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Boulder has a weird ultra-liberal (don't get me wrong, I'm liberal too) vibe to it. Think Berkeley on steroids. It's hard to explain, but off-the-wall stuff comes outta there all the time (Port-A-Potty peeping Tom, an old lady who gardens naked, bears breaking into houses {ok, I know that one is nobody's fault }). It's one of those "it" places that people like to brag about living in. They like to run through town naked every Halloween. $300K for a fixer 70's era tract home. They even have an occupy camp. It's known as the "People's Republic of Boulder". Spitting your gum out on the street may get you referred to the Kyoto Protocol. Prairie dogs are revered.
Visit Boulder first to see if you mesh, but Fort Collins may be a good town to consider in its place.
I was born in Long Beach, and IMO the majority of it is run-down or suburban. The areas near the water are nice, but it didn't really pop in my head considering what you want, and what you had as your other choices.
Re: Denver, Green Mountain HS is considered an above-average school in an above-average district, IMO it's odd that your friends didn't like it. Apples to apples, I found the schools I grew up with in CA to be better overall than many of the ones here (all of the CO schools my kids have attended seem exceedingly easy), but there is nothing inherently wrong with them, and you can get your kids into a good school (arts focused, public charter, high-scoring traditional, etc) if you try hard enough. I hear very few complaints about any of the better suburban districts, and most of the complaints about DPS (Denver city district) come from people who have never had kids enroll in it (got their opinion from the paper, the news, demographic biases, ancient history regarding racial busing and snow days, etc).
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Originally Posted by where2raise
Yeah I kind of knew Boulder would be something along those lines no doubt about it, I just wanted to hear what your take on it was. Fort Collins is a bit more conservative from what I hear, lots of high tech jobs there from what I've heard.
I see what you mean though. My friend moved there from Mercer Island (wealthy suburb of Seattle, some of the highest-scoring public schools in the nation), and that might explain it.
It's not Boulder or nothing by the way. There are affordable, more family-oriented suburbs just outside of town which will provide easy access to Boulder's amenities. Check out the suburbs of Louisville or Niwot.
Another thing to consider in terms of schools in urban areas are private and/or charter schools. You still have to research those schools, but they provide another option in terms of education. Here's one good example in my area: Syracuse Academy of Science Charter School | Elementary
Yeah I kind of knew Boulder would be something along those lines no doubt about it, I just wanted to hear what your take on it was. Fort Collins is a bit more conservative from what I hear, lots of high tech jobs there from what I've heard.
I see what you mean though. My friend moved there from Mercer Island (wealthy suburb of Seattle, some of the highest-scoring public schools in the nation), and that might explain it.
Your friend should have moved to Cherry Hills Village instead. That's our Mercer Island. Green Mountain/Lakewood is like stepping down to a nicer part of Everett or Renton.
Fort Collins is pretty moderate if the last two pres. elections are any indication. Flipped from red to blue (of near equal proportion) last election. It's a place a lot of people seem to want to go, and a place people have a hard time leaving.
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Originally Posted by kyle19125
It's not Boulder or nothing by the way. There are affordable, more family-oriented suburbs just outside of town which will provide easy access to Boulder's amenities. Check out the suburbs of Louisville or Niwot.
Honestly its not where you raise your family, but HOW you raise your family. I know that geography plays a certain role, but you two sound level-headed enough that you'd do a fine job anywhere. Just saying.
I like your reasoning. However, I tend to be a bit picky when it comes on where to live, though I can be flexible if I have to be.
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Anyway, there are several places in the Bay Area that meet all of your criteria. As far as schools+sunny but cool weather+walkable/transit friendly+safe+close to nature+left leaning, the first places that come to mind are the 2 towns of Alameda and Albany, both across the bay from the City. After that parts of SF itself, parts of Berkeley and parts of Oakland do meet all of your criteria quite nicely. I would also check out the Peninsula towns of Burlingame and San Mateo.
My dad actually lived in Alameda for a couple years, from what I know it seems very charming. Berkeley is also a great place I've looked into as well. San Francisco city proper itself would be hard to keep a family as prices there are comparable to Manhattan.
If Chicago is on your short list you mightalso look into Evanston, which borders it on the north. Moderate housing prices, good schools, ethnically and racially diverse, walkable neighborhood, and all that Chicago has close by. I'd say Chitown itself but the public schools there are mostly pretty bad. It is a 'burb, but considerably less white-bread and picket fence than most 'burbs. The commute to the city is straightforward for the most part and you have the bonus of a major U there, Northwestern. You might like it.
Take a month off, and start driving, aimlessly and randomly. Every city/town you go through, imagine yourself living there. If the idea appeals to you, find a realtor and have them show you some houses. Have lunch in a popular place and check out the locals' body language. Push a cart around in the supermarket. Get out and smell the air and listen to the sounds of the town. Hagerstown Maryland, or Holdrege Nebraska or Houston Texas---how will you know until you look?
No place will be perfect. What you're looking for is imperfections that you can live with.
Take a month off, and start driving, aimlessly and randomly. Every city/town you go through, imagine yourself living there. If the idea appeals to you, find a realtor and have them show you some houses. Have lunch in a popular place and check out the locals' body language. Push a cart around in the supermarket. Get out and smell the air and listen to the sounds of the town. Hagerstown Maryland, or Holdrege Nebraska or Houston Texas---how will you know until you look?
No place will be perfect. What you're looking for is imperfections that you can live with.
Let me that I've visited virtually all of these places. However, I get your point that "visiting" and "living" in a place are two different things.
On a side note, there is NO WAY that I'd live in Houston, Texas. And I would know as I actually lived there for a few months.
Nebraska just sounds boring with little to do.
I have a friend from Maryland who constantly tells me how she's happy to be out of there, but I can't say I know much about it personally.
DC is another place that I would not mind actually, since my linguistics degree will probably help me there.
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}). It's one of those "it" places that people like to brag about living in. They like to run through town naked every Halloween. $300K for a fixer 70's era tract home. They even have an occupy camp. It's known as the "People's Republic of Boulder". Spitting your gum out on the street may get you referred to the Kyoto Protocol. Prairie dogs are revered. 
Green Mountain/Lakewood is like stepping down to a nicer part of Everett or Renton. 
