Where is "Boulder" of the East Coast?

[j1n]

Originally Posted by 5stones

FOR east coast yes...ASHEVILLE, NC is probably the closest,
Burlington VT would be another choice..

for Va...
Harrisonburg VA, Charlottsville VA,

New Paltz..NY

I am sure there are dozen others... lots of college towns will have what you desire.

I mostlyu agree here, although I don't know much about New Palz. I'd add Ithaco, NY and consider removing Harrisonburg. Harrisonburg is a pretty soul-less storage space for college kids.

[WillV]

IN Virginia: Charlottesville or Blacksburg would proably be the closest thing we have to a "Boulderesque" type community...

[VirginiaGal]

Charlottesville or Asheville, for sure.

[seanpecor]

I grew up in Burlington, it's definitely a hip town. It meets all of your criteria. Of course the trees don't actually have _leaves_ on them for like 5 months of the year, but, yes, there are lots of trees

The closest thing in Virginia is probably Charlottesville, but let's be real, Charlottesville is like Colorado Springs compared to Burlington

I lived in Blacksburg for almost a year. It's pretty progressive but again, it's not even close in comparison to Boulder. There were still alot of things that weren't recyclable in Blacksburg. By contrast, in Burlington, virtually everything is recyclable and you don't have to sort. And politics aren't dominated by progressive attitudes in Blacksburg. Plus without getting too deeply into it, Blacksburg is a town and lacks metro conveniences and cultural venues like a Burlington VT, Roanoke or Charlottesville.

The best Burlington webcam is:

Burlington - Haze Cam Pollution Visibility Camera Network

Judging by the view, the webcam is somewhere on a building on the UVM campus, and you're looking Westward towards downtown near the lake, with the Adirondacks in the distant horizon.

We moved close to Roanoke for better weather, lower cost of living and friendlier people. Burlington folks are friendly, but not as friendly (in my opinion) in general as southern folks.

Sean

[kdh344]

others have mentioned burlington but i wonder about the weather? is it blustery cold and gray? boulder gets cold but they have 300 days of sunshine (i live in florida and we have 255)and the snow doesnt hang around long.

[seanpecor]

Burlington is not Boulder in terms of weather. At all. Most of New England in fact has more clouds and overcast days than clear days during the winter. It is quite cold in the Winter, but like anything, you can get accustomed to it.

Still, I prefer Southwest Virginia weather - more specifically Boones Mill where we are - over Boulder weather or Burlington weather or Florida weather. Here, we'll have four seasons, each about 3 months in length. We'll have some 3-6" snows, maybe once or twice each winter but it melts off within a day or two. Boulder gets half the rain that we get here, which would be something of a show stopper for my landscaping pastime and it would wreak havoc on my horse pastures.

Sean

[abdnva]

I think that Asheville is a much better fit than Charlottesville. While C'ville has an overall progressive attitude, etc., it is middle of the pack at best on outdoorsy/green type activities, etc. in my opinion.

Asheville has a cornucopia of accepted lifestyles, cultural & physical activities available. Anything enviro-related, it has it. Eclectic restaurants & shops, they have it. I can certainly picture an easy transition to Asheville for you, but not as easily for Charlottesville. It's not geared in the same vein. Not that it's bad, but it's just not as similar, that's all...

I'm having trouble expressing the difference, so maybe this will help - Chalottesville is a stroll through an art museum, followed by salads at a sidewalk cafe. Asheville is biking over to attend an arts & crafts festival, followed by tapas in a funky renovated building downtown.

Both are enjoyable, both have their devotees, but the two towns are very dissimilar in their personalities, in my opinion.

sean's on the money re: the weather, too. Both cities enjoy four full seasons, with neither summer being too hot nor winter being too cold. You see enough snow to appreciate it (and make snow cream once or twice!) but not enough to dread it.

[jaimejaimejaime]

I am currently visiting Ann Arbor, Michigan and I am quite surprised with the town. It's a cute city, nestled in some great open lands of forest & trees. The people here are very outdoorsy and nature minded. There is also a big health food community out here, and people are just overall very conscious of recycling and moving toward more sustainable systems.
There is a great grad program at the University of Michigan, the Natural Resources & Environment School has 8 different concentrations, which attracts a lot of young environmentalists.
There is also a big music & theater scene, and a very international feel to the town. Plus, it's really clean & the bus system is great.

[alice_61]

I like Asheville and Charlottesville. Asheville has more spectacular scenery and more of a close to nature feel. Charlottesville has a larger academic (UVA) and historic emphasis (Monticello, Montpelier, etc.). I think you might like either one.