Elizabeth Colorado ????????? (Denver, Parker, Castle Rock: trip , job, home)

[wannabemt]

My wife and I loved Elizibeth colorado. Anyone know anything about this area????

[Charles]

Originally Posted by wannabemt

My wife and I loved Elizibeth colorado. Anyone know anything about this area????

What is it about there that you like?

Where are you going to work?

Are you a horse type?

I occasionally drive near there on Highway 83 from Monument into Parker or down to Denver Airport. The geography is rolling prairie with lots of ranches though the region seems to be ex-urbanizing.

[kwk722]

I grew up there. It has grown quite a bit since I lived there. But I still have family there. Commuting towards Denver is getting rough.

[LoveBoating]

Three years ago we checked into horse property in Elizabeth, but decided against both the horse property and moving to Elizabeth. Elizabeth is definitely "horse territory", but way to far from where my job is in Denver and where my wife works next to DTC. It can only take me 35 min. to drive from Parker to downtown Denver at 6:25AM. But, to drive from Elizabeth to Denver in the morning.........don't even want to go there. And, they can get some pretty heavy snows out there in the winter also. 4-Wheel Drive is like a MUST!! We now live in Parker and there are a lot of folks who drive from Elizabeth to Parker to shop at Wal Mart.

[BillRadio]

Elizabeth is heaven for equestians. But its charm is in the fact that it is a very agricultural town. A few miles outside the town you get the exurbanites who are there for the wide-open spaces, mixed in with real ranchers, some who do it in a big way.

As has already been mentioned, the commute to Denver is a real challange, and the weather is more snowy and stormy that other surrounding areas, mostly due to altitude.

If you don't need to commute far, it is a wonderful small town, but the local concerns are somewhat different from suburbia. However, the area still has a large share of soccer moms, and you can get groceries and hardware in town. For more stores and restaurants you need to go to Castle Rock, not a bad drive, but a headache at rush hour if youre going the wrong way.

For the ocassional trip to Denver sports and culture, it works out just fine. But my friends on 80 acres there still have no high speed internet available. Douglas schools are a skosh above average, but kids social life is limited, and 4H is dominant.

[GunGirlCO]

oh yeah yes have to be a horse lover...moving to franktown next month and it is the same way...pretty high priced in Elizabeth also

[kwk722]

Originally Posted by BillRadio

Douglas schools are a skosh above average, but kids social life is limited, and 4H is dominant.

Elbert County,
kids have a lot to do in different ways, more recreation, but they dont get to browse malls unless they can drive into Park Meadows or Castle Rock. I wouldnt say 4H is dominant, the majority of the kids arent into the farming way of life. Dirt bikes and 4 wheelers are very popular, although the areas we used to ride in are developed or fenced.
It is a really nice area but a lot of people dont stay long after getting tired of the drive or a couple of winters sends them back towards the city. Although it is growing out there. If you are looking for a place with a acre or more, its great. If you are looking for a regular cramped neighborhood, I would personally stay in Parker or Castle Rock.

[TracyR]

Ok....My parents grew up in Elbert county and I grew up here. Let me tell you how I see it Elizabeth an ag town???? Not by a long shot anymore, maybe when I was a kid. Elizabeth is nothing more than a bedroom community, people move out here with their kids and dogs thinking that they can let both run. While parents are home less because of their commute, so kids run wild and get in LOTS of trouble. Think drugs are not a problem? Think again, they are easier to get because to schools and towns are smaller so you know where to go and who to ask.
Dogs.......Well if they get to running they may not come home.
Horse wanna be people mostly, one of those I have a 5 acre "ranch" so I need a horse type of thing. Now do not get me wrong there are some serious horse people, but the majority of the people are wanna be's that should not own a horse. 4-H is cool, but it takes mom and dads help who like I said before are stuck away from home because of the commute, and it takes some knowledge and help from a parent with the projects. Lets get real here, younger kids are in daycare unless mom or dad stays home, Teens are in sports if you are lucky if not they are probably out partying and doing "adult stuff" that needs to be saved for marriage. That is the reality of not just Elbert County, but of most rural communities where mom and dad commute. Trust me I was one of those kids.

[Mike from back east]

I took riding lessons there with a serious horse woman. Most of the roads are dirt, but I was surprised how well my Jeep drove on them at 50+ MPH. The town is quaint, nice BBQ place (Bennett's??), has a rodeo in the summer.

Is now or will become at least partially an ex-urban place just because it's within commuting distance to Denver. In 50 years, you'll have to put up a sign to mark where Denver ends and COL SPGS starts, like L.A. metro area.

s/Mike

[sosobroke]

The words "dirt and dust" comes to mind.