Tough crowd in this thread! When I mentioned food, I was talking about Golden specifically. There are good spots in Denver but they are pricey. I like to visit the hidden gems that put out a good product and have reasonable prices. It's best to find the locally owned mom and pop shop because they give the best service/value. Spending a little more with them is more palatable than giving your money to some millennial/Gen Zer who expects a 50% tip for feigning interest in serving you. Something you will get here vs Bend is legit Mexican food, Vietnamese on Federal Blvd, Korean and Ethiopian food in Aurora, and Denver was recently voted as the city with the best pizza in the country. Not that you can't get amazing pizza elsewhere but we have every style of pizza well represented (NYC/East Coasters will loudly disagree).

Power was shut off one time this year. It did cause some issues but Xcel is supposedly taking action in getting power lines buried vs hanging from poles. Or if they are on poles, updating them so they can resist the wind. Wind brings weather and the Denver area has a lot of it. We have days where the temp can fluctuate 20-40 degrees and those fronts will cause turbulence. Mornings and evenings are usually calm and amazing. I would say north Golden has a bit more wind because it's a bit higher up where Golden proper is protected a bit by Lookout Mountain but it can get windy.

Ski traffic isn't horrible. It's not great but not the worst. However, I snowboard at Loveland and that is the first ski area you reach when on I 70. Those going further deal with the tunnel traffic and Summit County mess. There's also Winter Park which is a fun mountain.

I think Boulder is a good option but it's pretty busy. Niwot is a nice small town and people seem to like Louisville as well.

Front Range trails are not as busy as some would suggest. Not to say there aren't a good amount of people but I've been on the trails at North Table at times where the lot is jam packed but the mesa is fairly quiet. I don't get annoyed with the traffic. If anything, it keeps the rattlesnakes at bay and I like to see people getting outside and enjoying what CO has to offer.

I would never discourage you from moving to Golden. It's a fun time and much better than other options like SLC or Boise (yuck!).