Boulder vs Parker

[CAMom]

My wife and I just bought a home at canterberry crossing in parker, it's being built right now. From what I've heard if a person hasn't been to parker for a while, they wouldn't recognize it. Depends on how much kid type activities you would be interested in I would think. Of the 2 houses you're looking at in parker the first one is definitely closer to the heart of town. My parents just bought right next to your second choice, it's 15 minutes to town.

[.gif]

i would choose boulder in a heartbeat. it's a much more fun town. parker is boring.

[OutOfSoCal]

We are looking in Parker. I liked the second house best. I want some land. tired of having my neighbors right next to me.
If at all possible why not go to CO adn visit before the move so you have abetter feel for the areas. Or rent initially so you're not forced to make a rushed decision.

[WhereTheSidewalkEnds]

I can understand the choice of wanting to buy right away when you have teenagers to get settled in schools. It's tough to make a move at that age. I have never been to Parker but from everyone says, they are so opposite you really need to visit before buying.
I would think your teens would like Boulder better. We live in south Longmont. My husband works in Boulder. We love Boulder - just couldn't afford the houses. I would agree that Niwot would be worth looking into. Our son will go to Niwot High next year. Great school.
We have lots of friends who's kids go to Boulder High and are very happy.
I think what someone implied when they said zero growth was county, etc. We pay a lot in Boulder county to secure open space (I'm glad about that) so sprawl here isn't something you see a lot of. Longmont is pretty much built out on the south side for example.
I guess if you only are in Boulder occasionally and spend most of the time down on Pearl Street then the whole hippie thing might be more obvious. I guess since we do more family stuff there (our son is on the ski team for Eldora) we don't really notice it and frankly it doesn't bother us. It's a great town.

[MShock]

As others have mentioned, you are pretty much looking at very different communities. While we know Boulder from our sons attending CU, I can best give some info about your first Parker link. It is in the Pinery just south of Parker. We lived in the Pinery for over 15 years -- raised our three boys there. It is a fabulous place for families. No cookie cutter houses on tiny lots -- room to enjoy. On many lots there are fabulous Ponderosa pines and/or great views of the mountains. Schools are good as others have mentioned. Like most Douglas county communities, Parker growth has been crazy. The Pinery, however, is pretty much built out so it you know if your views of pines, mountains, etc. are going to remain. If you are so inclined to join, the Pinery CC is right there with a great pool, tennis, and golf. The town of Parker, however, also has a great recreational facility, too. The libraries are top-notch, too.

We recently downsized to a smaller home and moved to Castle Rock. This is another great community in Douglas County you might want to look at when you visit. It is west of Parker right off I 25 so it is really easy to get to Denver.It has a lot of charm and is also the same school district.

Good Luck in your house hunting!

[hsbelovedhandmdn]

Depends on what you want. Boulder is where CU is located. It is really a granola type college atmosphere with a diverse population and it is the town where kids were told that sex outside of marriage with diverse people is okay...without parental consent. If that's okay with you then Boulder is great. If, on the other hand, you prefer a more conservative atmosphere go to Parker. Both places have good shopping surrounding them, and great places to eat.

[gpraceman]

Wow, talk about extremes! I lived in Parker (The Pinery) and also went to CU in Boulder. There were things about both places that I liked. However, I would never consider raising kids in Boulder, especially teens, knowing what goes on there.

The post below made me laugh, because it summarizes Boulder in a nutshell.

Originally Posted by Avaria

We lived in Boulder for almost 2 years –

The town itself is pretty – except for all the trailer courts. The flatirons are exquisite, and the campus is beautiful.

You'll love Boulder if you like:

Overpriced houses

Over priced trinkets in small boutiques

Lots of tie die bong shops

20 quack health care provider on every corner (there are an over abundance of unlicensed, untrained, and unethical people claiming to be healers in Boulder)

1000 Slum lords charging top dollar for rent

New Yorkers (there are tons of them in that town - yet everyone wants to blame Californians for Boulders problems - yet I ran into very few. Most people there are from the East Coast)

Snooty, snobby, stuck up people

Yuppies

Coffee snobs who hang out at Vics all day (Doesn't anyone have a real job in that town?)

Meat Eating Vegetarians

Closet Republicans

“Faux” liberals

Kids in brand new Range Rovers pan handling for drug money

Drug addicts harassing you for change

Poor people who want to trade for everything (hey man, I’ll give you a massage for that sandwich)

Bratty college kids

Pot Heads

Weird unsolved child murders

[cloud9]

Every now and then the thought of moving to Boulder crosses my mind, because of certain Buddhist teachers who are located there. That description above sounds a lot like where I grew up and lived for 30 years (Boston)! Boston is probably worse in almost all of those aspects (guessing, because I've never been to Boulder), so it doesn't sound like anything I'm not used to, but still... I think I'll return it to the back burner for now..

Sorry that's a little off-topic. I just thought it was funny how much that sounded like the city I ran away from, haha

[Katarina Witt]

Boulder, Colorado (CO) (pop. 94,673)

Foreign-born: 10,829

Place of birth for U.S.-born residents:

This state: 22918
Northeast: 15370
Midwest: 20879
South: 10675
West: 12415

From City-Data. Therefore:
27%, Colorado
18%, Northeast
25%, Midwest
13%, South
15%, West

New Yorkers (there are tons of them in that town - yet everyone wants to blame Californians for Boulders problems - yet I ran into very few. Most people there are from the East Coast)

Over half the US Born people in Boulder are from Colorado or the Midwest.