Where to live in the Boulder area (Denver, Loveland: ski resort, apartments)

[MC_Whitaker]

Hey guys,

I'm hoping to transfer into the Apple Store in Boulder in the future. I'm currently in the metro-Atlanta area. From my understanding, the area is quite expensive and you need to sacrifice a bit to get what you want the most. I'll be making $35k-$45k (hard to say right now as I don't know the cost of living raise from Atlanta to Boulder yet). The only things I would love to have easy access to is a nice local area, 15-30minute acess to trails, and no more than a 30 minute commute. Bare with me as I am pretty clueless as to what the living standards are and have only read about it online. All feedback is appreciated. If boulder is unrealistic, I am open to other areas. Just no where north of boulder as I would still like to be able to day trip to loveland or another resort. There are Apple stores in Broomfield and Denver, but I honestly know nothing about those areas.

Summary:
-One bedroom, sharing with my girlfriend
-I have a dog.
-My only expectation is having access to trails
-I'm in my twenties.

Thanks!

-Marcus

[davebarnes]

1. Dog could be problematic. The greater Denver area has many places with specific breed bans. Many landlords do not allow pets.

2. The increase in rent from Atlanta to Boulder will be shocking.
Use Apartments for Rent - PadMapper Apartment Search for Oodle, Apartments.com, Rent.com, Kijiji, and Craigslist Apartments to begin your search. Use the filters.

[MC_Whitaker]

Thanks! A two bedroom in Atlanta is around $1500-$1600.

[sunsprit]

Your income range is unlikely to get you into a "nice" place in Boulder with a 2 bdr that will accept pets.

You'll do better to look at the surrounding areas within your 30 minute commute radius that are outside Boulder county. Generally speaking, you'll have nearby access to trails almost anywhere along the Front Range in this area ... and, FWIW, Boulder's Open Spaces offer a lot of access, too. Another favorite of mine where you don't need to head up into the mountains for your starting point is the White Mountain area.

Loveland is a day ski area, not a resort ... but it can have some excellent skiing, although not uncommon to have very cold days there at the high altitude compared to other ski areas. Once you're headed up the I-70 corridor, it's not that much further via the tunnel to the major ski resort areas.

[reed303]

Some FYI's for you.

1. Apple's stores in Boulder and Broomfield are about 10 miles apart, connected by the Boulder Turnpike and RTD bus.

2. As Sunsprit said, all of the towns in the general area have hike/bike trails.

3. Re apts & dogs, there are apts in the Broomfield area that are under $1600/mo and allow some dog breeds. Here is one example: AMLI at Flatirons Floorplans

As DB said use padmapper.com with filters

Currently, the City of Broomfield does not have any dog breed bans. City and County of Broomfield - Official Website

4. if you are bringing a vehicle from Atlanta, during the winter, have it "winterized" before you leave. Here is one guide: Winterize Your Vehicle

[MC_Whitaker]

You guys are great! I'm truly grateful for your input. My sole priority in moving to Colorado is mainly acess to a variety of outdoor wonders. I mountain bike and Georgia has it's limits with that. For two bedroom my price range is $1600-$1800. I wakeboard a lot here, so I'm not sure what the lake life in Colorado is like. I'm just trying to find the best place to live with a large outdoor community and a local scene. Thanks again, guys!

[coloradoalimony]

Originally Posted by MC_Whitaker

You guys are great! I'm truly grateful for your input. My sole priority in moving to Colorado is mainly acess to a variety of outdoor wonders. I mountain bike and Georgia has it's limits with that. For two bedroom my price range is $1600-$1800. I wakeboard a lot here, so I'm not sure what the lake life in Colorado is like. I'm just trying to find the best place to live with a large outdoor community and a local scene. Thanks again, guys!

Wakeboarding? There are only a few lakes in Colorado that are big enough for waterskiing/wakeboarding. They are incredibly crowded, and the season is only 3 months long because the water is cold.

There basically is no "lake life" here. The closest large lake with what could be called a "lake life" would be Lake McConaughy - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia in Nebraska. It is 250 miles from Boulder and takes about 3.5 hours to get there.

[reed303]

FWIW, take a look at Colorado Water Skiing: 5 Places to Get Wet This Summer |

[brown_dog_us]

We moved from ATL to Boulder in August, and love it. Here are a couple things:

- Houses and probably apartments are a lot smaller. Start selling stuff now. Smaller is fine though. It's just hard to store all the outdoor toys.
- Boulder is has a higher COL. The calculators get close, but we find food and outdoor fun is more. Ski passes ain't cheap.
- You are going to love the lack of humidity. Oh, and the lack of pollen!
- I have seen a decent amount of ski boats being towed on the weekends, so there must be some skiable places. You could always focus on kayaking or snowboarding instead.

Good luck!

[MC_Whitaker]

brown_dog_us, glad to hear some advice from someone from Atlanta! Thanks again to all of you. I do believe I have some great tools to work with and know what to expect upon my arrival.