I live in Boulder, CO. It’s my adopted hometown, and I like it. I enjoy the active culture, and the access to outdoor activities. I enjoy the attractive people, and the attractive places they congregate. I enjoy the hot tech scene, and the group of friends I’ve developed through it. I enjoy the sunshine.
It’s no surprise these attributes have caught people’s eye, and it’s no surprise that with people like Andrew Hyde repping the town so fervently, that it’s grown a significant following of its own. Megan Soto’s recent blog post and the comments therein are but the latest example. Just Summize ‘Boulder’ and you’ll get another.
My point here is not to discourage Megan - she’s a friend - nor to discourage others who dream of living in Boulder some day. In fact, I encourage them to come visit, live, and enjoy what we have to offer.
Rather, my point is to try and paint a more realistic picture of the city. Because frankly, while Boulder is nice, it’s no paradise.
There are dirty people here. There are too many bikes, and they run too many stop signs. There are mountain lions, and they eat humans. There are college students, and they don’t act like humans. There are 12,00 foot peaks, but they’re far away. And fuck, there’s not much water here. Or nice trees.
Minor quips aside, the bigger point is that in imitating paradise, Boulder misses out on the one thing I think makes a place divine: reality. There’s an undeniable lack of real-ness here in Boulder. Therefore the city is pleasant, but only for a little while, and only in small doses. To me, it’s rarely fulfilling, or truly life-enriching.
In fact, after an extended piece of time here, I’m readily willing to trade its comforts for everything a less comfortable place has to offer. On a Friday night lately, I’m more apt to go bowling in Longmont with all my toothless brethren than I am to sip $7 drinks in one of Boulder’s bars.
I could just be one reality-starved country boy stuck in a city that’s getting old. Or I could be highlighting an important reason why a city full of promises will fail to deliver on all of them.
Which one is it?
You tell me.
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One place will never give you everything you want…and your wants change over time. But most people like to have a place to call home and Boulder is a place most people love to call home.
Reality is subjective and I think Boulder is a fine model for a place to live. I just worked in the worst parts of Baltimore for a year (ever seen The Wire…yeah, that part)…it was depressing and you can get all the life lessons you want there, but you might not enjoy them.
I think it’s totally fair for you to feel this way though.
Hmm… I feel the same way about Vancouver sometimes. Too much adoration, not enough reality. That said, I’d love to visit Boulder.:)
I’ve lived in Boulder for 15 years now and wouldn’t live anywhere else. I miss the ocean and cultural diversity of people from when I lived in Santa Monica, but I love not seeing any billboards, always having a view, being surrounded by nature & smart people and driving where I want to go (besides the airport to visit another city for a break) in 15 -20 minutes. No place is paradise, but I’ve seen hundreds of American cities and Boulder’s the flavor for me.
To each his own. It’s a big country and you can always pick another place if this isn’t the one for you. …but I like you being here.
MICHAEL: I actually completely agree with you. I’m not saying Boulder isn’t a great place to call home - I call it home myself - I’m just saying that to expect it to be anything more than that (for better and for worse) is dangerous.
And after spending 4 years myself in Worcester, MA (those are the years that got my butt out here), I can relate to your excitement. I think you’ll really like it out here, and I look forward to hanging with you when you make the move.
MEG: It goes without saying, but all of Boulder would love to have you down here! Meet Gradon halfway, and make it a week getaway!
BTW, did you see that you made my “Peeps” list? It’s no Canadian Blog Award, but it’s something
Keep in mind the city’s unofficial tagline: “Six square miles surrounded by reality”.
It’s been that way for decades.
FWIW, I completely agree with pretty much every word that Michael wrote above. One place is never going to fulfill every need, especially since needs change. And “reality” is absolutely subjective.
A place is what you make of it. It doesn’t inherently have any good or bad points. Or, it has millions of them. It’s all in the eye of the beholder.
By the way, what is the little checkbox in the bottom left-hand corner? Is there supposed to be text around it?
SOPAN: Thanks, man… I appreciate the welcoming sentiment. I don’t have any solid plans to move away at this point.
You make some great points about the city in comparison, too - thanks for sharing!
JARED: hahaha… great point, man. That tagline indeed says it all, good and bad.
The checkbox is for subscribing and unsubscribing to comment notification, I believe. I recently janked around with my comment box, and I guess I need to go recheck the code, and add some text.
Or maybe it’s a fun bit of mystery that should remain as it is. Like a red button, on the dash.
I’ve moved around my whole life. Then I came to Boulder for graduate school and have been here since December 1991. It took awhile to find my niche, but I have now and this has been the longest I have lived anywhere. I’m very happy here. It has big city resources, but a small town size. I’m within a few minutes of everything I need. Because there aren’t tall buildings, it’s sunny all the time. I’m close to nature.
If I want more urban places, I can get to Denver, but I’m very happy here. Interesting people. Great places to eat. Great places to walk and bike.
I kind of like the mystique/intrigue/enigma of an unlabeled check box. I say leave it as-is.
JARED: Yep. You could be subscribing to future comments. You could be unsubscribing from future comments. You could be e-signing a petition for my gubernatorial campaign, or you could be buying a new set of encyclopedias.
YOU JUST DON”T KNOW!!!!
I don’t know about you, but gubernatorial is just about my favorite word ever. I pretty much can’t say it without at least cracking a smile.
[/comment jacking]
Anyone else have opinions about why Boulder is a good/bad place to live? What say you, people?
Hmmm… good points here. I love Boulder and am proud to call it home. Yet there is certainly a feel that we’re in a ‘bubble’ and ‘reality’ is rather arbitrary at times.
I feel embarrassed by my fellow Boulderites when I read the comments in the Daily Camera. I wonder if the “open-minded” thinking that is espoused so often is only open-minded with like-minded folks (did that make sense?). I miss the cultural diversity of the east coast. I wish I could afford to live exactly where I want in town. The passions and opinions of some individuals can override common courtesy.
Yet for me and the lifestyle I’ve chosen to live, I appreciate the foothills outside my door. The ability to run on the trails after dark with a headlamp and not worry too much. And I think precisely because of the ‘bubble’ that we live in, there’s an amazing sense of optimism and opportunity that I haven’t experienced elsewhere - either living or traveling.
My friends here, and folks I meet are predominantly encouraging, positive and excited about whatever. There is an acceptance for doing things independently and for failing and trying again. It’s an environment I cherish and am not sure it exists in such a way elsewhere.
So yeah… I think it’s paradise to some and not to others (I know folks that can’t imagine living here). It’s all in how you view life, and your environment, and how a town ‘fits’ each individual. For me, it fits pretty darn well.
And Brian… too many bikes? How can you have too many bikes!?! ;-)
Brian, this may be true unless you’re also a climber. And in that case it is pretty close to paradise!
Brian, I agree with all the prior commentators, and also with your post in general. I hear you saying that Boulder lacks an element of reality, but reality must be defined by the perceiver. What is real to you? Does a $7 drink and cyclists running stop signs make it unreal? Lack of water or large trees?
Others, as noted here, measure by the resources, convenience, safety, access to recreation, etc. For me, reality is measured by the pretense and externally-referenced image, or lack thereof, that the general population seems to put forth, along with the self-responsibility that the city laws promote. Certainly Boulder is full of externally-referenced egos, and socialist thinking. (Maybe Forbes should do a study on that!) So what would make the city “life-enriching”, or “fulfilling” for you? Would any city measure up?
AMY: Again, I think you’ve made some great points here.
I agree with the quasi open-mindedness… that only applies to people who agree, which is funny in itself.
And I also agree with all the nice things you said about the city. Jeez, since I’ve started to read all these comments… I’m starting to appreciate it more and more!
ANDREW: hahaha. Screw most-educated and most-active… I’d like to see how we’d do on the most-socialist list! The other town nickname - “The People’s Republic of Boulder” probably gives some indication on that one!
Kidding aside, I enjoyed the structure you bring to the “reality” debate. I agree that it has much to do with your definition, and I liked the one you provided. In an attempt to answer your last two questions, I feel a place is more life-enriching and fulfilling to me when I have closer access to nature, and less contact with lights, noise, and people. It feels like those environments encourage me to connect to myself, instead of distracting me from doing so.
I think finding that place in a city is hard (Boulder does it better for me, then say, New York), and I figure expecting self-connectedness to be delivered by a location is foolhardy in the first place.
I enjoy Boulder, no doubt, but I’m also curious to see how I’d like escaping back to a rural setting sometime soon.
Bri,
If you are looking for reality, toothlessness, cheap beer, hardworking everyday people, a complete lack of bikes, plenty of water and all the trees you’d ever want, you need look no further than Laurens, South Carolina. It might just be the paradise you’re looking for. You’re always welcome!
I have only spent a few days in Boulder but I completely agree with what you said. While on paper it sounds like a great place to live, there is no way I could ever put up with living in that bubble. It reminded me of Putney School, but on a city wide scale. Y’all can have it.
SISTER HOLLY: You know, Holl, I appreciate the escape out of Boulder, and to the bowling alleys - I like the dose of “reality.” But South Carolina might be too big a serving.
I’ll keep your suggestion in mind, though!
I remember talking to Bruce Eckel (of thinking in C++ fame) about Crested Butte, another Colorado town. He talked about a movement to underplay the beauty and attractiveness of their town to keep people away. On a lighter note I wonder if you are playing that card
On other aspects, how good do you think is the job scene is? The Bureau of Labor Stats data says the unemployment is lower than the country but among LinkedIn professionals in Boulder I found a higher rate (of course I may have polled a higher percentage of unemployed professionals).
RAGS: Yep, it’s the old “it’s terrible here - don’t bother” trick. Works every time.
I work and socialize within Boulder’s entrepreneurial and new tech scenes. I’ve only seen jobs and companies grow lately, if anything… and haven’t heard nearly anybody complaining about the effects of the economy (or about unemployment).
However, the downtown area might be an exception to the rule, and it might be a far different story down in Broomfield (on the way down to Denver). Your LinkedIn connections would know better than me on that one.
Excellent piece. This captures the difficulty of a place whose goal is to be nonjudgmental in a lefty, our-karma-is-better-than-yours kind of way. (Not that I don’t like that particular perspective)
Capturing the sense of place and the people there is such a daunting task. Everyone who goes to a place gets a sense of the vibe. (Has anyone ever been to Salt Lake without thinking it’s a little weird?) But it’s so hard to characterize any place as… something. L.A. is not like New York. But if you try to put your finger on what it is that makes the scene different, you find it’s hard to avoid using generalizations that can easily be contradicted or stereotyped.
I like the way you’ve talked about this as a relationship between you and Boulder. It works.
JAK: Thanks, man… I prefer that to you poking on mistakes from my old posts :).
I’m going to write a new post about copywriting in a couple days - something more about the art of it. It’d be fun to see what you think about that one!
Brian, It’s interesting that a little hardscrabble grittiness can add appeal to a place. I can’t stop laughing about Laurens SC; be careful what you wish for!
Hey Bri-Bri, if South Carolina isn’t for you, how about San Francisco? Just writing to wish you a very happy birthday!
Hey Brian,
As someone considering living in Boulder in the near future, I’m glad I found this post. In fact, I’ve been through the same train of thought about Columbus (where I live now). The difference is that Cbus (as we call it) is lacking those tangible characteristics that you mention above (sunshine, mountains, etc.), that our culture–and more specifically, our generation–considers characteristics of a “sweet place to live.” I think that past generations cared more about being around family, life-long friends, etc. than folks these days–maybe that’s the “reality” that is often missed. Most modern American families are now spread all over the place, and so it’s hard for us to find a place that we wouldn’t consider leaving.
So anyways, while your post has affirmed some of the doubts I’ve had about Boulder, it has also made me think back to a sign I saw over a urinal at a bar here in Cbus. The sign read something like, “Your favorite city is the one in which you are successful.” It addresses a handicap that a place like Columbus has in some ways, but it is so true regardless of where you live. However, if it can be found anywhere, then making it happen somewhere surrounded by sunshine, mountains, and smart people ain’t too bad! To me, it seems relatively better than corn, clouds, and Buckeye paraphanelia! But Columbus isn’t too bad either when it comes down to it. I just need to make a decision.
Thanks for your perspective. Rock on.
Good points about Boulder:- Nice weather- Good cultural opportunities- low in-your-face crime and poverty- cordial people (but not particularly “friendly” like the South or MidWest)Bad points about Boulder, for me:- Expensive / competitive - hard for working professionals to buy home- Snobby / elitism - whether its yoga, Buddhism, technology, academia or sports… there are tons of exclusive little circles that try and keep others out- Overhyped outdoor sports. 1′20″ minuite drive from world-class skiing or mountain biking- Congested / crowded - has “big city” traffic and parking issuesNot the friendliest or most pristine place I’ve lived, but it’s a nice, cosmopolitan little urban area with a natural backdrop and lots happening! -
ASIA: San Francisco is like a Boulder that’s grown up… and while it offers some cooler things as a result, I don’t see myself there. However, if I had to pick between a major pacific coast city, and Laurens, SC, we might have a shot ;-).
JC: Hey man. thanks for stopping by, and sharing your story. I’ve heard good things about CBUS, and yet, understand your desire to come to Boulder. But in the end — and I never thought I’d say this — the bathroom urinal sign says it all. I guess experiences, and not places, are what’s important.
BRETT: I agree with every item on both sides of your list Brett, and this sort of even-keel evaluation of the city was my point in writing this post. I don’t really mean to bash the city… it works (and works well) for a huge majority of its residents. But it’s also nice to discuss the not-so-ideal aspects in the broader picture, and see where that gets us too. Thanks for stopping by.