Would like to look into Boulder... (Denver, Colorado Springs: real estate, 2014, apartment)

[ItsMeMatt]

...to move to. I need the mountains!! I'm originally from NorthEast area and need to move back to familiarity, but not back to the NorthEast. I miss the mountains and my mountain biking in actual mountains. I love to be outdoors and the colder weather does not really bother me. I need a change for 2014!! I've been working as a Pharmacy Technician and would look into working at a hospital and maybe a part time job for a local business, to get to meet more people and embrace what Boulder is all about. I'm in my early 40's, single and no kids so I love the idea of just being able to pick up and go. So I guess my few quick questions to start would be; Could someone find a rental if making @34-36K\year, plus part time job if needed? I own rear wheel drive (not 4WD) SUV, would I survive the winters? A friend had mentioned when he lived there the roads would be OK because they are cleared pretty quickly and the driving conditions are typically ok when the sun comes out. I ask because I finished paying off my truck and enjoying the positive cash flow and really don't feel like starting another car payment. Would there be any other surrounding towns I should look into close to Boulder and why? I'm sure there may be other questions that would come up in this post to help my decision and I'll answer as soon when I can. I'm looking forward to move ahead to where I would be happiest!! Thank you all for any and all help\suggestions!! Have a great day!!

[coloradoalimony]

Rent for a studio in Boulder starts at $1000 and goes up from there. You would have to decide if you could deal with a tiny place, and swing that for rent. Roommates are common in Boulder if that would work for you.

RWD is a problem in winter if you have to commute, or if you like to ski.

Golden is a much better place to mountain bike than Boulder, but it is only a little less expensive. Arvada/Lakewood/Littleton are almost as good, and less expensive.

Look on mountain bike forums for other people with the same question.

[jaekn]

I would look also in Louisville, Lafayette, Longmont, Broomfield and Possibly Westminster for better cost of living, less traffic, fewer aholes and distance from Denver. I live in Louisville (#1 small city to live in- Money Magazine 2011 w00t)
and it is wonderful for renters. Hard to find property to purchase however...

If you are really interested in living in Boulder, I guarantee you can find rent in your price range. I rented as a college student for less than that, but of course it wasn't the best living. You should really decide if its worth it to live there when you can save a lot of money living in the above-referenced cities, while avoiding what has become the most congested area for traffic. They seem to think that bikes and pedestrians are the only one's who deserve to be on the road.

In regards to winters, I wouldn't worry about that if you're coming from the East Coast; winters are comparatively mild here given the amount of sun we get. Also they don't use salt on the roads so you don't need a "winter" car, like you would in MN.

It sounds like you're in for a fantastic adventure, I would just make sure you know the area before you move. Broomfield and Westminster are very suburban, Longmont is a little more rural and Boulder has fantastic mountain access, excellent food and some really cool people/cultural events. Louisville has wonderful restaurants and really nice people/family feel. I highly suggest Louisville (try renting a private-owned condo or apartment on MCcaslin.

[WhereTheSidewalkEnds]

We had a RW drive car when we moved here 15 years ago and that didn't last long.....

I'd look outside of Boulder if I were you. Boulder is just so expensive for what you get.

Have you ever been to the area?

[ItsMeMatt]

Thanks you all for the input!! I'll look into the surrounding areas as well!! Also post in a mountain bike forum. I own a condo now and would likely just sell vs rent out. From the input I'm getting it should sell quickly here in Austin! Austin is a great city, but just has not hit my heart and soul. And this next move I would rent a bit longer before settling in and buying (lesson learned). I'll be planning a visit within the next 2-3months. And as far as RWD SUV might just look to trade in for a better gas mileage with either front wheel drive or AWD. I know there is a different forum for this area but, any input about ColoradoSprings area?
As always Thank you for any and all help/suggestions!! Have a great day!!

[WhereTheSidewalkEnds]

You might get a better deal getting rid of the RWD before you get here. Something to think about.

Keep in mind, your cost of living will be more here - state income tax, registering a car, etc. compared to Texas (when we moved here we moved from Dallas). One thing that is cheaper is property taxes.

[coloradoalimony]

Colorado Springs is a much better mountain bike community than Boulder. Colorado Springs has some great riding right near town, and if the weather is bad, you can pop down to Pueblo, which has a bunch of great trails that stay open almost all winter. You won't be treated as a criminal for riding a mountain bike there.

If you want to stay in the Denver metro area, Golden is mountain bike heaven, but because they actually cater to, and accommodate, mountain bikes, kayaks, rock climbers and other outdoor enthusiasts instead of demonizing them like Boulder, the demand for housing in Golden has skyrocketed, and it is nearly as expensive as Boulder now.

Boulder is mostly populated by cranky, elderly ex-hippies, and entitled trust funders at this point. Boulder basically hates mountain bikes, so the vast majority of their trails are off limits to MTBs, and those that are open are way too overcrowded and not that good. You can't even ride your bike from Boulder to the trailheads unless you like riding miles of pavement first. Boulder refuses to allow bikes on even one of their precious multiple hiking trails from town.

[brown_dog_us]

Originally Posted by coloradoalimony

Boulder is mostly populated by cranky, elderly ex-hippies, and entitled trust funders at this point. .

I can't speak for all of Boulder, but this isn't true for S Boulder where I live. Yes, there are some elderly people who have lived in their homes for 40+ years, but they are very friendly. We do have an old hippie one block over. He puts hand painted signs in his yard about what ever issue is on his mind, and he has an old van with a hand painted sunrise on the side. I've only said "Hi" to him when I walk by, but so far he appears to be completely harmless.

Most of the people around me are just doing their thing.

Golden is probably the best place if all you want to do is mountain bike. If you want to do a little bit of everything, then Boulder is better. Boulder has better restaurants, hiking, beer, arts, sports, etc., but Golden is great too.

[coloradoalimony]

Originally Posted by brown_dog_us

I can't speak for all of Boulder, but this isn't true for S Boulder where I live. Yes, there are some elderly people who have lived in their homes for 40+ years, but they are very friendly. We do have an old hippie one block over. He puts hand painted signs in his yard about what ever issue is on his mind, and he has an old van with a hand painted sunrise on the side. I've only said "Hi" to him when I walk by, but so far he appears to be completely harmless.

Most of the people around me are just doing their thing.

Golden is probably the best place if all you want to do is mountain bike. If you want to do a little bit of everything, then Boulder is better. Boulder has better restaurants, hiking, beer, arts, sports, etc., but Golden is great too.

Golden has dozens of awesome restaurants. Try Sherpa House, Windy Saddle, Table Mountain, etc.

There are at least as many miles of hiking trails accessible from within 10 minutes of Golden as there are in Boulder. North/South Table, Chimney/Lookout, White Ranch, Mathews/Winters, Dakota, Green Mountain, Mount Gailbraith, Centennial Cone, Red Rocks.....the difference of course is that most of these also allow mountain bikes. Oh, and they don't try to extort parking fees from out of towners.

Beer? There are three great microbreweries within walking distance of each other in Golden, plus Coors. You have to get in your car to tour microbreweries in Boulder.

Arts? Boulder might have a better art scene, but since you can hit Denver in 12 minutes from Golden, the Denver scene essentially extends out to Golden.

Sports? You mean like mountain biking, parasailing, kayaking, rock climbing, hiking, skiing (Golden is 25 minutes closer to the resorts than Boulder)? Golden, hands down. The American Center for Mountaineering is right downtown, too. You can access the entire Denver Metro area's bike path system of over 100 miles directly from downtown Golden, too, in multiple directions. There is *no* way to safely ride a bike from Boulder to anywhere else in metro Denver.

Boulder is so 1980, which is about the last time the people that run the city and county had a coherent thought. Their latest exploit is to attempt to ban smoking in cars.

And good luck with that mass transit to Boulder. They are saying the train will get there in what, 2042? Golden has one light rail line already, and another line going out there is already being built. If you like to drive, you can drive from Golden to Denver in 12 minutes, to DIA in 30, with NO tolls. You have to pay $10.50 each way to drive to DIA from Boulder in 45 minutes, or take the cluster that is US-36 to 270 to 70.

Boulder was definitely better than Golden 25 year ago, but this is 2014, and Boulder long ago went full-whackjob. The only issue with Golden at this point is that the real estate and rentals are approaching Boulder in cost, and the schools are flat-out not as good in Golden. If you had a crystal ball 20 years ago and invested in Golden real estate, you would have done much, much better than if you had put that money into Boulder. I think it is conceivable that as people continue to be fed up with Boulder, and Golden's star continues to rise, that in another 20 years Golden will be as expensive as Boulder. Let's hope it doesn't become as painfully controlling and pretentious, and that they rescue the school district from the right wing takeover it just underwent.

[brown_dog_us]

Originally Posted by brown_dog_us

Golden is probably the best place if all you want to do is mountain bike. If you want to do a little bit of everything, then Boulder is better. Boulder has better restaurants, hiking, beer, arts, sports, etc., but Golden is great too.

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