Stu Galvis

Coming in at a close second is The Newlands/Old North Boulder with a total score of 52 out of a possible 60!

Here's the scoring break-down:

1. Walk Score - 7. Dependant on location within the community, while still being walkably close to downtown and it's amenities, homes here are also very close to the Ideal Shops, the N Boulder Rec Center, & Boulder's fabulous Community Gardens.

2. Proximity to Boulder Mountain Parks - 9.5. Starting at the foot of the Mt. Sanitas trailhead, just N of the mouth of Boulder Canyon, and surrounding the extremely popular N Boulder Park, The Newlands and Old North Boulder abut climbing, hiking and enjoying so many of the amazing outdoor opportunities of Boulder, one might not know where to start.

3. Proximity to Downtown Boulder - 9. Being just N of downtown, it's still just a short distance away for any and all to walk or roll right over to the shopping, dining, arts, music & entertainment for which Downtown Boulder is so famous.

4. Community Aesthetics - 8.5. While the Newlands is full of gorgeous (and a few not-so-appealing) complete remodels, many of them are build to the lot lines, leaving very little yard or green-space to buffer the differing styles. Old North Boulder is still full of those "Built-Ford-Tough" 50's & 60's brick ranches with more classic craftsman remodels, and the owners on this side of Broadway like their yard space (and so do I). To add to it all, the charming retro-50's Ideal shops and N Boulder Park create some beauty amidst the equally charming hodge-podge of these very-different-yet-similar neighborhoods.

5. Percentage of rentals vs. owner-occupied - 7.5. With very high property values still, and the highest desirability of any neighborhood in town, there's just not a lot of room for rental investors while still this close the heart of our fair city.

6. Affordability - 7. While property values in the Newlands have far exceeded the reach of most buyers, thanks to the gigantic, top-end renovations, Old North Boulder still offers more buyers opportunities to purchase a good older home with solid bones in the #2 neighborhood in town. I'd give the Newlands a 6, and Old N Boulder an 8, therefore the average is 7.

For more information or for comments, questions or other general feedback, call or email me, and we'll chat.

After much ado, deliberation, and voting, we have finally picked a winner.

... And the winner is ...

With a total score of 52 out of a possible 60: Downtown Boulder / Mapleton Hill.

Here's how the scoring broke down:

1. Walk Score - 8. Dependant on location within the downtown Boulder/Mapleton Hill neighborhoods, most homes ranged between the Mid 70's and the mid 90's, with the average in the mid 80s. Hence, 8 out of 10.

2. Proximity to Boulder Mountain Parks - 9. At around 1mi. to the Sanitas trailhead, 1.25mi. to the mouth of Boulder Canyon, and 2 miles to the Chautauqua Trailhead, Downtown Boulder is the gateway to the mountains.

3. Proximity to Downtown Boulder - 10. Well, it IS downtown Boulder, just feet away from all of that shopping, dining, arts, music & entertainment for which Downtown Boulder is so famous.

4. Community Aesthetics - 10. With all eyes on the heart of this beautiful city, the residents and business people of Downtown Boulder take a lot of pride in the historic heart of the city. Modern architecture, urban design, and gorgeous historic homes are the epitomy of a beautiful neighborhood, with aboundant parks and outdoor spaces dotting the area.

5. Percentage of rentals vs. owner-occupied - 9. Thanks to high property values and the highest desirability of any neighborhood in town, there's just not a lot of room for rental investors in the heart of our fair city.

6. Affordability - 6. Though downtown has the lowest affordability, it also boasts the most amenities, therefore the bang for the buck is relatively higher than one of those exclusive, gated-type neighborhoods with giant homes that are just expensive for the sake of exclusivity.

If that last criterion made you feel hopeless about your ability to buy a place in the #1 neighborhood in Boulder, please don't be discouraged. If one knows where to look, many Boulder buyers can find a great place in this the best neighborhood in town that supports both their lifestyle and budget. If you'd like to find out how, email me, and we'll chat.

Out-of-towners and those looking to relocate to the People's Republic of Boulder always ask for recommendations on Boulder neighborhoods, and that's a tough topic to address. Neighborhood selection is extremely subjective which, honestly, depends completely on individual lifestyles and how those lifestyles will be best supported.

However, since I'm a gluton for punishment, and since I've been asked by home buyers for neighborhood recommendations twice in the last week, I thought I'd put together a few metrics around identifying some of the best 'hoods in town. Then I'll be able to (relatively) objectively weigh the pros and cons of the different areas in Boulder in which to live, which I'll do over the next 5 weeks.

First, though, I need to explain how this is going to work.

Step 1 - Decide on the most common considerations amongst any Boulder neighborhood.

But how does one go about identifying the most common considerations of any given neighborhood? Well, after some careful thought, I decided to let our clients decide. So I asked Syd and Brian, "why do most folks move to Boulder, and what do most people love most about living in the best town in Colorado?"

The criteria on which I finally decided are all based around those things with which Boulder living is synonymous: health, sustainability, community, beauty, innovation, active lifestyles & the outdoors.

All of the neighborhoods will be ranked in the 6 areas identified below on a scale from 1 - 10.

A 10 indicates paradise for someone interested in the given criteria. For example, if one wants a very affordable neighborhood, then that person should look for a 10 in Category 6 - Affordability. This would be Aurora Terrace - basically the last place in Boulder where it MIGHT still be possible to find a home for less than $300,000.00.

A 1 indicates a miserable failure in any given category. For example, if one wants to live in a beautiful neighborhood, then that person should avoid the neighborhood that scores a 1 in community aesthetics. This might be a strip of poo-poo-brown townhomes built in 1972, stuck between a car dealership and a trailer park (you know who you are, and it's a good thing you repainted!)

1. Walk Score - Walk Score is a number between 0 and 100 that measures the walkability of any address based on its proximity to neighborhood amenities.

2. Proximity to Boulder Mountain Parks - General proximity to the City of Boulder's mountain parks with access to hiking, biking, climbing, fishing, paddling, & other outdoor recreation.

3. Proximity to Downtown Boulder - General proximity to all of the shopping, dining, arts, music & entertainment for which Downtown Boulder is so famous.

4. Community aesthetics - This one might be the most subjective of all, so you'll just have to deal with my opinion of beauty. I'll be considering homes, parks, vegetation, trees & architecture, amongst others.

5. Percentage of rentals vs. owner-occupied - Let's face it. Boulder's housing stock is around 51% rentals and it's also a town of two colleges. Many of the neighborhoods that are closer to CU Boulder or Naropa are mostly rentals, and many renters don't make great neighbors.

6. Affordability - This is the value piece. Boulder is expensive, and the fact of the matter is that many of the people who want to live here just can't afford to. There are a few pockets of value left in this town of low supply and high demand, though, and this criterion will identify the bang for the buck.

I'll be adding links and cleaning this one up over the next few days as I begin my research, so check back next week for more info, and look for our rankings to begin on Tuesday, April 19th.

Each Tuesday thereafter, I'll be adding the next best neighborhood in town in which to live, so come on back on a weekly basis, and let me know what you think about our choices.

Of course, if you want to leave your opinions of the best spots in town, please leave them in a comment and how you chose the way you did.