Is Boulder worth it? (Denver, Longmont: house, middle school, university)

[hans71]

Hi,

We are a Scandinavian family of four planning to move to somewhere close to Denver. Our kids are in middle school. The most important things for us are safety, nature, schools and sports (hiking, tennis, skiing, hockey...).

So, I've been doing a lot of research and even visited Denver and Boulder. We don't like big cities but Boulder seemed like a quite nice small town, but obviously it's at least 50% more expensive than the surrounding areas.

But is Boulder "worth" it? We can afford to spend a couple of million on a house, but is Boulder really that much better place to live than say Longmont or Broomfield? Or how about the western Denver? (We want to be close to the mountains...)

So if you had the money, would you rather live in Boulder than where you are living now? Or people in Boulder, why do you live there?

Thanks,
Hans

[Sean Kellogg]

You’ll get more for your money outside of Boulder. I live in Louisville and prefer it. I’d rather have a $2 million house in Louisville than in Boulder, hands down.

[Bighermit]

Boulder is worth it. The ”L” towns are ok, but they're just regular towns, might as well live in Kansas. The foothills are even better than Boulder. If you're going to live in Colorado, why not go the distance and live in the mountains?

[Thoreau424]

Originally Posted by hans71

...is Boulder "worth" it?

No. And based on your background, you'd do better with a location that is more rich in culture. Boulder is rather monotone and one-dimensional.

[Ruth4Truth]

Well, what alternatives to Boulder are there, that aren't just another generic, non-descript mass of urbanism, like any suburb of Denver? People love Boulder because of the smaller-town feel, the proximity to nature, the University, the more picturesque nature of it. You say you've done a fair amount of research, OP; what else have you looked at?

You mention "west Denver". I see nothing there worth recommending, except maybe Golden, which brings you closer to the mountains. But I know nothing about the quality of the schools there. And I don't know if, with a population of around 20,000, it might be too small for you. With kids soon to be teens, it's important to have attractions to keep them busy on the weekends. Sport activities and nature may not be enough.

[Ruth4Truth]

Originally Posted by Thoreau424

No. And based on your background, you'd do better with a location that is more rich in culture. Boulder is rather monotone and one-dimensional.

Really? Aside from the fact that the OP didn't mention "culture" as an attribute they were seeking, where in CO are the cultural offerings particularly rich or diverse? I mean, if they require "culture", they should look at Santa Fe, or NYC, or maybe the eastern suburbs of the greater Seattle area, which are on a couple of lakes and are close to the mountains, as well. (Great for outdoor recreation.)

[Mike from back east]

The OP was one of our famous 1-day wonders who never came back - and that was two years ago.

No need arguing about any of this.

Thread closed.