I was wondering which communities which surround the Boulder area offer the best value in housing. I just lost my job, and since my wife and I were wanting to make a move anyways this is the perfect chance for us to leave the Twin Cities. Luckily my wife’s job is relocatable to anywhere in the U.S. so we have her income, but I will need to find a job wherever we end up. Which areas near Boulder offer the best value in housing in the sub 300k range? I have looked and it looks like Boulder itself is out from the housing prices, but I want to be close to Boulder for the training opportunities. Looking for info on communities and employers that may be able to make this happen for us.
Longmont is a great choice. Near the “prospect” area is growing. Erie overbuilt like MAD so you can pick up a great house there right now. I’ve lived in both and the traing is great. Erie is really trying to develop. Just built a new rec center. Putting in open space trails. Great open roads for riding.
My wife and I are buying a house in Lafayette. Lafayette is due East of Boulder, about a 10-15 minute drive. It has a range of housing prices, from very very affordable to $3 million+, but you can definitely find gems that are in good locations and are ~$300k. Do you want a free standing house or a townhouse?
Superior is close by too and a good value. Right by Flatiron Crossing Mall and on the US36 corridor (that runs between Boulder and Denver).
Like DrDubs said, Erie and Longmont both have really low housing prices relative to some of the surrounding areas, but especially Erie seems much farther from Boulder than Longmont, Superior, or Lafayette.
I do not live there any more (moved to Idaho 3 years ago because I too needed a change of scenery) but I really enjoyed my time there. Everyone is going to tell you to look at Superior, Loiusville (pronounced Lewis-ville, not Looey-ville, people there do not want it confused with Kentucky), and Broomfield. Those are the standard, more affordable, Boulder commuter communities. One other option I would suggest is taking a look down at Golden. It is a little further away, but would still give you access to all of Boulder’s training and cultural opportunities while also being its own, independent community rather than a Boulder satelite. Also, depending on what field you are in, the job market may be a little more varied down there. Enjoy, it is a great place. A little pricey, a little self absorbed at times, but a great place; I loved my time there.
The options for good rides from your house are better for areas East (like Erie) or NE of Boulder (like Longmont) than they are for places to the South like Golden or Superior. Riding from Golden to Boulder is a pain, so either you’re doing a whole separate set of rides than the Boulder crowd (not that that’s the end of the world) or you’re driving to Boulder to start your rides. Riding from Superior is a bit easier but still not great. By contrast, from the Northern or Western sides of Longmont you can access the roads to the North (and West) of Boulder which are the most popular for cyclists. In terms of running on dirt, there simply is no comparison. While every area has some dirt trails to run, Boulder has about 100 miles of such trails. There, too, being on the NW side of Longmont will give you easier access to those trails than living in, say, Golden.
I live in Firestone. It is east of Longmont and in Weld county. Just east of I-25 and 30 min north of Denver. We looked at Longmont but found the taxes and house prices in Boulder county to be about twice the prices in Weld county. Its about 35 min drive to Boulder from my house. I have plenty of other places I would rather spend my time though.
Ace
Obviously I’m biased, but I really think Fort Collins/Loveland is fantastic. A little further away from Boulder than some of the other places mentioned, but it is a great town with a university in it that keeps the energy level a little higher (CSU). Fort Collins probably has the largest cycling and triathlon community outside of Boulder and plenty of rides head out of town and up into the mountains. Check it out. Both the top female overall amateur at Kona this year and the women’s olympic triathlon coach (4 years ago) live in this area.
Hmm…I’ve lived in Boulder, but when people start suggesting Fort Collins or Firestone you might as well look at Denver. It is 35 min to Boulder from my house. There is direct access to the Cherry Creek Trail and/ Platte River Trail. I can ride to Look out mountain or Golden or to the east to Cherry Creek Reservoir. If you lived in the Highlands (not Highland Ranch) you are close to downtown and close to the trails plus probably 5-10min closer to Boulder. As a bonus you are close to Invesco for Broncos, Pepsi center for Aves and nuggets plus concerts and Coors field for the Rockies.
Don’t get me wrong, I love Boulder and would probably live there if not for the commute and cost of housing. But if you start looking 30-60 minutes from Boulder, you might as well look in Denver. I would agree that someplace like Fort Collins is going to have more a small to mid sized town feel and would be good if that is what you are looking for. Denver has more of an urban feel.
Colorado is a great place to live and certainly much warmer than MN plus when it is cold at least you can downhill ski, snowboard, or telemark. I find these way more entertaining than ice fishing;)
Others have pointed out that living in places like Ft. Collins to commute to Boulder warrant looking at Denver. Well, I would agree that if you’re considering that, then you may as well consider Denver. I live in Denver and work in Boulder. It’s a long commute (45-60 minutes one way, depending on traffic, and can be longer if conditions are bad). But Ft. Collins and Loveland will be similar considering the traffic heading south in that region.
If you want to be near Boulder for work and avoid a long commute, then you need to consider Erie, Louisville, Broomfield, Northglenn, Lyons, Longmont, and places like that. Weld county will be less expensive than Boulder County, although also further from the city of Boulder.
I lived in Boulder when I rented and went to grad school, but now my wife and I live in Louisville. Louisville is a nice town of 20,000 people and has a sense of community that may be lacking in some other suburban areas around Boulder. It is worth exploring.
Others have suggested very cheap alternatives like Weld County, but I don’t think that these areas will give you a good Boulder experience. Weld County was recently top ten in home foreclosure rates. Living in Boulder County is better for home values, IMHO.
My main thought is that you might be looking for a job when you move. Boulder has a tight job market (too many over-educated people in the area who love the lifestyle), and I have found that in most industries Denver has many more high paying jobs than Boulder. Louisville and Broomfield are closer to Denver but still give you nice Boulder access. I ride an express bus into Denver every morning and it is filled with lawyers and other professionals who live in Boulder but work in Denver. I’ve looked at Boulder jobs but I would take a 20-30% pay cut to make the change.
I vote Fort Collins for obvious reasons…
It has a small town feel that not many other towns in Co have.
Great Downtown.
Excellent food and Drink- New Belgium, Odells, Fort Collins Brewery, Cooper Smiths, CB Potts… need I go on.
Hills. If you like to ride in hills FC is awesome. Similar to boulder, we have some really good canyons with good shoulders and little traffic.
Running. There is GREAT single track in the foothills on the west side of town. 10min run from my door puts me on all the dirt I could want. Great bike path network in town- for the very few days there is snow.
Warning: we do have an anticyclist county sheriff.
Bought our 3bed3bath, 1800sq ft, trilevel, 2 car garage and 1/3 acre fenced yard for $209 16 months ago. Built in 79, cozy and simple.
Best luck in your search-
You don’t need to be ‘near Boulder’ to have ample training opportunities on the bike here in the Front Range. As many have said, Louisville and Superior are the obvious/popular choices without the resources for Boulder proper. Fort Collins is a great town, and Golden is pretty close. Living in Golden, I think the training available here is second-to-none, but I’m sure everyone in Boulder says the same. I’d be careful about considering any given location until you have an idea where *you *will work, as some commutes around here would be untenable, at least for me.