Is Boulder snooty/snobby? What's wrong with Boulder? (Denver, Gunbarrel: apartments, rentals)

[Market Mama]

I moved to Boulder in the 1960's, hung around for a couple of years, then went to college (and graduated) here, and have lived and worked here ever since (you do the math). Boulder is a fine (albeit expensive) place to live, with enough diversity that almost everyone can find and enjoy the lifestyle they want. But at heart it's just another all-American college town, slightly liberal and idealistic but also friendly, beautiful and clean. But for some reason it is a target for a lot of undeserved hyperbole and stereotypes.

There are lots of minorities here (unless one only counts blacks as minorities). There's enough Hispanics here to give the town a slightly spicy flavor -- which has more to do with location rather than bias and adds to its appeal (and great restaurants).

I am not especially liberal and certainly not rich, but I still like Boulder very much. It's not quite as bland as the surrounding towns.

MM

[hersbear]

Boulder is a great place and I would move there in a minute if I could afford it! It is very liberal (the only real liberal oasis in a conservative state), progressive and intellectually stimulating. It is in a gorgeous location at the doorstep of the Rocky Mtn foothills. Hiking and skiin are literally minutes away. The little newsletter Moderator cut: URL removed

[wxjay]

Originally Posted by cobmw

My two nephews went to CU at Boulder. Entered college as pretty straight kids who always worked for what they wanted. Left CU as raging liberals. In the 7 years since they graduated neither one has kept one job for more than two months. They are always looking for an angle to make a quick buck and avoid real effort. Keep your kids out of Boulder!

LOL. Yes, it was all Boulder's fault. Nevermind that this happens to college students AROUND THE COUNTRY in numerous types of settings. Geez - The way people draw correlations and causations are sometime so mind-boggling. Of course, this is an example of how Americans don't fare so well in the intelligence category among our international counterparts. *sigh*

Regarding Boulder - as already mentioned, it's very expensive, but I would go for the outer "suburbs" of Boulder like Louisville, Superior, and maybe even Longmont and Erie. Much more affordable and you still get the amenities of downtown Boulder.

[Market Mama]

Very true, wxjay. I attended CU during the supposedly drug-saturated 60's and early '70's when hippies and "counter-revolutionaries" were very visible (but still a small minority since most of us were just there to get an education). I must admit that the politcally liberal atmosphere was personally liberating and added to my education by broadening my world-view, even though I've drifted back towards "moderate" since then. Almost all of us then, and almost all of the more current graduates, managed to graduate and go on to lead productive lives.

For those who let college life corrupt them -- what about factoring "personal responsibility" into the equation? No university forces people to become "raging liberals" who can't keep a job. That's a personal choice.

I know a fair number of liberals who are model employees with long-term, well-paying careers and who are solid, home-owning, tax-paying citizens (even though a few of the men still have ponytails <eg>). And I know some truly scummy and pompous conservatives. But in real life, it's the individual not the label that counts. Boulder is a fine place to create and live a good life with lots of opportunities, amenities and maybe a wee bit more freedom of choice than more bland, mainstream towns.

[hello-world]

you can see on this site and others that boulder is demographically, politically, and economically:

- relatively (to the rest of the US, as a whole) white/caucasian
- relatively affluent
- relatively "well educated" (many people have been to college, anyhow)
- relatively expensive (and note salaries relative to home prices)
- relatively "liberal" politically
- relatively male (more males than females, especially so for some lower-middle age brackets, say 20-35 y.o.a.)

there are several science and engineering (mostly environmental and aerospace/military, technology, etc.) institutes and companies, and a few "spiritually oriented institutes", as well as a conservative periodical's base in boulder, for instance. there is significant military and aerospace contracting in Boulder and CO overall.

CU boulder has been reputed as a "party school", "world class research university", and known for the Ward Churchill and football recruiting debacles. CU boulder's population is mostly from CO/midwest.

many people talk about how it was, say 20 years ago or more, a sort of "countercultural" mountain/college town with more of a "hippy" way about it.

you might also see that, while it tries to "limit sprawl", there is actually a lot of car commuting that has to go on in part due to some of the above.

much of boulder's surrounding communities are basically denver/boulder suburbs. very large swaths of suburbia and commerce.

many people move to boulder from the midwest and from california. and many people move to boulder because it's "the best", "the most beautiful", "the sunniest", etc.. also, many people move to it for the recreational opportunities and outdoor sports.

of course there can be some exceptions to these overall tendencies.

with that, and with what you otherwise read on this forum, you can probably put together a pretty good overall feel for the place and the culture or personality - in general - of it.

[kristenfromdenver]

I lived in Boulder for a few years then relocated to Denver a few years ago. Boulder is gorgeous and has lots to do. The main reason I wouldn't want to move back there is that everyone is the same. Everyone runs triathalons, makes a big deal about eating organic and the primary topic of conversation is what hike/bike/climb/run you went on today. I prefer more diversity of people and ideas. It seems there is an underlying prescription for how to live your life and I find that stifling. It is absolutely gorgeous, but unfortunately, everyone who moves there moves for the same reason (for the outdoors) so climbing, hiking, biking trails are all pretty crowded.

[chilaili]

Originally Posted by kristenfromdenver

I lived in Boulder for a few years then relocated to Denver a few years ago. Boulder is gorgeous and has lots to do. The main reason I wouldn't want to move back there is that everyone is the same. Everyone runs triathalons, makes a big deal about eating organic and the primary topic of conversation is what hike/bike/climb/run you went on today. I prefer more diversity of people and ideas. It seems there is an underlying prescription for how to live your life and I find that stifling. It is absolutely gorgeous, but unfortunately, everyone who moves there moves for the same reason (for the outdoors) so climbing, hiking, biking trails are all pretty crowded.

I live in/near Boulder and I don't hike, ride bikes, run triathlons or climb anything except the stairs to my condo. Occasionally I eat organic (ie; when I get paid or the Farmer's Market is open). I am one of the not-so-silent minority .

[hello-world]

sometimes, it can seem either like some people seem especially sheltered, especially self-important, or both (and not necessarily for good reason, and often lean and "out of an REI catalogue" beautiful to boot) in boulder. there are plenty of decent and wonderful people there, while it seems to me like that is where some of what the OP is getting at can come from.

[hello-world]

Originally Posted by tao

I just moved back to the Boulder area after being away for 13 years. So far all I see are very friendly people, a beautiful town with unlimited options for things to do, and gorgeous scenery. I haven't been this happy since I left those many years ago. I don't understand all the negative comments about the town. It's absolutely the best place I've ever lived and I'm overjoyed to be back.

i sometimes wonder if it has a bit to do with the what seem like shangri la (or seeking shangri la) quality of it and some of the holier or more "worldy" (somewhat ironically sometimes) than thou you can sometimes get there that people are touching upon when they call it some of these things. i personally think it's a nice place, while i can also see how it might be viewed as such by some people.

[faa]

As someone who moved here 2 years ago here is my humble opinion on Boulder. Physically it is exceptionally beautiful, who could say otherwise when looking at the Flatirons? It is extremely cliquish. If you are either very liberal, a hippy, an extreme athlete, big on the outdoors or a university type you may be lucky enough to find your niche here but if not forget it. People seem very friendly on the surface, but that is it, it's all on the surface. People are very dogmatic here, they have a lot of strong opinions and will share them with you whether you want them to or not, they pride themselves on being different or unique. It's pathetic really but something you have to put up with here. Also not many people seem to bother about brushing their kids hair when they go to school here, personal grooming goes amiss in Boulder. But seriously my lasting impression of Boulder is that it's a pretty lonely place to live as everyone seems to have their nice little cliques going so if you like your own company and appreciate the beauty I guess you'd be happy here.