Making the move to CO

[10-4]

Wife and I are strongly considering making the move west. I've been to Boulder a number of times and loved it more with each visit. Looking at real estate, it looks like Boulder is out of our price range, plus the wife wants to be a bit closer to Denver for potential work.

I'm self-employed, she works in higher ed.

We have two kids, so schools matter. We don't mind living "outside of town" at all, we've done the urban environment plenty.

Suggestions on where to look?

[eddief]

Fort Collins. Have you considered it? Over and out.

[texbike]

I REALLY like Golden! It's on the edge of the hills with great hiking and biking right out the door. Great little downtown area. There's rail into Denver if your wife didn't want to drive into town. Housing prices seemed reasonable (compared to Austin and ESPECIALLY Boulder). There's also a college in town - School of Mimes (or was that Mines?).

EDIT - Hit up Geoff (FireRescueFin). He just moved from CO to TX but could probably give you some good info about the area.

Texbike

[oldpotatoe]

Wife and I are strongly considering making the move west. I've been to Boulder a number of times and loved it more with each visit. Looking at real estate, it looks like Boulder is out of our price range, plus the wife wants to be a bit closer to Denver for potential work.

I'm self-employed, she works in higher ed.

We have two kids, so schools matter. We don't mind living "outside of town" at all, we've done the urban environment plenty.

Suggestions on where to look?

Broomfield, and Ft Collins is nice but ain't 'closer' to Denver.

Golden is a neat, mountain and college town but again, not closer to Denver at all, when compared to Boulder.

And has been mentioned, the three 'L'...Louisville, Lafayette, Longmont. Also Lyons but they got beat up pretty well in the great flood of 2013.

[cloudguy]

We live on the south side of Longmont, which is the most affordable town around Boulder. Locals refer to it snarkily as Longtucky. High school district for us is Niwot, which is supposed to be pretty good. Lafayatte/Erie/Louisville is another option. Peak to Peak charter school in Lafayette is apparently very good, but hard to get in.

[chuckred]

You can be close to I 70. Half hour to downtown Denver (allow more at rush hour) 40 minutes to the airport. Ride mt. Evans, mountain bike or down to the Denver - golden area rides out your front door.

I guess it depends where your wife works though. Higher education can be a broad range of geographies in Colorado. You probably need to rent until she nails that down or you could be 100 miles in the wrong direction!

Feel free to pm for more thoughts.

[chuckred]

Golden is a neat, mountain and college town but again, not closer to Denver at all, when compared to Boulder.

I'd have to disagree with that (the distance part). Light rail, 6th avenue freeway and easy bike routes on roads or paths would make golden an easy commute to Denver. Agree it's a beautiful place though.

[oldpotatoe]

I'd have to disagree with that (the distance part). Light rail, 6th avenue freeway and easy bike routes on roads or paths would make golden an easy commute to Denver. Agree it's a beautiful place though.

It is an easy commute via rail but not really by bike and depending on traffic, not easy by car but a few days around here and it gets pretty obvious, since 'Denver' is a big place, depends on where in Denver...not just the city limits.

I like Golden btw, but looking at where wife worked(Celestial Seasonings) the commute would have been painful, 2 lane all the way. Maybe a stop at Rockey Flats Bar when GreenBAy playing on Monday Night Football.??

[redir]

FWIW A friend of mine rents a really nice apartment in Denver for a reasonable price.

[biker72]

Wife and I are strongly considering making the move west. I've been to Boulder a number of times and loved it more with each visit. Looking at real estate, it looks like Boulder is out of our price range, plus the wife wants to be a bit closer to Denver for potential work.

I'm self-employed, she works in higher ed.

We have two kids, so schools matter. We don't mind living "outside of town" at all, we've done the urban environment plenty.

Suggestions on where to look?

Just some observations from a visitors perspective:
My only complaint is the traffic. I suggest you live fairly close to work. I don't know anything about mass transit options.
Too bad Boulder is too expensive for you because it is a beautiful town.

[Idris Icabod]

I used to live in Erie. Since I moved they built a new high school and put in an exit ramp to the interstate so an easier commute into Denver. When I lived there I worked in Boulder, which was a very simple 12 mile commute and I did often via bicycle. Living in Boulder back then was price prohibitive for me.

[Mr. Pink]

Do you ski? Golden, then, or even Evergreen.

[yakstone]

You might also consider how much snow you want to deal with.

Evergreen = more snow, one of the L's much less but you will still want a snow blower of some sort.

[mgm777]

As Ole Spuds mentioned, the three "Ls" are good for families and schools. From the Boulder area to downtown Denver, is only about 30 minutes. Not a bad commute. However, if you have to commute to the Denver Tech Center (DTC) South Denver, from the Boulder area, that is a nightmare. I have friends who do it, but it is ugly...over an hour. Arguably, the two best school districts in the state are Cherry Creeek in Denver and Boulder Valley, YMMV. As others have mentioned, if your wife is willing to yield on being tied to Denver, I suggest you check-out Ft. Collins, the Ls, Golden, etc. They're good, but different in their own ways.

[MadRocketSci]

I REALLY want to like Golden, as it's location is great for activities (esp biking w/lookout mtn), but the area itself its a bit "scrubby" looking for me. Still, every time i'm tooling around the bottom of lookout, i look around at the homes for sale and go hmmmm.....

So for Golden, check it out for yourself :) And as someone else said earlier, it's pretty convenient to Denver, way more than Boulder with it's 3 options of US36, cutting locally through Arvada, and US93, esp during commute times.

As far as beauty goes, i'm partial to Morrison, the Genesee area (expensive and big spread out homes at 8k feet), and Ken Caryl Canyon area. I suppose all these are pricier options. Evergreen/Conifer are nice but to live there you need a bit of the "rugged rural" mentality in winter.

School wise, Jefferson and Douglas counties have good reputations, Highlands Ranch (Rock Canyon HS, STEM Charter HS), Arapahoe/Heritage HS in Centennial/Littleton are the ones I know of that are supposed to be good, plus Lakewood HS (hey, they won that Katy Perry contest, so you can tour the whole school and student body on utube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_01wJMrfLOM ).

Highlands Ranch as mentioned is the local mega-suburbia with 100,000 inhabitants, but it has some good outdoor spaces and LOTS of kids.

Around Boulder, prices are more reasonable in Louisville, Broomfield, and Superior. I'm sure the schools are decent too. In between Denver/Boulder is Westminster, looks nice, but i've only been there for the butterfly museum.

Hope that helps a little.

P.S. North facing homes are cheaper

[brian_d12]

I live in Erie now, but have lived 12 years in Ft Collins and 5 in
Littleton (S. Denver, Roxborough actually). I really like having
both the Denver (25 mins south of us) and Boulder (20 mins
west) areas nearby – within riding distance, access to culture
and good food. No kids, so I cannot vouch for schools, but I
would echo the “L”s and the newer parts of Broomfield.

A short term concern regarding a Denver commute may be the
US 36 Denver-Boulder Turnpike construction project for the
next three years – but it will be better after it’s finished :)
Coming from Chicago you may have a different perspective,
but infrastructure has not kept up with traffic here.

[gearguywb]

Before thinking seriously about Boulder make sure you can handle the political climate.

[Mr. Pink]

Before thinking seriously about Boulder make sure you can handle the political climate.

Or white kids in dreadlocks just, sort of, existing.

[Mr. Pink]

As far as beauty goes, i'm partial to Morrison, the Genesee area (expensive and big spread out homes at 8k feet), and Ken Caryl Canyon area. I suppose all these are pricier options. Evergreen/Conifer are nice but to live there you need a bit of the "rugged rural" mentality in winter.



Yes, Evergreen can be a bit tough in the winter, but only for the big storms. I once sat at dinner at a friend's house up there and listened to a dude who owned four acres tell us how he and his neighbors had to hire a backhoe to just clear the road. Then, of course, in the summer, there's that nasty fire problem, which has been consuming entire communities up in the foothills the last few years of this drought. Those pretty pine trees can vaporize your house in an afternoon if god is angry. Or drunk.

Intense biking. It's either up or down, not much in between. My buddy who lived there prefers the East.


edit: I just remembered the late Ed Quillen's concept of the "Stupid Zone". He was a columnist and writer who warned against allowing people to live in stupid places, especially in Colorado. Wish we had more like him.

Choose your neighborhood wisely. The pretty Rocky Mountains can turn on you pretty quickly.

http://www.denverpost.com/ci_6474480?source=bb

http://wildfiretoday.com/2008/12/31/the-stupid-zone/

[MadRocketSci]

Before thinking seriously about Boulder make sure you can handle the political climate.

if not Castle Rock -> Colorado Springs might be more your speed....

[fuzzalow]

Before thinking seriously about Boulder make sure you can handle the political climate.

if so Castle Rock -> Colorado Springs might be more your speed....

I don't think that is this is a drift from the OT, so I'm gonna ask, and forgive my naiveté: What is specifically meant by "political climate"?

This is obviously not intended to debate Red v.s. Blue politics but rather as an inquiry to the culture that runs throughout a community that somebody is considering moving into. A stark enough aspect of the community that it warrants a warning from those who know to outsiders that don't.

Thanks if anyone can elaborate on this topic because I really want to know.

[Mr. Pink]

Boulder: Politics and culture for years dominated by liberal hippies, basically. And a 45000 student university.

Colorado Springs: Politics and culture dominated by a large presence of evangelicals and the Air Force Academy, with blurring between the two.

[raygunner]

What's prompting the move?

For me I'm looking to leave the Middle West simply due to the weather. This past winter was the year that broke the camel's proverbial back. I was just talking with a friend about net migration from the rust belt, middle west & colder climates for typical reasons (job, economy, retirement, ect) but with the impact of this brutal winter I wonder how many will be prompted to leave for better climates.

[Bradford]

I was just talking about this topic with a colleague during our five-hour trip back from Rangely yesterday. The south-side towns just north and south of 470 are a great place to live (Centennial, Littleton, Lone Tree, and Highlands Ranch) as long as you aren't hung up on prestige. They aren't next to anything, but not too far from anything.

Seems like everyone who lives down here loves it. Much more house for the money than you get in the Boulder area, tons of open space and playgrounds, an extensive network of services and retail, and kids everywhere. It is a great place to raise a family. Schools are good also.

I'm an hour and 25 minutes from A-Basin or Keystone without traffic, 30 minutes from Denver without traffic (50 or so with traffic), 75 minutes away from Denver using the light rail during rush hour. An hour and 25 minutes from Republic plaza by bike, and 10 minutes form the tech center. The top of Deer Creek Canyon is a 40 mile round trip from my garage and my normal loop is great up to Castle Pines and back, riding by tons of open space and a heard of buffalo.

When I lived in Rhode Island, I lived on property with a beautiful house on 1.5 wooded acres, with stone walls older than our country. It was unique, beautiful, and 100% quaint. Now, I live on .15 acres in a house that looks like every other house around me, and it is 0% quaint but 100% convenient. I like the deal I have now much better.

[MadRocketSci]

I don't think that is this is a drift from the OT, so I'm gonna ask, and forgive my naiveté: What is specifically meant by "political climate"?

This is obviously not intended to debate Red v.s. Blue politics but rather as an inquiry to the culture that runs throughout a community that somebody is considering moving into. A stark enough aspect of the community that it warrants a warning from those who know to outsiders that don't.

Thanks if anyone can elaborate on this topic because I really want to know.

Think Berkeley-ish (without the really good Indian/Japanese food) and enviro-mindsets like "should we have all these people tramping up Flagstaff Rd and its surroundings for a bike race" for Boulder and Mega-churches for the Springs.

[MadRocketSci]

I was just talking about this topic with a colleague during our five-hour trip back from Rangely yesterday. The south-side towns just north and south of 470 are a great place to live (Centennial, Littleton, Lone Tree, and Highlands Ranch) as long as you aren't hung up on prestige. They aren't next to anything, but not too far from anything.

Seems like everyone who lives down here loves it. Much more house for the money than you get in the Boulder area, tons of open space and playgrounds, an extensive network of services and retail, and kids everywhere. It is a great place to raise a family. Schools are good also.


Coming from Menlo Park/Palo Alto CA I wanted to hate the areas Bradford is talking about, but after giving it a try the open spaces/great schools/zillions of parks/good and cheap rec centers made having a kid here much easier....downside is the food sucks.

[exapkib]

I was just talking about this topic with a colleague during our five-hour trip back from Rangely yesterday. The south-side towns just north and south of 470 are a great place to live (Centennial, Littleton, Lone Tree, and Highlands Ranch) as long as you aren't hung up on prestige. They aren't next to anything, but not too far from anything.

Seems like everyone who lives down here loves it. Much more house for the money than you get in the Boulder area, tons of open space and playgrounds, an extensive network of services and retail, and kids everywhere. It is a great place to raise a family. Schools are good also.

+1

I grew up in this part of the Denver metro area, and it is a fantastic place to live. My best piece of advice has already been given above--you can't make an intelligent decision about where to live without knowing what kind of a commute you are taking on. In my mind, any place on the (south)west side of Denver is great, and I would fine-tune based on the commute.

Several major universities and community colleges within reach from this part of town, in addition to (relatively) easy access to the mountains and canyons.

Good luck in the search! I'm jealous . . .

[oldpotatoe]

Before thinking seriously about Longmont make sure you can handle the political climate.

Fify

[oldpotatoe]

Before thinking seriously about Boulder make sure you can handle the political climate.

How did you like living/visiting the republic... ? You have been here, right?

[oldpotatoe]

Boulder: Politics and culture for years dominated by liberal hippies, basically. And a 45000 student university.

Colorado Springs: Politics and culture dominated by a large presence of evangelicals and the Air Force Academy, with blurring between the two.

'Hippies'......geez, also highly educated population, probably more PHDs in restaurants waiting tables than anywhere, and median income that's very high.

Colorado Springs is much larger and yes, a lot of very right wing, very conservative evangelical, very homogeneous population. Lots of military including Space Command, NORAD, Ft Carson, and USAF academy who's military population is small by comparison. And yes evangelical and USAFA seem to have some unfortunate blending.

[texbike]

'Hippies'......geez, also highly educated population, probably more PHDs in restaurants waiting tables than anywhere, and median income that's very high.


Also the highest number of start-ups per capita in the U.S.

Texbike

[Mr. Pink]

Well, sorry, yeah, maybe grown up hippies? That's how it all started. Lots of high tech these days. Some cool advertising agencies, too. Cool town, but pricey.


One thing to know if you ski, or, even if you don't. I-70 up into the mountains is a major traffic jam back and forth on weekends. Really bad, especially if Saturday morning or Sunday evening coincide with a snowstorm. Has gotten worse, too, as the front range grows. And, it's pretty bad in the summertime, too.

[oldpotatoe]

Well, sorry, yeah, maybe grown up hippies? That's how it all started. Lots of high tech these days. Some cool advertising agencies, too. Cool town, but pricey.


One thing to know if you ski, or, even if you don't. I-70 up into the mountains is a major traffic jam back and forth on weekends. Really bad, especially if Saturday morning or Sunday evening coincide with a snowstorm. Has gotten worse, too, as the front range grows. And, it's pretty bad in the summertime, too.

If ya remember the 60s you weren't really there....

[Rob1519]

Broomfield, and Ft Collins is nice but ain't 'closer' to Denver.

Golden is a neat, mountain and college town but again, not closer to Denver at all, when compared to Boulder.

And has been mentioned, the three 'L'...Louisville, Lafayette, Longmont. Also Lyons but they got beat up pretty well in the great flood of 2013.

I lived in Broomfield for five years, great place. Roughly half way between Boulder and Denver and an easy shot up the tollway to DIA.

[Ralph]

A lot of us have been visiting Colorado for many years, in all the seasons. I've been to Colorado Springs to Denver to Fort Collins area many times in all seasons as a visitor. Ridden all over Summitt county in summer out of Frisco. Been to all the ski resorts along I 70. Love it there. But living there all year around, going to work every day, etc, not just playing, I doubt if it's the same as being a visitor. THose winters are looong. When it came time to retire at my age 57, I didn't choose Colorado. My favorite city was/is Fort Collins. Next favorites were Durango, Montrose, Grand Junction, and Glenwood Springs along river to Aspen. Used to love Boulder, but it's just another busy city to me now, and magic wore off long ago. That image of cyclists having a cup of coffee on Pearl St, then heading for hills and going for a training ride on empty roads hasn't been true for a long time.

If I went, I would rent for a while until I got figured out where you are working. It's a huge metropolital area.

[mgm777]

'Hippies'......geez, also highly educated population, probably more PHDs in restaurants waiting tables than anywhere, and median income that's very high.

Colorado Springs is much larger and yes, a lot of very right wing, very conservative evangelical, very homogeneous population. Lots of military including Space Command, NORAD, Ft Carson, and USAF academy who's military population is small by comparison. And yes evangelical and USAFA seem to have some unfortunate blending.

I graduated from USAFA and now live in the Boulder area. Managing the two different political climates is not hard. Both sides are represented in both cities, C-Springs and Boulder. It is just that the dominant side is more vocal in each of those communities. As far as the evangelical comment about the connection to C-Springs and USAFA, there may have been elements of truth to that statement about 10 years ago, but it simply isn't an accurate description today.

[Mr. Pink]

THose winters are looong.

Up in the mountains, yes. Mud season lasts until Junish, and it starts getting awfully cold and snowy by Oct 1. But Denver, or the front range, is a very mis-understood place for weather. Yes, it snows there, but, it also has many sunny 50 to sometimes 70 degree days in the winter. If it does snow, the snow is gone in a few days, sucked up by that dry air.
I was there in '03 when they had a massive blizzard that deposited 8 feet of snow up in Evergreen, I kid you not. Denver schools were shut down for three days. But, I was biking on the Denver paths (which are excellent and extensive, btw) two days before the storm in shorts and short sleeves, and then ten days after the storm in the same (this was early March). I have heard that they have sun 300 days out of the year. Doesn't really get too hot in the summer, either.

[Jack Brunk]

My wife has been interviewing all week in the denver/Lone Tree area and the problem is she's batting 100% in job offers but to find a suitable place to live has been tough. If she she decides to go for Skyridge Medical Center, then we will end up in Castle Rock which is perfect for me. There's building everywhere which may not be great later on. 8" snow last night and this am was awesome.

JB

[10-4]

Thank you everyone! My biggest takeaway is that if/when we make the move, we'll rent for the first year to get settled. Initially we wanted to avoid that so there wasn't an extra move involved, but renting makes too much sense allowing us to get settled and look around.

We have friends all over out there, but we won't be living up in the mountains. Friends down south in Castle Rock, northwest in Boulder, etc. That'll give us some nice chances to tour around with locals and be a little picky.

Thanks again everyone.

[Bradford]

8" snow last night and this am was awesome.

JB

I shoveled the driveway this morning, roads were clear enough to ride after work.

If I weren't heading out to Vail in the morning, I'd be riding. Hard to beat those choices.

[Ken C]

My wife and I used to live in Littleton and really liked it. LPS is a good school district, my wife used to teach at Wilder Elementary. Littleton has a nice historic downtown that has a light rail stop, with service that goes to downtown Denver.

There is also a bike path from downtown Littleton to downtown Denver. I commuted by bike year round, it is about 14 miles each way. It is a 30 commute by car during rush hour.

I do love Boulder, I grew up there. Louisville, Longmont would also be good options.

[Bradford]

Jack, my son was born at Skyridge and it was a great 4 days. I'm a big fan of the hospital.

10-4 and Jack, look me up when you get near Highlands Ranch and Ill take you on a ride and we ca get some apre ride cocktails. We can hit high line or Deer Creek Canyon, or just run up to Castle Pines to see the buffalo. If you want a mellow ride, I'll take you down the Platte trail to REI in Denver where we can have coffee with the pretty people. Than back home, we can kick back in the yard and have some local brews, or of you want honor Dave, some tequila.

I'd be happy to show you and the families around some of the finer parts of the Ranch. I'll take you fishing too if you have a 5 weight rod.

[gearguywb]

How did you like living/visiting the republic... ? You have been here, right?

Several times. Nice place, not my style. Not saying anything negative. It is a bit different from some other parts of the west (and Colorado)

[oldpotatoe]

I graduated from USAFA and now live in the Boulder area. Managing the two different political climates is not hard. Both sides are represented in both cities, C-Springs and Boulder. It is just that the dominant side is more vocal in each of those communities. As far as the evangelical comment about the connection to C-Springs and USAFA, there may have been elements of truth to that statement about 10 years ago, but it simply isn't an accurate description today.

Thank you for your service..what did ya do in the USAF?..not baiting, just asking

-Retired Phormer Phantom Phyler, USN

[oldpotatoe]

Several times. Nice place, not my style. Not saying anything negative. It is a bit different from some other parts of the west (and Colorado)

"you can handle the political climate", I guess..I'm retired USN Military but it isn't hard for me, at all.

IMHO, I lived in Colorado Springs, as did my parents..and I think that place is far harder to 'handle'..Boulder is pretty laid back..tolerant, live and let live...not in your face. A few more 'Obama' bumper stickers than Romney ones.

[gearguywb]

"you can handle the political climate", I guess..I'm retired USN Military but it isn't hard for me, at all.

IMHO, I lived in Colorado Springs, as did my parents..and I think that place is far harder to 'handle'..Boulder is pretty laid back..tolerant, live and let live...not in your face. A few more 'Obama' bumper stickers than Romney ones.

Thanks for your service. Retired Army here. Lived in Grand Junction several years and loved it. Currently spend a lot of time in Breck. GJ is certainly a bit different than Boulder, neither good/bad, just different.

[oldpotatoe]

Thanks for your service. Retired Army here. Lived in Grand Junction several years and loved it. Currently spend a lot of time in Breck. GJ is certainly a bit different than Boulder, neither good/bad, just different.

Thank you for your service also.....

[10-4]

Jack, my son was born at Skyridge and it was a great 4 days. I'm a big fan of the hospital.

10-4 and Jack, look me up when you get near Highlands Ranch and Ill take you on a ride and we ca get some apre ride cocktails. We can hit high line or Deer Creek Canyon, or just run up to Castle Pines to see the buffalo. If you want a mellow ride, I'll take you down the Platte trail to REI in Denver where we can have coffee with the pretty people. Than back home, we can kick back in the yard and have some local brews, or of you want honor Dave, some tequila.

I'd be happy to show you and the families around some of the finer parts of the Ranch. I'll take you fishing too if you have a 5 weight rod.

Just so you know Bradford, I very well may take you up on that offer! Going to try to get out there solo in the coming months to have a look-see.

[MadRocketSci]

Up in the mountains, yes. Mud season lasts until Junish, and it starts getting awfully cold and snowy by Oct 1. But Denver, or the front range, is a very mis-understood place for weather. Yes, it snows there, but, it also has many sunny 50 to sometimes 70 degree days in the winter. If it does snow, the snow is gone in a few days, sucked up by that dry air.
I was there in '03 when they had a massive blizzard that deposited 8 feet of snow up in Evergreen, I kid you not. Denver schools were shut down for three days. But, I was biking on the Denver paths (which are excellent and extensive, btw) two days before the storm in shorts and short sleeves, and then ten days after the storm in the same (this was early March). I have heard that they have sun 300 days out of the year. Doesn't really get too hot in the summer, either.

Yeah 10-4 if you're from the burbs of chicago (i grew up in Hinsdale) and thinking that the winters here compare at all, well, they don't :)

[pbarry]

^ For sure.

Born and raised here. Boulder's hippie rep is dated, like 20 plus years, unfortunately. The lingering odor of Patchouli is as rare as PBR being served in a micro brewery these days.

Pick your habitat carefully. 36 is a tunnel, with Jersey barriers lining the highway from Cherryvale to I-25. Stressful driving. Golden is cool, but no bargain anymore. There's a light rail line that runs up west 13th. just south of west Colfax with a parking garage. At Wadsworth.

Lot's of affordable housing around there, and it's a good time to buy. If your partner ends up taking a job in Denver, look at Lakewood, Arvada, and Westminster. Al good deals. The three L's are awesome if you move north. I live in the sticks of south Longmont, riding is incredible.

PM us locals when you make a trip out. :hello:

[Wilkinson4]

My wife has been interviewing all week in the denver/Lone Tree area and the problem is she's batting 100% in job offers but to find a suitable place to live has been tough. If she she decides to go for Skyridge Medical Center, then we will end up in Castle Rock which is perfect for me. There's building everywhere which may not be great later on. 8" snow last night and this am was awesome.

JB

Jack

To get you in the mood... ie Castle Rock

http://www.warriorscycling.com/races/ridgeline-rampage/
http://303cycling.com/2013-Storm-the-Castle

Good riding even if it has gotten more crowded over the years. Head west of Sedalia to Indian Creek for some nice MTB riding, then hit Buds bar on your way back for a beer and burger, no fries dammit!

Head east for some really great dirt road riding through Castlewood Canyon and Peaceful Valley and the Bijou Basin.

http://ridinggravel.com/antiepic-gravel-grinders/antiepic-50/

Lots of options!

mIKE

[Nags&Ducs]

My wife has been interviewing all week in the denver/Lone Tree area and the problem is she's batting 100% in job offers but to find a suitable place to live has been tough. If she she decides to go for Skyridge Medical Center, then we will end up in Castle Rock which is perfect for me. There's building everywhere which may not be great later on. 8" snow last night and this am was awesome.

JB

Been there, done that! Well, almost...I moved from Oak Park/Agoura, CA to Boulder back in 2006. If you do it, you will be going from one great area to another. I actually like the riding a bit better in SoCal but overall, CO wins out for me.

Castle Rock- I've only driven through there but it seemed like another awesome Colorado town. Good luck in your move.

[Nags&Ducs]

Just a simple, innocent topic, but it has me reminiscing about my much too short 3 years living in Boulder! And I too went through much of the same debate about where to live. Really liked the idea of living in Evergreen. After living in Boulder, that's when I discovered more places that I really liked. Places mentioned like Lyons, Golden, Morrison and Nederland. A place where I would love to be able to live is Estes Park, but it's a bit too far from DIA and Denver. Downtown Denver rocks too!

[xjoex]

I lived in Boulder for 10 years, then east for a bit, but now up in Nederland. It is 30 minutes up Boulder Canyon from Boulder. It is cooler, snowier and more "rustic".

Great trails, great access to mountains, only 4 or 5 restaurants. Other things to consider, it will be 60° in the spring in Boulder and 35° in Ned. The town has a small population of about 1000. You will need 4wd/Awd and snow tires. You won't want to work too far from Boulder, it will kill you with the commute.

Local trails:
https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-tTS5DIqZwMk/Uxugxdl5yFI/AAAAAAAAQEw/iWD4Sg2q040/s720/P3080084.jpg
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-MzhJaIHcT7A/UgBtw5-byKI/AAAAAAAAOtU/NKZwL_5Autw/s720/P8050600.jpg
https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-q2jnbbVYySk/UfH_jIUI7mI/AAAAAAAAOtU/KWztaY2dd_o/s912/IMG_3869.jpg
https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-dhmTjITzwDo/Uc-aLbcV-mI/AAAAAAAAOtU/sJrJbKZNNjQ/s720/P6290046.jpg

Crowded road riding:
https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-K-AUdMlZ8SQ/UziPFhQL5fI/AAAAAAAAQTg/7w0X07E58zQ/s912/P3300221.jpg

Wildlife
https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-gpuBV1SGXks/UtxuSjs5ZzI/AAAAAAAAPmU/-C8J87VNcsI/s912/P1190136.jpg


View from my porch:
https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-eJ57TGMzOvk/UwqcsS0wrSI/AAAAAAAAP6I/nnPKdSE2uK0/s720/P2230240.jpg

-Joe

[rodcad]

I live in Fort Collins and love it. Commuted to Denver for many years and it sucks big time. Daughter lives in Frederick which is a bit east of Longmont right on I-25 freeway. Commute to Denver is reasonable.

I highly recommend some kind of month to month rent or a short lease. Get the job, look around and get acclimated, then you can make an informed decision.