I live and work in Aurora (huge suburb east of Denver). Be prepared to look
for employment beyond Boulder. I went to school there for a year back in the
late 80s before heading out to Boston for 10 years. I came back, but
sometimes wish I didn't.
Boulder is where we contain our college kids and tree-huggers. Culture shock
wears off in about two months - after that you either fit or you don't.
Because you're looking at a college town, there are plenty of "hip" places
that go unadvertised outside the community. Keep in mind that you'll be
competing for these jobs with a bizillion college kids.
Also, be careful not to confuse the cost of real estate with the cost of
living. Yes, property in the Mountain States costs less than property on the
East Coast. That is where it starts and stops. A gallon of milk is a gallon
of milk, and a gallon of gas is a gallon of gas. And, if you have a car
(which you will need since public transportation is a joke) you will be buying
lots of gas.
You didn't mention what kind of "regular" work you're looking for, but in any
case I would recommend you have something lined up before moving our here.
Colorado is not the place to be jobless and broke. Being unable to afford the
gas to get to the job interview is not a good situation. Logistics.
Mountains and bike paths, yep, we got 'em. Uncongested highways? Um, no.
This is Colorado, not Montana. Here in Denver we have a large expansion
project (T-Rex) which has created a temporary mess that will back traffic up
to Boulder on a bad day. Check out some traffic reports. We have two lanes
that are being expanded to four lanes, but have to be narrowed to one lane to
get the work done. Somebody will try to drive a truck through this one lane
sideways. Every day.
I hope I haven't discouraged you. Colorado is a beautiful state if you have
time to appreciate it. Just come prepared. If you want to know anything
else, just ask.
Bob
> Yep, that's where I just got it in my mind to move to: Boulder,
> Colorado. Having spent my entire (relatively short) life between
> Washington DC and New York City, I'm prepared for quite a culture
> shock.
>
> My question for those that may be familiar with Boulder or even just
> that type of area is whether I should expect finding a decent
> bartending job to be significantly easier, more difficult, or pretty
> much the same compared to DC where I live now. I have no idea what
> to expect. Obviously there are a lot fewer (and less "hip") bars in
> a place like that, but then there are less people too. And the first
> thing that jumps out at me looking at real estate ads is how much
> lower the cost of living is over there, meaning I wouldn't really
> have to find the kind of job one needs to live in comfort in DC. My
> experience is pretty modest; just six months of bartending at a
> family-owned Greek restaurant. It's a pretty shitty job by DC
> standards, but if I made the same kind of money in Boulder I'd be
> living in style. ;)
>
> For what it's worth, I'm actually planning to get a more. . . uh,
> "regular" job out there. But in case that doesn't work out (I'm a
> night person, after all) or I want some extra income, I just wanted
> to get an idea of what I can expect before I tumble into this strange
> world of mountains, bike paths, and uncongested highways. Any advice
> is greatly appreciated.