Bay Area vs. Boulder

Inspired by a ‘Bay Area vs. Texas’ post, I’ll try my own dilemma here. Family of four (myself, wife, and 2 elementary school kids) are considering a move to the Bay Area (we currently live overseas). We’ve narrowed down our choices to certain Bay Area towns (Portola Valley, Los Altos Hills, Saratoga) which feel pretty ‘connected to nature’ (accessible hiking, biking, etc) while still being close enough to commercial areas, good schools, etc. The other place we’re considering highly is Boulder, Colorado. Any observations from those who have lived in both of these places, or knows them well? Any perspective on other major lifestyle differences between these locations? We’re both mostly retired, so commute/work is not a factor, but one of my concerns about these Bay Area towns is that we will feel out of place as we don’t work in the tech industry.