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Boulder, Colorado Offers Retirees
High Quality of Life in Beautiful Setting
Cost of Living: Above the National Average
| So why would anyone pay these
outrageous real estate prices? This isn't Aspen or
Vail where celebrity-spotting is common place and police
cruisers are not Chevys or Fords but instead Saabs. If anything, Boulder is
the antithesis of Colorado's other expensive
destinations. There is plenty of money in
town (household income is 20% above the national
average), but here, it is in bad taste to flaunt
it. |
Instead, Boulder has a casual affluence, where
laid-back intellectualism and social responsibility are
nurtured and expected. Where bookstores, outdoor-gear
stores, coffee shops and natural food stores are the
norm. It is a liberal oasis in an otherwise
conservative state, but that does not mean that
conservatives are not found here (25% of the population is
Republican).
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Because growth has been controlled, quality
of life is very good. Neighborhoods are
well-kept. Streets are quiet and
tree-lined. Plenty of parks and open spaces dot
town. Schools are safe. The downtown Pearl
Street Mall is a wonderful pedestrian shopping area with
eclectic shops, restaurants, street performers, political
speakers, open-air vendors and a vibrant atmosphere.
Standing at the east end of the Mall and and peering toward the
far end, with the magnificent mountain scenery peeking out
in the distance, sometimes prompts a quiet
"Wow." People-watching here is great fun since all kinds
of interesting folks live in Boulder. |
The
University of Colorado is just up the street and has a beautiful
campus. All of the buildings are built from red sandstone
and make for a pretty picture with the blue and gold
foothills towering in the background.
This area is also a recreation Paradise, with
rafting, kayaking, hiking, camping and cross-country skiing
literally minutes away. Even Eldora, a small ski resort, is
only 45 minutes to the west. The town boasts tennis courts,
swimming pools and miles of bicycle and walking trails. This
is a health-conscious place, and it is hard not to be motivated to
stay in shape.
Boulder is not, however, just about outdoor
recreation. One's intellectual appetite can certainly
be satisfied here. The University offers a rich assortment
of lectures, music recitals, guest speakers and the wonderful,
annual Conference on World Affairs, which brings nationally and
internationally recognized experts, on everything from film
direction to stem-cell research, to town for panel discussions
open to the public.
The historic Chautauqua Auditorium,
located at the foot of Bluebell Mountain, hosts summer concerts
every year, and the renowned, outdoor Shakespeare Festival brings
in theater-goers from Denver and beyond. For those who
like to shop, the closest indoor mall at this writing is Flatiron
Crossing Shopping Center, about 15 minutes south along a major
highway (heading into Denver).
Boulder Senior Services, run by the City of
Boulder, manages two senior centers that offer classes,
transportation and travel programs. RSVP Boulder is an
organization that give those 55 and older the opportunity to
volunteer in the senior community and elsewhere, providing Meals
on Wheels, offering companionship to homebound people, helping
disabled children at the local therapeutic riding center and much
more. There are, in fact, 350 agencies in Boulder County
that provide senior services of some kind. So although this
is a college town, the older section of the population is just as
important as the younger section.
Boulder Community Hospital is the primary medical
facility with 197 beds and offers acute care, cardiac care,
emergency care, intensive care and almost any other kind of care
one might need. Half a dozen other full-service hospitals
are 30 to 45 minutes away in Denver.
The climate in this region of Colorado is
definitely four-season, characterized by cool, sometimes cold,
winters, rainy or warm and dry springs (it varies from year to
year), lovely, crisp falls and summers which can now bring 100
degree temperatures (this never used to be the case), although 80s
are more the average. This is a semi-arid area, so humidity
is low. It does snow, but as in much of Colorado, the snow
usually comes one day and is completely gone the next, leaving
behind the bluest sky this side of the Mediterranean
Sea. The sun shines 300+ days a year.
And getting around town, in any season, is made
easier by RTD, the local bus system. This is an
environmentally-aware place, so many people ride the buses.
They are plentiful, clean and run on time. Seniors are
offered discounts. There is also a very spiffy bus that runs
every hour from Boulder to various points in Denver.
Overall, Boulder's violent crime rate is
significantly below the national average. Most crime comes in the form of thefts and
burglaries.
While Boulder offers just about everything a
person might want, there are drawbacks to living here just
as there are anywhere. The top one is probably the
traffic. There are too many cars, which seems to
contradict the eco-friendly mentality here. Traffic
gets even worse during football season. Of
course, real estate is outrageously expensive, and only
the affluent can really afford to call Boulder home.
And while the population is eclectic, educated and
interesting, with college professors and scientists in
high supply, it is not ethnically diverse. There
have also been problems recently with occasional
student-riots after University football games. These
usually occur in student-heavy neighborhoods.
Boulder's elevation is 5,400 feet, something some seniors
may want to keep in mind. And this is the landlocked
West, so large bodies of water are limited, although
Boulder Reservoir is just north of town.
Even if Boulder is too expensive for many, it can
still be visited and explored for a reasonable price.
Nothing is better than taking in a Shakespearian play at the
University's wonderful, outdoor Mary Rippon Theater (where all the
seats are made of flagstone). Or taking a stroll along
the Pearl Street Mall on a summer evening when jugglers, high-wire
walkers and musicians ply their trade. Partake in an ice
cream or a coffee, watch the lights twinkle in the nearby
foothills and know that life is good.
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