Culturally liberal and educated smaller towns in Boulder County?

[COcheesehead]

Originally Posted by Hschlick84

Boulder in late 80s to early 90s from what I concur was more hippie and live/let live, less latte and Volvo. Pearl St Mall has all the local shops for the tourist and locals alike. Beautiful area, but way too far on one side of the spectrum.

Boulder in the time frame you referenced was more “Colorado” than anything. Unique, outdoor oriented, alive, vibrant.
The town really started to change when through local legislation real estate became artificially constricted. Values skyrocketed. Developers squeezed in properties where they could and national chains seeing the rising economic value of the demographics, moved in. Pearl St lost its local charm, the mall was redeveloped, north Boulder changed in a heartbeat. The surrounding towns absorbed the overflow.
Today, it is what it is, but many folks from Colorado have great memories of what it was, not so long ago.

[StealthRabbit]

Originally Posted by COcheesehead

Boulder in the time frame you referenced was more “Colorado” than anything. Unique, outdoor oriented, alive, vibrant.
The town really started to change when through local legislation real estate became artificially constricted. ....

Land use / Growth management in Boulder started in 1967, (My dad was building commercial and residential properties there at the time.


In 1970, Boulder created a "comprehensive plan" that would dictate future zoning, transportation, and urban planning decisions. Hoping to preserve residents' views of the mountains, in 1972, the city enacted an ordinance limiting the height of newly constructed buildings. A Historic-Preservation Code was passed in 1974, and a residential-growth management ordinance (the Danish Plan) in 1976

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boulder,_Colorado

OP wants a town in Boulder County, so... many of the suggestions are a tad far out.

Fire danger is real in the urban interface (and even in UGA, as we now know).

If a forested area has already burned... There is a much less chance of future fires until fuels recharge. (40+ yrs for trees, but grass needs to be monitored, and hopefully ONLY native grasses are used for soil stabilization.

[Hipchik]

Originally Posted by lostboy

Nederland is mostly in the trees and has burned recently. OP is fire adverse.

A few of my friends live there. Yes, Ned is surrounded by National Forest land. Most recent fire was summer of 2016 and it was a relatively small area not near town. (The word is "averse" btw)
Home prices have skyrocketed in the past couple of years. Homes that in reality are worth $500k are going for $1M. Boulder prices. It's nuts.

Stealthrabbit wrote "Nederland gets you off the main route to EP, so you don't have to deal with the summer / weekend circus."
The Peak to Peak Scenic Byway runs right through town and is a hugely popular route to Estes Park and RMNP in summer and fall for tourists, car clubs and motorcyclists. There is always plenty of traffic especially on weekends. PITA trying to negotiate the roundabout with ppl who are clueless.

[Neditate]

Fallstreak, I haven't been on the forum in quite a while... a friend notified me about your post.

Nederland ticks many of your boxes.
I have enjoyed living in the Nederland area for 25 years. I love it up here at 8300'.

Pros: Nederland is a funky/quirky little town of approx. 1500 people (surrounding county and mountain communities ~4,000).
There are a few coffee shops, a bookstore, a farmers market, an excellent library, a ski area and the best Nepalese food around.
We're close to spectacular hiking (the main reason we moved here from Boulder). However, because we are so close to Boulder and the Front Range, trails have become increasingly crowded.

Since you mentioned climbing, Boulder Canyon is a rock climbers dream. https://www.mountainproject.com/area...boulder-canyon
Castle Rock is 2-3 miles from town https://www.mountainproject.com/area...56/castle-rock

It takes me 22 minutes to get to Boulder, close to a half hour if you're in town. It's wonderful to still have the peacefulness we moved here for, while also having the convenience of Boulder just down the hill. Rocky Mountain NP is less than an hour,from here, DIA is an hour away.

Cons: Since we are surrounded by National Forest land, wildfires are obviously a concern.
It's WINDY from November through April which can be challenging for some.
Unfortunately, it feels like Ned is becoming more of a Boulder suburb in recent years (at least in the area I live). More and more people with $$$$ have moved here. I'm totally blown away by current home prices. And new neighbors haven't a clue about mountain living.

If you have any specific questions, I'd be glad to answer. Just PM me.

[SundaySilence]

Let me know if you want/need info re. our town.