Possible relocation to Boulder

[nelumbo]

I have seen listings for condos in Boulder in the $175-200k range - most of them have been in older (not updated) buildings. I know some of them were in east and north Boulder, but I'm not so sure about central (I'm assuming you mean near Pearl St) Boulder. Although really, I central Boulder doesn't seem too different from south/north/east Boulder - there are amenities throughout the city and the population density doesn't vary a whole lot. Gunbarrel is possibly more isolated.

Why not rent until you find a job, and then pick a location based on where your job is?

[delta07]

Renting is a possibility, however we have three animals. I know finding a short term rental that will take two large dogs (yellow labs) and a cat will be difficult. We are not dead set on Boulder yet, just trying to weigh our options. I realize Louisville is fairly close to Boulder, and many people bike it. However, we currently live about 9 miles from downtown Grand Junction and we would really like to be closer. This is why we are looking for a community that fits our needs. Boulder fits everything except for the cost of housing. I'm sure our situation is not unique.

[ninko]

Rentals can be a lot more affordable than SFH in Boulder. You could more easily find a rental that would accommodate your pets than an affordable home. We pay $1200/mo for a 3-bed ranch 1 mile from downtown with a nice big back yard. The house would cost over $500,000; it's cheaper to rent.

The bigger issue is jobs. An RN will find work, although if you're a high-end CCU or other more specialized nurse, Boulder Community might be pretty boring to you. Elementary teachers - the market is saturated. There's a teacher certification program here in town, a lot of the graduates want to stay here, and the partners/spouses of other various people who work here are often teachers. One friend moved from CA with a wife who was a bilingual special ed teacher, and she ended up working in Longmont or something. Same with a friend from CA who is an experienced HS science teacher; ended up working in Thornton.

[delta07]

Thanks Ninco. It's beginning to sound as though Boulder may not be for us. However, I am considering substituting for a while, especially if we do end up renting. Do you happen to know about substituting in Boulder? Can a person make a living doing this?

[Katarina Witt]

You can find substitue teaching information on the boulder valley school district website: Boulder Valley School District - Home Page I have a friend who subs for both BV and St. Vrain SD in Longmont and she says she could work full time if she wanted. You will have no benefits.

The RN may need to look in Denver. There is neither the number of jobs in Boulder nor the turnover there to have lots of openings at any given time. The only hospital in Boulder is Boulder Community, with its three locations, none of which are very large.

[Likebeinglib]

Hi
did you move?? I'm contemplating moving from Santa Fe NM to Denver/Boulder area and I'd be very interested in your info-experience. I have a 9 yr old but am a older single mom. Where did you end up?

[TrickiWoo]

While we're not buying right now (not sure where we want to live so we're going to rent for a while longer) I'm always looking at the real estate listings. From what I've seen the magic number in Boulder right now seems to be $400k. Below that there is very little except for town homes but above that there are some nice homes with yards, but to get a yard you have to move away from the city center. Perhaps we have less sticker shock than most since we came here from NYC, but you can't escape the fact that Boulder is expensive.
Right now we live in Boulder up near Gunbarrel and you can bike into town from here without killing yourself. I do it maybe once per week and my husband bikes to work on nice days.