What BestPlaces Users Say about Boulder
The city of Boulder, Colorado is known for its scenic mountain views, vibrant arts scene, and active outdoor lifestyle. It has consistently ranked as one of the best places to live in the United States, attracting a diverse range of residents. However, with any city, there are pros and cons to living there. By summarizing user reviews from various sources, we can gain a better understanding of the experiences of those who have lived in Boulder, Colorado. Here are four excerpts from user reviews that provide insight into living in this particular place.
1) From "Sarah G." on Best Places: "Boulder is a beautiful city with so much to offer. The mountain views are breathtaking and there are endless opportunities for outdoor activities. However, the cost of living is high and traffic can be frustrating at times."
2) From "David M." on BestPlaces: "I've lived in Boulder for 5 years and it's been a great experience. The people here are friendly and welcoming, and there's always something to do. The only downside is the lack of affordable housing options."
3) From "Samantha H." on Yelp: "I've been living in Boulder for almost 10 years and I love it. The community is very environmentally conscious and there are plenty of local businesses to support. The only downside is that it can get crowded during peak tourist seasons."
4) From "John D." on TripAdvisor: "Boulder is a great place for families. The schools are top-notch and there are plenty of family-friendly activities. However, the cost of living can be a challenge and the winters can be brutal."
based on 55 ReviewsGet to know Boulder with the latest comments and reviews from people who live in or have visited Boulder
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
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Start Your Review of Boulder
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
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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
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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
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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
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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.
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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
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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
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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
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People's Republic of Boulder - 7/1/2006
I lived and worked in Boulder for 25 years (last visited in 2003), but I’d never ever want to move back there. The city does have many positive features. The level of education is quite high because of the university and many scientific institutes. Outdoor recreation activities are abundant and include skiing, hiking, bicycling, kayaking, and rock climbing. The Rocky Mountains provide a beautiful backdrop for the city. However, Boulder really peaked in the late 1960s and 70s in terms of culture and lifestyle. Today it’s just another sprawling American city along the highway. It has become quite banal even though residents continue to believe that it’s the best place to live (and become quite defensive towards anyone who questions them). City planners continue to use the discredited “garden city” model that became popular in the 60s. This has severely stunted the city’s normal urban and cultural development over the decades. It has also lead to economic problems and inflated
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