly agree with.
Everything is a crap-shoot.
I definitely prefer living in a liberal neighborhood. After living in conservative Orange County for so long, living here is much better for us. Maybe it's because we do actually talk to our neighbors, invite them over, do things with them - many are like family to us. We don't have actual family in Denver, so this interraction is important for us. As a gay couple in Orange County, we had no neighbors who were real friends, and some were somewhat hostile toward us. I don't want to live in a neighborhood where everyone just drives into their garage, shuts the door, hides in their back yard, and occassionally waves to a neighbor.
I definitely prefer living in a liberal neighborhood. After living in conservative Orange County for so long, living here is much better for us. Maybe it's because we do actually talk to our neighbors, invite them over, do things with them - many are like family to us. We don't have actual family in Denver, so this interraction is important for us. As a gay couple in Orange County, we had no neighbors who were real friends, and some were somewhat hostile toward us.
I totally see what you mean, and, more power to you! I wish I had what you have in your neighborhood.
What part of OC did you live in? That could have had something to do with it too. I had the family-like neighbors growing up in Riverside County, I really do miss that.
Quote:
Originally Posted by denverian
I don't want to live in a neighborhood where everyone just drives into their garage, shuts the door, hides in their back yard, and occassionally waves to a neighbor.
Sheesh, that sounds like my neighborhood , even with all the Obama signs during last campaign season.
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It's about embracing what is unique about your new city.
. 
, even with all the Obama signs during last campaign season.
