Trying to move to an area in close proximity to Boulder / Denver (Longmont: sale)

[HL528411]

Hello!

My husband is leaving the Marine Corps next year and planning on attending college. We are trying to get out of North Carolina and have had our eyes set on Colorado. I have an Environmental Health Science Degree and currently work in Environmental Consulting.

Based on some research, there seems to be a decent amount of opportunities for green jobs near Denver and being that the University of Colorado is located in Boulder, we thought we could make this move work for both of us.

We don't necessarily want to live in downtown Denver city area. We would like to live in Boulder but I keep seeing that it is super expensive. I have been looking at Bloomfield as it seems to be in the middle of Boulder / Denver so that way he can commute for school and I can commute for work.

Apartments are still pretty pricey in the Bloomfield area but I think we can make it work. ~1400 a month

Does anyone from the area have any feedback in general on the Boulder / Bloomfield / Denver area?
Also any feedback on the university of Colorado boulder campus and the general "vibe". My husband is strictly going for school and does not care for the whole frat and sorority experience which I know is a bigger part of some colleges. Is there any older students or is it all fresh out of high school students?

I have seen that Bloomfield is more suburbs for "rich" middle age families and loaded with Apple bee's and chain restaurants? In your experience is that true? We love the outdoors, our dogs and small town charm of local stores etc which I know Bloomfield most likely is more commercial, but I am not sure of another area that would better suit us. We don't love big cities / large amounts of traffic but are willing to deal.

I am rambling now, any information on the area is helpful, thanks!

[Mike from back east]

Sounds like you've done a fair amount of research. Good for you, you're a leg up in your search.

We have many threads in the forum on Broomfield and other nearby areas; suggest use our search tool, especially the advanced version.

Our truest regards to your husband for his service and to you for being a service wife. All the best to you both in this transition.

[COcheesehead]

Check out downtown Louisville for a little small town charm. The downtown area of Longmont is also really cute and feels different than your typical suburb. They have really fixed it up over the last few years. Golden might also be an option, if you don't mind a little longer commute. Otherwise anything near Broomfield is going to be suburban in look and feel.

[HL528411]

Thank you very much! We appreciate it

[Katarina Witt]

Originally Posted by HL528411

Hello!

My husband is leaving the Marine Corps next year and planning on attending college. We are trying to get out of North Carolina and have had our eyes set on Colorado. I have an Environmental Health Science Degree and currently work in Environmental Consulting.

Based on some research, there seems to be a decent amount of opportunities for green jobs near Denver and being that the University of Colorado is located in Boulder, we thought we could make this move work for both of us.

We don't necessarily want to live in downtown Denver city area. We would like to live in Boulder but I keep seeing that it is super expensive. I have been looking at Bloomfield as it seems to be in the middle of Boulder / Denver so that way he can commute for school and I can commute for work.

Apartments are still pretty pricey in the Bloomfield area but I think we can make it work. ~1400 a month

Does anyone from the area have any feedback in general on the Boulder / Bloomfield / Denver area?
Also any feedback on the university of Colorado boulder campus and the general "vibe". My husband is strictly going for school and does not care for the whole frat and sorority experience which I know is a bigger part of some colleges. Is there any older students or is it all fresh out of high school students?

I have seen that Bloomfield is more suburbs for "rich" middle age families and loaded with Apple bee's and chain restaurants? In your experience is that true? We love the outdoors, our dogs and small town charm of local stores etc which I know Bloomfield most likely is more commercial, but I am not sure of another area that would better suit us. We don't love big cities / large amounts of traffic but are willing to deal.

I am rambling now, any information on the area is helpful, thanks!

Just to be picky, it's Broomfield, not Bloomfield. Boulder is expensive, though there are some decent prices to be found.

CU is a big school, there are lots of grad students there. Those students are older. A lot of the faculty members live in Boulder as well.

Broomfield is a family suburb for sure. I wouldn't call it "rich". There are areas that have bigger, larger homes than others.

I agree that downtown Louisville has a lot of "charm" and "old time" feel to it. I have lived in Louisville since 1982. It's a great place to raise a family. It has gotten on the expensive side, too, these last few years, but again, there are more and less expensive homes there.

I'm not crazy about Longmont, and I think living in Longmont would make for a long commute for you, OP, as you are most likely to find a job in Denver or the close-in suburbs. If you found a job in Boulder, Longmont would be fine for commuting purposes.

[ADogNamedSam]

Originally Posted by Katarina Witt

I agree that downtown Louisville has a lot of "charm" and "old time" feel to it.

Originally Posted by Katarina Witt

It has gotten on the expensive side, too, these last few years, but again, there are more and less expensive homes there.

I've had several dates along the main street in Louisville, nice outdoor seating (2nd story deck, wide sidewalk with tables) and a definite charm. After most (brunches primarily) a long walk around that area, to get a feel for the home/yard sizes. Some are really cute. Each home has its own "flair" - few cookie-cutter patterns/layouts, to my eye.


Coming south from Gunbarrel, a large sign advertising "Townhomes - from the low 600's" on the approach to town. Rows of blocky brick boxes wedged between the highway (well, busy secondary road) and the train tracks. Pavement, dust, and gravel. Looking on-line at these homes, yah they look spacious and sparkly-new, pretty good sizes too, but most were selling in the $700k - $850K range.


I cannot say how many trains pass on that section of track nor how much they slow down for the sake of the folks living nearby.


Think I will continue to sit on my pile of cash from my home sale in Maryland and wait for this housing market bubble to pop. (I keep saying that ...)

[Katarina Witt]

^^I don't like those homes you described either, and I think people are nuts to live by the RR tracks. There are many other nice homes in Louisville.