I just got back from a 10 day trip to Colorado and I want to move out there. Im from the Philly area and Im just sick of life here. I am a Bicycle Mechanic here and I have a construction job. You really cant make a good living here working in bike shops. I talked to a few people while I was out there and they tell me you can in eather town. Im hopping to make the move in the next year. But I need some help looking for a job and a place to live. I cant seam to fund much online. Any one know of any local websites out there that have listings?
looking to move to Boulder or Drango
- Thread starter Pulser955
- Start date
There's no way you can live in Boulder as a Bike Mechanic.
Join the club... been looking for 8 months now. But Im looking to work for an environmental/engineering consulting firm... Any monkeys work in Boulder doing the same who can help a brother out? 
RancidSLP said:
At this point i just need off the east cost. I dont have to live in down town Boulder. Actuly i would rther live out away from eather city.
Dude - do yourself a favor and do the Durango move. Lots fewer people, better access to better mountains. Beautiful little town.Pulser955 said:
Boulder is OK for a big city, but Durango kicks its ass in almost every way.
Natedogg, try Montgomery Watson in Steamboat Springs. They're always looking for ppl and they're right up your alley. Steamboat is not like Boulder tho and is a good 3 hours northwest of the Denver Metro area. A good place to start for Steamboat is www.steamboatpilot.com, the site for the local newspaper. Rent there is either same or cheaper than Boulder. Bring your own chic tho, it's a pretty dry town in that respect.Natedogg said:Join the club... been looking for 8 months now. But Im looking to work for an environmental/engineering consulting firm... Any monkeys work in Boulder doing the same who can help a brother out?
Having lived in both I strongly agree, although I ended up living in Boulder, because I can't find a good job in Durango and one thing Boulder does win with is the community/family life aspect. There is no comparison to Durango for riding access, possibly anywhere, Durango is the best for mtn biking. The locals think cost of living is outrageous down there which it is, for what the income brackets typically are. It is much cheaper than Boulder though and you can probably find a job doing what you are doing down there if you look around. I would check out their local newspaper online, the Durango herald.SkaredShtles said:
Nate, I am in your field but I steered my ship towards Environmental Health in the biotech world, which Boulder has a lot of. I was also looking for a consulting firm in Boulder, and not to sound doomsdayish here, but I think there are only two or three companies in Boulder who do this and I know at least one of them has marginal ethics/personnel. If you are hell bent on moving to this area, there are a ton of companies in the Denver metro area and even more in the tech center. There are quite a few companies around Golden also, and if your into mountain biking (which I assume you are) the riding is a lot better around Denver and Golden than Boulder. I have some contacts that may or may not be helpful, they did not help me but I went into it with little experience, I would try ecoemploy.com if you haven't already. My wife and I really like living in Boulder though so my fate is sealed to weak rides and being a roadieNatedogg said:Join the club... been looking for 8 months now. But Im looking to work for an environmental/engineering consulting firm... Any monkeys work in Boulder doing the same who can help a brother out?
SkaredShtles said:
Thats kind of what I thought. I dont see it being more expensive then were I am now. Rent here is crazy for a 1 bed room apartment you have to put out $800 to $1000.
Hay man thanks for the website. Looks like there are lots of jobs for framers and carpenters. I may just have to come out and do that for a while. And apartments dont look that bad either.kokothemonkey said:
You can always live "out of town" like in Hesperus or other outlying towns.Pulser955 said:
well it's doable, but not comfortable. you could try louisville or lafayette, one of the surrounding denver suburbs. so freakin pricey here in boulder, and not just real estate. everything costs more in townfuzzynutz said:
Hey Koko, I sent you a PM a while back, did you get it?
kokothemonkey said:Nate, I am in your field but I steered my ship towards Environmental Health in the biotech world, which Boulder has a lot of. I was also looking for a consulting firm in Boulder, and not to sound doomsdayish here, but I think there are only two or three companies in Boulder who do this and I know at least one of them has marginal ethics/personnel. If you are hell bent on moving to this area, there are a ton of companies in the Denver metro area and even more in the tech center. There are quite a few companies around Golden also, and if your into mountain biking (which I assume you are) the riding is a lot better around Denver and Golden than Boulder. I have some contacts that may or may not be helpful, they did not help me but I went into it with little experience, I would try ecoemploy.com if you haven't already. My wife and I really like living in Boulder though so my fate is sealed to weak rides and being a roadie
Just for s***s and giggles Ill bump this puppy. I gave up on looking for jobs in Boulder since I applied, re-applied, called, pestered, etc all the environmental firms with no luck. Any Monkeys work in earth sciences field in the Boulder area? Consulting firms, engineering firms, NOAA, USGS, etc?
I would almost think that westerner environmental consultants would want some rat-bast**d eastcoasters since we run the rat race and have seen anything and everything that has been dumped, poisoned, polluted, destroyed, buried, etc for the last 300 years which would be invaluable experience (maybe I should be in sales?!?!?).
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I would almost think that westerner environmental consultants would want some rat-bast**d eastcoasters since we run the rat race and have seen anything and everything that has been dumped, poisoned, polluted, destroyed, buried, etc for the last 300 years which would be invaluable experience (maybe I should be in sales?!?!?).
ink:
Did you try NIST or NCAR? They have a pretty large presence in this town.Natedogg said:Just for s***s and giggles Ill bump this puppy. I gave up on looking for jobs in Boulder since I applied, re-applied, called, pestered, etc all the environmental firms with no luck. Any Monkeys work in earth sciences field in the Boulder area? Consulting firms, engineering firms, NOAA, USGS, etc?
I would almost think that westerner environmental consultants would want some rat-bast**d eastcoasters since we run the rat race and have seen anything and everything that has been dumped, poisoned, polluted, destroyed, buried, etc for the last 300 years which would be invaluable experience (maybe I should be in sales?!?!?).
Have you tried the energy companies? They often have need for earth science types. I know that the mining companies do, too. They probably pay better than the gummint, too.Natedogg said:Just for s***s and giggles Ill bump this puppy. I gave up on looking for jobs in Boulder since I applied, re-applied, called, pestered, etc all the environmental firms with no luck. Any Monkeys work in earth sciences field in the Boulder area? Consulting firms, engineering firms, NOAA, USGS, etc?
I would almost think that westerner environmental consultants would want some rat-bast**d eastcoasters since we run the rat race and have seen anything and everything that has been dumped, poisoned, polluted, destroyed, buried, etc for the last 300 years which would be invaluable experience (maybe I should be in sales?!?!?).
My recommendation: move to Durango. Live in your car for awhile. Find somebody who needs a roommate. Move in and find a job of some sort. Have loads of fun whilst looking for a "real" job. If it doesn't work, you'll at least have had loads of fun.
The monkeys around here are in all types of industries (including school). Don't limit yourself to Boulder, look around the Denver area. Boulder is 80% East coast (according to a tax survey done 3 years ago), so all the east coast mentality is already here. I don't mind the democratic portion to boulder, but it is over the top, and too expensive. Its also overrated.Natedogg said:
Like I said earlier, all the East coasters beat you to it. There are tons of other places to look. If you enjoy mountain biking, don't look into boulder.Natedogg said:
Pulser~ What type of construction? And what type of bike mechanic?
I live in Bayfield, CO about 15 miles from Durango. I moved to Bayfield specifically to get a great deal on a house with some land and still be close to Durango. If you're a bike mechanic and an avid rider I really think you can't beat Durango.
Most folks that I know that live here can't imagine not living here. The riding is amazing as most everyone agrees. You're also a 2.5 hour jump to Moab in Fall and Spring when it might be too cold or snowbound here. Hard to beat that.
Finally, you're in the heart of the San Juan Mountains......the largest range in Colorado. Most ranges are long and thin - the San Juan's are one of the few that allow you to get away from it all. As a backpacker and climber, this has additional value for me. The snowboarding isn't bad either - Wolf Creek gets pretty reliable snowfall.
There are jobs to be had here, but it's not always easy. Most here agree you have to be diligent and creative, but livelihood can be found. You certainly should be fine if you'd like to continue your work as a bike mechanic.
Best of luck and drop me a line if you come into town.
Most folks that I know that live here can't imagine not living here. The riding is amazing as most everyone agrees. You're also a 2.5 hour jump to Moab in Fall and Spring when it might be too cold or snowbound here. Hard to beat that.
Finally, you're in the heart of the San Juan Mountains......the largest range in Colorado. Most ranges are long and thin - the San Juan's are one of the few that allow you to get away from it all. As a backpacker and climber, this has additional value for me. The snowboarding isn't bad either - Wolf Creek gets pretty reliable snowfall.
There are jobs to be had here, but it's not always easy. Most here agree you have to be diligent and creative, but livelihood can be found. You certainly should be fine if you'd like to continue your work as a bike mechanic.
Best of luck and drop me a line if you come into town.
........and how could you pass on this (from a few weeks ago):
wow, I just stumbled upon this. I've been looking off and on in these areas for entry level (+ a few years) enviro or forestry work. I've had a few buddies from college get on w/ the forest service in Durango and one in Boulder, but its tight. I've found that most of the consulting firms don't do much advertising, but more of word of mouth, so I'm getting stone walled out west. Hell, if anyone hears of an opening.......I'll return the favor in beer :love:
:love: