Enjoying your surroundings is a key part of a good breakfast — maybe even essential.
We all know the rich head to coastal California for endless sun and warm weather. Many Midwesterners, myself included, dream of mountains, outdoor fun, and gentler winters. So we asked: should we consider moving to Longmont, Colorado?
If it’s good enough for Mr. Money Mustache, why not?
We just got back from Colorado, where Longmont was our base. We met several folks who had moved there recently for a better quality of life. I wanted my family to see the town and figure out whether we might want to move someday.
Our Airbnb was on Longmont’s historic east side — a pretty, established neighborhood with mature trees, parks, and a mix of well-kept and run-down older houses. Some are charming, some need work. And yes, houses there seem to hover around the half-million mark.
No self-respecting FIRE blogger visits Longmont without bikes. We loaded two kids’ bikes on a hitch rack and two adults’ cyclocross bikes on the roof. (Finding out our Outback had roof-rack mounts was a surprise.) Our gas mileage took a hit, but having bikes to get around town was worth it. I highly recommend the Longmont Loop — a 16-mile circuit through many parks, mostly on trails. And naturally, no Longmont trip is complete without hitting its breweries.
There’s a brewery on every corner, it seems, which makes planning easy. We aimed for five or six taprooms, but a sudden downpour left us visiting only three. We ended up tipsy, exhausted, and wet. Mrs. Cubert’s favorite was 300 Suns; I liked Wibby best. The staff at those places were friendlier than what we remembered from Left Hand a few years back. Still, I’ll never say no to a Nitro Chocolate Milk Stout.
We looked at houses too. One morning we toured Prospect New Town. If you know the movie Truman, this place feels deliberately designed and urban. The homes are clever and well-built, but the prices are eye-popping — $700K for a three-bedroom townhouse — and it felt more suburban than genuinely walkable to the best parks, libraries, schools, or taprooms. Still, the homes were attractive.
If we ever moved to Longmont, we’d aim for a house near old downtown — the early 20th-century streets with tall trees. Prices are the downside. Longmont housing has jumped more than 12% in the last three years. On the plus side, similar houses in Boulder go for one-third to double the cost of Longmont homes.
We spent a day in Denver and caught a Rockies game with cheap tickets. The third-deck view was great, and the hot dog was acceptable. I had a Coors Banquet — something about baseball makes those light beers hit the spot.
On the way to the game we stopped at Red Rocks outside Golden. It was cool to see it in person after seeing clips in music videos. There’s even a Starbucks there, which is handy for tired, frugal parents.
We wandered through Denver neighborhoods that felt a bit like Uptown Minneapolis: mom-and-pop shops mixed with pricey chains. Gentrification is visible, even to a first-time visitor.
People in Colorado felt Midwest-friendly. Our Airbnb host was responsive, and a Denver mechanic fixed two tail lights for $5 in under ten minutes. In Longmont we met Carl and Mindy (the 1500 Days folks), who kindly showed us listings right after returning from a long trip. We toured houses with them while my brain quietly did the math on costs and logistics.
We stopped by Mr. Money Mustache’s place in downtown Longmont. It was fun to see a spot I’ve read about and to squeeze in a quick happy hour in the backyard of Early Retirement Valhalla before dinner with Mrs. Cubert’s parents. Meeting the POPs and Miss Mazuma was a highlight — Miss Mazuma even came from Denver to hang out. I definitely owe her a decent bottle of wine.
Meeting people like that makes considering a move to Longmont tempting.
After a trip like that you also come home and realize you miss your place, your neighbors, and a nice summer evening walk. I started counting the months I resent in Minnesota: January, February, March, and most of April — four months to solve for. Expect lots more waffling from me over the coming months, maybe years.
There’s something special about the Mountain time zone. Longmont felt like it might offer more than our chilly Minneapolis life, so we had to see it firsthand. Getting there was easy — points and rewards covered flights, and Minneapolis to Denver is a short hop. We rented a car too. I declined the upsell meant for “handling the mountains” and stuck with a Toyota Yaris. It was small, cheap, and manual, and I wondered how it’d do on mountain roads.
Since Longmont was on the way to Estes Park, we stopped there for lunch and a walk. Estes Park is a cute town with what retirees might want, and yes, even a Carl’s Jr. The outskirts have strip malls and chains, but Main Street is charming.
Longmont has some light industrial areas doing interesting things. We stopped at Left Hand Brewing and enjoyed their beer. After lunch we walked the older neighborhoods — the kind of blocks we’d likely choose if we moved. Roosevelt Park is close to Main and feels right for festivals or local gatherings. We also checked out the Longmont Public Library.
The library was excellent for little kids. The children’s area is big and well stocked, and it’s just a block off Main. Longmont’s walkability impressed us.
On a sunny September day, I realized I’d left my hat in the car and my scalp was getting roasted. The UV in the Front Range is much stronger than back home, and for fair-skinned, balding types like me, that’s something to consider.
All that said, Longmont checks a lot of boxes. For now we’ll stay in the Great Up North — the people here are great too, and we’ve got our own breweries, distilleries, parks, and trails to enjoy. You betcha.