Planet 9

***TX-KmanS*** · #1 01-09-2008, 10:37 AM

I am currently at my company's headquarters in beautiful Boulder, CO and I was asked if I would consider moving from the Houston, TX area to the Boulder, CO area. I am not adverse to the move, but it would be a big switch from where I am now; the state income tax alone is going to take some getting used to, should I decide to make the move. I thought about visiting the local Porsche dealer to check things out, but what a better way to find out about the area then ask the people who live there.

What Porsche dealer do you use and have you been happy with the service?

Are there any reliable and well respected independent shops in the area?

What is the closest track to the Denver area?

The cost of living is something else that is going to take getting used to since housing in Houston is dirt cheap in comparison. For those members that live in the Boulder area, what neighborhoods should I be looking at that are in nice areas and good school districts?

Thank you in advance for any and all information you can give me to help in my decision making process.

**jnscolo** · #2 01-09-2008, 12:24 PM

Come to Colorado! You'll love it. We've lived in Chicago, Dallas, KC, NY, Wash. DC, and the SF Bay Area. Colorado has been our favorite.

I can only answer some of your questions, as I live south of Denver.

I'd ask 'em to adjust your salary for the difference in state tax and cost of living. I moved to Colorado from California, so I experienced cheaper housing and half the state income tax.

The Boulder Valley School District is one of the strongest in the state. They consistently score amongst the highest districts on standardized state tests.

I know there is now a P dealer in Boulder, although I've never set foot in it.

Closest track that I've heard used for DEs and track days is PPIR which is about 20 minutes south of Colorado Springs (others probably know more.) From Boulder, figure about 2 hours to get there (less if they'd ever finish the danged ring road....)

**Santa Fe** · #3 01-09-2008, 12:47 PM

Let's see.
No mosquitoes.
No tornadoes.
No floods.
Four seasons.
Mountains.
Mountains.
Did I mention mountains?

Good luck with the decision.

caygirl · #4 01-09-2008, 01:10 PM

Wow Scott, that's a big decision. I love CO and always thought I would end up there one day. If you do move there, make sure your garage door faces a certain way - south, I think. Or maybe it depends on where you live, anyway someone said that was fairly important. I've never lived there but love to visit - both summer & winter.

We would miss you organizing us in zone 5!

**KS-CS** · #5 01-09-2008, 01:22 PM

Well I haven't lived in Boulder myself, but my brother and best friend from high school have lived there for years, and this is what I've learned from my visits there:

PROS:
Scenery
Outdoor activities
Cultural/Sporting Events
Mountain roads + Cayman = Nirvana

CONS:
Housing Costs $$$$$ (like coastal California) in Boulder
Housing availability in Boulder proper is limited
Local Politics "Peoples Republic of Boulder"

Traffic - can be bad in Boulder and if you commute to Denver
Explosion of development on Denver-Boulder corridor and around Boulder.

My wife used to live in Houston - if I had the choice between Houston and Boulder, I would choose Boulder despite the co$t.

Ghost Rider · #6 01-09-2008, 01:44 PM

As others have said, housing prices in Boulder are quite a bit higher than elsewhere in the metro Denver area. If that is a problem, then you might try looking in Golden. Particularly if you like mountain biking, mountain lions, and the smell of beer!

The nearest track is Second Creek:Second Creek Raceway

Stammler was the Porsche dealer in Boulder for years, but it has since become "Porsche of Boulder" and I think it may have changed ownership. I haven't been there since then.

Prestige Imports in Lakewood is a fantastic dealership. Ask K-Man S how they treated him after he hit that carcass on I-70, I'm sure he would vouch for them. They have treated me well also.

Ditto on the south facing driveway! Colorado is also a CCW state, which might mean something to a Texan.

Finally, people might tell you that Colorado folks have something against Texans. That's not necessarily true. If you ski reasonably well and don't build a 10,000 sq. ft home on a mountain top, you'll fit right in!

Ghost Rider · #7 01-09-2008, 02:11 PM

Ok, forget what I said about Second Creek being the closest track. I've learned that it closed several years ago.

***TX-KmanS*** · #8 01-09-2008, 07:50 PM

Originally Posted by Santa Fe

Let's see.
No mosquitoes.
No tornadoes.
No floods.
Four seasons.
Mountains.
Mountains.
Did I mention mountains?

Good luck with the decision.

You forgot No Hurricanes. However No Mosquitoes is really high on my list.

***TX-KmanS*** · #9 01-09-2008, 07:52 PM

Originally Posted by jnscolo

I'd ask 'em to adjust your salary for the difference in state tax and cost of living. I moved to Colorado from California, so I experienced cheaper housing and half the state income tax.

The Boulder Valley School District is one of the strongest in the state. They consistently score amongst the highest districts on standardized state tests.

I know there is now a P dealer in Boulder, although I've never set foot in it.

Closest track that I've heard used for DEs and track days is PPIR which is about 20 minutes south of Colorado Springs (others probably know more.) From Boulder, figure about 2 hours to get there (less if they'd ever finish the danged ring road....)

Salary adjustment is high on my list of must haves considering housing is more than double then what it is in the Houston area. I live about 30 miles SW of downtown Houston and the housing prices are so attractive that it will be difficult to leave.

Thank you for your input, I agree with you that Colorado is just beautiful. I enjoy coming to Boulder every time I have to for work.

***TX-KmanS*** · #10 01-09-2008, 07:55 PM

Originally Posted by caygirl

Wow Scott, that's a big decision. I love CO and always thought I would end up there one day. If you do move there, make sure your garage door faces a certain way - south, I think. Or maybe it depends on where you live, anyway someone said that was fairly important. I've never lived there but love to visit - both summer & winter.

We would miss you organizing us in zone 5!

It is a tremendous decision and one that is going to take me quite some time to answer. A lot of variables with my wife's family in Dallas, where to put kids in school, finding a good neighborhood, and the list goes on....

I want to make the right decision and leaving Zone 5 would be tough considering what a blast I have had so far, but mountain roads as KC-CS has pointed out would be intoxicating... That is something Houston is lacking.

**Santa Fe** · #11 01-09-2008, 07:57 PM

Scott, re housing prices. Your Sugarland values will probably go down. Your CO values will probably increase. And your kids will grow with the values of the outdoor experience. Did I mention mountains. Seriously this could be a very rewarding lifestyle change. And from the "me" I've never once regretted leaving Houston.

***TX-KmanS*** · #12 01-09-2008, 08:02 PM

Originally Posted by Santa Fe

Scott, re housing prices. Your Sugarland values will probably go down. Your CO values will probably increase. And your kids will grow with the values of the outdoor experience. Did I mention mountains. Seriously this could be a very rewarding lifestyle change.

SF, believe me, this is a very tempting offer and one that I am taking seriously. I think my wife and I are going to come back in March to look at some houses as long as some of my internal talks go the way I hope.

Colorado has some of the most beautiful scenery (including the afore mentioned mountains

) and I just love coming to our Boulder office any chance I get. I'm very flattered that my boss wants me to move to the company head quarters, and in my youth I would have already said yes. But I don't do anything like this without looking at every angle to make sure it is right for me and my family.

**Santa Fe** · #13 01-09-2008, 08:18 PM

Your youth?! You don't realize how young you are!

**grrlsix** · #14 01-09-2008, 08:57 PM

Originally Posted by Santa Fe

Let's see.
No mosquitoes.
No tornadoes.
No floods.
Four seasons.
Mountains.
Mountains.
Did I mention mountains?

+ snow

would you need to "winterize" your Cayman and garage it for 1/3 of the year there?

taylor23 · #15 01-10-2008, 06:10 AM

Here are some links to Colorado tracks in development.

High Plains Raceway | Colorado Amateur Motorsports Associates (CAMA)

Genoa Motorsports Park - Colorado Race Track

MSCC - Ring of the Rockies

-Steve

**jnscolo** · #16 01-10-2008, 08:27 AM

Originally Posted by grrlsix

+ snow

would you need to "winterize" your Cayman and garage it for 1/3 of the year there?

There is some validity to this post, but let me tell you where I came down. I chose not to winterize the Cayman for two reasons:

1) I can drive the Cayenne Turbo with snow tires for skiing and if the weather in Denver is bad.
2) Denver's little secret (yikes, the Colorado homies may kill me for this) is that we have over 300 days of sunshine a year. So, even in the middle of winter temps are often in the 40s and 50s with dry roads. So, you don't end up garaging for 1/3 of the year, maybe 1/6, but probably not even that much. To wit, the current 5-day forecast for Denver is temps in the 40s and either partly cloudy or sunny every day.

I also know others in far less mild climates do the snow wheel/tire routine and are perfectly happy. My experience is that the days of significant snow per year (more than 1-2 inches) in Denver are fewer than 10. I'm in my 9th winter, now.

Having said that, I have had some mild depression lately when it's been snowing and the CS looks really sad in the garage on its IV (battery tender.)

***TX-KmanS*** · #17 01-10-2008, 08:32 AM

Originally Posted by grrlsix

+ snow

would you need to "winterize" your Cayman and garage it for 1/3 of the year there?

There is always the snow tire option, but I think that since I have a different daily driver, I think that if I decide to move, I would winterize my baby and store her through the winter.

Something else to think about... In Houston I get to drive my CS 365 (366 this year

) days a year if I want to.

Decisions, Decisions....

***TX-KmanS*** · #18 01-10-2008, 08:33 AM

Originally Posted by taylor23

Here are some links to Colorado tracks in development.

High Plains Raceway | Colorado Amateur Motorsports Associates (CAMA)

Genoa Motorsports Park - Colorado Race Track

MSCC - Ring of the Rockies

-Steve

Thank you for this, I will be sure to take a look at these.

***TX-KmanS*** · #19 01-10-2008, 08:38 AM

Originally Posted by jnscolo

There is some validity to this post, but let me tell you where I came down. I chose not to winterize the Cayman for two reasons:

1) I can drive the Cayenne Turbo with snow tires for skiing and if the weather in Denver is bad.
2) Denver's little secret (yikes, the Colorado homies may kill me for this) is that we have over 300 days of sunshine a year. So, even in the middle of winter temps are often in the 40s and 50s with dry roads. So, you don't end up garaging for 1/3 of the year, maybe 1/6, but probably not even that much. To wit, the current 5-day forecast for Denver is temps in the 40s and either partly cloudy or sunny every day.

I also know others in far less mild climates do the snow wheel/tire routine and are perfectly happy. My experience is that the days of significant snow per year (more than 1-2 inches) in Denver are fewer than 10. I'm in my 9th winter, now.

Having said that, I have had some mild depression lately when it's been snowing and the CS looks really sad in the garage on its IV (battery tender.)

Your little secret (selling point) about 300 plus days of sun are one of the things my boss mentioned to me; stark contrast to Houston where it is cloudy a lot. I spoke to my wife last night and I think we are going to come back to the Boulder area in March to look at neighborhoods and the surrounding areas to see what she thinks since she has never been to Colorado. I understand March is the snowiest month of the year so that will give us a good idea of what to expect and allow us to try our hand at skiing.

**filahebe** · #20 01-10-2008, 08:57 AM

I live in Denver and frequently go to Boulder for client visits. I'm in the process of moving out of CO with my company. Boulder is a great place but keep in mind a few things:

They tend to do things their own way. Very independent relative to rest of the state.

Expensive

It's a bit of a granola town. This is not bad, but make sure you like that lifestyle and attitudes.

I think that if you can afford to comfortably move yourself to Boulder and afford a comparable place to live in, you won't regret it. Everything above is true in regards to weather. BTW, I don't winterize my Cayman. The Cayman is an excellent winter car.

I bought my Cayman from Prestige Porsche In Denver (Lakewood). I've never visited the Bolder dealership.