Back from Boulder/Fort Collins Trip (Denver, Longmont: to rent, hotel, house)

[4acadia]

Hi,
Just thought I'd give a two-cents update on Boulder and Fort Collins for anyone looking for information. As some know, my DH and I are looking to relocate and just got back from a trip to these two areas. Here's my take (please note - ONLY MY opinion - I am obviously no expert)...

Fort Collins is a great, extremely friendly town. We drove up to the reservoir and walked by the water and loved it. Edora park was wonderful and the whole town just had a nice vibe. Restaurants downtown and near the campus were great. Our hotel was across from the campus and the only fringey thing was the adult entertainment store next door. Other than the new construction going on, the in-town area feels a little older than Boulder, but again we didn't see it all. Overall, a very nice town.

We loved Boulder. We thought it was beautiful - certainly not a dump as someone said in one thread. Very dense town - lots of stuff in a small amount of space, but we liked that b/c it was easy to get from our hotel, to the mountains, to downtown...in hardly any time. Great trails, parks, hiking. Downtown was very cool - yes, there were homeless, and some of everything else - lots of tatoos and piercings and suits and workout gear...students, old hippies, young hippies, professionals, families and lots of young kids. For some reason nothing bothered me. I felt safe and just one of many. I will say that overall, Boulder did not seems as friendly as Fort Collins. Most people we spoke with were nice enough, but just your average smile and say hello kind of friendly was not as strong. Here's my favorite thing (I said before)...on our last day we left our hotel and in less than 10 minutes were in the mountains by a stream with hiking/biking trails. Stayed there a while and then in about 5 minutes were near downtown...in another few minutes were at the new 29th street mall for lunch and coffee shop. I love it!

As for surrounding towns...for us, they almost all seem farther from Boulder than we'd like, only b/c we like the easy travel to all mentioned places. And none had the same attractions, really...proximity to mountains being the big one. We liked the homes in Erie and Longmont best, but really didn't see enough to give an informed opinion.

So, that's about it for now. Hope any of this helps someone. Thanks to all who gave their input to us.

[chilaili]

Hi again,
Glad you enjoyed your trip so much. It sounds like you preferred Ft Collins a bit more than Boulder, which is totally fine of course. You're the one who needs to be happy there and whilst I don't know FC at all, I have friends who live there and they are quite happy with the place.

Keep us posted!

[4acadia]

Hmmmm...did it sound like that? I enjoyed both really...the only real thing I found Ft. Collins to have over Boulder was a casual friendliness factor. But Boulder won on beauty, recreation and personal feel. (I am one who likes the nearness of things such as Naropa, Shambahla...and the fact that Ken Wilber lives there is a big plus.) Our plan is to move near Boulder - inside Boulder if possible, in time. Though Fort Collins would be a wonderful place as well if Boulder didn't work out.

[chilaili]

I think if you are into in the programs that Naropa and Shambhala offer then Boulder would be a great place to live. Again, I don't know Ft Collins at all so I can't compare, but I enjoy Boulder for the sheer people-watching aspect of it. Great places to have dinner, a large and well-stocked public library (albeit seriously underfunded as are all public libraries), a nice new mall . . . The only downside I see is the cost of housing in Boulder which is vastly inflated compared to the surrounding towns such as Longmont or Superior. Are you looking to live in a more city-type place or would you consider any of the mountain towns? Boulder is obviously a lot closer to Denver too.

I'll be very interested to see how things go for you.

[.gif]

boulder is really nice. i live in the denver area which is not so great.

[albinoazian]

If only Boulder didn't cost as much as SoCal.

[sandycat]

I agree, Boulder is expensive. I heard a quote once about FC, "Wide streets, Narrow minds". If you are a Naropa kinda person, don't expect that in FC, it's a pretty conservative town comparatively speaking. Boulder is a special place, and people I feel are genuinely nice. Even though it's pretty dense, I think it still has a small town feel. Good luck in your decision.

[BlueWillowPlate]

I have lived in both Ft Collins as well as Boulder and much preferred Ft Collins.
However, Boulder is most certainly not a dump, and it definitely is closer to Denver.
Larimer County is one of Congresswoman Marilyn Musgrave's districts. I deplore and detest Musgrave. However, Ft Collins, a university town, is not exactly a hotbed of rabid right wingers. I have several friends who live there and the last adjective I would use to describe them is 'conservative.'

[sandycat]

Hi Cil,
I said comparatively speaking Fort Collins is more conservative and if she is looking for thinks like Naropa and Shambala, then that says a lot. And unfortuanately Musgrave got reelected. Of course having a university in town makes for a more liberal atmosphere, but in general it is more conservative than Boulder.

[4acadia]

Thanks everyone...

Yes, Boulder seems costly, but our plan will be to rent somewhere - perhaps South Boulder/Table Mesa area (anyone familiar?)...or even downtown if we can find a good rental, and then look for a house in the surrounding area. Hopefully, if we live there long enough we'll be able to buy into Boulder.

At this point Boulder is our choice. We like being closer to the mountains and we prefer a more walkable, denser town - it feels smaller to me. And yes, I like Naropa and all of the unique learning opportunities that Boulder offers. Plus, my favorite author lives there! That's exciting.

Thanks for everyone's input...it is much appreciated.