Family considering a move to Boulder (fit in, real estate, house)

[jqysf]

Hi locals! My partner and I currently live in San Francisco with our 2 year old son and 4 year old dog, and are seriously considering a move to Boulder for a better lifestyle - better work-life balance, more focus on being outdoors, better control of how we choose to spend our time (i.e., not on 2-hr daily commutes), and more affordable housing (I know what you're thinking, but you'd understand me if you know the real estate situation here in the bay area).

1. If we move there, we would both be working remote with occasional travel. This means we won't have the normal office environment to meet people - is it a hard place to meet people? we don't have friends in Boulder, nor are we die-hard climbers/mountain bikers/ultra-marathoners so wouldn't be able to make friends from those activities. But we're a happy and outgoing family who love to meet new people.

2. Both of us are Asian, and have always lived in really diverse cities (DC, NYC, SF, LA) - I guess because of this I've always considered myself to be pretty race-agnostic and have friends of all races/ethnicity. That being said, I'd still be curious to hear any perspectives (or better, personal experiences), on whether this is might be a deterrent to building real relationships, giving our son a happy childhood with a close community, and making it our long-term home.

We've been to Boulder twice for vacation and have also been loving everything else we've been reading - think we could really be a great fit for the culture there (not to be steretypical but - avid yoga student, hate driving, love biking around town, love my Subaru, love hiking, have a big fluffy Samoyed dog and planning on a second)

Thanks for any and all thoughts you might have.

[davebarnes]

Welcome to Colorado.

[brightdoglover]

I should think that having young children is a fine "in" to other parents and young familes. I think you will be very happy with life in Boulder!

[brown_dog_us]

1. Meeting people- I moved here 3 years ago, and I felt like people made an effort to invite my family to things. Sure, I had to make the effort and work to make friends, but I never felt like Boulder was full of clicks that I wasn't welcomed in. It does help to find groups you can join like kids sports, volunteering, or yoga. Most people in Boulder are active, but only a few are type A athletes, so don't worry about having to be an elite athlete to fit in.

2. Boulder is the whitest place I've ever lived! There I said it. Still, I don't see any racism, so you should be fine.

btw, it sounds like Boulder would be a great fit for you.

[Neditate]

Hiking, biking, a dog and a Subaru... sounds like Boulder would be a good fit for your family
Seems like Boulder people are inclusive. While not diverse (83% white, 4.5% Asian //www.city-data.com/city/Boulder-Colorado.html ) based on the number of babies and toddlers I see on a regular basis i think the Asian population is growing.

[jqysf]

Thanks everyone! glad to hear the overall perspective is that Boulder is pretty welcoming and not clique-y. We'll absolutely look for opportunities to be active in the community and meet people - if anyone has any well-loved local groups (volunteering, meet-ups, etc.), feel free to share! I'd imagine that for a relatively small city, it may not be too hard to find them, but interested to hear any recommendations.

We're going to Boulder again soon to look for homes with a real estate agent, we'll see what's available there. We're so excited!

[A1eutian]

I have a feeling that you won't have any trouble fitting in Boulder. Boulder is more class-conscious than anything.

[Gios]

I think your family will do fine here. I'm in a mixed race marriage (I'm Asian/wife is Caucasian) with a 3 year old and have been in Boulder for almost a month and love it. I'm from Chicago and we just moved here after living abroad for the last 5 years and the lack of ethnic diversity almost made me move the family somewhere else. But we moved here because we wanted a healthy outdoor lifestyle for the entire family and Boulder provides all that and more. When I'm out hiking or biking I sometimes get exhausted from having to greet everyone back. My wife has found everyone friendly when she's out with kid at the playgrounds. We are both amazed at the easy smiles and small talk given everywhere we go.

I love that I have immediate access to running, hiking, and biking trails when I walk out of the house. I don't think you need to be hardcore into any activities to meet people but participating may help ease the transition. Honestly, if you're even semi-serious about moving here it means that you can afford to create the the kind of life that is best for your family and meeting people who deserve to be in your life will be a byproduct of that. Good luck with your house search!

[jqysf]

Gio - what a wonderful note, thank you so much for your thoughtful answer. I especially appreciate your personal experience. We took a trip there this weekend to look at some real estate and to get acquainted with neighborhoods, and although we felt a slight discomfort with being the only non-white couple around during the first day, by the end of the weekend we felt way better (especially after interacting with locals at the farmers market, local shops, recreation center, etc - everyone is just so nice and interested in a conversation).

Aside from the unusually hot weather (close to 100!), we had touring downtown, to North Boulder, To Table Mesa, to East Boulder. Pretty amazing how little time it takes to get from one end to the other! Boulder is really a great and almost sleepy town compared to some of the cities I've lived in. I think this will be a really welcome change for me and my family. Can't wait to experience it!

Thank you!

[Sunderpig2]

Originally Posted by jqysf

Hi locals! My partner and I currently live in San Francisco.... Both of us are Asian, and have always lived in really diverse cities (DC, NYC, SF, LA)

Reviewing the demographic maps of Boulder from the 2010 census, this is how the demographics vary across the census tracts in the city:

White population: 80-93%
Blacks: 0-1%
Hispanics: 3-11%
Asian: 1-14%
Native American: 0%

Hopefully that's diverse enough for you and your preferences. Whites will always outnumber by at least of 4 out of 5 people (up to 4.6 out of 5 at maximum). I noticed that Census Tract 12608 had a -22% drop in Asian population between 2000 and 2010.

Beware of visiting impressions vs. day-to-day-living impressions. Everyone's a star when in vacation mode. Also keep in mind differences in coastal living (most of your previous locations) and Boulder's location in dry, land-locked territory. You'll need to like snow too. Many from coastal locations find winters in CO to be way too long.