Boulder is weird... I was all set to go there, and got a better offer in Bend, Oregon, which is significantly cheaper in terms of housing. I'm kind of happy about how it turned out. I didn't like the idea of turning over such a large portion of my paycheck to a landlord.
Things are not cheap here in Bend, but I have more of a feeling of getting in earlier, while things are still growing.
I loved Bend when I visited a decade ago. It has a lot of the benefits of Boulder plus an ocean not too far away (but further from an airport and major metropolitan area).
Didn't seem like much business was happening when I visited, though (other than tourism).
Things are not cheap here in Bend, but I have more of a feeling of getting in earlier, while things are still growing.