Boulder...how do I find housing for our family?

[sparkly]

We're likely moving to Boulder, even though we've never been there! Finding a place to live has me stumped. We're currently homeowners, though I don't think we can afford to buy there (plus, we don't know the neighborhoods). Finding rental possibilities online has led me to the following worries:

1. All rental housing there is terribly expensive
2. All rental housing there is icky student housing or fancy vacation housing

We're conscientious, grownup people with a baby (and hopefully another one on the way soon). Dh will be doing a 3-year postdoc, probably beginning in July (or soon after). I'd really love a single family house, since we got used to having our own adorable little old home, but have no idea if that's even possible there.

Any advice on where to search?

[michray]

Do you need to be IN Boulder? There are tons of great neighborhoods within a very short commuting distance, if you dont actually need to be in the city of Boulder.

I live in Erie, which is 9 miles from Boulder, and about a 15 minute commute.. on the worst day!

LMK what you are looking for as far as space and commute, and I can see what is around here

[hellen]

I highly recommend looking at the communities around Boulder instead. Lafayette and Louisville are a close commute, great towns, and have bus service to Boulder. If you want to go a little further you could do Superior, Broomfield, or Westminster. There is bus service on Hwy 36 to Boulder from there as well. The rents in any of these town will be much much cheaper than Boulder. They are all great family friendly towns. Broomfield has its own small waterpark. Lafayette has a children's museum. Broomfield and Erie have great indoor playgrounds at the rec center.

[sacredmama]

Also, Lyons, Gunbarrel, and Longmont. Boulder is a tough place for cost of living.

[sparkly]

Thanks all! I am not opposed to living outside of Boulder, IF it's a cool place.

We won't have school-age children during the time we live there, so schools aren't a concern...we don't go out to bars or fancy places, so perhaps Boulder is overkill for our needs...basically, I want to be able to easily get to hiking, a great library, and some neat restaurants (e.g., vegetarian, not big chains), natural groceries, etc. We're not a big driving family (and dh will use our car for work anyhow), so walking/biking is a major mode of transportation for us. That's why Boulder looked like a good idea for our needs.

What is Louisville like? That came up in one of my searches.

My worst nightmare would be modern subdivisions, big box stores, and having to take a car to get to anywhere with character.

We're just going to be there for 2 days in March to check out the area (and dh has job stuff to do), so I'd love to find a place to live, or at least have an idea of what towns or neighborhoods to check out.

[michray]

LOL! Oh you have NOTHING to worry about!! There are a few modern subdivisions, but ALL of the towns mentioned are within 10 - 15 minutes of Boulder and the mountains on a BAD day. They ALL have great outdoor stuff like parks, lakes and hiking trails.

Louisville is a but pricey, kinda high end and actually, other than Old Louisville, one of the more modern places ( although VERY nice).

I would take a look at Broomfield and Lafayette, maybe Erie. They are all quite a bit less costly ( although parts of North Broomfield can be pricey and it is a little more than Erie and Lafayette). All are on the bus line, and all have character. Kinda hard to NOT find a place around here with character, being so close to Boulder.
If you don't mind a little father out, Longmont is a great blend of older and newer with everything you need in a short distance, but still very close to Boulder.

[MFuglei]

We have some friends who live in Erie and another set of friends who live in North Broomfield. Both couples are very happy with their neighborhoods. I don't have much experience though - I'm in Littleton.

Both sets of friends work in Boulder and make the commute routinely with no problems.

[melanie_777]

I'd go with Lafayette or Louisville if you need public transportation to the University at all, and I think Lafayette is a bit less expensive and has fabulous Mexican food, an awesome library and a Vitamin Cottage (natural grocers). What more could you need?

I would also try to rent off craigslist and stay away from property management companies if you can... because Boulder is a college town they are used to dealing with students, they tend to respond less-than-quickly if there is something wrong with your rental.

[hellen]

It actually sounds like Boulder might be worth the additional cost for you based on your description. It has by far the largest selection of restaurants. They have some interesting stores on the Pearl Street Mall. If you can handle the traffic, price, hippies, and college students, then go for Boulder.

Some things to keep in mind about the surrounding area. Most if not all of the towns mentioned have a consortium with the Boulder libraries. They all require different cards but you can request books easily from any of the participating libraries. You also don't need to live in a town to get a library card from that town's library.

The largest natural grocers in the area are Whole Foods and Vitamin Cottage. There is a Vitamin Cottage near the Whole Foods in Boulder. They are located near the mall. I hate that Whole Foods because it is so crowded. There is a bigger Whole Foods in Superior just off Hwy 36. There is also one in Westminster at Hwy 36 and 92nd Ave. There is a Vitamin Cottage in Lafayette. You might check out the area near there. Vitamin Cottage is cheaper than Whole Foods. The area grocery stores often have a decent selection of organic or natural products. There is at least one more natural grocer in Boulder. They have free delivery to a certain radius but I've never been.

I don't know where you are coming from but if you are used to the East Coast for character you will be in for a shock here. Colorado is a fairly new state. The old houses might be from the 1950s. There are some older ones out there but many many many more houses from the 1950s on. You're just not going to find the old fashioned charm of a 300 year old town in a 50 year old town. Any town that was built when cars were common will be different.

All of the surrounding communities are walker friendly and biker friendly. They all have trails and lots of natural open space.

I lived in Broomfield and I wouldn't recommend it to you. I have friends who live in the neighborhood between 120th and 128th (Midway) and bordered by Lowell on the east and Sheridan on the west. They are in walking distance (< 1 mile) of the rec center, open space, library, King Soopers, a natural grocery store, and some other big box stores. They could bike to the mall or go to the Dry Creek trail system that goes to Westminster. In fact many of the bike trails are connected so one could ride a bike to downtown Denver on a trail. This isn't right for you because the neighborhood is a sea of bland cookie cutter houses.

A friend lives in a neighborhood off of S. Boulder Rd. It was a 70s neighborhood. The trail is pretty nice. The houses aren't nearly as cookie cutter but it wouldn't be within walking distance of the library, etc.

[herbmama3-7]

If you are looking to rent check out "Boulder housing partners." It is a "reduced rent" program (not low income by any means). 10% of all new development is required to be owned by the city as "affordable housing." We live in a very nice neighborhood in North Boulder in a 3 br, 2 ba townhouse and pay $1000 a month which is unheard of for what we have here in Boulder. We have wonderful parks and coffee shops in walking and biking distance. Great bus line really close by that takes us down the "main" strip.
To qualify for the program you have to make under the boulder median income which is WELL over one hundred thousand!! It is worth looking into.

Also I would highly reccomend looking Lyons which is North of Boulder, it is a really cute little town that also has everything you were describing. Plus a bit less expensive.

Good luck!