What city would you compare Boulder to? (Longmont: college, living in)

[xeric]

Originally Posted by Scott5280

People who knew Boulder pre late 1980's remember a completely different place. Boulder had the hippies, the real deal whack jobs; people dealing drugs openly on the Pearl Street Mall, tripping on God Knows what. Boulder had such an eclectic balance of wierd charactors that I can honestly say I can't think of a town like it once was. You also had
believe it or not very militant right wing extremest groups ( Soldiers of fortune types) who loathed the environment around them. Boulder today while still ultra liberal is a shell of it's former hippie hey days...Aspen while much more tame in the 60'-80's was once a hippie haven..ask the old timers who have been in Pitkin County a while.

Boulder today? I'm with Willy; it seems more like Palo Alto or Santa Barbara with a Rocky Mountain backdrop.

But the old-timers you met in the early 80s would say - "it's nothing like it was in the 60s and early 70s". No place stays the same but whether it's better or worse then the old days (or just different) depends on your perspective. And most people apply a nostalgia filter to the places in which they spent their youth.

[smdensbcs]

Originally Posted by Meowen

Liberal mid size college town of about 100,000 people with a good selection of shopping and restaurants and lots of outdoor/mountain recreation and overpriced housing options.

This describes Bozeman MT reasonably well, though my general sense is folks in Bozeman are somewhat more laid-back about where they live. Boulder, like all towns/cities, is unique unto itself. There are fair approximations, but the differences often overwhelm the similarities. For example, Santa Fe was mentioned, but Boulder has little of the history, Native American and hispanic culture, Southwestern architecture, etc. Boulder is not an international arts and music destination. Boulder is not a state capitol. The only similarities between Boulder and Santa Fe I can see are relative size, proximity to mountains, and possibly the relative proportion of people who earn their money and those who don't. The two are more different than they are similar, from what I've seen of both.

[Scott5280]

Originally Posted by xeric

But the old-timers you met in the early 80s would say - "it's nothing like it was in the 60s and early 70s". No place stays the same but whether it's better or worse then the old days (or just different) depends on your perspective. And most people apply a nostalgia filter to the places in which they spent their youth.

So true.

[Blue Sky]

Spokane, W.A. comes to mind. It also has amazing outdoor recreation opportunities. Rivers, lakes, snow skiing and biking everywhere. There are also 4 universities (Gonzaga, Whitworth, Eastern Washington U. and Washington State U.) The downtown has had a recent revitalization with Apple and the North Face stores opening. Once this place gets some publicity in the likes of "Outside Magazine", it will become the next boomtown of the west. Seattle and Portland are already overbuilt and overpriced.

[Neditate]

Well, not really but it is interesting that you said that Blue Sky. The head of the Spokane Chamber is the former head of the Boulder Chamber. The revitalization is in part modeled after Boulder.
A good friend of mine moved to the Spokane area several years ago after having lived in the Boulder/Longmont area most of her life. She likes living there but still really misses Boulder and Colorado. Other than recreational opportunities she doesn't feel that there is much similarity between them at all.
I read another of your posts regarding Spokane and you said "If you liked Eugene, you won't like Spokane. It is much different, especially when it comes to diversity and politics. Spokane is a very weird place. A very conservative place." That would be the polar opposite of Boulder.

[bisou]

Boulder and Takoma Park have a VERY similar vibe. While Takoma Park doesn't have the same scenic feel, it does have the Victorians. It has a young vibrant highly educated population. The older hippies can still be found and a new crop is in the making. When you live there, it almost feels like you are in an island in the sea of Washington, DC. A very interesting place.
Bisou

[ledjar]

Boulders unique, i've never been anywhere like it.

[Johnhw2]

Boulder is unique in my experience. Its a great small city with lots of do within it, while sitting next to one of the great National Parks and the city of the Rockies Denver. It has mountain views and play areas right out its door but is close to a major airport in Denver. The university, organic focused food, pearl street mall all make it a unique gem.... despite my visit during the heat wave this summer! I should also mention Chautauqua and the beautiful old Victorian and Craftsman homes in neighborhoods near Chautauqua, both illustrate Boulder was a city to be reckoned with long ago as well as today. Great place to visit!

[smithy77]

Originally Posted by bisou

Boulder and Takoma Park have a VERY similar vibe. While Takoma Park doesn't have the same scenic feel, it does have the Victorians. It has a young vibrant highly educated population. The older hippies can still be found and a new crop is in the making. When you live there, it almost feels like you are in an island in the sea of Washington, DC. A very interesting place
Bisou

Boulder is a unique place in the world of liberal/progressive towns. It really doesn't have the type of laid-back feel of Austin or the uber-intellectual feel of Charlottesville or Takoma Park (Md.), or the Midwestern pragmatic liberalism of Madison or Ann Arbor. I'm gonna get smacked for this, but Boulder left me with a feeling of New Age-ish Anal-retentive smugness.

[DetBasketball]

Originally Posted by Stasia Ann

What are the highlights of the city?

Is Boulder Resevoir a good recreation spot for families. We love mountains and outdoor recreation.

Boulder resevior is OK, I wouldnt say its a very big highlight though because you have to drive kinda far to get up there. If you like outdoor recreation your spot will be Chautauqua Park which is home to the Flatiron mountains. It has unbelievable hiking and its very easy to acess. Provides the best views of boulder and the campus from the top. When I lived there I would hike this mountain about 2 to 3 times a week and I was in the best shape of my life.

Other Highlights:

-Biking Trials - some of the best in the country
-Campus - rated the most beautiful campus in the US.
-Pearl Street - basically downtown Boulder; shopping, yoga studios, bars, street performers, etc
-29th street mall - cool little shopping center with Boulder's main movie theater.
-Boulder Farmers Market - held every saturday I believe near pearl street in the park area.
-Boulder Creek - fun tubing if you can stand the hippies. Also a fun place to take your dogs.
-Red Rocks Park - another fun place to hike, cool views of boulder and awesome looking red rocks to climb on.
-Easy Access to some of the best skiing in the world -1 hour 30 mins to Keystone, 1 hour 45 mins to brekenridge, 2 hours 30 mins to vail and beaver creek. (this is of course assuming that you know how to drive on mountain roads, if you don't tack on additional 30 mins).
-Football Games/College Spots - CU is division one everything, tickets are reasonable and the games are a blast.
-Short Drive to Nederland - cool little mountain town with a nice vibe
-35 from Denver (hour with traffic).
-Good food and amazing beer - Check out "Southern Sun" microbrewery.