Gunbarrel area information (good, hear)

[frogandtoad]

Thanks!

[suzco]

Check school district boundaries carefully in Gunbarrel; for example, if you're north of Lookout Road, you're in St. Vrain School District, rather than Boulder Valley School District. Niwot elementary serves that northwest corner, it's also well regarded. But rather than assuming what school serves an area, check the district maps for both BVSD and St. Vrain.

[Look'inCO]

Looking at some homes in the Gunbarrel area (Gunbarrel Green). Just wanted any information on the area. Family friendly? Heatherwood elementary? Basically anything you can tell me - positive or negative.

Thank you!

[seethelight]

Originally Posted by Look'inCO

Looking at some homes in the Gunbarrel area (Gunbarrel Green). Just wanted any information on the area. Family friendly? Heatherwood elementary? Basically anything you can tell me - positive or negative.

Thank you!

Having lived in Gunbarrel for six years, and having just moved to Maryland, I can tell you that forget about family friendly. There is just about no friendly at all. I lived in Island Greens, an upscale cousin of Gunbarrel Greens and I really couldn't imagine why people were so downright unfriendly. Compared to where I am living now, Boulder, including Gunbarrel, which is in Boulder county, a very beautiful place, is very unforgiving to newcomers.

Of course there are exceptions, but I found that even the people that have kids, which we had as neighbors next door to us, never spoke to us in three years, and that is after we tried to have conversations. The woman three houses down had four young kids and never spoke to us or to any of the other familes with kids, at least from living in the same block for the past four years and observing the neighborhood social patterns.

In my new house we have been very warmly welcomed, and know almost every person on our block, and that is after only living here for a month.

Be careful when you think about Boulder because the scenery is very deceiving. We are dog people, as many people in Boulder are, but strangely enough when we encountered another dog on our walk, invariably, the person walking the other dog walking towards us woulc pull their dog away, not speaking to us or even acknowledging our sweet dog.

In Maryland, everyone lets their dogs sniff and greet each other. That is normal behavior. Boulder, and Gunbarrel is not a normal place to live.

There are of course positives, if you like biking and hiking. Just don't get your hopes up too high. If you move knowing full well both the positives and the negatives, you will probably be okay.

[Look'inCO]

Thanks for your thoughts seethelight. I had posted wanting info because the last posts on the area were 2 years ago and just wanted to see thoughts now.

I had noticed that on great schools recently people gave the school several stars and said there was a lot of parent involvement but the school itself was lacking some academically so I wanted to see if anyone had any thoughts on that.

[WhereTheSidewalkEnds]

Originally Posted by seethelight

We are dog people, as many people in Boulder are, but strangely enough when we encountered another dog on our walk, invariably, the person walking the other dog walking towards us woulc pull their dog away, not speaking to us or even acknowledging our sweet dog.

In Maryland, everyone lets their dogs sniff and greet each other. That is normal behavior. Boulder, and Gunbarrel is not a normal place to live.

Just have to comment on this because it made me chuckle a bit.

I walk my dog 4 miles every day along the same path. I'm a person like you describe - I pull over and stop with my dog or pull her in very tight and keep walking. I do always say hello to people, but I don't let my dog do the sniffing thing with other dogs and it drives me nuts when people automatically think everyone should do this. I've had people let their dogs out on the leash further to try and get to my dog while we are pulled over.

I've had people walking their dogs illegally with out a leash, let their dog come running up to mine and say, "she just wants to play", not getting the hint when I stop and pull over.

The reason? I have a dog that, while she looks very friendly, is other dog aggressive. It NEVER goes well when she's allowed to sniff with other dogs - especially while she is leashed. She does not do anything. It's always the other dog that she somehow gets riled up by her stance, etc. Can't tell you how many times an owner, in shock, would look at me and say, "I don't know why my dog did that! It's never done that before!".

I can't take my dog to a dog park. So my daily walks with her are her way to blow off energy. I don't consider it social time as my dog isn't social with other dogs unless introduced to them in a very slow and controlled manner.

[seethelight]

Originally Posted by jkcoop

Just have to comment on this because it made me chuckle a bit.

I walk my dog 4 miles every day along the same path. I'm a person like you describe - I pull over and stop with my dog or pull her in very tight and keep walking. I do always say hello to people, but I don't let my dog do the sniffing thing with other dogs and it drives me nuts when people automatically think everyone should do this. I've had people let their dogs out on the leash further to try and get to my dog while we are pulled over.

I've had people walking their dogs illegally with out a leash, let their dog come running up to mine and say, "she just wants to play", not getting the hint when I stop and pull over.

The reason? I have a dog that, while she looks very friendly, is other dog aggressive. It NEVER goes well when she's allowed to sniff with other dogs - especially while she is leashed. She does not do anything. It's always the other dog that she somehow gets riled up by her stance, etc. Can't tell you how many times an owner, in shock, would look at me and say, "I don't know why my dog did that! It's never done that before!".

I can't take my dog to a dog park. So my daily walks with her are her way to blow off energy. I don't consider it social time as my dog isn't social with other dogs unless introduced to them in a very slow and controlled manner.

There are people here as well that don't want their dogs to play, for various reasons, and I completely understand that. There are social dogs and there are unsocial dogs, and social people and unsocial people. I get that too. If I see a pit bull coming my way I don't let my dog greet even though the owner might say their dog is friendly. It's just that there were too many unsocial people not lettting their potentially social dogs play. Too bad for the dogs and too bad for the people.

There are always exceptions to any rule. I was simply trying to tie in my experiences with people and their dogs to my experience of the general unfriendliness of Boulder, and or Gunbarrel, during the time I spent there.

[ZeroTiger]

it depends on the lifestyle you want to live. Gunbarrel is roughly equivalent to Louisville, but you'll pay city of boulder property taxes and you'll have a Boulder mailing address.
Central Boulder has the greenways trails network and it makes it super easy and fast to get around town via bike. the schools are good, it's the same district as up in gunbarrel, so that's a wash. There is a grocery store or two up there and a few restaurants, but not as much as downtown or even north boulder.
gunbarrell attracts younger families since your housing money gets you more. depending on where you work, you may or may not be able to bike if that's your thing. The diagonal highway gets pretty messy during rush hours, but nothing as bad as a big city.

[WhereTheSidewalkEnds]

Originally Posted by ZeroTiger

Central Boulder has the greenways trails network and it makes it super easy and fast to get around town via bike. the schools are good, it's the same district as up in gunbarrel, so that's a wash.

Part of Gunbarrel is in the St. Vrain District.

[OhioToCO]

Thought I would update this thread a bit, since we've been living here (Heatherwood) for more than a year now.

Positives (this is all just my opinion, of course):
1) Schools - hands down the best schools for your housing money in BVSD. Everybody likes schools in South Boulder, but it's much more expensive. You get the same HS, if you want to, if you live in Heatherwood/Gunbarrel, but price per sq ft is probably 50% lower.
Choice of high schools and bus to both Fairview and Boulder. It's a dual enrollment area, you get to choose which High School you go to, and it's NOT through open enrollment, you are guaranteed admission and bus to both, just have to declare it by mid-January of your 8th grade. (This is close and dear to my heart, we have an 8th grader, and had a tought time choosing, mostly because both schools are good). Heatherwood and all of Gunbarrel south of Lookout rd. is a dual enrollment area.
Since we are talking about schools, I have to say that Nevin Platt middle is a great school, too.
Heatherwood elementary is not bad either, works well for our younger son. Some teachers are outstanding, some "meh", current principal is awesome, but he is retiring. I can only hope his successor will continue in his footsteps.
2) Quiet area with lots of trails. Heatherwood is surrounded on three sides by open space. This spring there is a family of foxes who have built their den along 75th street, and on most afternoons you can see mother and cubs if you just slow down and pull over while going north past Heatherwood. My kids think it's the coolest thing on earth . There are coyotes in open space, and someone even saw a mountain lion there in late winter, but as long as you keep your pets inside for the night, and supervise small kids while walking in the open space, it's very safe.
There is Twin Lakes area in Gunbarrel with walking trails. There are some smaller neighborhood parks in different subdivisions of Gunbarrel.
3) Again - safe. I forget to lock my door and left garage door open for a night or two, I feel very safe.
4) There is a bus (205) that goes around neighborhoods and takes you downtown Boulder, but it takes a looong time. (Therefore, it's also a negative) It's a way to get somewhere if you don't drive or stuck without a car, but I wouldn't use it as my primary means of transportation - too long. Let's say my teenage son was able to get to Scott Carpenter's park and pool all by himself last summer, but it took him more than an hour.

Negatives and my comments.
1) Too far from town, maybe, but then if you need to get somewhere in East Boulder, it's faster from Gunbarrel than it is from, say South or North Boulder. My husband works on Walnut just east of Foothills (several office buildings there) and he gets to the office in 10 min driving, and ~30 min biking. A bit of traffic going home on Valmont rd. around 5 pm, but then it's 12 minutes or so.
2) 205 bus is not a very convenient way to get around.
3) "Not too much here" is a common statement I saw on this board. Well, there is King Soopers, two coffee shops, frozen yougurt place, two sit down restaurants, several fast food places (BK, Quizznos), a pizza place, a deli. Biggest drawback - these are the only joints that deliver, if you need a dinner delivered. Nobody from Boulder would.

What else? Someone mentioned rec centers - yes, you pay non-resident rate. The closest rec center is probably East. I get there in 12-15 minutes. North Boulder rec is about 15-20 minutes away.

I started going to the Louisville library, because it's the same distance as Boulder Main library on Arapahoe, but I don't have to fight Boulder traffic.

Overall, if I had 500-600K for a house, I would live in Boudler proper, but, alas, I don't, and with my kids already in schools and especially with my older one starting HS next year, I think we will stay here for a while.

Oh, friendliness - it's all in you, of course. We are not the most social and outgoing people in the world, and even then we've met quite a few neighbors, were invited to the block party etc.