Evergreen vs Boulder (Denver, Highlands Ranch, Broomfield: crime, houses, safe area)

[shanewear]

We are thinking about moving to Evergreen or Boulder. Can anyone tell me what the main differences are in terms of schools, family-friendliness, etc? We have visited both but would love an insider's views. We want the best schools (private or public - preschool, elementary, middle), a very family friendly community, hopefully some walkability, easy access to outdoors and skiing, and safety. Thanks!

[davebarnes]

The only similarities between the two are: white people and good public schools.

We need to know more about your desires.
Where are your work locations?
Where do you live now?

[brown_dog_us]

Originally Posted by davebarnes

The only similarities between the two are: white people and good public schools.

We need to know more about your desires.
Where are your work locations?
Where do you live now?

This.

Evergreen is big lots, conservative, and mountain living.

Boulder is small lots, liberal, and city living.

People move to Evergreen to get away from it all, and people move to Boulder to be in the middle of the action.

[shanewear]

Brown dog's quick synopsis really identified our struggle. Here's a little more info, and I'd love some help in figuring this out...

DH is more conservative while I am liberal.

We both love the mountains and want easy access to the outdoors while also having conveniences nearby (we like Whole Foods and good restaurants).

We will both be working from home.

We are pretty laid-back and outdoorsy but are not "crunchy."

We'd like good skiing to be within 30mins.

We will need to get to DIA within an hour or so.

We have both lived in snowy/mountain climates, urban areas, and rural areas and like them all. We like rural areas because we like our privacy and the natural beauty and don't want to be on top of our neighbors. We like urban because we love having conveniences and restaurants and cultural activities within walking distance.

DH loves snow, while I would like less snow and sunnier/warmer weather overall. I am okay driving short distances in snow but am not comfortable driving over mountain passes on a regular basis in winter.

We love evergreen trees, lakes, and mountain views. We dislike a lot of brown.

We love large wildlife like moose and elk but dislike bats and rodents.

We'd like a property lot that is anywhere between 0.5-1 acre, and we want a newer home. We like both mountain (not rustic) and contemporary architecture. We would prefer not to have a septic system.

We like being around people who are friendly and welcoming, well-educated, ambitious, family oriented, and a bit intellectual. We'd like to form a close-knit group of friends, have lots of spontaneous playdates and get-togethers, be able to go on a great hike in the morning and then to a fun restaurant for dinner without much driving in between. It would be great to be able to walk to neighbor's houses but not feel like we are in a cookie-cutter suburb with houses on top of each other.

We are "older" parents so hope to live somewhere where most parents aren't in their 20's. One of our main priorities is really good private/public schools (preschool, elementary, middle) in a very very safe area.

Just to throw it in the mix... we have also been considering Cherry Hills Village.

Does this info help narrow it down at all in terms of which place would be the better fit for us? Thanks so much!

[brown_dog_us]

We moved about a year ago, and looked everywhere including Evergreen and Boulder. We liked the beauty of Evergreen, but felt it was too isolated for the kids and a little bit boring. My wife and I realized that every home we looked at had similar furniture to what is in our parent's (70 year olds) houses. Maybe we were reading too much into it, but we felt like it would be a little boring in Evergreen.

It sounds like you and your husband are going to have to wittle the wish list down and compromise on a few things. Tough to do! I've been there.

My wife and I narrowed our choices down by spending a day or half a day in each area. Here is a basic itinerary:

- Drive (riding bikes or jogging is even better) by available houses in our price range. Look for signs of kids.
- Go to the grocery store. I know it sounds crazy, but grocery stores are stocked specifically for the locals and you can notice slight differences in the amount and type of veggies, meats, prepared meals, etc. Try to find a store that has what you buy instead of what you wish you bought.
- Go to the closest park or trail and people watch. note how people dress. Do you like to live where everyone is put together or laid back?
- Eat at the local laid back restaurant.

Basically, you need to look for people like you. My wife and I ruled out Evergreen, DTC, Highlands Ranch, and a few others very quickly. It was tougher to pick from the Bromwell Elementary area of Denver, Golden, and South Boulder. We ended up eliminating Golden because there wasn't enough housing options close to downtown. Bromwell area was eliminated because of crime and the lack of grocery stores and other basics. We think small corner stores are cute, but impractical for us.

So why did we pick South Boulder?

- Great schools- Mesa or Bear Creek, Southern Hills MS, and Fairview HS.
- The grocery store (king Soopers) is within walking/biking distance and it's half way between a normal grocery and a whole foods. That's us. We like fresh foods and can be a little granola, but we also have a budget.
- The area isn't as trendy as the rest of Boulder. Might even say a bit nerdy. That's because a lot of the residents work at the Federal Labs, NCAR, or the University.
- It's Liberal, but probably the least liberal part of Boulder. I swear we were the most liberal people in Atlanta and now we are the most conservative in Boulder. Nobody seems to notice or care.
- My wife and I wanted to be able to run to the mountains instead of taking a car. We knew that driving would be too complicated and we would always wish we had the time to go.

So what are the drawbacks to South Boulder?

-The houses are small, need a lot of updating, and are expensive. It was hard to get our heads around it.


I hope my rambling helps and good luck!

[Katarina Witt]

Interesting, and I agree with most of it. Living in the western part of Louisville as we do, we sometimes go into S. Boulder to eat at some of the restaurants in Table Mesa. Definitely a different "feel" to the crowd there than in Louisville or Broomfield.

I agree with the comments about housing in S. Boulder. I feel it's as dated as the housing in Evergreen, esp. Martin Park with its 50s one bath, one car garage homes.

I like this line:

It's Liberal, but probably the least liberal part of Boulder. I swear we were the most liberal people in Atlanta and now we are the most conservative in Boulder. Nobody seems to notice or care.

Yep, there's a big libertarian streak here.

[Lost Roses]

Greenwood Village, west of I-25. But skiing is not a half-hour away unless you are living in the mountains.

[shanewear]

Would love more feedback from others- thanks!

[whoisjongalt]

There is almost no similarity between the two towns other than one is at the foot of the mountains and one is in the mountains. I would say that only Boulder Canyon has the same sort of vibe. Evergreen is very laid back, somewhat isolated, has very little traffic and has a conservative/libertarian bent. Boulder is very dense (no houses with large lots unless you spend millions), has terrible traffic (and traffic cops on every corner writing tickets) and is overwhelmingly liberal. If you are considering Cherry Hills Village, it sounds like you may have a seven-figure house budget so I'd also look at the foothill area of Boulder west of Broadway near Chautauqua Park.

Personally, Evergreen is my favorite town and Boulder is my least favorite (it's beautiful but find I the people irritating). I looked at a LOT of houses in Evergreen and my favorite neighborhoods are Hiwan Hills (near the golf course), Upper Bear Creek, and Evergreen Highlands. Hiwan is closest to the highway if you need to get to DIA.

[qfrost]

A bit late to the party but we had a similar choice to make, with the exact same goals and desires (and housing tastes, it sounds). We ruled out Evergreen early because there's not much too it. Didn't want our daughter getting bored when she's a teenager. Really the only pluses to Evergreen was true mountain living and closer to the skiing. Boulder (and all the out-lying communities) has a lot more 'action' - and I don't mean bars, just stores and the vibe. I also agree South Boulder is great - just plan on renovating any home you find there.