4 ms·

I left the SF Bay Area for the Boulder/Denver area (Westminster) in 2005, and stayed through 2007. I enjoyed Pearl Street, walking around the CU campus and hik

by spking 17y ago

I left the SF Bay Area for the Boulder/Denver area (Westminster) in 2005, and stayed through 2007. I enjoyed Pearl Street, walking around the CU campus and hiking in the Flatirons. However, I'd point out that many native Coloradoans I encountered lamented the influx of Californians (like me) and felt that we were ruining the vibe, which is quite possible. If you wanted to take advantage of the startup scene in Boulder (especially if you're bootstrapping it), I'd recommend checking out surrounding communities like Westminster, Broomfield and Longmont. You'll save a ton of money on rent.

wyclif 17y ago
The same thing happened in Montana; a lot of big Cali money tried moving into Bozeman. That was OK with the locals, but what wasn't OK was that after buying up some ranchland and putting up a few McMansions and Olympic-sized pools, they put a bunch of spotlights up (on poles) to illuminate their spreads 24/7. That pissed the locals off, and the lights mysteriously got the shotgun treatment. I think the Californians got the picture ;-) I think that as long as you're respectful of local mores and customs, you'll be OK.
- trafficlight 17y ago
  Are you still in Bozeman? I'm in Helena myself.
  - wyclif 17y ago
    No, I'm on the East coast. I have friends that live out there though, and I love Montana and try to get out there every chance I get. It's one of the last best places in the US!
mkramlich 17y ago
Totally second that. Don't live in Boulder. Much cheaper to live say 15-30 minutes away and drive/bus in as needed.
freejoe76 17y ago
Apologies in advance for bringing my pet peeve in here, but it's Coloradan, not Colordoan. Colorado's a spanish word -- the way I think about it is "Would you say 'Mexicoan'?" Also, note: I have a twitter account for this peeve. http://twitter.com/itscoloradan http://twitter.com/itscoloradan
- davidw 17y ago
  You should hear how people on the east coast mangle "Oregon". They say "Ora-GONE". Shudder...
  - freejoe76 16y ago
    Oh, yeah -- I grew up in Oregon, I'm familiar with that.
jseliger 17y ago
"However, I'd point out that many native Coloradoans I encountered lamented the influx of Californians (like me) and felt that we were ruining the vibe, which is quite possible." People have been saying this about Seattle for decades. In fact, if you do a find/replace for Boulder/Seattle, the entire article basically still stands. I think the more interesting thing is the meta-story that these kinds of articles imply: a lot of people are leaving CA for Portland, Seattle, Boulder, or Austin, for some combination of lower living costs, lower taxes, and, often, better schools. As this table shows: http://www.pewcenteronthestates.org/ttw/trends_map_data_table.aspx?trendID=17&assessmentID=12&mode=table http://www.pewcenteronthestates.org/ttw/trends_map_data_tabl... , CA has had a very large net out migration rate for years. It only goes up to 2006, but it's hard to believe that the rate hasn't increased since.

by spking 17y ago

wyclif 17y ago

The same thing happened in Montana; a lot of big Cali money tried moving into Bozeman. That was OK with the locals, but what wasn't OK was that after buying up some ranchland and putting up a few McMansions and Olympic-sized pools, they put a bunch of spotlights up (on poles) to illuminate their spreads 24/7. That pissed the locals off, and the lights mysteriously got the shotgun treatment. I think the Californians got the picture ;-) I think that as long as you're respectful of local mores and customs, you'll be OK.

trafficlight 17y ago
Are you still in Bozeman? I'm in Helena myself.
- wyclif 17y ago
  No, I'm on the East coast. I have friends that live out there though, and I love Montana and try to get out there every chance I get. It's one of the last best places in the US!

mkramlich 17y ago

Totally second that. Don't live in Boulder. Much cheaper to live say 15-30 minutes away and drive/bus in as needed.

freejoe76 17y ago

Apologies in advance for bringing my pet peeve in here, but it's Coloradan, not Colordoan. Colorado's a spanish word -- the way I think about it is "Would you say 'Mexicoan'?" Also, note: I have a twitter account for this peeve. http://twitter.com/itscoloradan http://twitter.com/itscoloradan

davidw 17y ago
You should hear how people on the east coast mangle "Oregon". They say "Ora-GONE". Shudder...
- freejoe76 16y ago
  Oh, yeah -- I grew up in Oregon, I'm familiar with that.

jseliger 17y ago

"However, I'd point out that many native Coloradoans I encountered lamented the influx of Californians (like me) and felt that we were ruining the vibe, which is quite possible." People have been saying this about Seattle for decades. In fact, if you do a find/replace for Boulder/Seattle, the entire article basically still stands. I think the more interesting thing is the meta-story that these kinds of articles imply: a lot of people are leaving CA for Portland, Seattle, Boulder, or Austin, for some combination of lower living costs, lower taxes, and, often, better schools. As this table shows: http://www.pewcenteronthestates.org/ttw/trends_map_data_table.aspx?trendID=17&assessmentID=12&mode=table http://www.pewcenteronthestates.org/ttw/trends_map_data_tabl... , CA has had a very large net out migration rate for years. It only goes up to 2006, but it's hard to believe that the rate hasn't increased since.