Superior or Broomfield (Denver, Westminster, Boulder: fit in, rent, new home)

[mappersgirl]

My husband is taking a job in Boulder, CO and we are looking in to areas to relocate our family from MO.

I was wanting to know which of these areas has more of what we are looking for...

Superior or Broomfield

1. Good School System
2. Family Friendly
3. Shopping
4. Places to go and do things with small children under the age of 5
5. Newer housing

Thank you for any input and any added would be nice.

[Katiana]

Originally Posted by mappersgirl

My husband is taking a job in Boulder, CO and we are looking in to areas to relocate our family from MO.

I was wanting to know which of these areas has more of what we are looking for...

Superior or Broomfield

1. Good School System
2. Family Friendly
3. Shopping
4. Places to go and do things with small children under the age of 5
5. Newer housing

Thank you for any input and any added would be nice.

They are about equal in all these areas except shopping. Most of the housing in Superior is new. Broomfield has a mix. Broomfield has a rec center, Superior does not. Superior does have rec programs through the YMCA, however. Broomfield has one of the largest malls in Colorado (Flatiron Crossing). Superior has a "Marketplace" with a Target for an anchor. It is not far from Superior to Flatiron, in fact some locations may be closer than some in Broomfield.

[2bindenver]

Look at both areas and choose a community based on what it offers and how it *feels* to you. Either city would be nice to call home.

[BrianPhill]

We moved to the area about 3 months ago and currently rent a house in Broomfield while exploring where to buy. We are focusing our search on Superior because the schools appear to be just a little bit better (not that Broomfield is bad, but Superior is top-notch), and it's a closer commute to my job in Boulder.

We have 2 kids under 5 and there seem to be plenty of activities in both places, though the Paul Derda rec center in Broomfield is really awesome, there is nothing comparable in Superior. Broomfield is probably a little more central for shopping because there are more options in Broomfield and it's closer to Westminster, though the fact that the Flatirons mall and shopping area is technically in Broomfield means virtually nothing - it feels more like Flatirons is in Superior based on the location.

Keep in mind as you look in Broomfield that areas west of Sheridan are Boulder Valley schools (tend to be more well regarded), while areas east of Sheridan are in Adams 5-star district. Not bad schools, but not as well regarded. There seems to be a significant price premium for being in the Boulder Valley part of Broomfield, and probably some housing investment protection to go along with it should you need to sell.

One other thing we have noticed in Broomfield - it has more diversity in population than Superior, which can be good or bad, depending on your perspective. For us, having just moved from a rather wealthy part of California, we feel we will fit in better in the more upper middle class, white collar professional oriented Superior. Many areas of Broomfield don't feel like a fit for us, though our prespective is probably skewed because we're renting in a mostly blue-collar neighborhood. I'm sure we'd feel different if we lived in the Broadlands. And again, depending on where you're coming from, Superior may feel very foreign to you.

Good luck in your search.

[mappersgirl]

BrianPhill -

Thank you for your response! It was very helpful and gave me a lot to think about. I appreciate your honesty...that is what I was looking for since I know nothing.

[Katiana]

I disagree that the Superior schools are so, well, Superior. My family had many good experiences with Broomfield High School.

[BrianPhill]

Originally Posted by pittnurse70

I disagree that the Superior schools are so, well, Superior. My family had many good experiences with Broomfield High School.

I'm not doubting there are many people who have good experiences at Broomfield High. Monarch High, and the elementary schools that feed into it, score better than the Broomfield schools, and on an anecdotal level, I've only heard wonderful things about them. That tips the scales to Superior for me.

[bouldergranola]

Personally, I would choose Broomfield over Superior any day. Oh, wait...we did. Let's take a look at your criteria:

Good School System - Boulder Valley is top-notch. Monarch might have higher CSAPs but it is anything but a typical "neighborhood" school. Think more like..a mall or a prison.

Family-Friendly - Broomfield has numerous family-friendly activities. Not only is the Derda Rec center a great place (with its indoor aquatic park, indoor playground, Kids Nite Out program, and excellent child-sitting area), but Broomfield also has the outdoor water park, The Bay. A fun place for the whole family.

The Mamie Dowd Eisenhower library and attached Auditorium (the Audi) is also phenomenal. The library has lots of year-round activities and some really fun summer programs for kids: Wonderful Wednesdays for school-aged children and Fun Fridays for preschoolers.

I could go on and on about the family friendly activities but they are too numerous to list! If you're around the weekend of Sept. 14-15, drop by Midway Park for the community-wide Broomfield Days celebration.

Also, we still spend a lot of time in Boulder, despite moving away two years ago, and a lot of families there drive their kids out here to participate in our youth sports program (baseball, football, lacrosse, soccer)

Shopping - Flatirons is very accessible from Broomfield. Arista is also currently under construction and will add ~600-800k additional square feet of retail to Broomfield.

Things to do with children under 5: see above

BrianPhil is right about Flatiron Crossing's proximity to Superior but he overlooks the importance of its location. Because Flatiron is in Broomfield, our town retains the revenue generated by Flatirons, which means better amenities for Broomfield residents.

Newer housing: The Broadlands is a cookie-cutter subdivision and I think there are more new homes being built further east but we choose to stay west of Sheridan because of school district. I think BrianPhil may live in my neighborhood, which is very diverse but is a perfect fit for us. We're in the second filing, which is older but within walking distance to Midway park, Boulder Valley schools (elementary, middle, and high), the library and auditorium, the future civic center, shopping, 2 mi from Flatirons and the future light rail station and 5 minutes from Arista and the Broomfield Events Center. We are 20 minutes from downtown Denver and 15 minutes from Boulder. A similar house in Boulder with comparable walkable amenities would have cost us 500k+.

A lot of people like Superior but we do not. It is a town with no vision. There is no planned light rail station, its retail options are not comparable to its neighbors (Louisville, Boulder, Broomfield) and its largest subdivision Rock Creek, which houses 97% of its residents, has radiation from Rocky Flats. It's your decision where you choose to live, but you should have all the facts. .

[tao]

Originally Posted by bouldergranola

and its largest subdivision Rock Creek, which houses 97% of its residents, has radiation from Rocky Flats.

Can you share more about this? I'd like to read documentation on that.

[bouldergranola]

@Tao - I sent you a PM.