Impressions of Boulder (Denver, Eldora: apartment, to rent, house)

[pbjclimber]

I wasn’t going to post anything about my trip to Boulder, but after reading a lot of the current threads I decided to. I visited December 13-17 when it was pretty frigid with temperatures of -1 F when I got there and the next morning it was -6 F. I wanted to just check out the town that I have heard so much about and was considering moving to when I graduate in May.

I have to say the area was beautiful with the little bit of snow on everything and it being so cold that the moisture in the air was frozen. I found Boulder to be very clean and easy to get around. I did not find traffic too bad, but that might have been due to the weather. The Pearl St area is great, but a lot of the shops to be geared towards tourists. I went to 6 different places for happy hour/dinner and most of them had different vibe and seemed to attract a different crowd. I liked the fact that you could wear just about anything and not really stick out. My favorite place that I ate would have to be Mountain Sun. I really like the direct access to the trails and the Boulder Creek path which goes through the city.

One thing I did notice was that everyone drove very slowly after it snowed, even if the road was just wet. Also I saw a lot of very young kids, but not a lot in the 5-12 range. I did notice a lot of attractive coeds even though it was during finals. I also noticed that the roads were not really cleared after it snowed, but that might be because it normally melts within a couple days. I also saw a lot of people riding the bus which I thought was great especially since I come from an area that has a terrible bus system. In all the conversations I had I never got the vibe that people thought that they were better than me or that it a super cliquish area. The temperature did not bother me and I thought it was great so many people were out when it was so cold. I know rent is not cheap, but I was surprised at the prices of bars/restaurants. After reading this form I thought it was going to be really expensive, but I did not think the prices were bad at all. Gas was also 20-30 cents a gallon cheaper than in PA.

After the trip I have decided that I am definitely going to move to Boulder. I plan on getting an apartment north of Pearl St within a couple blocks of the Pearl Street Mall. The main key factors in the decision are the access to outdoor activities nearby, the dense concentration of areas to go out within walking distance, and the demographics.

[cpm725]

I live in Boulder and think it's probably the greatest places to live. It reminds me of Southern California's culture more specifically Orange County. Other than that it is laid back and accepting to many groups of people. Although it is expensive to live here, I think it's worth it to live and grow up in a "diamond in the ruff" type of city like Boulder.

[Micktooth]

Welcome, I think you will love living here. You have to remember, people are usually more willing to post negative comments than positive ones. Most people love the area and I think you will too.

[Neditate]

I agree with Micktooth. People seem to enjoy bashing Boulder. They get on here and ****** about it and make fun of those who dare to express positive comments. I love Boulder, lived there for 15 years before I moved to the mountains. Yes, it is expensive, it does have its quirks, but it is a very nice place to live. I moved there on a first impression a long time ago. Never regretted it. If you love nature, the proximity to the mountains, skiing, etc. you will love it. Good luck with your move!

[Lupulin]

I've worked in Boulder for seven years. And I spend a lot of time there after work and on weekends. Overall, I think it's an awesome place. Sure, there are some things about it that frustrate me, like the misdirected city council, the seemingly unconditional love ($$$) for prairie dogs, omnipresent Subarus and the occasional smug attitude, but the positives far outweigh those things. Plus, most of the people I've met have been great ... diverse, intelligent, educated, active, positive.

To add, great coffee shops are everywhere, miles and miles of hiking trails are just blocks away, tons of climbing routes just a short drive away (Flatirons, Boulder Canyon, Eldorado...), walking/biking paths throughout the city, tasty restaurants are all around (The Med, Beau Jo's, Sherpa's, Dushanbe ...), and you have brewpubs galore ...

I'm sure you won't regret your decision. Best of luck!

[subsound]

Boulder is a good place, I wish there was no recession going on...I would jump in a house there in a moment. I spent a great deal of time growing up there, and I only turned out marginally weird.

[pomona]

Everything I've heard about Boulder is amazing ~ but is the place for people who aren't into skiing or mountain climbing, just biking and walking around town? I'm drawn to the alternative healing atmosphere, are there plenty of organic food and farmers markets/vitamin stores to be found? Also are the coffee shops authentic and not too manicured or gentrified? Dan one find a funky apt. to rent or a back garage/building on a larger property ~ any opinions on the West End would be welcome!

About the cold - is it true that 'dry cold' is easier to handle than 'wet cold'? I love heat and humidity and lots of sweating, hate air conditioning but am willing to brave a winter as long as there are people around w/ snow blowers - when does it get hot and stay hot? (over 85 is getting hot) And is that howling wind only during winter? Other than that, no natural disasters (earthquakes, fires, etc.)

Am hoping to find a sense of community and less transient population!

[WhereTheSidewalkEnds]

Wellll......

You don't have to be a skier or biker to enjoy Boulder. Although, maybe it helps . I'm more of the hiking type, but a lot of our friends are skiers. I don't ski, but my husband and son do. My son works up at Eldora Mountain.

Dry cold is easier than wet cold - I grew up in Nebraska and also lived in Texas. I'll take Colorado any day over either two. If you love humidity, then Colorado isn't the place for you. It's practically nill here. As far as getting hot and staying hot...it depends. June can start getting hot, but then we can have some chilly sort of days as well. The weather here is unpredictable, for sure. As far as natural disasters....no earthquakes, but fires, that's a different story. In fact, right now, because it's been so dry and warm (and windy), we've been under red flag warnings. Not long ago, after we moved here, we had a horrible summer of major fires, it seemed, constantly. The smell felt like it lasted all summer.

When was that everyone? 2001ish, 2002? Feels like this summer may be like that again.....

[Katarina Witt]

Originally Posted by pomona

Everything I've heard about Boulder is amazing ~ but is the place for people who aren't into skiing or mountain climbing, just biking and walking around town? I'm drawn to the alternative healing atmosphere, are there plenty of organic food and farmers markets/vitamin stores to be found? Also are the coffee shops authentic and not too manicured or gentrified? Dan one find a funky apt. to rent or a back garage/building on a larger property ~ any opinions on the West End would be welcome!

About the cold - is it true that 'dry cold' is easier to handle than 'wet cold'? I love heat and humidity and lots of sweating, hate air conditioning but am willing to brave a winter as long as there are people around w/ snow blowers - when does it get hot and stay hot? (over 85 is getting hot) And is that howling wind only during winter? Other than that, no natural disasters (earthquakes, fires, etc.)

Am hoping to find a sense of community and less transient population!

There is a large farmer's market starting in the spring and lasting through fall. They sell other stuff, too, like baked goods and the like. Plenty of alternative healing places. Coffee shops vary from Starbuck's to independents. One can rent most any kind of apartment, from "early student hovel" through luxury apts.

Summer is hot from generally mid-June to mid-August. It's a rare summer that doesn't have a few cool days. It is also not uncommon to have days in the high 90s and some years it gets over 100 on a few days. Winter is very intermittent. The cold does not last more than a few days at a time.

In some neighborhoods there may be a sense of community, but it is a pretty transient population, all told. The college student population (undergrad) completely turns over about every 5 yrs, grad students don't usually stay much longer than that. Some people come to teach at CU and don't get tenure, etc.

Natural disasters: high winds, tornadoes (infrequent) in the summer, blizzards, and as jkcoop said, wildfires.

Originally Posted by jkcoop

s been so dry and warm (and windy), we've been under red flag warnings. Not long ago, after we moved here, we had a horrible summer of major fires, it seemed, constantly. The smell felt like it lasted all summer.

When was that everyone? 2001ish, 2002? Feels like this summer may be like that again.....

2002, the year my daughter graduated from high school.

[WolfBoy914]

Boulder does have a great vibe. I just can't understand why some folks don't see it. If you need the fix of a big city Denver is just down the way.

I do agree about the Subaru population. They are everywhere. But so are Tacomas and there's about to be another one!