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Quality of life/climb/balance Boulder VS Denver

Original Post
Tristan Bradford · · Boulder, CO · Joined Mar 2015 · Points: 3,072

Hey guys, any advice appreciated. I'm moving from Oklahoma to the denver/boulder area and wondering about opinions on the vibe and proximity to climbing in both these areas.
Obviously thinks are WACK right now, so any opinions given I will assume are about pre and post covid times. I'll be living in my van until I find a place so considerations about getting hassled are helpful.

I'm ultimately more inclined to live closer to good climbing as opposed to a good gym, As far as work I have experience in the gym industry, food industry, skilled labor (tile and woodworking), and manufacturing so Im not worried about job security or finding one. I prefer trad and sport. I do not boulder at all.

Here are some thoughts and questions, feel free to add your opinion about things on or off the list.

Boulder:

Jobs: Tons of jobs in all of the fields I have experience in.

Police/camping:
Have camped just on the streets for weeks at a time in my van which is painted psychedelically like Ken kesey's bus with no issue from police, neighboors.

Climbing: BOcan, RMNP, Estes park, eldo, upper dream canyon, flatirions all within 20-45 min. Am I missing any crucial areas?

This is a big draw and I'm having a hard time wanting to chose denver over boulder. It just seems so much closer to higher quality rock.

Denver:
Jobs: pretty big city right? I should't have too much trouble finding a temp part time job??

Police/camping:
I've never visited denver for any long period of time. Any van people know what's up? been hassled before?

Climbing: Golden area stuff? Anything else close within 20-30 min? Whats the most quality sport crag? Most quality trad crag?
I'm really not familiar with the area.

Tristan Bradford · · Boulder, CO · Joined Mar 2015 · Points: 3,072
Bravo Foxtrot wrote: It’s all an enormous metro area....doesn’t really matter, in terms of access, whether your van parking is in “denver” or “Boulder”.  The eastern suburbs are farther from the mountains and some of the climbing, the western ones are closer.  Boulder is expensive and has a unique vibe.  Denver is also expensive, perhaps slightly less so, and also has a unique vibe.  There is world class climbing every 20 miles along the front range from south of Colorado Springs all the way to Fort Collins depending on what you like.  Boulder is likely going to feel like the epicenter of that but the reality is, there are dozens of places to live all of which have 20 minute access to some terrific climbing and 40 min access to all the rest of it.  I don’t live in a van but I would guess that the communities like boulder and golden are going to be better for van life than Denver proper.  Also, the foothills are starved for skilled labor.  Contractors and handy-man services are 6 months booked so if you want to lay tile or do cabinetry, you should have no trouble finding that kind of work.  And who cares about gym access unless you want a membership so you can cop a free shower.  You can climb here year round, outside, regardless of COVID, essentially for free.  Good luck.  

well put, and yeah im trying to dial in my shower beta especially considering COVID and using public spaces.

Not Not MP Admin · · The OASIS · Joined Nov 2018 · Points: 17

They both suck, SLC is the new Boulder

Tristan Bradford · · Boulder, CO · Joined Mar 2015 · Points: 3,072
Not Not MP Admin wrote: They both suck, SLC is the new Boulder

i know man! so ive heard. many a people on the road have told me about such land. And then theres bishop... fucking paradise. But right now im thinking CO.

What about air quality in SLC?
Tristan Bradford · · Boulder, CO · Joined Mar 2015 · Points: 3,072
Bravo Foxtrot wrote: The simple answer to your question is probably Boulder...unless you really want a downtown city-living experience.  Of course, if an apartment in Lakewood is all you can afford, you are still no more than 30 mins from several, legendarily good climbing areas.

will be camping in the van till the winter. Is lakewood like 5-700$?

Tristan Bradford · · Boulder, CO · Joined Mar 2015 · Points: 3,072
Bravo Foxtrot wrote: I honestly have no real idea Beyond what Zillow and a sense for the neighborhoods will tell me.  Lakewood was just a quick and dirty example of a west-side suburb...like wheat ridge, or Arvada, that will be cheaper than Boulder but also within minutes of the downtown AND of Eldo, Clear Creek, North Table Mountain, the flatirons, etc.  on the other hand, the dynamic is different in Boulder, because of the university and the high prices, so finding a shared house might actually be easier there.  I’d be surprised if you could find a single-dweller home or apartment for anywhere close to $5-700  but I also don’t know what your expectations are so, maybe.  In my experience, living all over the country for the last 30 years, anywhere Denver to the west coast is going to seem shockingly expensive compared to anywhere else in the country except the major east coast metro areas.  The deeper you are willing to go into the southwest Arizona, Nevada, Utah, New Mexico, West Texas, the more reasonable the prices... but the climbing and culture can vary a bit, obviously.  Your mileage may vary on all of this.  It’s easy to sit here and opine without having any real skin in the game.  SLC is an outdoorsman paradise, Boise is remarkably cool and not overwhelmed with itself yet. Tucson is terrific. Portland and Seattle are both pure rubbish...overpriced, overcrowded, full of themselves in every way...kinda like the Denver metro.

Dude i know. I lived in bellevue outside of seattle for a winter season and i was like "BLACK HOLE SUN, WHY DON'T YOU COME, AND WASH AWAY THE RAIIIINNN" every god damn day. Good gyms though. Shitty van life.

Long Ranger · · Boulder, CO · Joined Jan 2014 · Points: 669
Tristan Bradford wrote: Police/camping:
Have camped just on the streets for weeks at a time in my van which is painted psychedelically like Ken kesey's bus with no issue from police, neighboors.

Living in a van parked on the streets in boulder is already difficult. Anything bringing even more attention to your van is not going to work in your favor. Home owners here aren't into it. (don't shoot me, I'm only the messenger) People who live near public land aren't into it either, and the public land is not quite near town. City parks near the TH's are also monitored and closed between 11pm and 5am for parking. 

Hopefully you've seen,

https://www.mountainproject.com/forum/topic/111085217/car-camping-and-van-dwelling-in-boulder

Best idea is maybe to find a shared place to live.

Home Depot is hiring. Other than that, it's kind of a nightmare out there to find a job. The city furloughed 70% of its own workforce.

Dunno about prices in the Denver 'burbs, but housing is crazy expensive, everywhere.
Not Not MP Admin · · The OASIS · Joined Nov 2018 · Points: 17
Tristan Bradford wrote:

i know man! so ive heard. many a people on the road have told me about such land. And then theres bishop... fucking paradise. But right now im thinking CO.

What about air quality in SLC?

Slightly worse than Denver's. They were on a air quality warning just the other day. Denver's current problem is that more people are moving there than it can hold/sustain. 


Boulder has great air quality, but then you live in Boulder...
Peter Beal · · Boulder Colorado · Joined Jan 2001 · Points: 1,825

You're looking at Boulder for sure. The van life thing is a bit sketchy but lots of people I know make it work. Unless you want suburban sprawl or quasi-urban amenities, Denver is out.

ShireSmitty · · WP · Joined Jan 2013 · Points: 70

To reiterate what someone said above, van life is getting harder and harder in and around Boulder. Simply too many people doing it and not being good at it. I know neighborhoods that used to be easy and are being cracked down on hard with ticketing and towing

Also, to counter what someone said above, Boulder does NOT have good air quality. At least not all the time. I know many people in the healthcare industry that have been telling me for the last couple of years that air quality in Boulder has been getting worse and worse. I know I feel much better now that I live up high in the mountains again after living down on the plains for years.

jason.cre · · Unknown Hometown · Joined Aug 2014 · Points: 10
ShireSmitty wrote: To reiterate what someone said above, van life is getting harder and harder in and around Boulder. Simply too many people doing it and not being good at it. I know neighborhoods that used to be easy and are being cracked down on hard with ticketing and towing

It might be in part people being shitty at living van life in Boulder, but Boulder is also becoming increasingly intolerant of poor people, diverse people, working class people, eccentric people etc etc.  The city is really making excellent strides towards cementing itself as an exclusive enclave for the rich white trustafarian with no day job (co-mingled with an occasional bay-area tech worker or cannabis exec).  And those types are sickened by the sight of people living in vans.
Tristan Bradford · · Boulder, CO · Joined Mar 2015 · Points: 3,072
Mike McKinnon wrote: Grand Junction. Cheap, not crowded and close to amazing climbing. It might suck to be 21 in that town though

Cause of the geezers? 

Long Ranger · · Boulder, CO · Joined Jan 2014 · Points: 669
jason.cre wrote:
It might be in part people being shitty at living van life in Boulder, but Boulder is also becoming increasingly intolerant of poor people, diverse people, working class people, eccentric people etc etc.  
I agree with all of this, except thinking that this is new.

The city is really making excellent strides towards cementing itself as an exclusive enclave for the rich white trustafarian with no day job (co-mingled with an occasional bay-area tech worker or cannabis exec).  And those types are sickened by the sight of people living in vans.

This isn't quite the scenario, as there's a 25,000 student body in town. More and more students have to commute from the 'burbs to the campus, which: that's sounds crazy to me, but it can't be everyone. Also with COVID no one is going to really need to be on campus. Perhaps this will drastically change the way CU  operates in the next few years. 

Guideline #1: Don't be a jerk.

Colorado
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