Boulder, Colorado
SperlingViews

Considering a move to Boulder - 9/8/2007

Moving from Boston. Don't mind the cold but looking for a more affordable city with more sunshine. Any suggestions for a suburb of Boulder?[more...]

Boulder - 8/13/2007

Boulder pros/ cons Pros 1. Very pretty city 2. excellent schools 3. good shops and rests. 4. very low crime rate Cons 1. the way many of the people act is repulsive" very of a much me, me, me mentality 2. ungodly expensive compared to what many people actually make who live in Boulder 3. poor air quality 4. zero diversity 5. traffic is a constant headache 6. many of the Boulderites act like they are better and superior to everyone else. 7. CU has a reputation for being of the top party schools, so unless you enjoy listening to parties choose wisely where you live 8. if you are a liberal person, this is a good fit, however, if you are conservative you will not fit in. Boulder is one of the most liberal minded cities in the US along with...Berkeley, Ann Arbor, Madison and Cambridge.9. Many people move to Boulder with the expectation that this is the Boulder of 1960's and 1970's it is not, although, it is still a very liberal minded city.[more...]

Beautiful City with a wonderful Cultural Life - 8/10/2007

This city is something else.....you have to see it to believe it.....BEAUTIFUL setting.....mild climate and a culture like no other![more...]

boulder - 8/9/2007

boulder's "progressive sprawl restrictions" ... are actually significant contributors to sprawl and homogenization (of skin color, of world views). in my opinion, this is iconic of boulder in so many ways. the climate is nice and the scenery is beautiful, too.[more...]

Boulder is a great city!!!! - 8/8/2007

Can be pricey due to the restrictions on sprawl (which I think is great).....who needs another Florida. Small areas around Boulder can be better priced and offer a good amount of green space as well.....Louisville, Longmont, Lafayette, Westminster........all within minutes to any outdoor adventures[more...]

The climate is wonderful here - 8/8/2007

Even in the winter if you don't like the weather just wait a day......we get 60+ degrees in the winter a lot. The scenery and culture here is magnificent......its clean and rich in green space......not to mention at the base of the Front Range!!![more...]

Would have been great 15-20 years ago - 7/12/2007

Spoke with residents who have been here for a while and many agree that the city's gone downhill over the years.. Very congested, poorly designed (4 lane "mini highway" cuts right through the university, elitist mentality (when compared with the more blue collar Colorado Springs for example) Personally, it's just too close to Denver for my liking but the city does sit right at the entranceway to the Rocky Mountains, so if you're a ski freak, there's definitely an upside to living here. [more...]

Boulder is not what you may be thinking - 6/21/2007

Boulder today is comprised of a lot of people that have more money than courtesy. It's not the Boulder of yesterday. It's all grown up and certainly not the pleasant environment that many people have come to think of when they think of Boulder. My impression of Boulder after having lived here for three years is.. a tie died wearing person in a new BMW will just about run you over trying to get a parking place at Whole Foods, all the while talking on their cellphone, paying absolutely no attention to anyone but themselves. For me one of the best ways I can tell about a place is the way people drive. In Boulder the drivers are the worst I have ever experienced, and I have lived in two of the top five cities noted for bad drivers. Rudeness and simply a lack of caring for other people are found everywhere. And it's certainly not just the 30,000 college students either. You may also be surprised with the large number of conservatives in this area, known for its liberal bent. In summary, good luck, however if you have a few million stashed away you might be okay, but even then, the cost of housing will take most of your money. [more...]

Sunshine - 6/15/2007

Boulder is an open minded town in the mountains of Colorado. There are 52 fourteen thousand foot peaks in Colorado, it's a stunning state. Boulder is a very affluent college town. There are many athlete's and alternative health practitioners as well as food choices.[more...]

boulder essence - 6/1/2007

"Until Boulder, I'd spent my entire life in big cities, including two of the most beautiful in the western world, Paris and Stockholm. After 23 years in the suburbs of Washington, DC, I decided to make a change. Unfettered by children (grown now) and an office job (I work at home), I took the chance and rented an apartment in Boulder...to test the waters (although there's not much around here). After 6 months, I knew I wanted to stay. All the other postings are right in one way or another (expensive and little or no diversity, to name a few) but no place is perfect. We each have to discover what it is in a place that speaks to us: for me, it is the incredible weather, the friendly people (it's not fake - I've decided that people are friendly here because they're happy), the great musical venues, the concern for the environment, the open space, and waking up every morning to views of the Flatirons, the Foothills, and the Rockies. Is it DC, Paris, Stockholm? No, but what it offers are intangibles that feed my soul in a different way at this particular stage in my life." perfect. THIS is the quintessential boulder-ite! "unfettered". "worldly" in a stockholm/paris/"sunny-day-soul" kind of way...that might not have it any other way, likely with some money to rest on or for a rainy day (that may never come)! love it![more...]

Boulder - a change in lifestyle and perspective - 5/20/2007

Until Boulder, I'd spent my entire life in big cities, including two of the most beautiful in the western world, Paris and Stockholm. After 23 years in the suburbs of Washington, DC, I decided to make a change. Unfettered by children (grown now) and an office job (I work at home), I took the chance and rented an apartment in Boulder...to test the waters (although there's not much around here). After 6 months, I knew I wanted to stay. All the other postings are right in one way or another (expensive and little or no diversity, to name a few) but no place is perfect. We each have to discover what it is in a place that speaks to us: for me, it is the incredible weather, the friendly people (it's not fake - I've decided that people are friendly here because they're happy), the great musical venues, the concern for the environment, the open space, and waking up every morning to views of the Flatirons, the Foothills, and the Rockies. Is it DC, Paris, Stockholm? No, but what it offers are intangibles that feed my soul in a different way at this particular stage in my life.[more...]

midwestern, mountain, college city...with money an - 5/11/2007

Boulder's surrounded by suburban sprawl full of many midwestern transplants on all sides - just beyond the greenspace - except the very majestic Rocky Mountains and Flatirons to the west. It's full of sciency types, buddhist types, Richard Branson types, and lots of college students that seem to be mostly from the midwest and excited about the skiing and the party. Most of those people are white and relatively affluent. It looks like a Disney set. It's generally a pretty athletic crowd. It's organic or progressive ways are mainly in a Wholefoods kind of sense, it seems to me.[more...]

Wonderful change - 5/11/2007

After living in New York (Manhattan and Brooklyn) Boulder is a welcome change. There are plenty of cultural events, gorgeous scenery and outdoor activities and amazing alternative health and wellness resources in Boulder.[more...]

boulder views II - 4/24/2007

It is expensive to rent or own property in Boulder. If people there aren't Olympic athletes or Nobel Laureates, they can often look and/or act the part. Many recreational opportunities and very, very beautiful. The climate is typically sunny and mild, with some very cold and very hot spells, and incredible winds. Any "lakes" to speak of are either more like ponds or constructed reservoirs without few trees to be seen. Buses are good. Restaurants, live music, and some other cultural opportunities can be better than in most places of it's size, and even excellent in some cases. It can seem like one of the least diverse populations in America in that it is, overall, caucasian and affluent. Denver and it's offerings are within 45 minutes driving. An overall very pleasant place to be if the above is what you're after.[more...]

boulder views - 4/24/2007

Boulder is basically of the affluent and anglo, these days. In it's past, it was bohemian and attracted much of what you might expect in what was a more out of the way mountain/college town, leaning to left politically; now it likes to think it is while seeming more like the Hollywood version of a number of college and mountain towns rolled into one glossy package. It can be rather "yuppie progressive" versus truly enlightened - a "progressive" that can seem a bit more watered down, PC-derived, or removed from most people's realities to make some of the differences many Boulderites might expect. Open space and growth policies have, while keeping the obscene Denver sprawl and "Anywhere, America" at bay, made for an exclusive and uniform sort of population for the most part. The University of Colorado has been touted by Princeton Review as being an undergraduate place with a party-/recreation-minded place, and by graduate school rankings as being among the best in the world.[more...]

Burnt out on Boulder - 4/12/2007

If you love crowds,noise,traffic congestion,dog poop,lattes,expensive sporting gear,organic food & hanging out with wealthy folks in an artificial environment - you will love Boulder. If you crave peaceful, wild natural places with no crowds- this is not the place for you. Boulder was once a great place to live, but it has become over-developed and oriented towards the wealthy or elite wannabes. [more...]

It's like going to a different country... - 4/3/2007

I live in suburban Denver and work in Boulder. I'm surprised I don't need a passport to enter Boulder city limits. It is a beautiful city. But it's also ridiculously expensive--filled with latte-sipping Volvo drivers who live in fancy 4-bedroom 900,000 dollar homes. Oh brother! The people there seriously live in a bubble. Because Colorado as a whole is so much more conservative than Boulder the people never want to venture outside city limits. People there really have no idea what the state is really like--they were astonished when we voted for Bush in 2004. I love coming home every day from Boulder as I just sit there and thank God that Denver and the rest of Colorado hasn't become like Boulder. I pray it never will.[more...]

Re: Wake Up Boulder - 1/4/2007

This article is hilarious. I felt like I was reading my own words. And here's an interesting article regarding just how homogeneous and out of touch places like Boulder have become...and what can come of that it you keep your head in the clouds without recognizing what's really happening: http://www.boulderweekly.com/archive/061605/waynesword.html[more...]

Boulder - great little city - 1/3/2007

I lived in Boulder for 10 years and can't wait to return. It's beauty alone should be enough to attract anyone. In addition, the sun shines most of the year, the summers are not too hot, nor the winters too cold, though it does snow (which I miss now that I live in California). It is a mecca for outdoorsmen of all kinds, which creates a culture of environmentalism and health. Yes, the traffic in Boulder is higher than ideal, but the city is not so large that walking, biking, and bus riding are inconvenient. Conservative suburban Coloradans tend to dismiss Boulder as a liberal joke, but Boulder has prevented the "everywhere America" look thriving in cities like Fort Collins, Highlands Ranch, or Colorado Springs. On the other hand, unlike the S.F. Bay Area, where I live now, shopping and going out for entertainment in the small city of Boulder is very convenient. People who complain about the traffic in Boulder need to get out more. My only complaint about Boulder is the same with most of Colorado: there isn't enough ethnic diversity.[more...]

Wake Up Boulder - 11/28/2006

I agree with the last comment posted regarding Boulder’s increasingly homogenous nature compared to the resident’s perception of the city as a cosmopolitan place. I live in Denver and go up to Boulder occasionally, but this last time I realized how much I’ve begun to dislike the city. I moved to Colorado a few years ago because it’s a beautiful state and I love the outdoor opportunities, climate (in the front range), and the lifestyle generally. So naturally when I first arrived I was enamored with Boulder, given its abundance of natural beauty, vibrant downtown and laid back atmosphere. But the opinion of Boulder I’ve developed can be summed up in one statement – it’s not real. Of course its reality for the people who live there and don’t see any reason to venture out much (I can’t blame them with the amount of activities Boulder has to offer), but I’ve had many people agree with me lately that the city almost seems like more a Disney created playground for wealthy, outdoorsy white people than a real city. The city is a walking contradiction with reality – people like to celebrate the community as an open minded, diverse place but in reality you don’t see much of anyone but wealthy white people who can’t seem to find a better topic of conversation than potential gear purchases or just how great living in Boulder is. It’s the type of place where you see the Land Rover with a hundred bumper stickers promoting the most liberal causes – not because they are knowledgeable about the candidate or the issue – but because dammit it’s Boulder, and I’m liberal so there. The city has done a lot of great things to be eco-friendly – being very bicycle friendly, open space preservation, etc. - which is great. Denver certainly isn’t the most diverse city in the country, but it’s a lot closer to reality than Boulder is. I used to go up to Boulder and come back thinking how great it would be to live there, now I come back to Denver refreshed to be in a real place.[more...]