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I’ve been curious for a while as to why Boulder is so expensive relative to other places around Colorado, and surprised to see it so high on this list. Is it ju

I’ve been curious for a while as to why Boulder is so expensive relative to other places around Colorado, and surprised to see it so high on this list. Is it just one of the wealthier suburbs of Denver?

secabeen 5y ago
It's a wealthier suburb/exurb of Denver, it's up against the mountains so there are significant growth constraints, and the flagship campus of the University of Colorado is there, so there's a lot of permanent demand from both students and spin-off companies from the university.
- brandmeyer 5y ago
  Boulder isn't naturally constrained in its housing supply. There's tons of room to grow denser and to the North, East, and South if it chose to.
  - tricolon 5y ago
    The thing is... it has chosen not to for the longest time. I don't expect the height restrictions or Open Space to go away any time soon.
cozzyd 5y ago
College town (and NIST) + limited space (greenbelt)+ right next to the mountains + a downtown that doesn't suck.
bradleyjg 5y ago
It’s not really a Denver suburb. Most people that live in Boulder work there. In fact, people commute into it from neighboring towns. The main explanation is building restrictions. There’s both a greenbelt and height limits. It’s also an extraordinarily beautiful place.
brandmeyer 5y ago
College town. The wide availability of student loans helps to inflate housing costs around a university above the local market. Its similar structurally to Chapel Hill, NC in that way.
u678u 5y ago
I heard a theory that college towns are desirable because of the educated population, but also they're designed to be compact and walker friendly, which is rare these days.
prputnam 5y ago
I wouldn't really call Boulder a suburb of Denver - it is definitely in the Greater Denver/Denver Metro area, but it is geographically and pretty culturally distinct. Boulder has (or maybe more correctly, had) that same liberal college town vibe that places like Ithaca and Burlington are known for. It is nestled directly against the foothills of the Rockies which provides great recreation options with hiking trails literally starting in town (Denver is ten or so miles east of the foothills). Boulder is home to a pretty booming tech scene, so there are some very high paying jobs to be had, too. As I understand it, the zoning regulations designed to keep the "small town" feel prevent much development. These zoning ordinances paired with Boulder being a highly desirable place to live mean that demand far outpaces supply, and home prices shoot up.

secabeen 5y ago

It's a wealthier suburb/exurb of Denver, it's up against the mountains so there are significant growth constraints, and the flagship campus of the University of Colorado is there, so there's a lot of permanent demand from both students and spin-off companies from the university.

brandmeyer 5y ago
Boulder isn't naturally constrained in its housing supply. There's tons of room to grow denser and to the North, East, and South if it chose to.
- tricolon 5y ago
  The thing is... it has chosen not to for the longest time. I don't expect the height restrictions or Open Space to go away any time soon.

cozzyd 5y ago

College town (and NIST) + limited space (greenbelt)+ right next to the mountains + a downtown that doesn't suck.

bradleyjg 5y ago

It’s not really a Denver suburb. Most people that live in Boulder work there. In fact, people commute into it from neighboring towns. The main explanation is building restrictions. There’s both a greenbelt and height limits. It’s also an extraordinarily beautiful place.

brandmeyer 5y ago

College town. The wide availability of student loans helps to inflate housing costs around a university above the local market. Its similar structurally to Chapel Hill, NC in that way.

u678u 5y ago

I heard a theory that college towns are desirable because of the educated population, but also they're designed to be compact and walker friendly, which is rare these days.

prputnam 5y ago

I wouldn't really call Boulder a suburb of Denver - it is definitely in the Greater Denver/Denver Metro area, but it is geographically and pretty culturally distinct. Boulder has (or maybe more correctly, had) that same liberal college town vibe that places like Ithaca and Burlington are known for. It is nestled directly against the foothills of the Rockies which provides great recreation options with hiking trails literally starting in town (Denver is ten or so miles east of the foothills). Boulder is home to a pretty booming tech scene, so there are some very high paying jobs to be had, too. As I understand it, the zoning regulations designed to keep the "small town" feel prevent much development. These zoning ordinances paired with Boulder being a highly desirable place to live mean that demand far outpaces supply, and home prices shoot up.