Boulder, Colorado

Nestled in the shadow of the majestic Flatirons in the foothills of the Rocky Mountains, Boulder is a scenic refuge for nature-loving, athletic, liberal-minded people. With its 300 days of sunny weather, you will find the majority of its inhabitants outside doing something every day. Cycling, walking, hiking and running are year-round activities, and the seasons lend themselves to those special pursuits like skiing, snowboarding, rock-climbing, snow-shoeing that Boulderites are addicted to.

Boulder is considered a high desert climate, usually sunny and dry and it sits at an elevation of 5400 feet with the foothills to the West and lots of beautiful farmland to the East. It is a real University town, home to the University of Colorado at Boulder, or CU that covers 786 acres of downtown, with 29,000 students and one of the most beautiful campuses on earth. The University hosts activities all year and one of the many highlights of living in Boulder is going to a Buffs football game at Folsom Field or a basketball game at the Coors event center.

Boulder's population is around 99,000. It is not very diverse ethnically, but people are super liberal and certainly welcome and celebrate diversity. Per capita, Boulder is considered on of the fittest, best-educated, foodiest towns in America and is consistently voted best town in America to live for many of these reasons.

Because so many people want to live here, it is expensive to rent or to buy. Boulder can have some traffic issues during special events and at certain times of the day. Many people commute to Boulder, so it can be difficult to get in and out of town at rush hour. It has relatively low crime, but the campus is known for a high rate of bike theft, probably by gangs that come from out-of-town to prey on the students who bike to school. You will also see a large vagrant and homeless community who take advantage of the town's tolerance and generosity. These are some of the downsides to Boulder and are pretty well out-weighed by the huge number of positive attributes that living in Boulder offers.