Is Boulder the "it" spot? (Longmont, Golden: house, to live in)

[SunTrailsFood]

Hey thanks in advance for the help!
My husband and I lived in Michigan for most of our lives. It's nice other than the 6 months or so of grey skies and it's pretty flat. Now we live in San Diego and it's great other than there are no season changes and it gets hot if you're not literally on the coast (as in, don't drive 10 miles inland).

I've had friends say the Boulder or Golden areas are great. What we're looking for is a decent helping of sunny days (who isn't?), trails for running/hiking/mtn biking (we're ultramarathoners so we need long trails), but also leaves changing color and snow in the winter. I don't mind it being cold as long as it's not 6 months of the year.

I know it's crazy to have drinks and food as a criteria, but it'd be nice to move to an area with good places to eat, grocery shop, and (let's be honest) good microbrews (admit it - you want that too).

Would a move to the Boulder area be good for us?

Thanks for the advice!

[DressageRider]

From everything you have listed as criteria, yes, I think Boulder has what you are looking for. Have you come out for a visit yet?

I've met tons of people originally from Michigan out here!

[TrickiWoo]

Boulder has everything on your list, the only drawback is that it's expensive to live in Boulder proper. The upside to that is that you don't really have to go too far outside of the city to see a major price reduction (about 10 - 20 miles).
Definitely come out for a visit, plan to spend at least a long weekend. I haven't met anyone yet who has come to visit and not loved it here

[mv5841]

(joke answer) No, we're full...stay out. (end joke)


Real answer: Yes, boulder has all those.

[mark747]

Boulder CAN get cold for six months a year, though it's usually sunny. But expect to spend 500k for a house that needs work. A lot of housing here was put up quickly during past booms and wasn't done well.
You might check out places around Boulder-Lyons is a cool little mountain town near Boulder with lots of trails nearby. People in Boulder run down Longmont, but there is an extensive trail system through it. Just stay in south longmont or the downtown. Niwot is good with trails and good views, but the cheap housing there looks like it really is made of ticky tacky and then the hills are just full of these way way way out mansions and horse farms for millions. Gunbarrel is a little town between Boulder and Niwot, but it's never appealed to me because most of it is an office park. Other thing to know is where light rail is going. You might have an easier commute in future from Longmont and Niwot rather than Lyons because of light rail system coming up 36 and divided highway-if it ever gets built.