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Thanks folks. Any opinions on the other side? Frankly, though I was a university teacher, I never "fit in" there either because I wouldn't play campus politics and taught what I wanted to teach, which my students liked, but the university didn't. I've always been my own thinker and that won't change no matter where I live. At present, I'm in a city of one million+, mostly Republican and "born again" Christians. I'm content to let folks think the way they want, but that means I have no one with whom to disucss great philosophical ideas, the magnificence of the arts, the critical issues of the environment and the stupidity of our present economic system. The exception is the internet, where I communicate with people all over the world.
What I like about Boulder: the climage (which is 1 degree cooler than where I am, but much dryier), the mountains (I'm a Capricorn, so love mountains), its seemingly intelligent approach to environmental issues, its emphasis on healthy living, its reputation as an artistic community, the apparent diversity of spiritual perspectives represented there (where I am now, all you have is the religious right). I'm not afraid to challenge people to think. I've been doing that all my life. Even in grad school, I challenged my professors, several of whom ended up pursuing new interests for the remainder of their careers as a result. I was a good teacher because I made my students do their own thinking and challenged their creativity.
I don't follow any one spiritual tradition and have studied many, but I'm most influenced by the teachings of the Tibetan, Djwhal Khul. Also Vedanta, esoteric Budhism, neo-Platonism, Ageless Wisdom. Will I find many like minded students in Boulder?
What I might like less about Boulder is its lack of ethnic diversity, but I've had that many places over the years, and once I form friendships, they continue for life. With Denver nearby, there is more diversity that can be drawn upon as desired. When I lived in Manitou Springs, CO, I encountered the same kind of right wing thinking I find where I am now, with Colorado Springs as a major center.
Looks like I will be in Boulder when the arts/crafts show takes place in July.
Thanks for the above responses. Any more thoughts?
As a "40 year meditator" you should lknow that what you are seeking is inside, and although I admit that a change in environment can make a slight change for the better, or worse, generally if you aren't happy in one place chances are better than average you won't be happy somewhere else.
I have a lot in common with your views, and I have found in living in Boulder five years, exactly one person that had similar views, and I came to the conclusion that since we both knew what was going on so to speak, we had nothing to talk about. People here for some reason don't seem to be able to communicate on a level that you are desiring. It's a strange phenomenon that I haven't experienced anywhere else that I have lived.
Boulder is no new age utopia, rather it is a remnant of that mentality, populated with weathly individuals that have long ago left the core principals of which you speak. Perhaps in their minds they are still the same person they were when they were young and idealistic, but the mirror only shows what the person looking in wants to see.
Certainly one can be happy in Boulder, but one can also be unhappy here. People don't change too much because of their environment. Change comes from within.
Boulder's Air Pollution and Traffic Indicate Lack Of Environmental Ethics
Quote:
Originally Posted by lighteagle
".....its seemingly intelligent approach to environmental issues, its emphasis on healthy living, its reputation as an artistic community, the apparent diversity of spiritual perspectives represented there (where I am now, all you have is the religious right).......I don't follow any one spiritual tradition and have studied many, but I'm most influenced by the teachings of the Tibetan, Djwhal Khul. Also Vedanta, esoteric Budhism, neo-Platonism, Ageless Wisdom. Will I find many like minded students in Boulder?
Thanks for the above responses. Any more thoughts?
I went to Boulder for the first time and was incredibly dissapointed with the traffic congestion, population density, and air pollution. Same problem with noise and hazy mountain views in Vail, Colorado due to I-70 traffic. I was not impressed w/ this aspect of Boulder. Boulder is billed as an isolated mountain town with 100,000 people. Instead, it's just part of the Denver metro, with the same amount of traffic and air pollution.
I would not say that they place an emphasis on healthy living, because if they did, they never would have allowed the population density to get so high resulting in unhealthful air pollution. I've lived in Las Vegas, NV, and never experienced as much air pollution as Boulder. Why do bicyclists train in eastern Colorado w/ all the air pollution (+ wind and thunderstorms) I have no idea.
I guess the people in Boulder have never been to more peaceful laid back places such as Flagstaff, Durango, Santa Fe, and Sedona, or else, they would build a major freeway east of the City to relieve the traffic. Flagstaff has I-40 and I-17 relieving traffic, and Santa Fe has I-25 along with the bypass. Sedona and Durango are not near major interstates, yet are still small enough that there is no significant traffic problem through downtown.
I'm not sure if Boulderites overall have an environmental ethic, as you suggest. I don't think the City condemning hotels in the name of getting more open space indicates any degree of ethical behaviour, environmental or otherwise. I would say that people in Santa Fe, Flagstaff, and Sedona are much more pro-environment than Boulder, mainly because they have preserved their small town image, w/o cluttering it up w/ traffic and 4 story infill developments. I would take any of these cities over Boulder if not for the economy.
A PS to my above post -- this for those living in Boulder. If I chose, how difficult would it be for me to plan and organize conferences or gatherings along my lines of interests? In Atlanta, I put together the first weekend conference Ram Dass ever did, attended by 4,000 people from across the U.S. In New York, I put togher public programs with people like Joseph Campbell, Alan Watts, Rollo May, W. H. Auden, etc. Once settled there (assuming I do), in addition to continuing my writing, I may wish to plan a conference or two. I'm currently dealing with some very interesting people concerned with various aspects of global change, such as David Korten and Jim Channon. I could see putting together a conference, but would a "newcomer" to Boulder be allowed to engage in such ventures, or would the status quo stand in the way?
Metaphysical Energy In Boulder Vs. Other SW Places
Quote:
Originally Posted by seethelight
As a "40 year meditator" you should lknow that what you are seeking is inside, and although I admit that a change in environment can make a slight change for the better, or worse, generally if you aren't happy in one place chances are better than average you won't be happy somewhere else.
I have a lot in common with your views, and I have found in living in Boulder five years, exactly one person that had similar views, and I came to the conclusion that since we both knew what was going on so to speak, we had nothing to talk about. People here for some reason don't seem to be able to communicate on a level that you are desiring. It's a strange phenomenon that I haven't experienced anywhere else that I have lived.
Boulder is no new age utopia, rather it is a remnant of that mentality, populated with weathly individuals that have long ago left the core principals of which you speak. Perhaps in their minds they are still the same person they were when they were young and idealistic, but the mirror only shows what the person looking in wants to see.
Certainly one can be happy in Boulder, but one can also be unhappy here. People don't change too much because of their environment. Change comes from within.
THANKS for your post! ... I've been thinking the same thing about Boulder. It's more on a different level...how can people get involved in metaphysical work with such a high population density, noise, and heavy traffic?
In regards to this ... how about other very special places in the SW such as:
Durango, CO
Flagstaff, AZ
Sedona, AZ
Santa Fe, NM
Placitas, NM
Edgewood, NM / Sandia Park, NM
Yucca Valley / Joshua Tree, CA
Lake Mead National Recreation Area outside of Las Vegas, NV
All of the above are places that I feel extraordinarily high levels of spiritual energy, whereas in Boulder I do not.
Flagstaff-Sedona is the most spiritual place I've ever lived, and the Native Americans called the San Francisco Peaks north of Flagstaff as sacred. There is also the "Flagstaff hum," and there have been frequent UFO sightings over the years. Flagstaff and Boulder are twin cities, but Flagstaff like many places is in economic decline, and as a result we all became unhappy ... due to smart growth and impact fees among other factors...
How much does being East of the Continental Divide (resulting in Positive Ions in the winds blowing downslope from the West) make a difference?
Since I had my say about what I dislike about Boulder, I would like to say what I find appealing. Just like many College towns, Boulder does put an excellent emphasis on public transportation and subsidizes the local transportation district in providing extra services. Boulder has decided to stop the growth of its boundaries; I think that is good and bad. The good part is that it makes the city more dense with services nearby, most areas are walkable. You can easily live in Boulder without owning a car. I do like the emphasis on bicycles.
However, because of growth restrictions, it has become very congested and with the exuberance and energy nature of the college youth, people drive to fast. It becomes dangerous in places to walk and using a bike. The city would benefit from closing down more street, in the city core, to auto traffic. I fine that more neighborhoods of Boulder are much more congested than many neighborhoods of Denver. To me, it is just much more relaxing to live in Denver. Denver has many more parks, open space that are not as heavily used as open space that abuts Boulder.
I also am attracted to Buddhist thoughts and traditions. Boulder does have a long standing presence of a number of institutions devoted to these philosophies. I especially like Naropa University. In addition CU does have many programs and events that add greatly to the culture and it can be an exciting place to live.
I lived in Boulder in the 1970s and I can see that it has changed from a simpler culture to an area that is more dominated by the show of wealth, The lack of a real society of the poor, the aged, the disabled, and different ethnic groups is troubling. It is like trying to live in Disneyland. Of course, I have aged and what I found appealing when I was young, no longer holds the same attractions.
These are all good points. I was involved with the Civil Rights movement in the South, then was the first male employed by the Women's Movement, and helped organize the first Earth Day in New York City in 1970. Subsequently, I became very disillusioned by the conservative backlash which took over our nation and began to wonder if I'd live long enough to see the seeds of th 60s and 70s bear fruit. But I'm now finding, in all my research in a wide range of fields -- environmental, cultural, political, artistic, agricultural, economic, etc., etc. -- that there is a profound moral and spiritual element working through the ideas and consciousness of far more people than I imagined. And this seems to be happening all over the world -- a point Paul Hawken has been making recently. I'm less disillusioned now than I was even 3 or 4 years ago.
In any community, it is still a small minority of the population that is caring, thinking, challenging the status quo, but that small minority is the key to the future. As for me, I'm never "unhappy" no matter where I am. I've been in Alabama the past 11 years taking care of my elderly parents. Mother passed away in late April at age 98. Now I want to find a place where I can find a few like minded people, which I did in Atlanta before it got as big as it is now. As a meditator, my center is (and has always been) within, and I have zero interest in ego or ego-games, so I just ignore them when they go on around me. The key question is: Are there some thinking, caring, dedicated, spiritually aware, environmentally concerned, actively engaged people in Boulder with whom one could form meaningful friendships and have good conversations? That and a pleasant climate in which to live is all I'm really looking for, but I don't particulary like very small communities (such as Manitou Springs) because I like the diversity of activities one can find in a larger community.
Well the New agey Naropa Instituste mind set is here. But so is reality. Utopia just dosn't exist. Bouldr is a great place to buy black tar heroin and crack and meth. It has more than it's share of burglaries. Boulder is not the laid back town it once was when it had less than a quarter of the population it once did. It's still a nice place to be I suppose cmpared to some other places. Just be aware that it's not the utopia some might lead you to believe.
Even though you are asking for it, if anyone has the arrogance to tell you something like that, I suggest you take it with a grain of salt. Wether or not Boulder ( or ANY place ) is right or not right for you is something only you can know. Best to spend time living there as a renter, get a feel for the place, then you'll know with certainty if it's the right place for you or not.
Well the New agey Naropa Instituste mind set is here. But so is reality. Utopia just dosn't exist. Boulder is a great place to buy black tar heroin and crack and meth. It has more than it's share of burglaries. Boulder is not the laid back town it once was when it had less than a quarter of the population it once did. It's still a nice place to be I suppose compared to some other places. Just be aware that it's not the utopia some might lead you to believe.
For a college town, Boulder has a high crime rate on city-data.com. The smart growth control freaks drive the cost of housing, food, and rent through the roof, and as a result, people turn to drugs in order to stay alert while working more than one job. Most smart growth anti-growth folks are potheads anyways; that's why they can't think clearly, and end up raising Impact Fees and Carbon Taxes, and driving out all blue collar jobs out of such towns. Their drug use makes them paranoid of Wallmart, and as a result, college kids in places like Boulder, Santa Fe, and Flagstaff have to pay 30% higher prices for groceries.
Oregon was ranked recently as the most unhappy state, and they're very anti-business with smart growth, urban growth boundaries, high taxes, and lots of drug use. People are not happy in areas where the median home price several hundred thousand dollars. I've lived in several cities managed like Boulder, with smart growth, and the end result is drug use and crime (Albuquerque, Santa Fe, Flagstaff, Corvallis, OR.).
Eugene, Oregon, for example didn't always have a drug problem. When by way of smart growth you take a young person's ability to invest in private property, people develop collectivist attitudes, and migrate towards controversial social attitudes and behaviours such as naked bike riding and drug use.
For a college town, Boulder has a high crime rate on city-data.com. The smart growth control freaks drive the cost of housing, food, and rent through the roof, and as a result, people turn to drugs in order to stay alert while working more than one job. Most smart growth anti-growth folks are potheads anyways; that's why they can't think clearly, and end up raising Impact Fees and Carbon Taxes, and driving out all blue collar jobs out of such towns. Their drug use makes them paranoid of Wallmart, and as a result, college kids in places like Boulder, Santa Fe, and Flagstaff have to pay 30% higher prices for groceries.
Eugene, Oregon, for example didn't always have a drug problem. When by way of smart growth you take a young person's ability to invest in private property, people develop collectivist attitudes, and migrate towards controversial social attitudes and behaviours such as naked bike riding and drug use.
You'll have to forgive our local newcomer who seems to be a dedicated itinerant and has/is about to move to Boulder. In spite of his recent arrival (I think he visited here for the first time within the past 2 months) he revels in pointing out shortcomings, real and imagined in Boulder as if he's lived here for years and has seen and done it all in our city. Conclusions apparently come easily to him, and they may or may not relevant to you. Sometimes I confuse him for a shill for the Durango chamber of commerce, as he really seems to want to move there.
By no means is Boulder the best city for everyone, but many of the facts laid out are simply untrue. Some examples:
1) Boulder is high crime -- for the last nine years Boulder has had below average crime when compared to the national averages. See city data's Boulder profile for verification. This year to date has been a bad one for murders, to be sure. Flagstaff has a lot higher crime rate as does Durango in recent years.
2) Smart-growth advocates turn to pot to stay alert working more than one job? I don't where to begin to point out the logical fallacies and misguided ad hominem attacks in this assertion. Suffice it to say, there is a steady diet of pro-smart growth in Boulder that encourages density, but there is also a NIMBY undercurrent as well where people don't want Boulder to change in spite of the world changing.
Blaming Eugene, Oregon's drug problems on smart growth is ridiculous and this person must not have lived in Eugene during the 60s-80s, when if you mentioned smart-growth most people would have guessed you were talking about a new kind a growlight and hydroponic system for their basement.
Alternative spirituality almost seems commonplace in Boulder, for better or for worse. Church and synagogue attendance is almost microscopic, but yet many are interested in exploring spirituality as evidenced by Naropa and the persistence of its graduates in our town. It is tempered by the material demands of living here, but if you don't have a family and a big mortgage and use your bike to get around, the cost of living can be pretty affordable. A trust fund or a pension helps too.
Sometimes there does seem to be a little "groupthink" here in Boulder. When you have such a preponderance of people with similar ideological views, it tends to attract people with the same views. The Boulder city council is dominated by baby boomers (retired or essentially retired) that live close to the expensive, historical areas and are extremely concerned about environmental issues and historical preservation. There may be a "silent majority" in town that is less liberal than our policymakers.
Recently there was tremendous focus on the city meeting the Kyoto Protocol on emissions and taxes were raised in support of that. While environmental issues are important, I would prefer that the council be cognizant of the more pressing economic issues that our citizens face and make strides toward getting our budget in order before sending more tax raises to the electorate. But that's just me. There is also an alarming trend of lethal domestic disputes in the city and yet I haven't seen any emphasis on arresting this pattern.
It's a more complicated city than these generalizations. You'll find out when you return!
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Boulder's Air Pollution and Traffic Indicate Lack Of Environmental Ethics
