JVS

My husband and I are thinking of moving there. We are in our early 30's no kids. We are enamored by the thought of daily access to Skiing,horseback riding, hiking, fishing and hunting. And its proximity to Boulder. We know we will be giving up the culture we enjoy in Manhattan, but want a healthier life for our future children.
Opinions/suggestions appreciated.

travelisfun

I'm hoping that you've actually visited Nederland. It's a very small town with not much to do in the actual town itself. As for skiing, it's close to a couple of small ski areas, but to get to the big ones (Vail, Keystone, Winter Park) you still would have an hour or two of driving. You are right, though, you have access to the wonderful mountains and all of the things that go along with that. Boulder is a short drive and has a lot of culture and things to do. If you are looking to move to a small, mountain village, then I think you'd enjoy it. However, I would definitely encourage you to plan an extended visit before committing to move there. It will be quite a change from Manhattan.

julie_Colorado

Ned is a funky little town stuck in a 60s time warp. The people I know that live there love it.... My husband and I live in Evergreen. I could live in Ned - but I wasn't so sure I wanted to raise my children there. I work in Boulder and it's a good 50 minute commute - so if proximity to Boulder is important, Evergreen isn't the place to be. One thing you'll need to decide, do you want to be near skiing or near Boulder. It's hard to do both. Life for kids in this area of CO is fantastic. Good Luck!!

BoulderCO

I can only assume that you have been to Nederland or you wouldn't be thinking about it. I can't imagine a place more different than Manhattan but it is convenient to all of the outdoor activities you mention. The commute down Boulder Canyon to Boulder is about 20 miles, very winding, and sometimes treacherous in the winter. I wouldn't want to make the commute on a daily basis but I know people who do it and don't seem to mind. Where are you planning to work? Nederland has limited employment opportunities.

flopmeister

JVS -- the deal is this: Nederland is not the place if you're looking for community. Yes, having immediate access to the great outdoors is fabulous, but you will instantly loose the connection with reality that urban life offers. if that's your quest, great. go live there. But i suspect that other areas in the denver metro area would offer you much more ... remember even if you live in the city of Denver you'll only be a short drive from the hills. DAILY access to skiing? are you all independently wealthy with nothing else to do but ski fish hunt and hike? If so you should consider the Vail valley or Aspen. From Nederland, downhill skiing will still be a shlepp unless you ski eldora which is a pretty wimpy hill. How often will you go horseback riding, really? as for fishing and hunting, same question. I am a mid 30's former Manhattanite who lives in Denver with his wife (a Montrealer) and our 2 1/2 yo son. Denver is, for us the best of both worlds that we craved. Nederland? Grow some hair, everywhere, splash on the patchouli and rock on, dude.

JVS

Flopmeister:
Thanks for your frank assessment. Unfortunately, we are not independently wealthy, but we are not interested in cul-de-sacs or more "townhouse" style living, either. We plan to own horses (will be riding daily)and work in either Boulder or Denver. Is the commute realistic to either city?

gottago

Pass on Nederland, if you still need to work. You can buy homes with acerage along the front range and be within 2 hours of good skiing at Keystone, Breckinridge, etc.

Coskier

Hi. A site you might look at if you have not already is http://www.cohoco.com

Consider looking on the western edge of denver Metro, Golden, Genesse, Lakewood, Ken Caryl, Morrison. All have some areas that allow horses with easy access to Downtown Denver.

Being on the western edge of town will put you very close to hiking, mtn biking and such. Traffic to the ski resorts can be bad but if you go very early on the weekends it can be less than an hour.

No idea of what your housing budget is or what type of employment you are after, but as you have pretty expensive sports listed I would guess your at the upper end? Might look at Breckenridge. they have quite a few "Horse" properties though will be in the high end price range.

flopmeister

JVS, ah, now that's being specific. But you cannot commute to either city from Nederland without wearing out your wheels or your patience. The problem is one of altitude and not necessarily distance. To get down from there you’ve got to follow a twisty, windy canyon. Beautiful yes, reasonably commutable? No way. Some areas in Lookout Mountain also allow horses, but I’m not sure if those are “grandfathered” or whether ordinances allow for new homeowners to keep horses. Lookout Mountain, Golden and Gennessee are located near “Mount Vernon Canyon” and are off I70, the only interstate option. As for living on the southern edge of the metro area front range, I think only Ken Caryl ranch and environs will suit your needs. However, there are some really nice ranch homes being built near the Chatfield reservoir in the 400-600 k range that will most probably allow for horses. Then you also have some amazing hiking in the foothills there. Arrowhead GC is nearby, and it is a day trip (albeit a long one) to all the Summit County ski areas. As for Boulder, you may want to have a realtor check on some properties along Four Mile Canyon and Coal Creek Canyon (again, the Canyon thing) as there are some really beautiful areas. Some really important things to consider, especially because there will be long term drought here in Colo. are whether the areas are connected to a municipal water supply. For example, there are some AMAZING properties in all the areas which I and others mentioned, but they’re on well water, which could prove to be a major, major challenge for you in the years ahead. Good luck though. I think most people think that Colo. is still able to retain the things that are attractive to outsiders, it’s just that I think it is reaching a critical mass – as with everything in America, the place you left seems to look just like the place at which you’ve arrived.

JVS

Flopmeister,
Thanks again for the location information. Will definitely look into the areas you mentioned. One last question(if it applies): can we expect the salary change (Manhattan-type salary to Denver salary)a challenge to our finances? I understand the COL is probebly cheaper in CO, but what can we expect in terms of the ratio Cost of Livingalary.

flopmeister

cost of living is demonstrably less in one respect: taxes. that's a double edged sword of course, because you will find the quality of the school districts dicey and available services in an economic downturn (i.e., now) spotty at best. this is why you are doing the right thing by asking around about where to live. chatfield, mentioned earlier, is in Douglas county, which for the past decade has been up there in the top five fastest growing counties in the country. my understanding is municipal coffers are okay. in jefferson county -- where many of the other towns mentioned are located -- the county is strapped for funding and school districts are suffering as a result. salaries are industry dependent. because i don't know what you guys do, i cannot give you any guidance re salary. here is one guide, i am an in-house attorney for a large company, i probly earn roughly half of what i would in nyc. but then again i work 8-5 and never on weekends. your biggest monthly expense will be your mortage, followed by car payments, and then all the other normal household stuff. if you have substantial equity (e.g., selling a co-op you bought 6 years ago on the upper west side, or something like that) then you will be okay to take the salary hit. the problem comes when your nut approaches that of the one you had in ny, because then your salary will most probably never approach that of what it was back east -- again this is industry dependent and i know many people here do very well in sales, insurance, medicine, etc. Once again, you will always have to balance your desire to reside in a mountain property with the reality of whatever daily existence you are most likely to face. for most people that means city or suburbs. For me, the extra 50 minutes or so that i get to spend with my family each day is precious, so much so that the ideal of a house in the foothills becomes something to shoot for when the kids are in college!

lenleigh

I would agree that if you HAVE to commute to Denver or Boulder on a regular basis that Nederland would not be a great drive. We camped once at Golden Gate Park which is close to Nederland and it was a pretty drive but there definitly is not much around. Having lived in Denver for most of my life, I had a really hard time enjoying living in a smaller Coloroado town. I dis-enjoyed it so much that I moved back to Denver after 6 months. I would imainge that moving from Manhattan to Nederland could be a major change for you. Denver is nothing like Manhattan but If you want a little more culture I would probably try to stay a little closer or have an easier commute. I think one nice area is up by Genesse. Keep in my though that we are in a Drought and Fire season this year is probably going to be even worse than last year (if that can be believed). I would just be careful of where/when you buy if that is at all possible.