Boulder (Gunbarrel) or Longmont? (Denver, Lafayette: fit in, best city, hall)

[mikeyw]

My wife and I are going to be moving to the Boulder area, and will be buying a house/condo/duplex in the next couple of weeks and could use some advice, especially about the culture of Longmont. We have two dogs, no kids (but may in the future). We recently visited the Longmont (mostly Old Town), but it was not enough to truly get a sense of the place.

Here's who we are/what we want:

1. We're a somewhat liberal couple who is interested in community, walkability, parks and trails, outdoor activities, old houses with character, and likeminded people. Can this be found in Longmont? If so, is Old Town the place to search? We don't want cookie cutter or big box stores, but we do want a decent yard. After only spending one day in Longmont, it's hard to get a sense of whether there is a critical mass of people whose interests somewhat match with ours and where in town to find them. And our max price for Longmont is 230K. Thoughts?
2. Bikeability - Since I'll need to commute to Boulder, I'd really like to bike for much of the year. Are there any routes besides the diagonal that will suffice w/o being overwhelmed with traffic? I know I can take the bus, but it's nice to knock out exercise and commute at the same time.
3. Gunbarrel - We know that we cannot afford to live in Boulder proper, but we are willing to spend a little more to live in Gunbarrel, even if it means getting a little less of a house (or maybe a duplex/condo). It seems like a nice community of young progressive types, surrounded by a good deal of open space - perhaps folks like us who might like to live in Boulder, but can't afford it. Does that sound about right, or am I missing something?
4. Any possibility of getting a house with a larger lot (1/2 acre - acre) between Longmont and the foothills w/o getting too far north of Boulder? My research says no, but maybe I'm missing something.
5. Based on what I've said, should we check out Lafayette, Louisville, or any of the mountain communities?

What we don't need to know:
I've read many of the posts on the area so far, so I know some things about schools, downtown Longmont, the inflated liberal ego of many Boulderites, and the crime reputation of some Longmont n'hoods.

Thanks for taking the time to help.

[DressageRider]

If you have looked through the previous posts on Longmont, you probably have read my posts before.

From how you've described yourself, I think that Old Town Longmont could be a great fit. At least I'll give you my own experience: We lived in Boulder for a short time before we decided to buy a house. We wanted an old house (for better or worse!) and had limited funds, so that drew us to Longmont which has a larger old town area than the other L-towns. We found ourselves a lovely home by a park in a great neighborhood where we've met a great group of 20 and 30-somethings who have all started families within the past 5 years. There is a really nice sense of community where we live, and I LOVE that downtown is just a couple blocks away. Downtown feels like it is getting better all the time. It has a ways to go, but there are some really great cafes, shops, and restaurants.

[Katarina Witt]

I'll take on Louisivlle having lived there for about 26 years.

1. We're a somewhat liberal couple who is interested in community, walkability, parks and trails, outdoor activities, old houses with character, and likeminded people. Can this be found in Longmont? If so, is Old Town the place to search? We don't want cookie cutter or big box stores, but we do want a decent yard.

Louisville has a lot of "walkable" features. Walkability always depends on just how far you are willing to walk, of course. Downtown Louisville is cute, has the city hall and library as well as a bunch of restaurants, botiques, etc. There are many trails and parks; the trails are all interconnected, so theoretically it's possible to ride just about anywhere in town. Much of the town is built on flat land, making riding/walking quite easy.

"Old Town" has the older homes; I guess you'd say they have character. Many are small former miner's cottages. Some other parts of Louisville have houses that were built by different builders, avoiding the 'cookie cutter' look. The cc subdivisions do exist, too. As they get older, they seem to be taking on more character with additions, landscaping, etc.

Plenty of outdoor activities in town and nearby. The mountains are about 45 min. west. There are also lots of community activities, though, sadly, the 4th of July celebration has been cancelled this year, due to lack of funds. But there is still Labor Day and the December Parade of Lights.

Louisville has a hospital, doctors, and shopping. There are a couple of "big box" stores here. You will not avoid these wherever you live in CO. You don't have to shop at them if you don't want to. There is a community theater group that puts on several plays a year, and a recreation center with many activities, a pool, gym, etc.

"Likeminded people"? Without knowing you, other than you saying you're "somewhat liberal", I think you'd fit in just fine.

[TrickiWoo]

When I lived in the Gunbarrel area I did not find it to be very walkable at all. There's not too much up there, mostly residential and business parks. The bus service was good and it really wasn't a big deal to get to Downtown Boulder by bus or car. Even biking it was not too bad. We ended up buying a home in South Longmont because I found that I was doing most of my shopping and eating out up here because the stores were less crowded, there was less traffic, etc. If you live there you'll have to travel up to Longmont or down to Boulder for pretty much everything. There are a couple of nice parks and stuff in Gunbarrel, there's a supermarket and a couple of restaurants and it's a nice place to 'go for a walk' but as far as walking to actually do stuff I think the walkability factor is fairly low in that area.

Originally Posted by mikeyw

Bikeability - Since I'll need to commute to Boulder, I'd really like to bike for much of the year. Are there any routes besides the diagonal that will suffice w/o being overwhelmed with traffic? I know I can take the bus, but it's nice to knock out exercise and commute at the same time.

You can get to Boulder from Gunbarrel by bike if you pick up the Cottonwood trail on Jay road. From there you can get onto the bike path that runs along Foothills and then to the Boulder Creek Path. It's a little bit of a roundabout way to go, and i don't know if I'd want to do it in the dark, but it's a nice ride and a good way to go if you want to avoid biking on too many roads.

[whoisjongalt]

Boulder and Longmont are COMPLETELY different. If you prefer the vibe in Boulder I think Gunbarrel is a good choice. It has lots of open space and is only about 10 minutes from Boulder. Longmont is basically a generic suburb with a small "downtown". I lived there for a year and moved to downtown Denver. I found Longmont BORING. But it does have the older houses you mentioned unlike Gunbarrel which has mostly condos and fairly pricey suburban-style houses (ie. you'd have to get a condo).

[ledjar]

i'd much rather have a smaller place in Gunbarrel than a huge place in longmont.

gunbarrel is basically boulder.. its just north east boulder.

but you said your interested in Louisville, i'd probably take that over both of those citys, louisville has been named best city to live in for 2 years (maybe 3 now?). Its really well land scaped (far better than boulder) and there's no crime what so ever. not to mention if your in longmont going to denver is a MASSIVE pain, wile gunbarrel and louisville are about 30 min from denver. and both less than 10 min away from boulder.

[Jerrym303]

Agree on Louisville. The only reason to be north of Boulder is if you plan to head to the mountains constantly.

By definition, a liberal is open-minded and would be comfortable with people who are not like-minded. That is not what you find in the Boulder area, though, so you would probably fit in fine.

[TungstenIron]

Several friends of our's live in the Gunbarrel area. They don't consider Gunbarrel typical Boulder, either. It's a much more conservative demographic than central Boulder.

[Coloradokat]

I live in Lmont and we love it. Old town is the place to be for sure. I also lived in Gunbarrel and was NOT a fan. It's very ticky tacky. You can find GREAT deals in Longmont. I would also check Louisville, Lyons, and Niwot. Both cute areas where you'll find what you are looking for.

[davya]

Right now with the economy and housing market the way it is you MIGHT find something in Louisville, or Lafayette and MAYBE in Gunberral on your budget. You can rule out Lyons. There Might be something in Old Town Longmont, but remember that these are old homes built in the 30's and 40's so be careful to be sure and get a good home inspection. There are other nice neighborhoods in Longmont as well that are more affordable. For 230K you're not likely to find a 1/2 acre lot anywhere.

As far as being libral, keep in mind that Longmont is fairly conservitive as is most of Colorado. We now have a democratic representitive for the firt time in...well as long as I can remember. Boulder has lot of "liberals" as long as you agree with them (sorry I couldn't resist). But as posted elsewhere if you're truly liberal and open minded, you should have no problems. People here are friendly for the most part.

Crime rate in Longmont is really not any more than the surrounding areas. It's just that they are straight up about it. Longmont PD has a "gang unit" and openly works on any problems it may have. In Boulder and other areas the problems exist as well but it's kept hush hush. Any gang activity is mostly non violent. Sure, some drug dealers but mostly a lot of posers. There are the usual burglaries and such but not really a lot of violent crime in the area.

Anywhere in the area you are close to lots of recreational activities. Hiking, biking, camping skiing etc...hope this helps.