California is not that bad, as long as you stay away from large cities. It also has Proposition 13. The weather is good, unless you insist on having heavy snow to shovel and ice to fall on and break your bones :-) It will be also closer to LA. It's a big deal to not have a need to fly - the road to airport, all the procedures, waiting, luggage are even more wasteful than the flight itself.
I have a friend in Denver, and he complains that the altitude is killing him. Denver is at 5,280 feet, Boulder is even higher, at 5,430 feet - so perhaps you want to check if you can handle the altitude.
Thanks - never thought of that. Good point.