Pros/Cons of buying in one of the canyons? (Boulder, 4 Mile, Coal Creek, Left Hand, etc)

[ClangClang]

My wife and I are at the point where we are ready to buy a home. We both have good jobs with long term security (well, as much as we can assume) in Boulder, so we obviously are sticking around here, but since buying in Boulder is impossible unless you have a trust fund, we are looking a little further afield. One of the options on the table is moving up into "them thar hills" to actually be able to afford a house with more than .15 acres and no garage.

Hoping you fine folks can share some insight into what life is actually like living in a Canyon. I'm most interested in the "less obvious" things I should be aware of now before starting to go look at houses and put in offers. What surprises are in store for me? Thanks!

[Blowby]

Make sure you have proper sun exposure to your driveway in the winter months.

[esaabye]

Agree, mountain shadow can be a killer during the winter

[kidicarus13]

CON: Sportbikes buzzing up and down the canyon roads when the weather is nice.

[roberth]

CON: Sportbikes buzzing up and down the canyon roads when the weather is nice.

and stupid bicyclists who think they can control traffic by riding in the middle of a 2-lane road w/o shoulder.

and moron people who drive 30 mph b/c they're afraid they'll drive over the cliff.

[Wulf202]

Pickenup should be able to get you some info.

Remember just a little while ago when the flooded?

[DFBrews]

Coal creek and boulder canyon are amazing. In my experience coal Creek is plowed slightly better

[Ah Pook]

4 Mile, fires and floods. Beautiful area but look at recent history.
Boulder Canyon, constant traffic noise and no sun.
Left Hand Canyon, pick something up high.
Coal Creek Canyon, nice but look at the side roads.

I'm looking outside of Boulder Co. Tired of the "Nanny state".

[GilpinGuy]

Try looking in Gilpin County too. Cheap as hell taxes and only a few more minutes to Boulder.

[GilpinGuy]

By the way, we'll be moving in the next 1-2 months. No garage here though if that's a necessesity for you. 3 bed, 2 bath.