The WSJ, not to be outdone by pubs like Money/CNN, Outside Magazine and others, have printed a list of the Next Youth Magnet Cities. I wondered, while reading the list: Do people really use these guides when conducting their relocation research? Are they helpful, or do they just sell papers? I’ve asked the same question when the college polls are published, especially when I was lured to to GQ’s rundown of America’s 25 Douchiest Colleges.  (Looks like GQ took a page out of the of The Onion playbook.)

In any case, the folks who put their heads together and opined for the sake of rankings put Seattle in first place in a tie with Washington DC.  Denver and Raleigh-Durhum tie for seventh.  Here you can read what one of the judges/contributors, Richard Florida, had to say about the major Front Range town at his blog, Creative Class.

Just as a side note, I think it’s interesting that Richard put these two cities into the same slot.  However you feel about the Boulder v. Denver debate, I think a lot of locals would agree that, while the two places are close in geography, their independent flavors are as far apart as possible.

How do you consider Boulder vs. Denver? Just another symptom of sprawl, or two distinct cities with different styles?

Here’s some really spectacular video of a ladybug swarm in the mountains not far from Boulder.  My guess is Nederland, Rollinsville in Gilpin County, or the Ward area. Enjoy.

P.S. Here’s what the Daily Camera had to say about this year’s surge in ladybug populations.

5D and EX1 Lady Bug Swarm from Michael Ramsey on Vimeo.

There’s an old joke about Colorado.  (No, not the one about waiting ten minutes for the weather to change, the other one.) Colorado has two seasons: Winter, and Construction.

There’s been some noise around Boulder this summer about the road improvement/widening projects going on, some of which is stimulus packages at work.  However you feel about all the roadfoolery going on at both the major north-south through ways of Broadway and 28th Streets, think back to Denver T-Rex project of yore, and how that screwed up the daily commute for anyone traveling between central/downtown Denver and the Denver Tech Center.

Still, T-Rex is considered a triumphant achievement in “transforming the way people in the metro Denver area commute within the areas of Interstates 25 and 225, then the Country’s 14th busiest intersection.” (Wikipedia)

To keep up with what road is being ripped apart, and where, visit these links to the City of Boulder’s Cone Zone.

• North Broadway Transportation Improvements Project – Iris to Norwood
• Broadway (Pine to Iris) Reconstruction Project
• Valmont Road lane closure west of 28th
• 28th Street and Valmont Road area closures(Transportation Work)

It’s official: It’s fawn season. Case in point, this little family of deer seen hanging out on a lawn in North Boulder’s Dakota Ridge neighborhood, at the corner of Lee Hill Road and Dakota Blvd.

There are regular debates on the forums and discussion groups about mountain living. On the up side, it agrees with some folks for obvious, natural beauty and lifestyle reasons. And depending on the exact location, mountain home prices are cheaper than most premium city sites. On the down side, it requires some adaptation, depending on where you’re from.  Today we’ll discuss the realities of living in a mountain town that’s 17 miles west and 3,000 feet up from Boulder. Formerly called Middle Boulder, it’s the former tungsten mining town called Nederland.

The properties: Land, single-family homes, farms/ranches, some income property, no condos/townhomes to speak of. Average home price: about $377,000 today, compared to Boulder’s average price of about $806,000.  Homes either are fitted for city water, sewer, gas, or some combination of well water, septic, propane. Lots of homes are designed to exploit passive solar heat. It’s doubtful there are lots with in-ground irrigation systems, as there are a mere 59 frost-free days for gardening and greening.

The commute: 17 miles from Nederland to Boulder. About 60 miles to Denver. About 30 miles to Golden. About 35 miles to I-70 on ramp. About 16 miles to Black Hawk/Gilpin County. About 40 miles to Estes Park.

The lifestyle: Slow down. Way down. A little more. Are you from New York, New Jersey, or anyplace with a “scene?” You’ll be either happy or disappointed to know that the person in line in front of you at Happy Trails Coffee will want to chat with the barista after ordering, and vice versa.  It once took the person at the Business Connection 45 minutes to prepare a FedEx shipment. Considering it was going to Denver, I almost could have driven it there in the same amount of time. The speed limit is 25, and it’s enforced. If you like to take your time, relax, and leave the road rage in the flat land, this is the place to do it.

The wear and tear: First off, there’s the wind and the weather at 8,500 feet above sea level. That means you’re going to do a bit more exterior home maintenance. You’ll have to take care of your roof, and keep your deck and siding stained/painted.

Peak to Peak Highway is the north-south road that passes through Nederland, and winds up (and down) the Indian Peaks range to and from places like Ward, Gilpin County, Black Hawk. It’s one of the more elevated highways in the US, and even when it’s well-maintained and ploughed in the winter, it’s still slow going on snowy days. That means good tires, an all-wheel drive vehicle, and a temperament for driving in bad weather. Nederland is also accessible from Boulder by way of Sugarloaf, which has a small community of its own, and Magnolia Road (with neighborhoods, land, and farms/ranches.) Both are smaller roads, about half of which the distance are dirt, and are much steeper and vulnerable to extreme conditions. Even during mild winters, the winding roads take a special toll on tires. You’ll be looking at a new set each year.

The transportation: When the going gets rough, some folks opt to take the RTD bus that runs regularly all day between Boulder and Nederland, and goes on to Eldora, Nederland’s own ski mountain.  Chances are, if the bus can’t make it up the mountain, neither can most everyone else. The canyon road, however, is well-maintained by Boulder County, and only the big-big storms have shut it down for any length of time.

Here’s some video footage of what the commute is like.  (Seconds later, just after I had put down the video recorder of course, a young bear ran across the highway.) Watch for deer, foxes, racoons, and other wildlife crossing the road. There are mountain lions in them thar hills, but Boulder has experienced many more negative incidences with them than anyone in Nederland.

Boulder Canyon Drive to Nederland, CO from CO Homefinder on Vimeo.

The Front Range has had such wet weather this spring, that it’s just green and gorgeous out there. The locals haven’t seen this much spring moisture in years, which is great for the vegetation and for reducing summer fire risk, but lousy for cabin fever.

The amenities: 9 restaurants/bars, a mid-sized grocery store, one grocery co-op, movie rental, an ACE hardware store, and 2 coffee stops (to speak of).  There’s an Elementary, Middle, and High School within the city limits. One dental office, two medical offices, no medical or urgent care facility. A large and well-staffed post office; almost no home mail service, however. The majority of residents pick up mail at a group mailbox stand at an intersection or at their PO Box. The volunteer fire department is an admirable squad of committed residents who do a great job of keeping the public safe. Full time police department within the city limits. Well-stocked community library and new/used bookstore with summer time ice cream shop. Liquor store. Frozen Dead Guy Days festival and Fourth of July parade and fireworks display (that isn’t always held on July 4th). Eldora Mountain Resort, a modest ski mountain by Colorado standards, but adequate for most skiers and families who want to avoid the I-70 congestion and save time and money. There is no swimming or boating on Barker Reservoir, but the fishing is dandy.

The news: The new youth center skateboarding park is the result of seven years’ work, and according to all sources, the best skate park in the state. In fact, the big news is Tony Hawk plans to make a much publicized visit this summer. (Jumbotron and all.)  Also coming soon, The Carousel of Happiness Project. Happy Trails, once located in the train car in the middle of town, has moved across the street, into what was once known as the Good Karma Garage. For all the local news and views, see The Mountain-Ear, Nederland’s own independent press.

If there’s anything else you wanted to know about Nederland, but were afraid to ask, make a visit! With the beautiful summertime weather coming, and the wildflowers blooming, take a drive, and maybe a hike down one of the hundreds of great trails there. Stop at the Visitors Center on the main drag for a wealth of information on the town, its people, and its homes.  If you’re hot on the Nederland trail, you can always take a ride with a local Nederland REALTOR in the know.

For those families farther away from Aurora, the Children’s Hospital opened a facility up north, in Broomfield, in March ‘09, marking another great draw for families all over the Front Range. Along with the umbrella of children’s health services The Children’s Hospital is known for, the core services available there are:

• 24/7 Urgent Care
• Specialist Care
• Observation Care
• Inpatient Care up to 72 hours
• Rehabilitation and Therapy
• Diagnostics and Imaging

The hospital is located on Highway 7 and I-25 in Broomfield. Directions are as follows:

From I-25:

Take exit 229 Highway 7, west towards Lafayette.
Head west on Highway 7, also known as W. 168th Avenue, for about ½ mile. Turn right into The Children’s Hospital North Campus parking lot.

From Boulder and the west:

Take 287 to Baseline Road/Highway 7.
Take Baseline Road heading east, for approximately 6 miles.
Turn left into The Children’s Hospital North Campus parking lot.

In the good old days in Boulder, you could slide into a parking spot downtown and cross your fingers as you approached the meter. Sometimes, by which I mean quite often, you could score a good fifteen or more minutes, courtesy of the last person who parked there. On occasion, the city would send volunteer goodwill ambassadors (a term I’m making up in the absence of knowing their real titles) around the streets with tokens that they could plunk into a meter that was about to expire. The note they left on the windshield said something like, “Why don’t you take the fifteen dollars we just saved you in parking tickets and put it back into the Boulder economy?” Again, I’m taking some liberties with the details, but you get the idea.

But lately, the city has installed the new-fangled kiosks that print a receipt that you put on the dash of your car. When you’re done with your spot, you drive off, leaving the next person to fend for himself. On the upside, you can pay for your parking with your credit card at one of the many stations along the sidewalks, and since your ticket also serves as a receipt, it makes life easier come tax time.  This is a big bonus to the person (like me) who never ever carries coins on her person.  On the downside, there’s no way to pull into a slot with time on the meter; unless someone gives you their parking stub with time on it, there’s no more free parking. And I guess to the person (like my husband) who finds poking buttons on a machine fussier than putting coins into a machine, it might annoy you.

But the times are a-changin’ even in Boulder, and if you ever find yourself nostalgic for the good old days, you can still find a few of the old-timey meters with a maximum limit of 30 minutes in front of the downtown post office at 13th and Walnut.

Photo by Flickr–Creative Commons, by Robin_Gallagher