[cinnamon_toast]

I thought it might be a long shot, but here goes... Family of 5 (3 young children aged 2, 5, and 7) looking to relocate to an area with mountain access for skiing, hiking, etc. Husband needs to be close to an airport but works from home when he's not traveling. I am a SAHM. Have about $750K to spend on a home. Obviously good schools are important but so is living in an open-minded community. Coming from the Twin Cities and just want a change and slightly better climate with more winter recreational opportunities.

With that background - does anyone have experience with both areas and can comment? We plan to travel to both and check for ourselves but would love to get some prelim thoughts.

And as a sidebar - is it difficult to travel to and from Burlington? Just wondering about flight availability/frequency for domestic travel.

[flu189]

Let's see, comparing Burlington to Boulder would be akin to a pebble versus a, well a boulder. Seriously, both lean to the left if that is the flavor you desire. Both have interesting landscapes and with 750k for a home you will be able to live in the Burlington area ahead of 98% of the population, not sure about Boulder, but assume the place is much more monied. Can't give a very direct analysis since I have actually not lived Boulder and pounded the pavement so to speak. Regarding travel from Burlington via air. It is pretty easy to fly in and out of Burlington with connecting flights to all the major NE regional hubs. I just took a one week out of state trip and let me tell you coming in and out of Burlington feels like having your own private airport. Traffic is not an issue here at all, so be it commuting or having time on your hands to go exploring it's easy to get around without wasted time sitting in traffic or behind miles and miles of traffic signals. As the OP mentioned, a visit to both locales is the best way to get a feel and perhaps get some hands on research to help make the ultimate decision.

[tkln]

We had put Colorado high up on our list of places to move and within the state, the Boulder area was tops on the list. I liked the college-town atmosphere that Boulder seems to have, along with everything that goes with it - restaurants, shopping, arts, etc...plus being close to Denver airport, as we also travel a lot.

We have friends who've moved to Denver and who love it, but in the end, we chose VT. From my research, COL is definitely cheaper in Colorado - at the very least, the property taxes alone seemed at least 1/2 of what comparable homes would be in VT. But I love rain. And all my friends were bragging how they had nothing but days of sun and 60 degree weather in January. I know that is heaven for a lot of people, but not for me.

The ongoing drought out west bothers me a lot, along with the lack of proper planning for development. All these huge homes in development are built, along with beautiful lawns - yet they have no water to maintain them. To me, considering how environmentally progressive Boulder (and other areas) are supposed to be, I don't understand how the lack of water management continues to go unabated out there. The combination of unchecked development, drought, and wildfires were enough for me.

Regarding travel from Burlington, my fiancé did a lot of flying in and out of the airport and he loves it. But it seems that for a lot of flights, you'll have to connect in a major hub, I think Denver has a lot more direct/international flights (obviously being a much larger airport!). Then again, VT has Montreal.

VT is by no means perfect, just read the posts on this board. It's up to you to do the research, hopefully visit and then choose the place that works best for you.

[Sherylcatmom]

Originally Posted by tkln

The ongoing drought out west bothers me a lot, along with the lack of proper planning for development. All these huge homes in development are built, along with beautiful lawns - yet they have no water to maintain them. To me, considering how environmentally progressive Boulder (and other areas) are supposed to be, I don't understand how the lack of water management continues to go unabated out there. The combination of unchecked development, drought, and wildfires were enough for me.

This was the deal-breaker that knocked SW Colorado/NW New Mexico off our possible relocation list. We didn't feel comfortable considering moving to an area where drought is the norm, and so are overpopulation/overdevelopment/water-use excesses. Much as we love that area, ongoing drought is not a scene we want to be part of.

[MRVphotog]

Burlington is alot greener with the lake and rivers nearby. Boulder is bigger and busier than Burlington. Burlington has the Church Street Markerplace, Boulder has The Mall for a portion of the downtown closed off for walking/shopping.

[vter]

Your money for housing will go much farther in Burlington than Boulder.
Boulder will be much warmer in the winter than Burlington, which can get downright fridgid(coming from MN, you know what that is like). If weather is a big concern, I'd take Boulder over Burlington (for winter anyway).
Boulder is 45 minutes from Denver and has blended in to the Denver metro area. Burlington is more isolated, though Montreal is an hour and half (not counting border waits) away.
Denver airport will have better air travel options as it's a MUCH MUCH busier airport. Burlington has a nice small airport though....easy to navigate. You'll have to connect at a larger airport to pretty much go anywhere (Philly, JFK, Newark, etc). Jet Blue does have a daily direct to Orlando which is nice. Good deals to be found especially if you book early. People from Quebec have discovered BTV and now account for almost 40% of all passenger traffic as Trudeau Airport in Montreal is $$$.
They are both similar towns in that they are college towns, have a similar vibe etc. Boulder is much larger, and as stated earlier, tied to the Denver Metro area. I have family in Boulder and we love to visit there! I could see myself living there.

[cinnamon_toast]

Thank you, everyone, for your thoughts. Just perusing homes in the two areas, Burlington appears to have much nicer architecture. I'm not sure what builders were thinking in most of the state of Colorado in the last 60 years. There sure aren't many appealing homes in terms of interesting features and overall design and that IS important to us.

I was also wondering what health care is like in Burlington? Is there a children's hospital and are there any good allergy/asthma clinics? I have a child with a severe peanut allergy and asthma.

[vter]

The local hosital is Fletcher Allen, and the Vermont Children's Hospital resides inside the Fletcher Allen building. Don't really know much else about it, but there is someone who pots here that works at the hospital so hopefully he/she will chime in.

[MRVphotog]

Some of the older neighborhoods of Boulder have many interesting homes. The area of upper Baseline going towards the park where the famous flatirons are, take any street to the right. I used to hangout at a friend's place on Grant St. Thought it was nice but very expensive even back then.

[goldenband]

I know quite a few people who have left Boulder in a state of considerable disillusionment, saying that it's pretty much been completely taken over by trustafarian types. I don't think that's happened to Burlington yet, or at least not to the same extent, though others may disagree.

However, I have a friend who lives a little ways from Boulder, in Lyons, CO, and loves it. Perhaps, as is so often the case, you can do well if you're willing to be a little further from the midst of things, though you give up walkability (among other things). The same is no doubt true of Burlington.

Thinking about lung and asthma issues, I'm wondering about the cold winters in Burlington vs. the high altitude of Boulder. Either one could potentially be a problem, though in Boulder it'll be year-round.

I can tell you that Burlington is gorgeous, and has plenty to do despite its small size.