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mike m
Trad climber
black hills
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Topic Author's Original Post - May 27, 2015 - 08:29am PT
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Just accepted an offer from CU and will be moving in a month or so. Looking for housing as close as possible to Boulder and work for my wife. Any advice on relatively reasonable housing options for a family of 4. We could rent for a year or so, but getting our kids in good schools is a priority.
My wife has a degree in hospitality/management and 20 years experience. She is currently working in property management and has dealt a lot with HUD housing. She also worked in a local Chamber of Commerce for many years after she finished her bachelors.
Super excited and super nervous all at the same time.
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Crimpergirl
Sport climber
Boulder, Colorado!
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May 27, 2015 - 08:45am PT
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Congrats...happy hour coming up when you settle in!
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Jaybro
Social climber
Wolf City, Wyoming
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May 27, 2015 - 09:09am PT
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Wow! Congrats! Guess I'll see you in colo/ Vedauwoo rather than spearfish, this summer!
... And there's no reason for you all to miss Vedauwoo sushifest, now!
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nature
climber
Boulder, CO
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May 27, 2015 - 09:22am PT
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Check out Louisville. It's fairly close to Boulder. Do not live near campus - especially on The Hill - unless you really like party-animal college kids.
And get a cruiser bike. And join us on Thursdays nights "Happy Thursday".
And what Jay said.
Rent in Boulder is pretty steep - I can tell you first hand as I'm looking for a place right now. Ugh.
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Jan
Mountain climber
Colorado, Nepal & Okinawa
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May 27, 2015 - 09:33am PT
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Longmont which is about 20 minutes north of Boulder is much cheaper. I don't know about the schools but there are enough CU profs in this town who can't afford to live in Boulder that there should be.
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donini
Trad climber
Ouray, Colorado
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May 27, 2015 - 09:41am PT
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Only four hours from the Black Canyon!
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nature
climber
Boulder, CO
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May 27, 2015 - 09:43am PT
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locker always making it about him
and Donini always making it about climbing.
Didn't someone say this forum was starting to suck? seems fine/normal to me.
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nature
climber
Boulder, CO
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May 27, 2015 - 09:50am PT
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you'll have to clue me in on the joke when I see you at Vedauwoo SushiFest, Dad! ;)
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Evel
Trad climber
Nedsterdam CO
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May 27, 2015 - 10:03am PT
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Welcome to town Mike! Some pretty good advice here so far. You might check out Nederland, though the rental market here is mostly eaten up by pot growers. Jan is right about Longmont, but man is it hot in summer. Maybe look at Golden. Just down the road and ok rock almost in town.
See ya soon!
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telemon01
Trad climber
Montana
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May 27, 2015 - 10:04am PT
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Wow Mike- big changes! Congratulations, you are definitely not in South Dakota anymore!
$$$$$$$$ and more $$$$$$$$ for sure.
Enjoy the new adventure; no doubt you will have lots of Taco support. I lived in Boulder in the 80's for a few summers. It was great then for a single person in their 20's. Not sure what it means now to get a family established there. Teaching at the University seems like a great professional move.
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crunch
Social climber
CO
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May 27, 2015 - 10:22am PT
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Welcome to Boulder, Mike.
Some good advice upthread, rental places in town are pretty expensive, Golden, Louisville, Longmont, Nederland, all good options.
South Boulder, Martin Acres etc, has a big stock of lower-priced housing. But, it's relative.
Good luck!
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blahblah
Gym climber
Boulder
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May 27, 2015 - 10:24am PT
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Jan is right about Longmont, but man is it hot in summer. Maybe look at Golden. Just down the road and ok rock almost in town.
See ya soon!
Always love whacky (but I'm sure well intentioned) Internet advice.
The temperature in Longmont is almost exactly the same as Boulder. It is indeed a couple degrees warmer on average in the summer, but you'd need a highly refined sense of temperature to tell the difference.
The kicker is that Golden is also a couple degrees warmer than Boulder on average.
All three are very close in average temperatures, as is every other town in the Front Range Boulder/Denver area.
Golden has lower rent than Boulder but would be a strange choice for someone who is working in Boulder--it's not that cheap and it's not that close.
You could live in Boulder proper if you afford it, or any other of the other nearby towns that are somewhat less expensive. They're all perfectly fine places to live.
Sorry if this post comes across as nitpicky, just sharing my point of view, for what it's worth.
Oh and Crunch--I don't think I can agree about South Boulder (where I live) lower priced housing--maybe lower priced than certain other parts of Boulder (but that depends on the neighborhood, SoBo has some very expensive ones), but not really lower priced in the grand scheme of things, and the appreciation in SoBo real estate in the past few years has been extreme (just like in every other part of Boulder, as far as I know).
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wbw
Trad climber
'cross the great divide
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May 27, 2015 - 10:41am PT
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Hey! Welcome to Boulder in advance. I've been a teacher in the school district for going on 24 years. You can't really go too wrong in the BVSD for schools, but when you get here and have an idea in mind, feel free to email me and I can give you some thoughts on schools. Also, the BVSD is big on open enrollment, so you can always choose to send your kid to school in a different area within the district.
Gimme a holler in any case, and I'll give you a good Eldo tour. Also, I think I've seen that you're an ice guy, and there are many excellent outings to be had in RMNP.
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nature
climber
Boulder, CO
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May 27, 2015 - 10:46am PT
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The morning commute is into Boulder in the morning and out of Boulder in the evening. Avoid that at all costs. I don't think it's too bad going to Longmont but between Boulder/Denver it simply sucks. To/from Golden isn't as bad now that they finished that construction.
Forest might chime in here and I'm sure he'll say great things about Louisville as he owns a home there. Great for families in particular.
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Edge
Trad climber
Betwixt and Between Nederland & Boulder, CO
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May 27, 2015 - 10:50am PT
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Welcome!
My wife and I rented for a year and a half to get to know the area and what part of it we wanted to live in. Quite out of the blue, we happened on our dream home/location and bought last November, halfway between Boulder and Nederland. Only 23 minutes to Pearl Street, but it's mostly steep, winding mountain road. If you have a good car and tires and are comfortable with mountain driving, your options open up considerably. Good luck!
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Roots
Mountain climber
Tustin, CA
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May 27, 2015 - 11:57am PT
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When I checked out Boulder...20 years ago...I liked:
Louisville
We might be moving soon and this is where I would look +Durango but that is all about me, not you ; )
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Reilly
Mountain climber
The Other Monrovia- CA
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May 27, 2015 - 12:12pm PT
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I looked into buying a place near Nederland but the realtor said that she
heard that the Nederland chapter of the SuperTopo Robespierre Chowder and
Marching Society might not approve my residency permit. I guess it's gonna
haveta be Montezuma then cause he's already had his revenge on me.
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JLP
Social climber
The internet
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May 27, 2015 - 12:31pm PT
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My wife and I rented for a year and a half to get to know the area and what part of it we wanted to live in. Good move, suggest the same. Your options here are highly varied, far more than other areas in the US, and your choices and priorities are going to be personal.
+1 for some points made above - commuting sux in and out of Boulder for outsiders, great if you live here and work elsewhere. Also, average tenancy in the mountains is 2 years, might want to try the roads as a visitor over the winter before committing to such a thing.
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donini
Trad climber
Ouray, Colorado
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May 27, 2015 - 01:26pm PT
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As others have said, check out Louisville. Short commute and you can take the South Boulder road and avoid 36.
Avoid Nederland, the drive up and down Boulder Canyon gets old in a hurry.
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blahblah
Gym climber
Boulder
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May 27, 2015 - 01:55pm PT
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I would suggest that anyone who is not a regular commuter on US36 (I am one, and have been for about 20 years, although not full time commuter for all of those years) should avoid commenting on it.
The recent lane expansions (much completed, and more to done soon) have significantly ameliorated the congestion.
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Crimpergirl
Sport climber
Boulder, Colorado!
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May 27, 2015 - 01:59pm PT
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Superior is another choice in terms of nearby-not-Boulder locales. Hopefully you can be in the city though. As far as your wife, I hope she is looking for work in downtown Denver too. The commute on the bus is not bad at all imo (YMMV).
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FrankZappa
Trad climber
Hankster's crew
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May 27, 2015 - 02:23pm PT
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There are a lot of reasons renting makes sense, but the considering the cost of renting is really high, if you did buy a home and wanted to sell in 2 years you would probably do well on it....just depends on how much $ you have to put down.
I would suggest Martin Acres or anything south of Table Mesa. Great schools, short bike or bus ride to CU, quicker access to Louisville or Golden if your wife ends up working there.
Ned is cool but the bus ride will get old and the schools are not as good.
Louisville is reasonable and the bus ride isn't too bad.
Good luck!
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Roots
Mountain climber
Tustin, CA
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May 27, 2015 - 03:30pm PT
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Do wages in Boulder support a $500k price tag?
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SteveW
Trad climber
The state of confusion
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May 27, 2015 - 04:23pm PT
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They do if you're a scientist, mathematician, or one of the 1%'ers!
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goatboy smellz
climber
लघिमा
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May 27, 2015 - 05:11pm PT
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Congrats Mike!
All good advice above, the only thing I would add is there are lots
of great affordable places that are within 30 minutes to climbing
as long as you stay west of I-25.
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ms55401
Trad climber
minneapolis, mn
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May 27, 2015 - 05:24pm PT
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maybe Niwot worth a glance too
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goatboy smellz
climber
लघिमा
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May 27, 2015 - 05:31pm PT
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^^^ Niwot is a great little place, a mountain town out on the plains.
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Tarbuster
climber
right here, right now
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May 27, 2015 - 05:54pm PT
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Watch out for Nederland.
Bunch of frozen dead guys there: I'm one of them.
Commuting year-round from Nederland much beyond Boulder is a burnout. Nederland to downtown Boulder is a half-hour. We have free bus service. Free. (Eco-Pass). My wife rides it six days a week into Boulder and loves it.
Be forewarned however, that you get what you pay for. That bus gets stuck in the canyon three or four times a winter and snow storms often cause schedule breakdown.
It is windy here. Windy. The wind comes from the Northwest. Keep that at the front of your mind when looking for properties here.
People routinely crash their cars in the canyon, sometimes flying off the road into the creek. But if you're vehicle is properly set up with the right tires and you know what you're doing ...
I'm looking at a listing report here in my hot little hands for a house one block away (walking distance from town).
1700 ft.², two levels plus a finished basement. South facing. $365,000
Be forewarned: living here will all but kill your social life if that happens to revolve around Boulder residents. It's nearly the functional equivalent of living in Montana.
Bona Fortuna!
Roy
 SuperTopo Adjutant, Robespierre Chowder and Marching Society, Nedestrian Chapter
[edit] I miss you too Hooblie!
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hooblie
climber
from out where the anecdotes roam
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May 27, 2015 - 06:07pm PT
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long way from roscoe. and btw, where the hell IS roscoe? carry on! and do whatever it takes to provoke tarbuster into posting
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drljefe
climber
El Presidio San Augustin del Tucson
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May 27, 2015 - 06:14pm PT
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Beard+Prana tights....
good look for you beardbro!
Congrats!!!
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steve s
Trad climber
eldo
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May 27, 2015 - 06:15pm PT
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Congrats on the job at CU. You want to be able to ride your bike to work at CU. That means try and find a place in Boulder. South Boulder is great for families. Great schools, easy ride to CU and very close to Climbing in the Flatirons or Eldo. Do not let the cost of housing in Boulder discourage you, wether you buy or rent. Living in the out lying areas will get you a bigger house but you will always be ....DRIVING TO BOULDER .....ALWAYS!!! Another option is living in Eldo proper ,it's NOT for everyone but it sure is sweet being able to walk out your house and up the funky dirt road and climb in the great sandstone junk yard ! See ya in Eldo. Peace
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mike m
Trad climber
black hills
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Topic Author's Reply - May 27, 2015 - 07:29pm PT
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Thanks for the advice. Seems like being in Boulder would allow ease of access to climbing in the evenings and cut down on costs for driving and free time. Apperently get a free bus pass through work, but it sure would be nice for the kids to goto school and both of us work in the same place which would have to be Boulder for that to happen. My wife getting a job is the big unknown right now.
Golden I know has climbing, mt biking close to town. How are the prices there?
We could sell our house and have a decent down payment or apperently rent for more than our mortgage.
May be an option for fairly reasonable university housing for the short term while we find something else.
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Reilly
Mountain climber
The Other Monrovia- CA
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May 27, 2015 - 07:40pm PT
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Two years ain't gonna (see, I been to kollege) make buying worthwhile, I don't care what
Zillow says. FYI, realtors hate Zillow for its over-valuations, or under as the case may be.
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mike m
Trad climber
black hills
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Topic Author's Reply - May 27, 2015 - 07:47pm PT
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Also anyone know much about the city of Boulder affordable home program?
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jgill
Boulder climber
The high prairie of southern Colorado
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May 27, 2015 - 08:40pm PT
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Welcome to Colorado, Mike. What will be your job at CU? I've had friends and colleagues in the math department there over the years, but they are all gone now. Gettin' old!
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nature
climber
Boulder, CO
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May 27, 2015 - 08:43pm PT
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mike m - actually, yes I do. At least a little. I know because I live in one of the condo units. I'd buy it except I make way too much money. It's really nice and way affordable. If you don't have income to pay the mortgage and don't have a 401K or any savings you're set!
It's totally convoluted from everything I've seen but I also get to to a point what they are trying to do. For instance they only allow you to rent it one out of four years. And wouldn't you know it my time is up Sunday. And I currently have no place to live. Sprinter van I guess but I digress. My silly trouble aside it does make sense and it's very affordable. But it's also not an investment as the sale price appreciates at a set rate.
Rant aside if you want to look into it because you think you might qualify PM me and I'll connect you with my landlord who then might connect you with her rep at the city. Or the bum on the corner that just came out of the Bustop - a gentlemans club :-)
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Roots
Mountain climber
Tustin, CA
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May 28, 2015 - 09:33am PT
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They do if you're a scientist, mathematician, or one of the 1%'ers!
Nope
No
No again..
Ok, guess I'll just stay put in affordable Southern Califonia..LOL
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mike m
Trad climber
black hills
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Topic Author's Reply - Jun 7, 2015 - 06:38pm PT
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Got a house in Louisville. Know about the climbing in the area, but does anyone know about the mountain biking around boulder?
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wilbeer
Mountain climber
Terence Wilson greeneck alleghenys,ny,
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does anyone know about the mountain biking around boulder?
Man ,Mike you are in for a treat.Cheers
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mike m
Trad climber
black hills
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Topic Author's Reply - Jun 7, 2015 - 08:21pm PT
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The mountain biking around spearfish would be hard to beat, but I can't wait to check it out.
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Jaybro
Social climber
Wolf City, Wyoming
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Jack's gonna be like a kid in a candy store!
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10b4me
Social climber
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Like Crimpergirl said, the best mountain biking around Boulder is in Crested Butte, and Durango.
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Capt.
climber
some eastside hovel
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I'm slightly bummed...Who's our SoDak hookup now? WyoRock,ya got some shoes to fill. ;-) In all sincerity-Good luck Mike!
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Bldrjac
Ice climber
Boulder
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Welcome! I've lived in Boulder since '78, and work as a teacher in BVSD. Yes, housing is expensive here, and yes, the further away you live, the more "house" you get for your money. BUT (and I think this is a big but), due to the explosion of growth here, the traffic is rather horrendous. Driving the Diagonal (Longmont) is terrible....would hate to do it each day. Driving to Golden is also (often) wretched, and can get really dicey in bad weather....one of the worst roads around. The beauty of working in Boulder is LIVING in Boulder.....ride your bike to work, take the Skip (bus) if you want. From nearly anywhere in town, you are 10-20 minutes by bike to anywhere you would want to go in town. Smile as you ride past the frustrated people on Broadway, or trying to find parking downtown. Trails, parks, good restaurants, Eldorado Canyon, Boulder Canyon.....it's all at your fingertips! And as someone mentioned, BVSD is a great school district....and with Open Enrollment options, there is something for every kid if you don't want your neighborhood school. Longmont and Golden are NOT part of BVSD. My recommendations......I live in Martin Acres, probably the most affordable part of town, and super convenient. Places for rent from time to time, just make sure you take a bit of time, because each street is different. Some streets mostly student rentals, therefore kind of noisy and/or trashy, and others (like mine) mostly owner occupied, with a few cared for rentals. So I would for sure consider Martin Acres...great location, BUT houses are a bit small for a big family. Someone else mentioned Louisville......I would totally recommend Louisville or Lafayette...still close enough to bike (if you are motivated), also have a bus route, The Jump, and the drive on South Boulder Road at this point is mellow. You would definitely get more "bang for your buck" on a house in Louisville/Lafayette. Very family oriented, but both each with nice, "happening" downtowns........so you could avoid Boulder's downtown traffic at night. Anyway, that is my two cents!!!
Pam
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Bldrjac
Ice climber
Boulder
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Oh, and the mountain biking isn't bad with the new trails. While it's not Crested Butte or Durango, I can leave my house on my bike, and after 10-15 minutes of road, I can do up to a 3-hour loop without doing laps on pretty fun single-track to dirt path type trails.
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Reilly
Mountain climber
The Other Monrovia- CA
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I can leave my house on my bike
Damn! Either you have a really small house or a really badass bike!
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Captain...or Skully
climber
Boise, ID
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Super stoked for you, Mike....bummed that we didn't get to climb together more, but that's my fault.
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Fat Dad
Trad climber
Los Angeles, CA
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Like Crimpergirl said, the best mountain biking around Boulder is in Crested Butte, and Durango. That might be true, but it still doesn't suck. It's just not as good as some of the best biking on earth.
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Cragar
climber
MSLA - MT
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Hey Mike-
It doesn't come close to the BlackHills mtb shitaqua but there is some good stuff outside of Nederland(more BCish) that is pretty good. Hall/Heil ranch is pretty fun but somewhat limited. Be prepared for crowds. It has the fun-after-work-keep-you-fit kinda riding for the more fun SW part of the state. Also, Salida is pretty damn fun and the town will feel more like the BlackHills. I am sure there is more and have fun exploring!
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donini
Trad climber
Ouray, Colorado
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Mike you're moving to Boulder....sell the mountain bike and buy some yoga pants and ear hair trimmers.
But
Don't show up without a road bike.
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10b4me
Social climber
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Oops, wanted to clarify my post. Crimpergirl mentioned Crested Butte, which I agree with, and I added the mountain biking in Durango.
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mike m
Trad climber
black hills
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Topic Author's Reply - Jun 9, 2015 - 10:48am PT
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Thanks for all the advice. Definitely getting some new licra and a road bike with a rearview camera so I can see person that is just about to hit me.
Pam we ended up in Louisville, but also looked at a house in Martin Acres but could not stomach only one bathroom for the four of us, but we really did want to be there for precisely the reasons you stated.
donini hair on your ears? Who knew.
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Cragar
climber
MSLA - MT
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Maybe cross bike? Then you can do dirt roads to avoid the txt'rs and whatnot behind the wheel!
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mike m
Trad climber
black hills
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Topic Author's Reply - Jul 2, 2015 - 05:35pm PT
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Anybody in Boulder want to climb on Monday after work? Got a job got housing and spent the last month or two packing, moving, and all that goes along with it. Probably a tad out of shape but hauling boxes into a uhaul in 90+ degree temps makes you tough. First day at work is Monday so would love to end that day with a route or two. Think I'm off at around 4 or 4:30. Also will be without the family for at least the next couple of weeks so would love to get out some in the evenings and weekends until they get here.
One last thing is my wife is still looking for work out here so if you know of anything in the high 6 figures (haha) she has done property management and HUD housing for the last 5 years and marketing and hospitality work in hotels and chamber of commerce work for 15 years before that.
Send me a message if you are interested in climbing in the next couple of weeks.
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wbw
Trad climber
'cross the great divide
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Hey Mike, welcome to Colorado. I'm leaving for a 3 week trip to Squamish but when I get back in late -ish July, I can get out with you. I know this doesn't work out with your need for a partner now, but keep me in mind.
Brad
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mike m
Trad climber
black hills
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Topic Author's Reply - Jul 3, 2015 - 08:18am PT
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Thanks Brad I would love to.
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wilbeer
Mountain climber
Terence Wilson greeneck alleghenys,ny,
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Aug 16, 2015 - 04:37pm PT
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How is the mountain biking?
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Jaybro
Social climber
Wolf City, Wyoming
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Aug 16, 2015 - 05:45pm PT
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,why have you not been to Vedauwoo yet?
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John Mac
Trad climber
Littleton, CO
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Aug 16, 2015 - 05:50pm PT
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You don't have to drive all the way to Durango or CB for good mountain biking. Summit County has a ton of great trails. While Denver is in the high 90's up here it is a nice 75.
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