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We have a lot of previously employed software engineers. There are now more people coming into Colorado than leaving. Unemployment is going down and there are positive signs that the state's economy will continue to grow. Boulder and the neighboring towns of Louisville, Superior, Lafayette, Broomfield and Longmont began buying farmland and mountain parks first in 1906 and then aggressively starting in 1962 as a way to stop uncontrolled growth/sprawl. We call this Open Space. Once designated as Open Space it will never be rezoned for development.The Boulder County zoning laws limit one house per 35 acres of land if the land is not a designated building site or an approved subdivision. This controlled growth and limited land for growth in the cities obviously has a lot to do with relatively high cost of housing locally. This is now paying off in a big way, as you will see when traveling between cities in Boulder County.
You should find taxes are much lower in Boulder and Colorado than in most states. You can pretty much count on property taxes to be about 1% of the assessed value of the home. Instead of throwing money on taxes out the window you can afford to buy more home.
The City of Boulder had 10 years of 16 to 30% appreciation during the 90s. I guess Boulder has become one of the great places to live in the US. The City of Boulders median home price went up this year from $450,000 to $500,000. Boulder year after year seems to be insulated from the dramatic economic swings that take place in Colorado and around the country. After a few years of 1 to 2% appreciation we had 6% appreciation in the county this year. Boulder and Boulder County is a place that is always on the top 10 lists of best cities in the country. (Louisville made it this year) The climate, recreation, cultural activities, world class bicyclists, runners, climbers, and writers, college sports, etc., keep people here to stay, if they can. The towns surrounding Boulder, Longmont, Louisville, Superior, Lafayette, and Broomfield have much more affordable homes are great places to live and are perceived to be a part of the Boulder community as opposed to being part of the Denver suburbs. I think that is a big plus. Denver is only a 30 to 40 minute drive from most Boulder County towns.
Boulder and Cherry Hills are the most expensive towns in the Denver area and have the best school districts in the state. Colorado is low on the list of dollars spent on education per child, but that is not reflected in the test scores and graduation rates.
I could elaborate by phone much easier than by e-mail. Take a look at the links below. Those pages talk about some of the new projects and other great things going on here in the Boulder area. I know I sound like a cheerleader. Ive been here 25 years and still love coming back home every time.
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