Family friendly apt in N Boulder? (Longmont, Louisville: apartment, rentals, condo)

[swglovsky]

Hi, we are relocating fr Boston to Boulder, for more sunshine and less uptight NE culture. We are applying to a school in Gunbarrel area for our 11 year old. At first l look on the web and found Meadow Creek and Habitat in the area, then I read the reviews online and was really surprised. Thin walls, smoking, noise, dog poop, bad maintainence...

We are looking for suggestions for a clean, safe, quiet, family type of apts. Are we better off renting a house in the gunbarrel neighborhood/N. Boulder -seems to be full of large business buildings? If not that area, what is a reasonable neighborhood around that area? Is Longmont a and nice community and reasonable commute?

For context we are coming fr a beautiful suburb in the Boston area, sold our 4 BR 3 BA house for a different kind of life (no more rat race). We are open to new adventures and people, but would like to feel ok about where we live. Any advice is appreciated! Thanks.

[Micktooth]

Is there a specific reason you want to be in Gunbarrel? I personally don't know much about that area, but my family and I moved to Louisville a few years ago with kids the same age as yours. We just love it here. MONEY Magazine: Best places to live 2007: Louisville, CO snapshot

[swglovsky]

There is a school, Rocky Mountain School, which looks great for my son. So we thought would try living near it so the commute isn't a pain. I understand that Louisville and Superior are both great. Are they considered the nice suburbs of Boulder? Thanks.

[chilaili]

Longmont could also be a consideration as it's just a few miles NE from Gunbarrel and the Bolt bus runs right by there from Longmont to Boulder

[TrickiWoo]

I've lived in Habitat in one of their townhouses (3 BR) for the past 1.5 yrs and have been quite happy there. I find the development to be very quiet, and family friendly. In the time we've been there we've never had to submit a complaint about noise, the neighbors tend to keep to themselves a little but I find that to be true of most rentals. The pool is also nice, and generally not crowded. I've also had a great experience with the staff, maintenance is prompt and the office staff is friendly and helpful. The only complaint I have is that BBQs are not permitted due to issues they've had in the past with fires. The only reason we're moving is because we found a house sort of unexpectedly. We were planning on staying for a couple more years.
If you have any specific questions about the development send me a message and I'll be happy to answer whatever I can.

[swglovsky]

Thanks everyone. It's helpful to know about Habitat and Longmont. Those are all things we would consider.

[Micktooth]

Originally Posted by swglovsky

There is a school, Rocky Mountain School, which looks great for my son. So we thought would try living near it so the commute isn't a pain. I understand that Louisville and Superior are both great. Are they considered the nice suburbs of Boulder? Thanks.

Louisville and Superior are just a few miles from Boulder, so yes I guess the can be considered a suburb, but out here, "nice" can describe just about anywhere

[DressageRider]

We moved out here from Boston too. (We love it here, by the way.)

For what it is worth, I have found that people tend to write online reviews of apartment buildings to complain, so they always seem very negative. I would take them with a grain of salt.

I always pipe up that I love living in old town Longmont. I am a sucker for old houses and all the chaos that comes along with them.

You may also want to check out Niwot which is close to Gunbarrel. All of these towns have their positives and negatives (just like anywhere) and their own personalities, and it is just a matter of what suits you best. Have you come out to visit yet?

Edited to add: I have a friend who rented a condo in Powderhorn (Gunbarrel) for maybe 5 years and she was really happy there.

[swglovsky]

Hi DressageRider,

Thanks for the feedback. We were in Boulder at the before Memorial Day and it was clouded, but still magnificient. People were happy there -it was apparent when they greet you and talk about the snow and sunshine. We drove through the city, Longmont, Gunbarrel, NE Boulder to get a sense of the neighborhoods. Actually saw a unit in Powderhorn -a lot of dogs in the complex we saw. Nice people.

We liked the newer neighborhoods (to live in) in the north that are more open and spread out. We also love the character of the downtown area (to visit and to be close to). I am sorry that we did not see Niwot, but plan to return in June to secure housing. I have been combing craigslist for listings.