fietsbob

My ancestors were dumped in Ulster, by the Royals, got sick of that occupation,
came on ships to Occupy this continent..

duceditor

I visited Colorado for the first time 2 summers ago and found it charming. We spent a small amount of time in Denver, more in Boulder. It is in many ways a beautiful state and its draw is entirely understandable.

Boulder, from what I saw, follows the model some are advocating here. And for that its liveableness (is that a word?) recommends those expressed POVs. But to that I add a few caveats.

The first is that Boulder seemed better for visiting than actually living. When my wife and I wanted to buy something we actually needed (sunscreen) we had to walk and walk and walk until we settled on something far more expensive than we actually would have chosen. -Some artisan brand full of nurturing herbs and spices. I.e., every store sold "crafts" and the like. Great boutiques and kite shops. Nice posters and nicknacks. But where do you go when you actually need something?

The draw there from what I saw (and more and more family members are moving there) is for young professionals. That uniformity is a plus. A society of people with similar needs and wants - especially if they are affluent -- makes it easy to have a singular design plan.

"California" was like that in the fifties and sixties. (I put California in quotes because the state is so large there were and are really several "Californias.") But wine country and the super-affluent areas aside the most idyllic parts of California have in the years since become anything but. The reason to the extent you can give one reason for a complex social phenomena is that "diversity" set in -- that oft praised cause of conflict and strife as people looked to take for themselves what others had built. I am not here referring principly to national and racial diversity, but needs diversity and the struggle that accompanies it.

Back in the 70s a similar migration as we see affecting Colorado occurred in the Great Northwest. It too promised Elysium. Friends who now live there suggest to me that it has become anything but.

New Hampshire so far remains small and not very diverse although in my own town there is a charming mix of old yankees and young artists. So far we get along well (I am caught between the groups being equally charmed by the best in each of them) but the zoning "Master Plan" I sited in an earlier post is already starting to bring mutterings. If our density was high things would be more intense, but it is low and thus it is easy for us to make room for each other.

Personally I love the rail trails we enjoy and hope than non-governmental groups propose and develop more of them.

But you can still buy groceries, and shoes and non boutique clothing in the Monadnocks. Even in my little artsy town. You can walk, you can ride or (mostly) you can drive. And for me at least that is as close to idyllic as I need - especially in my own little wooded enclave of field and stream.

-don

DnvrFox

It isn't called, The Republic of Boulder" without reason. It does not represent the rest of the metro area,

duceditor

Ah, as in "The People's Republic of Massachusetts?" Thanks for making me aware of that fact. And indeed that is always a risk on going as a tourist. You don't see so much!

But for all that is was a beautiful city and we enjoyed our time there.

Are all those trails converted railroad RoWs? The area is so mountainous that it is hard to imagine any but the most athletic riding otherwise. (Or is that too a misconception?)

-don

DnvrFox

A misconception

Denver is flat as a pancake. The trails mostly follow natural waterways - creeks. Almost all the trails have underpasses under all vehicle traffic routes. One can go 40 miles or more without ever interacting with a car or a stop sign or stop light.

The hills start about 10 miles west of the city.

Boulder is gorgeous. It is greatly influenced by many residents being associated with the University of Colorado. It is quite liberal - nothing wrong with that IMHO - and has many laws protecting the environment, some bordering on the ludicrous. Also habitated by many runners and bicyclists in training.