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I've been looking to move from the east coast for a while now and I had narrowed it down to 3 different locations. They were Bend Oregon, Park City, and Boulder CO. I have almost ruled Bend out of the equation due to jobs, so its basically between PC and Boulder. Just a couple notes, I'm really looking for an outdoorsy place where I can meet like minded people to have fun with (no one where I currently live is into anything outdoorsy really or has any spontaneity or sense of adventure).
1. Its really important that outdoor activities are super close in Boulder , hiking/backpacking, biking, skiing (obviously in town), kayaking, fishing etc. I know that people move there for these reasons but realistically how far are the above items for me to get to? I know in park city they are literally in the town.
2.I love skiing but I'm also not looking for winter from September to July, When does it approach the 50's leaving summer and entering summer? IE how long is winter? I hear from someone in Denver (not sure if its the same exactly) that while there may be a lot of snow its not an overly cold place and doesn't get overly hot in the summertime, really it sounds like the climate is perfect.
3. How is the population that actually lives in Boulder? Younger crowd?
4. I'd probably look for a job in Boulder as there seem to be quite a lot but it seems really expensive to live there, but also seems like if i moved there i would want to live in the city to be close to everything, How much are rents for a single person to live by themselves in town vs out of town and what do you get for your money, i am finding a drastic difference in pricing for apartments, seems to be possibly because of the University. I know I'd make a good salary there (accounting) but i don't want to stretch to live.
5. Is this somewhere people live for a long time or should i just consider this a temporary place until I'm older (currently 27)? i know that's a bit of a personal decision but i'm wondering what kind of age group lives there.
6. What is the commute like in rush hour from Boulder to Denver?
7. Seems to me that Boulder is very biker friendly, dog friendly, walking friendly etc and also just a very healthy happy city, are people there happy and polite? I know that there are a-holes everywhere but that's one of my biggest turn offs to the east coast, everyone is so mean to one another and it bred it people to hate others, i want to live somewhere I'm happy and can say hello to someone on the street without people thinking i'm a serial killer.
These are a couple of questions on my mind but please if you have any positives or negatives let me know, I've been thinking about these places so long that they are losing their appeal (totally my fault) and I don't want them to because when i chose them as places I'd like to live it was because they seemed like the best places in the US for what i want to do and still be able to have a career.
Hi! I haven't lived in PC, or BO, but I have lived in Boulder. Don't anymore. It's a great place to live. There is so much energy there because of the college. Which I loved! The town is great too, lots of restaurants, breweries, a great night life,and of course don't forget the outdoors. And surrounding areas outside of boulder too.The winters there are generally milder, 300 days + of sunshine. When it does snow it will only hang around for a couple days. Obviously the skiing is great here and as close a drive as 35mins. Traffic sucks big time though to get to the mountains! And I mean big time!!! Seems to be getting worse each year. Most people complain but keep going up anyway. But if you can ski during the week, your set! Seems like there are so many people in boulder who have jobs where they just don't have to work long hours. Think that's important in boulder seeing as it offers so much. There are so many active super athletes here. Most people aspire to live as close to the foothills as possible so no one has to drive when hiking or mountain biking or climbing. this area though is generally the most expensive. The cheaper areas to live in boulder are south boulder still not cheap though a 1100 sqft,3brm home will start at 2k which will go really quick cos that's cheap. A apartment 1bdrm will start at 1300. Your not going to find much cheaper.
As for meeting people I was told its hard to meet people there, but I never had any problems, there's a lot of clubs such as women's running groups, climbing groups, mountain biking groups all kinds of ways to meet people, just gotta think outside the box. I generally found the people very nice and courteous. Some though can be entitled. When hiking everyone says Hi so don't worry no one will think your a 'serial killer' not many A-Holes around I think most people are just really happy to be there. I mean hey it's amazing what that much sunshine does to a person so good luck with your decision, all I can say is you won't go wrong if you choose Boulder. Good luck
You really know how to sell a place, the only negatives i see are the 35 min drive to the closest mountain, the cost of rent, and the possibility of it being slow to meet new people. Everything else sounds exactly like i researched and would expect it to sot that's good to hear from someone who has actually lived there.
Any idea on how long in rush hour it is to Denver? I'd hope I'd be fine finding a job in Boulder but just in case i needed to expand my search area.
You really know how to sell a place, the only negatives i see are the 35 min drive to the closest mountain, the cost of rent, and the possibility of it being slow to meet new people. Everything else sounds exactly like i researched and would expect it to sot that's good to hear from someone who has actually lived there.
Any idea on how long in rush hour it is to Denver? I'd hope I'd be fine finding a job in Boulder but just in case i needed to expand my search area.
It's bad right now, and probably won't get much better. There is a major construction project going on US 36 (Denver-Boulder Turnpike) right now that will add several toll lanes, but will not necessarily make the commute faster, unless you are willing to pay. There is good bus service between Boulder and Denver, which may get better once the project is finished (although I have my reservations about it). Right now from East or South Boulder (the end that's closer to Denver) to Downtown Denver is about 40 minutes without traffic and anywhere from 50 minutes to 1.5 hr during rush hour. When it snows it could be 2 hours. Anyway, too long to consider it unless you absolutely have to live in Boulder while working in Denver.
I live on North-East side of Boulder (Gunbarrel) and commute to Denver for work 3 times a week. I take a bus, and it takes me 1 hour door-to-door under normal circumstances, and I work from home when the weather is bad, because I know I will spend 2 hours on a bus. I hate that commute. But we are a family with two incomes and my husband's office is 5 minute drive or 15 minute bike ride from home, yay!
I live in Boulder, but almost moved to Park City. I don't think the two places really compare. PC is a mountain town with a tourist economy. Boulder is vibrant with a start up focus. You could live on the north side of PC and drive to SLC for work though.
If you are really into skiing and MTB, then PC might be great for a couple of years until the novelty wears off. Boulder offers the career type jobs and is very close to the mountains. Hiking, MTB, and rock climbing are at your doorstep, and skiing is 45 mins to Eldora or 2 hours to the big mountains.
3. How is the population that actually lives in Boulder? Younger crowd?
5. Is this somewhere people live for a long time or should i just consider this a temporary place until I'm older (currently 27)? i know that's a bit of a personal decision but i'm wondering what kind of age group lives there.
Boulder is home to the University of Colorado. Many of the people I know in Boulder went to CU and stayed.
The median age of Boulder's population is 28.8 compared to the national median of 37.2 years. One-third of the city's adult population is between 18 and 24, reflecting the influence of the university on the area's demographic profile. 2011 Demographic Profile - City of Boulder https://www.city-data.com/city/Boulder-Colorado.html
I live in Boulder, but almost moved to Park City. I don't think the two places really compare. PC is a mountain town with a tourist economy. Boulder is vibrant with a start up focus. You could live on the north side of PC and drive to SLC for work though.
If you are really into skiing and MTB, then PC might be great for a couple of years until the novelty wears off. Boulder offers the career type jobs and is very close to the mountains. Hiking, MTB, and rock climbing are at your doorstep, and skiing is 45 mins to Eldora or 2 hours to the big mountains.
The University of Colorado drives Boulder's economy.
It sounds like you are looking for a "city" that has skiing. Park City isn't really like Boulder at all. Boulder is a college town that is almost a suburb of Denver. It's not a ski town and it's not really any closer to skiing than Denver (other than Eldora which is a small ski area just west of Boulder). You'd probably be much happier in a town like Breckenridge IF you can find a job. That's the constant dilemma of wanting to live in the mountains. They are the most expensive places to live with the fewest high paying jobs. Boulder is usually considered the most expensive "city" in Colorado but it doesn't even come close to the prime ski towns like Aspen, Vail, Breck, etc. I doubt you'll find even a dumpy apartment in Boulder for under $1400. In other words, you may have to consider roommates if you can't afford $15-20,000/year in rent.
It sounds like you are looking for a "city" that has skiing. Park City isn't really like Boulder at all. Boulder is a college town that is almost a suburb of Denver. It's not a ski town and it's not really any closer to skiing than Denver (other than Eldora which is a small ski area just west of Boulder). You'd probably be much happier in a town like Breckenridge IF you can find a job. That's the constant dilemma of wanting to live in the mountains. They are the most expensive places to live with the fewest high paying jobs. Boulder is usually considered the most expensive "city" in Colorado but it doesn't even come close to the prime ski towns like Aspen, Vail, Breck, etc. I doubt you'll find even a dumpy apartment in Boulder for under $1400. In other words, you may have to consider roommates if you can't afford $15-20,000/year in rent.
Skiing is very important to me but most important would be hiking and backpacking. Second most important would be a job (according to the average pay for jobs in my field i could probably afford rent) and the 3rd most important thing to me is to be able to find people who i can go on adventures with, in fact this may be the most important thing because it would make me the happiest and is the whole reason i want to move, i can't find people like that here and we don't have the mountains either.
Hi Dak, me here again, so I just got back from Boulder today, boy is it busy! I actually now live 40 mins away on 2 acres, so much quieter, you know...getting older an all and loving my space with my family!
So if you don't mind the hustle and bustle of a town full of 100k+ people, where many of them are around your age, then Boulder will be a great choice. You know I laugh because my hubby would always say after coming home from a mid week, afternoon mountain bike ride or run, (as he/and many others had that type of job where he didn't have to work long hours) "doesn't anyone work in this damn town!" That's what I loved about Boulder(not the traffic) was how important it is to get outdoors to everyone. But if you like quieter towns(not sure what PC is like) then boulder might not be the place for you. I lived in Breckenridge for a few years right in the heart of where the skiing was (loved it!)and it's a lot more of a slower pace. there were diffenitely outdoorsy people but it was a different lifestyle, the outdoorsy people weren't all year round outdoor people unlike boulder. Breck was a big party town, and so it should be as there were people on their holiday, 24/7, not to say that PC is that way at all,but it might be if that's what your looking for. Where as Boulder to me offers the best of both worlds if you don't feel like driving to the mountains today then you can... hike, mountain bike, road bike, trail run, rock climb, boulder up flagstaff mountain, and all in the middle of winter! Awesome! Oh and don't forget all the amazing 14ers you can do too? There is just soo much to do in colorado!
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so good luck with your decision, all I can say is you won't go wrong if you choose Boulder. Good luck
